The Syracuse Journal, Volume 19, Number 12, Syracuse, Kosciusko County, 22 July 1926 — Page 6

K>olin</^ c Public- Then ancl Now

Celebrated ‘Moon Hoax’ a Sensation Here and Abroad. By PROEHL HALLER JAKLON r AN gets h big kick out of A fooling his fellows. Them I seems to be something * delicious in baiting a trap and seeing someone bite.. The Stone age and the age before it probably had its practical Jokers, and all history la full of jokes and hoaxes, perpetrated to the delight of some and to the embarrassment of others. Sometimes the fooling Is for gain, sometimes for fun. and often for both. Individuals Indulge in it, and even nations have been known to attempt a on other nations. Witness the wooden horse of the Greeks and the tulip craze of the Sixteenth century, when all Holland set out to make the world crave the tulip, which, it was learned, would thrive on certain types of Dutch soli useless for anything else. Soon all the world wanted this new flower, and bulbs sold for as high as $5,000 apiece. The Dutch growers waxed rich.

•nd Jhen the fad waned, leaving purchasers ail aver the world with expensive bulbs but no narket. Centuries later Americans were to fall tor ginseng, alfalfa, mushrooms, and silver foxes, it’s a greaj game. Perhaps the most celebrated hoax In history . was the •‘moon hoax,** conceived by Richard Adams Locke, a newspaper reporter, and perpetrated by the New York Sun In 1835. Its success depended spon man's interest In astronomical phenomena, ‘.hat insatiable curiosity to know what Ilea berond the veil of space which surrounds the earth. Science today IS convinced that the moon* has •o life upotr It, but a century ago. before the lay of powerful telescopes, the public knew little as the heavens beyond what It could see with the baked eye after dark. Speculation was always keen as to whether or not life existed on the moon. Today we wonder the same thing about the planet Mars. J Moon Hoax Fools Two Continents And so the New York Sun chose a very fertile field in 1835, when It began the publication of Locke's fantastic imaginings with all the seriousness of a great scientific discovery. For a time the credulous public of two continents, and even the scientists, were completely deceived. This stupendous feat brought the Sun the largest circulation tn the world, and in the opinion of Edgar Allan Poe established the penny newspaper as an Institution. Locke could write about almost anything. His fund of general information was huge, and he could turn out prose or poetry, politics or pathos, anecdotes or astronomy. In 1834 Locke heard of an astronomical expedition to South Africa. * Now, during July and August. 1835. things were a bit dull on the island of Manhattan, and the newspapers were running short of material with which to entertain and attract their readers. Ixwke needed money, and so he laid a plan before Mr. Dny, the Sun's editor. On August 21. the following item appeared on the second page of the Sun: Celestial Discoveries—Ths Edinburgh Courant says: “We have learned from an eminent publisher of this city Sir John Herschel, at the Cape of Good Hope, has made some astronomical discoveries of the moat wonderful description by means of an Immense telescope of an entirely new principle." ► Then after four days the Sun published what purported to be a reprint from a supplement to the Edinburgh Journal of Science. There had been such a publication a few years before, but ft was not generally known that it had ceased publication. In three columns on page one the Sun carried the astonishing announcement of “recent discoveries which will build an imperishable monument to the age in which we live." They Describe the Telescope A technical description of the telescope followed, and a* hypothetical account told of the channels through which this remarkable news had traveled from Cape Town. Thus was laid the foundation of what was to follow. To queries as to where it had obtained its supplement to the Edinburgh Journal of Science, the Sun declared In an editorial that “it was very politely furnished us by a medical gentleman immediately from Scotland. \.N6 great excitement had been caused so far. but the next day the town wan Jolted by four columns of actual description of the landscape of the moon. Sir John's telescope was so powerful, the story asserted, that It brought objects to within a few feet of the observer. This I* what the astronomers in Cape Town were reported to have seen: • ‘ “The tree* for a period of ten mlnntee ware of one unvaried kind, and unlike any except the largest class of yews In Eagliah churchyard*. They were followed by a level green plain which must have been more than half a mile in breadth." & A column farther on. In a wonderful valley of this wonderful moon, life at last burst upon the acene: "In the shade of the woods on th* southeastern side w* beheld continuous herds of brown quadrupeds. having all th* external characteristics of th* bison, but smaller than any sped** of the bo* genus in our natural history. ... It had one distinctive feature, which we afterward found common to nearly every lunar quadruped we have discovered: harnely. a remarkable fleshy appendage over th* eye*, crossing the whole breadth of th* forehead and united to the ears. It Immediately occurred to th* acute mind of Dr. Herschel that this was a protective covering for the ey«* against th*' great extremes of light and da.rk.nee* to which all th* Inhabitants of our aid* of th* moon ar* periodically subjected." Find Humans on the Moon The issue, of August 28 satisfied public curiosity as to the presence of human creatures on the moon. The astronomers were looking at the cliffs and crags of a new part of the satellite: "But whilst gaslng upon them we were thrilled with astonishment to perceive four successive flock* of birds descend with a slow, even motion from th* cliffs on the western side and alight upon the plain. . . . About half of the first party had passed from our view, but of all the other* w* had a perfectly distinct and deliberate view. They averaged four feet in height, were covered, except on the face, with short and glossy copper- • colored hair, and had wing* composed of a thin

