Litchfield enquirer., 1843-02-09
MILLERISM,

1
Of the name of Miller, and who is as distin
guished for his ignorance as for any thint
else, should so far succeed in playing on the
J creduiity of any considerable portion of the
present occupants of this earthly iaberna.
Gle, as to make them believe that to him
has been impaired by the Creator, a fore.
| knowledge of events, and kind Of super.
| natural agency, that enables him to point
! to the day, and the hour, and the moment,
! when this sphere of ours shall fall into a
state Of mbustion,' and
Like the baseess fabric Of vision,
Leave not wreck behind"
1t is indeed strange, that persons of CON-
mon intelligence, and who are sensible on
| most subjects, should be led to the adoption
| OF the crude and wild notions of Parson
Miller. But it is by no means the first time
that masses of we'll disposed citizens have
| suffered themselves to be thus imposed upon
first by their credulity, secondly, by their
ignorance, and lastly, by the fruits of an
i'll directed education.
In the year 1912, a very worthy fanatic,
man who had originally been an atheist,
and subsequently most uncompromising
and violent Calvinist, made his appearance
in the state of Vermont, and proclaimed that
he possessed knowledge derived from God,
which enab led him to tell an hour when the
disruption of all things would take place.
He had, he said, had direct interview with
the Almighty, and it had pleased the Su-
preme Ruler of all things to inform him that
on the 4th of June, 1912, this earth would be
dissolved. knowledge so important to tie
human family, he did not fac, ,,;sposcd to
keep to himself, arr therefore, in imitation
OF the mar who, for five years and upwards,
o":- as;ngly proclaimed the fall of the walls
Of Jericho, he "cried aloud and spared not"
to warl the people Of the United States of
their danger and to lead them to avoid inn
pending ruin.
The mans name was Crossman-Jeremi-
all Crossman-and had the reputation of
possessing good heart, a sound head, a
good education, and honor. 1t was not
strange that he gained many, and some We
ry respectable proselytes.
Brother Crossman," as he was called,
journeyed far and wide, to proclaim to the
people; and as he soon discovered that
there was money to be made by the bust
ness, he added to his stock in trade, by ven-
ding books illustrative of his scheme, whilst
he preached death and dissolution to gaping
and trembling multitudes.
The 4th of June, 1912, in the meantime
was rapidly advancing; and whilst thou
sands OF the disciples of Brother Crossman
RECALLED themselves with the comfortable
few weeks or days, their destines would be
sealed, and they would riot amid the grottos
and groves of Paradise, or gnash their teeth
in that "great lake of fire." which is far,
far, beyond us, it was equally painful and
amusing to witness the extent of their cre-
dulity.
The month of June at last arrived and
Brother Crossnan, so say those who resided
IN the more immediate vicinity of the ex-
citement he engendered, was somewhat dis
posed to have postponement; but as his
associates were of opinion that it were bet
ter to have general settlement of all world
ly accounts at once, he was overwhelmed,
and
THAT day Of wrath, that dreadful day,
When man to judgment, wakes from clsv,'
was positively set down for the 4th of June
-"no postponemcnt on account of the
AT length the 4th day of June, 1912, dawn
ed upon the world. And a more beautiful
day was never ushered into existence by
Aurora. There was not cloud TO be seen
in the zenith Or disc of the horizon and
every thing in the skies above, and the earth
below, indicated day of all others, 10 be
the most brilliant and Respondent.
Brother Cheeseman's disciples were, like
the lsraelites when encamped around the
walls of Jericho, up and doing with the dawn
them and saw nothing but sunshine and
gladness in the surrounding landscape, they
calculated murmurs of discomfort, and were
afflicted to find that it was possible that they
and their prophet might be disappointed.
But they were soon cheered by the dawn
ing of new and invigorated hope and for
an hour, were led to place implicit conf
dence in the great prophet-Brother Gross
mantle GraLd Lama ofthis scotland party.
About ten o'clock, very nearly the exact
moment that Brother Crossmun had set
apart for drawing up that
I" Grave curtain Of the grave"
that separates man from the shores of eter-
nifty, black cloud appeared on the disc of
the north western horizon, chatting with the
volcanoes OF its wrath, and emitting at each
instance streams of forked lightning, and
peal after peal of the most deafening
thunder!
The dark and gloomy aspect of the hea-
vens now assured Brother Crossman and
his disciples, that no error had been COM
mitted-all the calculations had been made
correctly,and the "signs Of the zodiac" were
in order.
The loud anthem of praise the deafening
song of Hosannah was chanted by the null.
titude; and the people rejoiced in the pros
pect of the speedy fultilment of the prophe-
cies. The windows OF heaven were now
opened rain fell in torrents darkness per-
vaded the earth, and chaos now came again.
The Crossmanites and their prophet were
equally in ecstacics; but. alas. for their
leader, the tornado, like all other tornadoes,
spent its blast after the lapse of an half