The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-07-08

NSGHi aAS0 T'O~N " tSS~'
membrane, without hair. lying snugiy upon their
backs from the top of their shoulders to the caves
of their legs.
THE face, which was of a yellowish hesh-color,
was slight Improvement upon that of the orang-
utan. being and intelligent in Its express
sion, and having a much greater expanse OF fore
head. The mouth, however was very prominent
though somewhat relieved by thick beard upon
the lower Jaw, and by lips far more human tnan
evidently in conversations their gesticulations,
more particularly the varied action of the hands
and arms. appeared impassioned and emphatic, we
hence inferred that they rational beings and,
although not SO high order as others which we
discovered the next month on the shores Of the
Bay of Rainbows that they capable of produce
ing works of art and continuance. We
scientifically denominated them vespertilio-
homo, or manbat; and they are doubtless innocent
and happy creatures"
The Astronomers Get Careless
The next installment, totalling 1000 words
was printed on the three succeeding days In it
was revealed the discovery of the great Temple
of the Moon, built of polished sapphire, with
roof Of some yellow metal, supported by columns
seventy feet high and six feet in diameter In
the valley of the temple a new species of man
bat was discovered. Then ore night, when the
astronomers finished work, they careessly left
the telescope facing the eastern horizon. The
rising sun burned hole through the rejecting
chamber, and ruined part of tae telescope When
the damage repaired the Floon was invisible
and the great moon narrative came to end.
BY this time New York wbs talking Of moth
ing except these astounding discoveries they
were the sensation of the dal. French and Eng
lish papers abroad translated or copied the Suns
fabrication, and the sensation IN Europe equal
to that in this country. The Sun, founded only
two years before, saw its circulation increased
to 1880, exceeding by more than 1000 the cir
culation of the London Times, hitherto the larg-
est in the world.
Meanwhile Sir John Hers~hel in South Africa
of
the discoveries" credited t. him. When he at
last found out, he overcome, saying that he
never could expect to live up to the fame that
had been heaped upon him.
OF course many persons suspected the hoax
but the detail of the story was so minute and
lavish that dared say anything. Many
of the rival papers were f7oled along with the
public. The Journal of Commerce was the
point of reprnting the Sup's story "in justice
to its readers" when Locke himself gave the
hoax away.
In the words Of Edgar Allan Poe; "From the
epoch of the hoax the Sun sbone with unmitigated
splendor It's success fiji mly established the
penny system throughout the country and
Through the Sun) Indebted to the genius
of Locke for one of the mo.t important steps yet
taken In the pathway of hlman progress"
"Cardiff Giant Hoax of 1869
Today, with our rapid mSans of communication
d
portions could not long enquire the light of such
publicity. On the contrary the public seems all
too willing to stamp any UNUSUAL bit of news
q mere newspaper yarn" shat is, If they do not
want to believe It, This will-to-believe or to-
disbelieve is powerful fSctor with the human
mind If it makes you feel better to believe
something, psychologists tel us, you are likely
to hold it so if 1t disturbs Jour peace of mind to
accept something as true, YOU are likely to wave
1t aside as foolishness Oi heresy. There
persons in America today who refuse to sub
scribe to the theory that tins earth is round. They
like to think of 1t as fat ind fat it is to them
What's the difference?
A famous hoax Of 1869 Las that of the scar
diff giant" Well diggers near Cardiff NJ Y,
one morning came upon the stone figure of man
ten feet tal with shoulders three feet in breadth
The right arm and hand lay across the body,
while the left was pressed against the back di-
rectly opposite The legs were slightly contracted
as il by pain the left foot resting partially upon
the right.
Speculation rife as to the origin Of the
giant. and some Of the visitors were quick to
recognize its value as an exhibit. Before long
the farmer on whose land the figure was found
set up tent and charged admission The ordi-
nary visitors were usually content with the be-
lief that this was petrihei human being. Moth
ing in the world can make me believe that
he was not once living being" declared
woman who viewed the colossus. why. you
can see the veins in his legs"
Biologists, however thought differently. One
declared 1t TO be the work of the Jesuit fathers
two or three hundred years before. Another
geologist emphasized the antiquity of the statue
and called attention to the corrOding attri-
ton Of part of the under surface of the body
by the solution he declared would have required
long period Of years.
In the meantime, the giant continued 70 draw