Snubbing Made Almost Perfect

Jkaa* Livermore. at a luncheon Hn M» apartment at the Everglade* crpb la Palm Beach, told a story about a enob. There’s a lady down here.- he aaM. -who’s glad to be la society mainly on account of the fun she gets from keeping other people out Thl* lady ts the champion snubber, but she got her come-uppln's last week. -She met two ladiaa aa the beach.

w » jfeg | y, 1

“A Seen* on th* Moon.” Published In Connection With the New York Sunto Celebrated Hoax of 1835.

membrane, without hair, lying snugly upon their back*, from th* top of their shoulders to the calve* of their leg*. "The face, which was of a yellowish flesh-eolor, was a slight Improvement upon that of the orangutan. being more open and intelligent in its expression. and having a much greater expanse of forehead. The mouth, however, was very prominent, though somewhat relieved by a thick beard upon the lower jaw, Xjid by lips far more human than those of the ape. . . . These creatures were evidently in conversation: their gesticulations, more particularly the varied action of the hands and arms, appeared impassioned and emphatic. We hence inferred that .hey were rational beings, and, although not so high an order as others which we discovered the next month on the shores of the Bay of Rainbows, that .they are capable of producing works of art and contrivance. . . . W* scientifically denominated them as vespertiliohomo, or manbat; and they ar* doubtless innocent and happy creatures." The Astronomers Get Careless The next installment, totalling 11.000 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 a 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 manbat was discovered. Then one night, when the astronomers finished work, they carelessly left th® -telescope facing the eastern horizon. The rising sun burned a hole through the reflecting chamber, and ruined part of the telescope. When the damage was repaired the moon was invisible, and the great moon narrative came to an end. By this time New York was talking of nothing except these astounding discoveries: they were the sensation of the day. French and English papers abroad translated or copied the Sun’s fabrication, and the sensation In Europe was equal to that In this country. The Sun. founded only two years before, saw Its circulation increased to 19,300. exceeding by more than 2.000 the circulation of the London Times, hitherto the largest In the world. Meanwhile. Sir John Herschel In South Africa was busy with his telescope entirely unaware of the “discoveries" credited to him. When he at last found out, he was overcome, say|ug that he never could expect to live up to the fame that had been heaped upon him. Os course, many persons suspected the hoax, but the detail of the story was so minute and lavish that no one dared say anything. Many of the' rival papers were fooled along with the public. The Journal of Commerce was on the point of reprinting the Sun’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 shone with unmitigated splendor. Its success firmly established the •penny system’ throughout the country and (through the Sun) we are Indebted to the genius * of Locke for one of the most Important steps yet taken In the pathway of human progress.” “Cardiff Giant” Hoax of 1869 Today, with our rapid means of communication and transportation, a hoax of such gigantic proportions could not long endure the light of such publicity. On the contrary, the public seems all too willing to stamp any unusual bit of news as a mere "newspaper yarn," thaj[ is. If they do not want to believe it. This will-to-belleve o"r todisbelieve is a powerful factor with the human mind. If it makes you feel better to believe something, psychologists tell us. you are likely to hold it so; if it disturbs your peace of mind to accept something as true, you are likely to wave It aside as foolishness or heresy. There are persons tn America today who refuse to subscribe to the theory that the earth is round. They Uke to think of it as fiat, and flat it is to them. What’s the difference? A famous hoax of 1869 was that of the "Cardiff giant." Well diggers near Cardiff. N. Y, one morning came upon the stone figure of a man ten feet tall, with shoulders three feet in breadth. The right arm and hand lay across the body, while the left was pressed against the back directly opposite. The legs were Rightly contracted as if by pain, the left foot reeling partially upon the right Speculation ran rtf* as to the origin of the nt and some of the visitor* were quick to recognize its value as an exhibit. Before long the farmer on whose land the figure was found set up a tent and charged admission. The ordinary visitor* were usually content with the belief that this was a petrified human being. “Nothing in the world Can ever make me believe that he was not once a living being," declared a woman who viewed the colossus. “Why, you can see the veins in his legs." Geologists, however, thought differently. One declared it 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 or attrition of part of the under surface of the body by the solution, he declared, would have required a long period of years. In the meantime, the giant continued to draw &

