A stroll in the garden

The famous naturalist, Buffon, had once a large number of the wise men of the Academy of France in his grounds. They were all philosophers; and you know what a philosopher is. If you do not know, you should meet one: and I do not think that your appreciation of the sect will be increased. However, these were all philosophers, great men walking in a great man’s gardens—all great together. In the grounds there was a glass globe, and when one of these profound philosophers touched this glass globe on the shady side, he found that it was very, very warm, while on the side that was exposed to the sun it was comparatively cool. Herein was a marvellous thing. He called his brother philosophers around him, and I picture them as they gave out their various theories why this glass globe was hotter on the side away from the sun than on the side which was bearing the full blaze of noonday. One had a theory of reflection, another of refraction, another of absorption: I cannot give you all their words, for they were wonderful words, and wonderful theories, and they discussed, and discussed, and discussed, till Buffon, not quite satisfied with the philosophical conclusions which they had reached, called the gardener, and said, “Gardener, can you tell me why this side of the globe, away from the sun, is hotter than the other side upon which the sun is shining?” “Yes, sir,” said the gardener, “Just now I turned the globe round, because it was getting too hot on one side.”

~CH Spurgeon