Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1878-01-09
WHOLE NO 1916
Perlhelion and Pestilence,

ri WV ''"'' lN''''N''" N''''' w Wv
+ earh's history, Since the commence
r ment Of the Christian era, the perhelia
OF the four great planets Of the solar
system--Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn aud
Neptunc-have not been colnc'dent,
But this Il about to occur, aud, In tho
language ofDr Knapp, who has traced
the history Of the greatest epidemic,
that ever afflicted the human race to
the perihelia OF these planets, there
will soon be "iiyely times Tor the doc.
tors" The theory il that when one
or moe Of the large planets is nearest
to the sun, the temperature and condi.
ton OF our atmosphere are 90 disturb
ed ms to cause injurious vicisitudes,
terrblcrains, prolonged droughts, etc,
resulting in the destruction OF crops,
pcsticnces among human beings and
domestic animals,
Dr. Knapp has COLI clcd mass Of
statistical data, all going to show that
perihelion periods have always been
marked by unusual mortality, and that
sickness and death nave Invariably cor.
responded with the number Of planets
in perihelou at the same time. The
revolution Of Jupiter around the sun
is accomplished in n little less than
twelve years, of Saturn in little less
than thirty, OF Uranus in about eighty
four years, aad of Neptune in about
one hundrd and sixty.iour years. II
il he true, therefore, that the pelihela
Of these planets occasion atmospheric
conditions unfavorable to lite, pcstien.
tial periods should occur once in
dozen years and aggravated and still
more wide spread epidemics at longer
intervals. In tracing the history of
epitemics fer more than two thousand
years, DR.. Knapp finds the facts in all
cases to validate the theory. Thus,
in the sixth and again in the sixteenth
centuries, three OF these planets were
coincident in perihelion, and those
were the most pestilential times o! the
Christian era.
But soon we are to have, for the
first time in two thousand years, all
tour Of these planets against us. They
will be at their nearest approach to the
sun in or soon after 1880, so that for
a few years, say from 1880 to 1885,
the vitality OF every living thing will
he put to a severe and trying ordeal.
Some persons think they see, in the
signs of the times. evidences of the
disasters. in the immediate future
The excessive heat. the unexampled
cold, the prevalence of flood aad dis
asters at sea, the general failure of the
ro,atoe crop, the widespread chill
fever among human beings, and the
equal prev aene ofthe epizootic among
are mentioned as among the
of the rapidly approach.
ING perhelion.
Well, .:!o be torewarned is to be
forearme'." Accidents excepted. we
,row very we'll that the persons OF
more vigorous constitutions and more
lygenic habits will have the better
chance to survive whatever adverse
Lfuence the extraordinary perihelis
will occasion. 1t is well known TO
physicians that, in all pestiences,
,lague, typhus, smallpox, cholera,
nu.-raiI, ETC., the Incorporate, the
issipated, and those whose sanitary
ondi,i 9ns We're bad, furnished the
ctims.
We do not write to alarm any one,
,or to make sensation. We state the
acts which all history attests Read
rs can judged for themselves what
Importance to attach to the subject.
hat the conoi.ot perhelion Of all the
,rge planets of the solar system, one
t which, Jupiter, is a thousand times
! large as the earth, must disturb our
and temperature very con-
derably, is probable ; that this dis
lrbance must be injurious 10 health
nd ht is certain and that these pe
ods have heretofore been peslilen,ial,
a matter of record.-How much we
lall suffer during the next dozen or
tteen years, depends Yer" much upon
DIV nearly We live life in accordance
ith the laws of life [Seienc- y!
eallh.
Twenty-nine OF the best young men
Burlington have banded themselves
,gether and bound themselves to-
ether by a terrible oath never to pay
ore than 81 TOR Il pin cushion made
furniture calico and stuffed with
ran, at any time this Winter, no mat
r what missionary society mauufac.