One of them, she knew, was the guest > of the other, but she said to the guest. Ignoring the guest’s hostess: - Wil! you dine with me next Tuesday. dear?’ ■The guest blushed at this rudeness to her friend and stammered: - *Bot rm—er—Tm staying with Flfine, you know. * "Then the society lady saw she couldn’t very waß got out of it. so

she looked Fifine up and down and yaid: “•Suppose you dine with me next Tuesday, too—will you? “Fifine shook her head and laughed. -’No.’ she said. *1 can’t dine with you next Tuesday, hut listen. Will you lunch with me last Wednesday Y ” Wood Vorooo Stool An Insurance inspector claims that wood is a better risk against fire than steel and concrete. Oak. he said, when charred on the surface, ceased tn be

THE SYRACUSE JOURNAL

The ‘Cardiff Giant’ Took in Credulous Public and Much Cash. the dollars of the curious. P. T. Barnum tried to buy IL but a local syndicate already had obtained coatrol. and his offer was rejected. This new company, one of whom is said to have been the original from which the character of David Harum was drawn, paid $30,000 for a three-fourth* interest. Th* success of the exhibition led Barnum to have carved a similar figure which was likewise exhibited as the “Cardiff giant." The owners of the original sought to obtain a restraining order against the Barnum counterfeit, but it was refused. Both giants, therefor*, continued to draw the crowd*Now, the assumption had always been that the discovery of the figure had been accidental’, but there were those who doubted this version. Residents of the county in which the well diggers worked began to recall that about a year ' before the discovery a mysterious four-horse team was observed drawing a wagon which carried

