THE CARDIFF GIANT, AND OTHER FRAUDS. 197 



gap in some series of observations, let him point out how easily it 

 might be filled. By instruction of this kind the scientific spirit is 

 awakened, and given food for growth. In the selection of text-books, 

 great care must be exercised. On this point many and many a college 

 catalogue unconsciously betrays the incapacity of certain teachers. A 

 bad book on a college list indicates poor judgment and slight knowl- 

 edge on the part of the professor who chose it. If a college were to 

 announce as its text-book in German, " German in Six Lessons without 

 a Master," we should all be skeptical as to the quality of its teaching. 

 What, then, shall we think of the institution in which science is taught 

 upon the basis of the well-known " Fourteen Weeks Series ?" 



Now, to sum up. It seems plain that our scientific courses of study 

 need to be remodeled. We should demand more for admission, and 

 make them equivalent to the courses in classics. Before receiving a 

 degree, a student should know some one science fairly well, understand 

 the bearings of the others, have a good training in mathematics, litera- 

 ture, and logic, and be able to read easy French and German prose at 

 sight. Are these demands extravagant ? Are they not rather moder- 

 ate and within bounds ? 







THE CARDIFF GIANT, AND OTHEE FRAUDS. 



By G. A. STOCKWELL, M. D. 



THAT great hoax, the Cardiff giant, was conceived by one George 

 Hull, a tobacconist of Binghamton, New York. It was the out- 

 growth of a controversy held one evening in 1'866 between Hull and a 

 Rev. Mr. Turk, of Ackley, Iowa, regarding the former existence of giants 

 in the earth, in which the latter proved victorious, his ready tongue and 

 loud voice easily bearing down and overwhelming his opponent. Hull re- 

 tired at a late hour, and, being chagrined with his defeat, lay awake the 

 greater portion of the night, thinking of the extreme gullibility of the 

 world in matters where the Bible could be cited as evidence, and in 

 planning how to turn this peculiarity to his advantage. The result 

 was, that he decided upon producing an image which should, after being 

 buried and exhumed, pass muster as a fossil man of unusual size, being 

 assured that such men as his late opponent in argument would aid not 

 a little in contributing to the final success of the undertaking. 



In 1868, having studied the subject carefully and completed his 

 arrangements, Hull associated himself with one Martin, and proceeded 

 to Fort Dodge, Iowa, to procure a suitable block from which to carve 

 his image. An acre of quarry-land was purchased, and work com- 

 menced, but only to be soon abandoned, owing to the extreme friability 

 of the stone, and the persistent annoyance of the curious and inquisi- 



