THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF THE WORLD

by Mr. John G. Abizaid

Note: This booklet was originally printed in 1910; this came from the 2^rd addition in 1912.The grammar and the punctuational is the same as in the original.

Chapter 1

About the Water

You have eyes to see, body that feels and brain to think.

Christians believe the Bible. In this Book of Holy Writ are proofs given by the prophets that the world is flat and stationary, and the sun, moon and stars are always in motion.

There are many, however, who do not accept the truths of the Bible, and for this reason I give other proofs.

There are some things that need witnesses, but other truths are their own witnesses; they bear the proof in themselves.

You know that there is more water on the earth than dry land. Here is the first proof:

The water proves that the earth is flat, level and stationary. Water is liquid. It runs always down and seeks its level, and never runs up unless by power. And the water of the ocean is every way pretty near joined together on the earth, and they call it liquid. It will not stay on a round earth. Take a glass of water and pour it on a round ball and if the water stays on, then the earth must be round, but if the water falls off the earth must be flat.

This is the proof: Take a pan and fill it with water and see if it is higher in the center than on the sides. If this is true, then the water of the ocean might be round, but if the water in the pan is flat and level, then the water of the ocean must also be flat and level.

The water of the ocean is level and can be nothing else, because it is liquid, which proves that the land is flat and not round. The land is not exactly flat and level, for there are mountains and valleys. But it makes no difference, for if the mountains were in the valleys it would leave the land flat and level and higher than the water. I have been thinking of the question for a long time.

At last I have found out for myself and the water and the sunbeams, the sun’s rising, the sunlight, etc., that the earth cannot be round and in motion, as books and teaches have taught. The teachers offer proofs to show that the earth is round but the proofs they offer amount to nothing. When the children go to school, the teacher tells them the world is round, and, of course, they believe it, and they do not ask how it is round. They are young and they know very little. When they grown up they still believe the earth is round and in motion, and so in turn they teach this to others.

The water is flat, which proves that the earth is flat and stationary.

From its fruit you will know what kind of a tree it is.

You can tell by looking at a building whether it has a good foundation or not.

The sun cannot throw the earth’s shadow on the moon, because sometimes they are very near to each other. This you can tell in the evening and in the morning by seeing the moon and the sun at the same time.

You ought not to believe everything the professors say, because they do not know everything.

The man who said that the earth was proved round by the sight of a row of ships upon the ocean made a mistake, and what he says is not true.

Just because he measured and looked at the subject in his own way, he has not proved it but guessed at it. From this guess he thought the land and water around; but the water will not stay round, as he thinks.

They claim in the geographies that when the last ship is out of sight, it is a proof that the water is round, but it is a proof that the water is flat. You will see if you look and measure in a good many different ways, as is done in this book.

A person standing on the shore sees a steamer full size when it is near him, but when it goes out father it keeps growing smaller until it is out of sight. They think this is good proof that the water of the ocean is round, but it is not a good proof, because water is liquid and will not stay round. The distance view shows you that. It is the same as with a book; you cannot read it five yards away from your face, but near your face you can read it plainly.

This is the Law of Perspective. Ed.

  A person standing on the seashore will see a large steamer, but as it goes out father it grows smaller, and the mast of the steamer will be shorter, too; but if a person stood on the opposite shore he would see the steamer large when near him as it goes out father it grows smaller, which proof that the water is flat and level and not round: the far distance will show you that.

There is no chance for anybody to say that the earth is round, for as long as the water is flat and level and stationary, and the sun in motion.

I have read books on geography, and I find they claim that the earth is round and in motion.

I have been thinking over this matter, and have read considerable in regard to the subject.

I do not blame children or teachers, but the first man who said the earth is round. He told the people the earth was round, but did not know for sure; he only guessed at it. We do not have to believe such guess-work as long as we have eyes to see and bodies to feel and brains to think.

This say the earth is round, both land and water, and that they are always moving around the sun. but if you ask them how the water keeps in its bed while the earth is turning, they will tell you to take a pail of water and swing it fast and see, for the water will not come out until the pail is slowed down.

Who has seen the earth turn around in the way that a person turns a pail? No one. And as long as no one has ever seen the earth turn, you need not believe that it does so.

Who is turning the earth? It is turning on its axis and what kind of an axis is it? No one knows. Is it iron, steel, wood or in? You do not want to believe such statements that the earth is standing on an axis, for no one has seen it. It is all guess-work and nothing seen by human beings. Some people say that the world is round and that God is turning the world, but very few believe it. If they do they should pay attention to his prophecies, and ought to believe them as they say about the movement of the sun and standing of the earth, and so forth. If you wish to know what the earth stands on, I can say, that, and I believe what I say, the earth rests on water just like a ship floats on the water. This is a good proof without doubt. It know the earth is large, and being so tremendously large, must necessarily be of tremendous weight. And as a heavy body, it has no power to move in the sky around the sun anywhere. Also it cannot lay or turn on nothing as they think. Try something and let us see if you can make anything stand or turn daily on nothing itself. I am sure you cannot do that. Also they have no right proof to it as they believe. The swing of the pail is not a correct proof either, because the man swings the pail. But the pail cannot swing itself because it has no power. Also the earth cannot move on nothing because it has no power to move.

Try and put some water on the outside of a pail, and I am sure you will see the water of the ocean is the same thing, for if the earth is round as they say, there would be no water on the earth, as all of it would fall off.

If the earth is round and revolving we should feel it; also the wind would be coming from one direction only, and not from the north, south, east and west.

I have read a story in the geography about the earth being round, as they claim. It says when the ship is near the shore a person on the shore will see the mast, high and big, but as the ship goes further out, he will see it low and smaller as if it were going down hill. If a man were standing on the steamer deck, however, he would see the land low, while he would be high.

If there were any high mountains near the shore, and you were on a steamer some distance from the coast, when you looked toward the land, the mountains would seem to you to be low and small, but they are not. It is the distance that makes them so.

The water is flat and level always and cannot be anything else because it is liquid. You know, of course, what liquid is, and what the word means.

Here is another proof to show that the water of the ocean is flat and level: –

Suppose five steamers are in a circle, each just within eyesight of the others, with another steamer in the middle. If you are in the middle steamer looking out at the others, they will look as if they were very low and in a hollow, while you seem to be the highest. But if you were to leave your own steamer and go in turn to all of the others in the circle it would then look to you as if the steamer you were in first were very low.

Whichever steamer you are on seems to you at the time to be the highest. It is not true that one steamer is higher than the other, or that the water of the ocean is round. It is flat, and nearly always straight. It is the distance that makes the other seem lower.

Here is still another proof: It these steamers are in a straight line, on the ocean, as far apart as eye can reach, and you are in the middle one looking at the others on either side, then they will look as if they were in a hollow, while you seem to be the highest; but it is true that to the people on the other steamers it looks as if your ship were low in the water and their own the highest.

I think I have given enough proofs to change your minds about the earth being flat, not round.

The water proves that the land is stationary, flat and level.