Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-04-07

NAaAo ner spln,' was Mr. S%chribner's
order e, to the man at the receiving crank.
lhlngs did spin for thirty seconds, and
1nen the number Of words were counted.
Twelve hundred and thirty-fye was the
number, or at the rate of twenty-four
hundred and seventy per minute. The
copy, a piece Of which was given the re-
porter, was perfectly legible and plain.
experiments with the Gray system we've
also successfully made.
How to Be a Prophet,
The loss caused by a belief in Virgins
storm is estimated among the millions.
Fishermen remained idle on shore for days
waiting for it to elbow over and missing
the most lucrative part of the "catch.5
Vessels were detained in New York and
other harbors, to the great loss of owners
and shippers. The European steamers
for several days left port with a reduced
passenger list. In many parts Of the
country individuals devoted their time
to removing their goods to a place of
safety. to digging holes as places of
refuge and fastening down their dwellings
IN order to prevent their being uprooted
by. Virgins storm. Besides these mate
rial losses, there has been much mental
anxiety. if not agony, great fear, nervous
ness, wakefulness and even insanity. In.
deed it may be questioned if the predic.
ton did not do more damage than the
storm would have done.
In spiteof education and a widespread
intelligence, there is q large residuum of
superstition still left in the human mind.
There is a fear Of the unknown to which
positive and fanatical persons can appeal,
by definitely s%hadowing forth what they
claim to be the known. There is still an
awesome confidence in the professional
seer or prophet who outlines his pictures
boldly and distinctly. The man who says
ne knows Is Tar more reverenced and is
even more popular than the man who says
he does not know, and does not believe
that anybody knows. From the young
girl who lets her palm be read by the
gypsy and has her fate and fortune foretold
therein; or who gazes into the mirror for a
glimpse of her future husband on Hal
lowe'en; to the man who consults clair
voyants for his business ventures; or the
number of the lucky lottery ticket; or
who prepares himself for the destruction
Of the world and his own ascension on a
liked date; OR who trusts to weather
prophets; or who trembles over alleged
collisions between the earth and the
comets; or who is anxious because this
man predicts short crops, and that one a
commercial panic; or who is made
gloomy by the bowling of a dog at night
that forebodes a death; or who is terror
stricken when thirteen are found at the
table; or who reposes a particle Of faith
in any omens, signs, prophecies or sooth-
saying, there are all degrees Of satisfac-
ton in the uplifting of the curtain which
hides the future.
He who literally and truly thinks that
no n knows what a day may bring
forth has scarcely any influence over the
minds of his fellow-beings compared to
that exerted by the man who declares
with much energy and posltiyen.ss that
he knows it all and with the utmost ex-
acttude. The clearer the alleged vision
the more acceptable it is; the more de-
tails, the more impressive. Ii Smith
should rise and say: eve shall have a
eyere storm in March," everybody would
smile at his simplicity and answer, 1--WE
"tASvyc udtC SCNC1C SlOlulS III NldECu.
But when Virgins uplifts his voice and
declares that on March 9, 10 and II there
will be the greatest storm ever known,
and describes its origin, course and
consequences, it excites compare
lively little derision. CONSERVATION
drives away the smile and terror
leaves no room for ridicule. So if the
f~ortune-teller should only inform the
young and handsome girl that she will
be married befor she dies, she will be in
different-she was already sure of that.
But when the Romany witch describes
the husband-his height, his features,
his manly demeanor, his wealth-the
young woman begins holding her breath
with wonder and exultation: thinks she
is in communication with Sibyl, and al
most faints with terror, if the shutting
of the cards foretell her u%nhappiness,
early death, or other misfortune.
To many minds thus constituted, there
is q fascination not to be resisted when
prophets pick at the locks which bar out
the future. On the other hand they feel
an unconcealed impatience toward cold,
unbelieving natures who declare that
science has not yet placed it in any mans
power to predict with any degree of
positiveness the incidents and accidents
of life or weather. For while q man in
good health may with almost absolute
certainty predict that he can go around
the world in eighty days, or keep an ap-
pointment at St. Petersburg next July,
he may with impunity laugh at another
who should predict that in going around
the world he would be wrecked in the
Red Sea. or be killed in a collision the
LIST of July on the railroad from Moscow
to the Russian capital. So, too, he would
be safe in saying that there would be a
thunder storm between the 10th and goth
Of July, but absurd if he were to declare
just what damage it would or what per.
son the lightning would strike. Yet there
are thousands of people who would smile
at the first prediction and be terror
stricken at the last. The first appeals to
the judgment and experience and dis
nobody; the second appeals to the
imagination and proyokes alarm.-Dr
'Y0N Free Press.
The Tyler (Tenn.) Independent is