The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-12-28
Another Christmas Prophecy.

Il
said 1--WE may expect during the coming
year the deaths of illustrious women; some
thing that will astonish the public before the
spring opens; storms and disastrous ship
wrecks; the deaths of mighty kings and men
of renown, especially by violence; dry sum-
mer; increased severity on the judicial bench
towards theft and every ramifcation of steal
ing; besides which, those born in 1878 will be
strong, grasping and successful in their va
rious callings." 1t is rather curious and
amusing to note how largely the random
prophecy has been fulfilled; we shall give the
prophecies of the ballad before pointing out
the condolences:
"If Christmas Day shall on Tuesday be-
That year shall many women die"
We presume the exact and literal fulfill
ment of this prophecy will not be disputed.
We confidently appeal to the mortality returns
of the different cities in proof of the assertion.
1t is certainly noteworthy fact in this con-
nection that the year has been marked by the
deaths of two illustrious royal ladies-Queen
Mercedes and the Princes Alice of Hesse.
"And that winter show great marvels."
Surely there have been great marvels
enough. The first public announcement of
the photograph came during the winter
months of the first part of the year, and that
invention of Mr.. Edison has been followed by
others which have indeed been '.great mar
vels." Even had this happy fulfllment of
prophecy not presented itself we should not
have been at loss to find another in Lord
Beaeonsfeld's marvellous foreign policy.
Patience and ingenuity can do great deal in
the way of fulfilling prophecies, as witness the
mastery manner in which the Timist branch
of the Second Advent Church has every now
and then adjusted the prophecies of Daniel to
historical events, with the result of fixing va
rious delusye dates for the coming of the
Saviour.
'ships shall be in great perils'
No year within the memory of man has
been so marked by great shipwrecks as 1873.
The Eurydice, which went down with all sails
set in sight of the captains home; the great
iron clad Koenig Wilhelm, rammed and sunk
in the English Channel by her sister ship;
the Huron, the Metropolis, the Pommerania
and the Byzantin, and to come close at home,
the loss of the Express and the innumerable
wrecks that strewed the coast from two terrif-
ic cyclones Of the autumn.
This year shall kings and lords be slain,
And many other people with them.
If this prophecy has not been literally full
filled, it has not been owing to any lack of
activity on the part of the Internationals.
There have been six noted attempts at regi
eide this year, all, happily, unsuccessful, but
there has been unusual mortality among SOW
ereigns, Pope Plus, King Victor Emanuel,
Queen Mercedes and Princess Alice, of Hesse,
being included in the neurology of the year.
"a dry summer this year shall be,
As all that are born therein may see"
The weather reporter of old times here
missed his mark, SO far as the United States
(of which, probably, he never thought are
concerned; but in Europe the summer was
exceptionally hot and dry.
"If thou steal aught thou losest thy life,
For thou shalt die through sword or knife"
The prophet is somewhat off here. Quite
a number of high-toned, respectable gentle
men have been caught stealing, and have not
been knitted yet. What with Fall River frauds
in Massachusetts and the Bank of Glasgow
crash in England, not to mention long roll
of defalcations and embezzlements, the per-
petrators of which survive, the prophecy so
far cannot be said to have been fulfilled so as
to satisfy the plain and natural meaning of
the language. But no date is fxedl Wait
twenty or thirty years more, and then we
shall see. This postponement of expectation
must also be made use of in the case of the
business success of children born in 1878,
which was also promised in the ballad; but if
the opinion of parents may be relied upon,
children born during the past seven years are,
at least, the finest ever seen.
For the coming year the same old manu-
script makes the following predictions:
"IfChristmas Day. the truth to say,
Fall upon Wednesday,
There shall be hard winter and strong,
With many hideous winds among.
The summer merry and good shall be,
And that year wheat in great plenty;
Young folk shall die that year also.
And ships at sea shall have great woe.
Whatever child that day born is
He shall be doughty and gay wis,
And wise and crafty also of deed,
And find many in clothes and bread"
In other words, we are promised hard
winter, with fierce storms; pleasant summer
with agricultural prosperity; mortality among
the children, shipwrecks and disasters at sea,
and finally, the birth on Christmas Day of
some illustrious benefactor of our race, who
shall take an active part in solving for his
generation the present social problems which
weigh so heavily on our prophetic souls.
$4,000 Found IN TREE.-A treasure up
a tree was seen in the watches of the night by
a peddler, who was sleeping in farm house
in the Shenandoah Valley. He told his
dream to the farmer next morning, and on
three successive nights he had the same
vision. Then he prevailed on the farmer to
accompany him to the forest, where he point
ed out large oak tree as the one he had
seen in his dream. 1t was apparently sound
at the butt, but about twenty feet up limb
had been broken off. The farmer did not
feel like humoring what he supposed to be a
superstitious within, but the old fellow SEEM
ed to have confidence in his vision, and offer
ed him one-half the spoils if he would help
him cut down the tree. When the tree fell
there was rattle of coin near where the limb
had been broken off, and small hollow was
found there. By little chopping larger
cavity was found, and within was a mass of
silver. Both seemed wild with delight, and
ON counting up found that the pile amounted
to $4,000. The pedler expressed his unwill-
ingness to carry around so much silver in his
pocket, and inquired where be would be like
ly to get greenbacks for his share. The farm
er, having considerable money in his house,
Immediately transferred to the pedler 81. 500
in paper money and took charge of the entire
lot of silver. The peddler disappeared, and
when his partner attempted to pass some of
the silver, 10 it was counterfeit. He was
the victim of gang of coiners.