a huge iron-bound box. It was headed in the direction of Cardiff. Professor Marsh of Yale, a paleontologist, examined th* figure and asserted that it was clearly of recent origin and ft most decided humbug. • Then, a lawyer of Fort Dodge. lowa, seeing the figure at Syracuse, wrote back home: "I believe It is made oat of the great block of gypsum those fellows got at Fort Dodge a year ago and sent back east.” Gradually the story came to light. In the summer of 1868. two men arrived at Fort Dodge, and attempted to make a bargain for a block of gypsum at least 12 by 4 by 2 feet, explaining that they wished to exhibit it tn New York. They leased some land and hired a quarryman to get out a block of the required size. Its owners announced that it was to be shipped to New York, but freight office records showed that it was billed to Chicago. Here a German stone cutter carved the gigantic figure from the block. Great care was taken to give it an ancient appearance. From Chicago the finished statute was shipped by an indirect route to Union. N. Y. Here the mysterious four-horse team appeared, and the giant, encased tn an ironbound box. began his wandering In search of a likely grave. This Hoax Paid Big Dividends One of the men was George Hull, a relative of William Newell, the farmer op whose property the giant was “discovered.” under the personal direction of Newell. Both men made thousands of dollars out of their unique venture. , Another hoax which goes on from generation to generation is one concerning the “original log of Columbus.” Despite the fact that the only undoubtedly authentic handwriting of Columbus, a four-page letter. Is in the possession of the king and queen of Spain, the “original Columbus log” turns up every few years. In 1924. it turned up in Mexico. Strangely enough, it was . written entirely In German ’ The literary hoax seems to be the most popular form of fooling and almost the easiest of perpetration. A recent one fooled the literary editor of the New York Times, who conceded that while "The Diary of a Young I-ady of Fashion. 176465.” had not “any of the importance that attaches to such a monumental record as was left behind by Pepys” the author “did throw the beams of her candle here and there on the features of her times." Now the New York Times Itself discovers that a nlneteen-year-old miss is the author of this successful hoax. Some hoaxes go unchallenged until the author can refrain no longer from informing the public how he has fooled it. Such is the history of the • "bathtub" hoax, put over several years ago by Henry L. Mencken, now' the editor of the American Mercury. Mencken wrote a short. Informal account of the origin of the bath-tub In America. The first tub. he said, was installed in the « home of a wealthy Cincinnatian. He traced the rise of the tub's popularity, and declared that at first physicians were violently opposed to its use on grounds of health. Several states were said to have passed laws against the Installation of the new sanitary equipment. Mencken Exposes Bathtub Hoax Only recently Meneken exposed his trick. No one ; he commented, in all the years since this bit of imaginative history has been current, questioned the facts he cited. His original story has been quoted all over the world, and incorporated in solemn treatises. One of the most celebrated literary hoaxes was' that of the Scotch school teacher Macpherson, who, having learned a little old Celtic and Gaelic language and literature, brought forth his “Poems of Ossian.” It aroused the world, and has been cited as one of the causes of the Romantic movement in literature that swept Europe in the late Eighteenth century. There is the eloquent hoax known as Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death’ speech, thought to have been delivered by th* great orator in 1775 at St. John’s church near Richmond. Va.. but really written by his biographer. William Wirt, years after Henry died. And all of us know that beloved fake known as the Washington hatchet and cherry tree story • invented entirely by Washington’s first biographer, “Parson” Mason Weems. Lengthy explorations have been made into the facts surrounding both the foregoing fictions, and the inevitable conclusions have been in agreement with those given here. Edgar Allan Poe once announced in a Baltimore newspaper that on a certain day he would make a trip from the roof of a building in his lately-invented flying machine. Several factories allowed their workers time off to witness the event, and on the appointed day a vast crowd •waited in front of the building for the spectacle Poe. seated in an upper window, sent down bulletins giving excuses for his delay. After several hours he announced the fl T trht was off because “one of his wings had got wet.” Tradition has it that ho escaped through an alley window.

dangerous, but the safest of all timbers was Lombardy poplar, which refused to burn at all. The most fir* proof building he knew was one timbered entirely with this wood, but the cost for general use is prohibitive and the supply inadequate. What? "What prompts a man to face ths perils of exploring the Arctic?” The same thing that prompts hits to follow a woman to the altar."— Tit-Bits.

DAY FROCKS FOR MIDSUMMER; SUPERB EVENING COSTUMES

WHEN summer comes and there is so much to enjoy—if one is cool enough—the up-to-date woman insists on being comfortable. The shops are full of pretty clothes for hot weather made of the lightest of practical fabrics and there are ways and means for providing a little extra warmth when it is needed. Even house dresses are gay and airy—the

£\ * I y I / \ 7 V i- > I I r \ ;< Hhl | / I j X .Il I ! I : ■ ■ / • I Hl f I L -—J t r w Two of tho Popular Style*.

