The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-06-18
sUPIRsTITIoNs or THE AGE.

people Of this earth from the remotest age
up to the present time, history and cur
rent events attest. That the light OF civili-
cation. and the blsze OF an elevated AID pros
gressive. intelligence has dispeled the dark
ness in this respect OF former centuries there
Is no question, still in our own day and time
superstition still has foothold and not alone
among iha ignorant classes, but to some
degree among the cultured and educated.
We dare say there is not a man or woman
Who reads these lines, indeed in all the limits
of the universe, no matter what his or her
intelligence orlesrnog may be, who is no.
TO some extent Influenced by some
species of superstition. We may be
ashamed to confess it even in our own hearts,
yet We know it to be II fact, and We may
feel some sense of humiliation because of it,
yet we cannot shake oil its thraldom. 1t was
but yesterday we read OF priest in one of
the northern states y no, for some months pest,
has been reapiug a rich harvest by imposing
upon the credulity sud playing upon the
superstition of mullitudes of people BY per-
forming what he called miracles. His.impo-
si,iOn was discovered and exposed, and he
WAS arrested for obtsioiOg money under false
pretenses but as he had never solicited
money for. his performances, or made any
charges, only accepting as gifts what was
offered him, he had to be released. Despite
his exposure there are hundreds Of his vic
tins who cannot be made to shake off or
give up their supersti,ious belief in
his incantations and jugglery. Every
dsy we see some account or other
of what is called prayer cures, where by
special prayers and much petitioning to
oivine grace, some sill cted person is sud-
denly and miraculou,ly restored to health.
We say in no spirit of disrespect TO religious
teachings, or TO tho efficacy Of prayer, yet
wo look upon such things as but tho work.
in, o. superstition. We have an implicit
faith and trust 10 prayer but it must be
prayer uttered in the right spirit, and in &C.
cordauce with the divine injunction and
formue. Yesterday was tho day fixed by
some of the latter day prophets and inter.
prefers of the biblical prophecies for the
destruction Of the world and the day Of
judgment So deep hold had the supersti.
'ious belief in this prophecy taken upon the
minds of great many people throughout
the country, that they hal for months and
months past neglected all temporal
affairs and given themselves up
to fasting and prayer and preparation
for the final dissolution of all mundane
things. Their ascension robes were ready
and they had wrought them. elves up to an
ecs.acy Of anticipation and longing for the
glores of the life everlasting that they
yearned for the day and hailed its dswning
with rspturous praise. Poor, weak mortsls,
they will never be as happy sgain on this
earth as they were NJ sunrise " sterd y morn.
iog, and all through the day, with their eyes
fixed upon the east, strsining them to SEQ the
approach of the blessed Savior with bis
cohorts Of clarifying angels, from tho battle
m nts OF heaven to earth, to csll together
around him from life and from the grave tie
elect of his kingdom. And they will never
be go heartsore and so bowed down With
disappointment again as they were when they
looked upon tao going down of tho
sun amid tho crimson glorics of the west. In
Canada and Manitoba ard no doubt in
other portions of the globe, there are farm
ers who planted no crops because in their
superstition they believed tho 18th of June
was the funeral day Of earth, the last day of
its existence smid the stars and planets OF
heaven. 10 their foolish fancy they could
almost hear the requiem of the dead world, US
sun and moon caught tho sad refrain sounded
from Orion to Uranus, and from Venus to
Mars, while tho stars Of tie milky way
chsunted a solemn To Deum But this SUPER
stition of the worlds decease in 1881 does NOT
end with the 18th of June. The astronomsls
many of them of position and renown 10 the
world of learning, and tho astrologists, who
assume to read the future from the scroll OF
the heavens, the stellar system being as an
open page to them revealing the secrets
yelled from common eyes and understand,
ing, say that mighty events, startling, won.
derlul, awful, are In the pregnant would be
of this good year Of 1881, and yet to b,
brought forth for the dire confoundlng, il
not humiliation of the weak creatures of thi.
earth. Professor Proctor has come,
plupging full tilt head on for the bosom Of
the sun, TO reach there, we believe, about the
l2tn of November, wnen tho heat of their
embrace will DO SO great that animal lire on
the earth csnno. withstand it. But wo have
not enumerated or even referred to a 1.-THE OF
tue superstition Of this day and timo tina,
wrsck the brains and trouble the hearts Of
multtuies of people. Kentucty has n
breaches, who Is daily holding
forth to immense throngs Of people,
the Rev. Mr.. Barnes no 10, who believes that
God communos directly with him and directs
him what to say and do and through him works
miracles. He no doubt is infatuated with
this hallucins,ion and in his ecstacy of
religious fervor is striving to do good and to
bring people unto repentance And there