Zetetic Society 1884 - all flat Earth meetings began with Bible readings and Christian prayer
Dear Readers,
It's important that you understand that the Universal Zetetic Society founders of old started every meeting with Bible reading and Christian prayer.
These folks were not scientists trying to set some mistaken theory or evidence straight. They were just Christian believers intent on discrediting anything that contradicted their Biblical religious beliefs.
Their view was that since the Bible is the word of God, anything that contradicted what was presented in it, had to by definition be wrong.
Lady Elizabeth Blount, founded the Universal Zetetic Society after Samuel Rowbotham’s death in 1884. Blount’s group had a religious bent, believing that the Bible told of the Earth’s planarity; the argument that it was round was a scientific diversion meant to debunk religion. The group circulated a few regularly printed journals and magazines for several years, but membership largely died out by the early 20th century.
The Universal Zetetic Society (UZS) was the precursor to the Flat Earth Society. It was founded shortly after the death of Samuel Rowbotham (aka Parallax) by Rowbotham's adherents. The UZS was active well into the early part of the 20th century, publishing many issues of a magazine titled The Earth Not a Globe Review. In 1971, the UZS was renamed The Flat Earth Society when Samuel Shenton became its leader.
Here is some documentation about the early years of that group:
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Londonderry Sentinel, June 20,1905
Dr. De Evans, vice-president of the Universal Zetetic Society:
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Norwich Mercury, January 10, 1903
Lady Blount, of the Universal Zetetic Society, opened all of her lectures with:
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The LECTURER prefaced her lecture by numerous quotations from Scripture, which she said formed the basis of her reasoning, and the conclusion of the quotation was followed by prayer.
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The Leeds Mercury Weekly Supplement, March 18, 1893
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The Zetetic moon would have hard work to account for these physical facts, as also for the trade winds, which, instead of blowing north and south only, as necessitated by an earth at rest, blow continuously toward the west, this being the direct result of the earth’s rotation on her axis and revolution in her orbit.
Zetetists should also explain, on their theory of the sun’s circular orbit, the difference in the number of days between the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, it being in our summer, say 186.5 days, and in winter about 178.75 days.
The Zetetic theory also failed to account for darkness at the North Pole during winter, and also the fact that southern circumpolar stars are never seen in English latitudes.
The next speaker referred to the famous experiment on the Bedford Canal, in 1872, as having finally settled the question of the earth’s curvature. The entire experiment has been carefully arranged, and the final decision of the umpire, editor of the “Field,” in favor of Mr. Wallace and against Mr. Hampden, should have been honorably accepted. The obviously globular aspect of the moon, as seen through any small telescope, was also, it was shown, suggestive of the sphericity of other heavenly bodies besides our earth.
Mention was also made of the fact that the planet Neptune was found (paradoxical as it sounds) before it was seen, by calculations upon the disturbed orbit of Uranus, thus proving indirectly that the assumed masses, distances, and movements of the planets are correct.
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The Lincolnshire Chronicle, October 10, 1893
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While their (Zetetic Astronomy) imaginary moon is a nice little gaseous, self-luminous body quite close at hand, with no mountains on its surface to speak of, but simply a local eruption on its pale complexion, these two, with a number of small gaseous planets and stars in proportion – not half so many as astronomers are accustomed to gaze at – completes their “system.”
In all their letters and publications, they ask for ONE proof that the earth is round. Well, here is one. And it’s against their most-urgently repeated assertion that the surface of all waters is level as a plane to any extent. A few weeks ago, with a number of Lincolnians – always the chummiest of people – I was looking through a coastguard’s glass at the smoke of a steamer, or, as the tar suspected, an ironclad. The spot was the North Stack. The Blue Squadron were maneuvering with the “enemy” of Anglesea. Now the point is this illustration is that the curve of the sea’s expanse between us and the vessel was so great that though we could see the smoke we could not see the lowest or issuing point of it. Had the ironclad been anchored at that distance, and sent up a captive balloon as high as the smoke ascended, they would have overlooked the curvature and we should have been seen them, and they, on their part, would have had their horizon considerably enlarged, which, of course, would always be the same if the Irish sea was flat throughout its confines.
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Discussion at - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ipUKERU0tzYFxALJBli4A/discussion
Kind regards, JonahTheScientist