thambrays and ginghams combined with organdie and woven tn lovely eolors. These are usually one-piece affairs designed .for easy tubbing. Day dresses are shown in one and to two-piece modes and in many different kinds of material. White crepe de chine or radium silk frocks, similar to those pictured here, are as practical as cotton and even cooler. Nothing launders better. Polka-dotted silks to white with dots in red, blue, green mt yellow, are combined with plain white silks in one-piece frocks and in delightful Jumper dresses. Other printed silks are used with plain silks, is in a jumper dress with plain white skirt having godets of striped silk

n ■■MaMMMrxjJ I r smuxa iim II 111 ill i iffiliMßMMSl By * -o t I A " ’* '■ Gown of Georgette With Cape of Chiffon Velvet.

tnd jumper of striped silk finished with collar, cuffs or other touches in the white silk. Next after these cool light silk fab■ics come the new and pretty cotton and rayon mixtures in attractive crossbar and striped patterns and in mixtures of a color and white woven together. A degree heavier are the Ightwelght mixtures of wool and -ayon in plain patterns in which the colors have a silvery sheen or in fancy weaves showing two colors. These Materials are very soft and are unnussable. They are shown in entire lumper dresses or in junipers with lilk skirts to match in color and In one-piece frocks. They are in the Hass of sports dresses but are worn everywhere. Whenever the creator of new etyles la dealing with gorgeous fabSeason of Polka Dot* Women who can spot a fashion unerringly declare that this is to be a great season for polka dot* They will be worn probably on everything from bathing suits and beach pajamas to formal afternoon dresses. Accessories That Match „ It is interesting to note the prominent place slotted to accessories, with hat. bag, kerchief and umbrella or parasol matching.

rics. his ability Is put to the test He must confine himself to simple designs or to Ingenious ones that seem simple; for no one knows better than he that to adorn the Illy and to paint the rose is fatal to good style. At the same time he must make his creations interesting^-his simplicity must be original and there Is where th* test comes in. Velvet has made its

stately entry in the modes and the eyes of great designers are * fixed upon IL Here is an evening costume in which a spangled gown of georgette is enveloped by a cape made of chiffon velvet in two colors. The gown seems to be as simple as possible, yet It is adroitly flared in the Skirt, which ripples about the figure. The spangled floral pattern that makes It brilliant, extends upward on the right side from the skirt to the shoulder. A huge velvet flower is posed below the waistline and completes a perfect piece of work. This sparkling dress disclosed by the open cape is all that it should

but the cape compels attention for its originality. A circular piece of chiffon velvet Is bordered by a graduated flounce of the same velvet in another color —or two tones of the same color might be used. The flounce Is set on with lace needlework. One can imagine this wrap in deep and rich tones of red. green or blue or in golden-brown and darker tones, making a background for the brilliant dress worn with it. Velvet is here In dark and in light colors, in black and in neutral shades. Just what will be done with it remains to be seen when the fall modes begin to make their appearance. But the trend of fashion Is toward dignified styles, which is a good omen for rich fabrics, and among these velvet stands at the head. JULIA BOTTOMLET. (©. t»M. Western Newspaper Union.) Scarf and Hat to Match The small hat of felt or belting ribbon la matched by a narrow scarf of crepe de chine lined with a contrasting color. The scarfs are worn like an old-fashioned stock. Large Hat* Are Smart The new large hats Introduced flor summer wear are distinctly smart. They are simple tn line and cleverly trimmed with ribbon or a single ornament adroitly placed.

BS the ■ □KITCHEN m Hcabinetuj <©. 192«, WBBC.ru Newspaper Union.) Wall not for precious chances passed away; Weep not for golden ac*s on th* wane; Each night I burn th* record* of the day; At sunris* every soul t* born again. SEASONABLE GOOD THINGS The busy housewife with one pair of hands at command to do the dally

tasks, must do without many frills In cookery* no matter how much shw may enjoy them. However a few minutes spent in simple garnishing 1* well spent time. Carrot Pudding.—Take one cupful of grated carrot one cupful of grated

