Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1879-03-09
DOOMSDAY!
MOTHER SHIPTON AND MOTHER GOOSE.

lul types ana colors. Just now we are under
going recurrence of the dismal prophecies
of the doleful soothsayers; and astronomy,
distorted by glib and fippant astroogy,
supplemented by Mother Shipton's blood
curdling prophecies is come to disturb the
nerves of the unscientifc and trouble the
sleeping and waking moments of the appre-
hensive and ungodly. But science resents
these lugubrious prognostics and quietly
laughs them out of court. Recently they
have had in Sacramento a meeting of the
Teachers Institute, and Prof Norton, of the
State Normal School, took occasion to pay
his respects to the current prophecies of a
coming smash-up in things terrestrial His
lecture is reported by the Record Union as
follows:
The announcement of this lecture was I'M
doubtedly what drew the large audience pres
ent. The prediction of astronomers that in
1881 will occur the conjunction of nearly all
the great planets, brought again to the sur
face the old prophecy of Mother Shipton and
of score of other birds of i'll omen, who,
backed by the recent appearance of the
plague, have predicted the most awful state
of affairs to be inaugurated in 1881, and to
continue until 1887, during which fearful
epidemics shall prevail, crime multiply, the
elements continue in constant and awful
perturbation floods overwhelm, earthquakes
destroy, volcanoes burst forth the earth
open and swallow up towns, tornadoes sweep
round the world, all waters become poison
and the devil be loosed in reality to work
more desolation and ruin in all the earth
Lately III this State a so-called Professor
prophesied from con junction of Neptune,
Jupiter, the Earth and Mars, that there shall
occur all the foregoing recited. and hun
dred other woes fall upon the earth, and that
the devilry and destruction is to begin in
1881. Professor Norton, however, does not
believe these things, and his lecture was in
tended to show the reason for his faith. He
illustrated his remarks with diagrams thrown
upon the wall by means of a magic lantern.
MOTHER SHIPTON EXPOSED.
He began by saying that we are never sat
listed with things now present. The world is
ever looking backward to the good old time,
or forward to the good time coming. Some
how the forward outlook is never calm and
To reach the promised land we
must ever pass through the Red Sea and the
wilderness. Man naturally looks forward to
a golden age which shall follow great tribula-
lions and agonies. After the seven angels
had emptied the seven walls full of the seven
last plaques the holy city comes down out of
Heaven
1t is also natural that men shonld look to
pivotal events in nature, such as the compile !
ton of great astronomical cycles, as being |
likely to INVOLVE great crises in human az |
fairs. The remarkable planetary opposition
Of the year 1881 has especially appealed to
human superstition and Imagination.
The lecturer here read extracts from re
Gently published pamphlet entitled 1.-The
Voice of the Stars, which foretold terrible |
series of disasters as likely to occur between |
The years 1880 and 1887, including the ami
hlation of the Chinese race and the death OF
10, 900, 900 Americans from the plague; ter
'ible storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
etc.
He also gave brief synopsis of Piozzi
Smyth's ''Pyramid Religion, and quoted from
tantlally agreeing that
The world to an end shall
Ia 1851"
He said that the prophecy of the old woman
eemed to still have vitality, although the
publisher of the Shipt0n almanac had openly
confessed that he added the lines above quoted
IL order to give the book larger sale. The
IHestiOn before us is can there be any resi-
ual truth behind all this superstition and
The lecturer presented Professor Delarue's
heory of the relation of planetary conjunc-
ions to sun spots showed diagrams illustrat-
ng the effect of the attraction of the sun and
noon upon oceanic tides, and the alleged cor
esponding effects of planetary conjunctions
pom the atmosphere of the sun. He then
Exhibited a diagram showing the positions of
he planets October 81, 1881; all of the large
lanets but Saturn and Mercury being;nearly
straight line passing through the center
the sun 1t is alleged that similar aspect
the planets will not occur for many thou
md years. {
If it is possible for the massed planets ever
produce extraordinary tidal effects upon the d
arth such effects must soon be manifested. {
evertheless, the planets are enormously dis t,
mt. Their attractive force varies mversely -,
the square of the distance. 1t Is hardly !,
,nceivable that mere gravitation could ever
reduce any such effects as the foretold dis
'ters. ,
The only remaining theory is that OF a
ypothetical electric inter action between the
in and planets. This is but the ghost of
eory, having hardly shadow of ascertained r
ct behind it. b
The lecturer quoted one or two instances in t.
hich there seemed to be a coincidence in l
me- between such conjunctions and atmos- ii
ieric disturbances, where the theory of great a
sulting evils failed utterly, and then read e
e following letter from Professor Young, of o