The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-02-25
He LOST WORLD
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

4 AOi0s VI cNcIy OuO III tuo duulcuCC.
Ono, no." from skeptical student
In the back row. If the young gen.
tleman in the red tie who crieS mo.
no. and who presumably Gained to
have been Matched out Of an egg
would wait upon him after the lee
ture, he would be gla1 to see such a
curiosity. Naughte..) 1t was strange
to think that the climax of all the
aSe-long process of nature had been
I le creation of that gentleman In the
I'd tie. But had the process stopped?
Was this gentleman to be taken as
the final type-the be-all and end-all
| Of development? He hoped that he
would not hurt the feelings of the
gentleman in the red tie If he main
tanned that, whatever virtues that
gentleman might possess in private
life, still the vast processes of the
universe were not fully justified II
they were to end entirely in his pro-
duction. Evolution was not spent
force, but one still working, and
even greater achievements were in
store.
Having thus, amid a general litter,
played very prettily with his inter
rupter, the lecturer went back to his
picture Of the past, the drying Of
the seas, the emergence of the sand
bank, the sluggish, viscous life which
lay upon their margins, the over
crowded lagoons, the tendency of the
sea creatures to take refuge upon
the mud-fiats, the abundance OF food
awaiting them, their consequent en-
ormous growth. Hence, ladies and
gentlemen" he added, that fright
| full brood Of saurians which still af-
fright our eyes when seen in the
| Wealden or in the Solenhofen states.
but which were fortunately extinct
long before the first appearance of
mankind upon this planet
Question: doomed a voice from
the platform.
Mr.. Waldron was a strict discinli.
marian with gift Of acid humor. as
exemplified upon the gentleman with
the red tie, which made it perilous
to interrupt him But this interjec-
ton appeared to him so absurd that
he was at a loss how to deal with it.
So looks the Shakespearean who is
confronted by a rancid Baconian. or
the astronomer who is assailed by
fiat-earth fanatic. He paused for
moment, and then, raising his
voice, repeated slowly the words:
Which were extinct before the COM
ing of man.
Question:" doomed the voice once
more.
Waldron looked with amazement
along the line of professors upon the
platform until his eyes fell upon the
figure of Challenger, who leaned
hback in his chair with closed eyes
and an amused expression, as If he
were smiling in his sleep.
II see" said Waldron, with a
shrug. 1T is my friend, Professor
Challenger" and amid laughter he
renewed 'his lecture as If this was
final explanation and no more need
be said.
But the incident was far from be.
Ing closed. Whatever path the lee
turer took amid the wilds of the
past seemed invariably to lead him
to some assertion as to extinct or
prehistoric life which instantly
brought the same bulls below from
the professor. The audience began
to anticipate it and to roar with de-
light when 1t came. The packed
benches of students Joined in. and
every time Challenger's beard opened.
before any sound could come forth.
there was a yell Of Question:" from
a hundred voices, and an answering
counter cry Of "Orderr' and "Shamev'
from as many more. Waldron.
though hardened lecturer and a
strong man. became ratified. He
hesitateo, stammered, repeated him
self, got startled in long sentence.
and finally turned furiously upon the
cause OF his troubles.
This Is really intolerablev' he
cried, glazing across the platform.
= must ask you, Professor Challen-
ger, to cease these ignorant and I'm.
mannerly Interruptions
There was a hush over the hall.
the students rigid with delight at
seeing the high gods on Olympus
quarreling among themselves. Chal
lenger levered his bulk figure slow
| ly QUO Of his chair.
Thrust in turn ask you. Mr.. Wal,
dron,' he said, Ito cease to make
assertions which are not in strict
accordance with scientific fact"
The words Embossed tempest
Shame! Shamep' Give him a
hearingv' Put him outr' "shove
him off the PLATFORM Fair playp'
emerged from a general roar of
amusement or execration. The chair.
man was on his feet Tapping both
his hands and bleating excitedly.
Professor Challenger - personal -
views--iater," we're the solid peaks
above his clouds of inaudible mutter.
The interrupter bowed, smiled.
st-oked his beard and relapsed into
his chair. Waldron, very flushed and
warlike, continued his observations.
Now and than, as he made an asser-
ton, he shot venomous glance at
his opponent, who seemed to be
slumbering deeply, Wits he same
broad, happy smile upon his face.
(To be continued
Copyright, 1925. NEA Service, Inc.)