V pt p

potato, one egg, one-half cupful of sugar, one-half cupful of shortening, one-half cupful of raisins, one teaspoonful of soda and one cupful of flour. Steam one hour. Sour Meat—Take a nice piece of round steak, lay it in vinegar with one onion, a teaspoonful of whole allspice, •alt and pepper mixed, one bayleaf, allow it to stand for three days. Brown the meat in a hot frying paa. pour over the vinegar and sufficient water in equal parts to cover the meat and simmer until tender. Strain tho jravy, then thicken it and pour around the meat when serving. Chocolate Cookies. —Cream one-half :upful of shortening with one cupful of sugar, add one beaten egg. Add one-half cupful of sour milk with onehalf teaspoonful of soda, two square* of chocolate melted over hot water and one and one-half cupfuls of flour. Drop by spoonfuls on baking sheet* and bake In a moderate oven. Top with Iclftg prepared from powdered sugar, butter and a little vanilla and eream. Drop Doughnuts. — Take one-half eupful qf sugar, one-half cupful of milk, one and one-half cupfuls of flour with one teaspoonful of baking powder, a pinch of salt and ginger, a [rating of lemon rind. Beat the egg white, add sugar gradually, then th* sea ten yolk, flavoring, salt, milk and Sour. Drop by teaspoonfuls into hot tot and cook until brown. Roll In powdered sugar, then cool. Unusual Sponge Calc*. —Separate the whites and yolks of four eggs and seat the whites very stiff. Add one mpful of sugar a little at a time, then »dd the yolks, one at a time, cutting md folding them In. not to mix. but eave the white streaked with yellow. Fold in one cupful of flour sifted with->ne-quarter of a teaspoonful of cream >f tartar arid bake in a greased pan in t slow oven. Stewed Lettuce. —Cook lettuce a* yreens in very little moisture, serve with melted butter, a dash of vinegar, pepper and salt. Onion juice may baadded for seasoning if liked. Pertinent Hints. As seasoning is one of the fine art* •nd marks the ability of a cook, it 1*

wise to study the various combinations of seasoning. The French cook has the seasoning sense developed to a high degree. Her foods are often of the most common and plainest kind, , but the mixture of seasoning puts the dishes out of the ordinary class. A package of bay

waves will last two or three generations as this is a seasoning like garlle which should be used in very small inanities The little bit. however. 1* needed to add that alluring flavor. A bottle of mushroom sauce, kitchen vouquet, Worcestershire and tabasco tauce, pepper sauce, curry, chili powder, celery salt, paprika, soy sauce* of various kinds with the commoner reasonings and a dozen of the savory herbs should aM be part of the wellequipped kitchen. * Scald a dish in which fish has been rooked with vinegar in the water, Then wash with soda in the water. Old rubbers will be shined up by nibbing them with ammonia.? A roomy market basket well padded makes a fine bed for a small baby when traveling. It is easy to carry and will also hold the baby’s belongings. Being able to carry the baby without disturbing him or exposing him to the weather is a great advah- ' tage. Grease the cork of the bottle of flue and it will be easy to remove when needed. Between the rows of the vegetable* which will soon be pulled like onions, radishes and such vegetables, sow flower seed which will delight yo« ifter the vegetables are gone. A good way to clean gloves is t* moisten flopr and wash them on th* lands, by rubbing and cleaning off :he dark spots. Renew the flour and :lean again. Kitchen aprons of unbleached cotron are much more desirable, as they may be boiled and kept white. A piece of ice held in the mouth for t minute before bad-tasting medicine Is given will dull the sense of taste. A little sand in a top-heavy vase will add greatly to the comfort of using It. * A fresh blood stain will be com-w ?letely removed if covered at once with powdered starch. When setting dishes on ice use a ran rubber under them; this will keep them from slipping. Altitude in Arizona Arizona has a wider range of altitude than any other western state. The highest point is San Francisce peak, 12,611 feet above the sea level, and the lowest is on the Colorado river, where the elevation is but 100 feet .s! -—. Worse and Worse “Adolphus is getting really terrible, yesterday he refused me a new dinner gown and this morning he refused me the same gown all over again.*’