Extracted text
Editorial transcription, lightly normalized from the scan. Line-break hyphenation, spacing, capitalization, and unmistakable OCR errors have been repaired; the claims remain those of The Flaming Sword.
"If I am not intruding too much on your valuable time, will you kindly answer the following questions: (1) Would it be possible to see across Lake Michigan (60 miles wide), and view the opposite beach, if one stood at the water's edge, without a glass? (2) If a telescope is required, what power would be the best to use? (3) Is the cash offer of $10,000 or $20,000 (I cannot remember the figures), payable to any one proving that we live on the outside of the globe, still open? If so, kindly state the conditions under which the proof must be made."
OUR POSITION relative to visual perception of the surface of the earth or water, may be summed up as follows: Operation of the factors of foreshortening and visual curvilineation, conspire to produce the effects of the phenomena of the horizon. The visual lines are not straight, as generally supposed, but are curved upward and outward, so that they sustain nearly the same relation to the earth's concave surface, that straight visual lines are supposed to sustain to the convex arc.
From our basis, it is possible to see farther out on the sea, from given distances above the water, than would be possible on the convex basis, for the simple reason that where atmospheric conditions tend to make the visual rays less curved, the horizon may be considerably removed beyond the normal distance. And, further, such conditions enable us to perceive islands, lighthouses, headlands, etc., much farther than would be admissible from the convex basis, even after allowing ample refraction.
It would not be possible, therefore, to see across Lake Michigan by any one standing at the water's edge, either with or without a telescope, under ordinary atmospheric conditions. However, both shores have been seen from mid-lake—30 miles each way,—from steamer decks only ten feet above the water.
It may often occur that the horizon of the naked eye and the telescopic horizon are one and the same; in such cases, the telescope will not enable one to see lower down on a disappearing ship than with the naked eye. There are, however, notable instances of difference between the two—such as could not obtain over a convex arc of 25,000 miles circumference.
We published a challenge for some years containing an offer of $100,000 for proof that the earth's habitable surface is convex. After a futile effort to have it accepted, it was finally withdrawn. The offer originally was to any astronomer, geodesist, engineer or experimentalist, who should overthrow the premise of the Cellular Cosmogony, and demonstrate conclusively by observation and experiment, the modern system of astronomy, with its assumptions of the convexity, rotation, and mobility of the earth.
The conditions were, that the man who should accept the challenge, must be a recognized scientist, capable of representing the opposing system of astronomy; that he must agree to forfeit $100,000 in case he failed; or repudiate the system he championed, and announce his inability to disprove the Koreshan premise; and that he must, further, understand the Cellular Cosmogony and its demonstrations.
The Flat Earth Theory
"I enclose a cutting from a New York paper, giving Morse's theory of the flat earth. He offers what he calls proofs that he is right. Kindly tell me what you think of the facts he cites."
THE THEORY that the earth is flat did not originate with Mr. Morse. He has only adopted the conceptions of the followers of Dr. Rowbotham, who founded what is called the Zetetic astronomy, away back in the forepart of the nineteenth century.
We have shown a number of times, that the flat earth people are mistaken concerning the shape of the earth. The so called facts which Mr. Morse refers to, are not facts. The sun cannot be seen at midnight from the top of Eiffel tower, Mont Blanc, nor any other place outside of the frigid zones.
It has been proven over and over again, by direct observation, that degrees of longitude far south of the equator are shorter than on the equator; that men have sailed around the earth in southern seas, looping the south pole; that the sun is seen at midnight in high southern latitudes; and that the southern constellations revolve about a south polar point, exactly as the northern constellations revolve about Polaris.
It is these facts that caused Lady Blount, the chief advocate of the flat earth theory in England, to considerably modify her views along astronomical and geographical lines, departing from the original circular plane idea of Dr. Rowbotham.
Consistent with the usual astronomical phenomena and the facts of navigation, there are only two shapes one could suppose the earth to have; it must be either convex or concave, being a sphere about 8,000 miles in diameter. We have demonstrated that the habitable surface of the earth is concave.
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Editorial transcription, lightly normalized from the scan. Line-break hyphenation, spacing, capitalization, and unmistakable OCR errors have been repaired; the claims remain those of The Flaming Sword.
The Flaming Sword · Vol. 22, No. 8 · 15 Aug. 1908 · PDF pp. 30-31