The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-01-09
A Terrible Prophecy.

The recent mysterious appearances follow
ing sunset and preceding sunrise have at
tracted wide attention from students Of the
skies and the people generally. During the
DAYS Of recent weeks the sun seems to have
been obscnred by thin veil of dull leaden
hue which, as the sun receded toward the
horizon, became more luminous, then yellow,
then Grange, then red: and, as night settled
down upon the earth, dull purple. At first
i. was thought these appearance were ordinary
sunset reflections of light but it is now pretty
certain that they are either the misty sub
stance of the tail of some unseen comet, in
which the earth is enveloped, or a surround
ng stratum Of world dust or very small
neteors. Professor Brooks, of the Red House
Observatory, Phelps, New York, has turned
lis telescope upon these objects and dis
covered what he thinks are myriads Of tele-
scopic meieors. If it is unorganized world
dust, or decomposed vapors, as the Democrat
and Chronicle of Rochester, New York, re-
marks: 'How is this matter to be disposed
#? VIII it settle and form deposit upon
.he earth, or remain partial opaque shell
about the earth 10 cut off portion of the suns
light upon i,?'
Whatever the mystery is, there is no deny
ne iha! there are some very strange forces at
work in the upper airs. The terrible lorna
toes and cyclones which have swept over
America, and the fearful volcanoes and Garth
| ,uakes which have destroyed SO many cities
and thousands of people, the tidal waves which
nysteriously rise and fall on coasts hitherto
invoked by them, the tremendous activity
which is evideu, in the sun by the constant
| evelation of enormous spots upon its surface,
| Ill indicate unusual energy in the heavenly
| lOdies.
! These circumstances recall Professor Grim
rer's prophecies that from 1851 to 1857, the
passage Of the five great planets Nep-
tune, Jupiter, Uranus and Saturn-arouud the
SIN would produce strange and wonderful
| Ihenomcna. He SAYS: "The waters of the
earth viii become more or less poisonous.
\ The ais will he foul with noisome odors. An
| Cigut races Will disappear from the earth"
| He attempts to prove his prophecy by the
hct that in 1920, when Mars and Saturn made
lleir passage around the sun coincidentally,
great destruction and mortality visited all
parts of the globe He also found the same
psults in previous perihelion Passages Of the
planets, and argues that these circumstances
always produce epidcmics and destructive
diseases which will battle the skill of the
lmost eminent physicians; that the poor will
Idle by thousands, the weak and incorporate
failing first, those whose blood has been i'm
ipoverished by excess of work or dissipation
next, and only those who are in comparative
lvigoT shall escape to enjoy the era of renewed
activity and prosperity which will follow the
lpeTiod Of destruction.
Inasmuch as the entire world seems subject
10 the sway of the heavenly bodies, no par: oil
the earth, he thinks, car escape scourging
He even predicts that America will lose over
ten millions of people; that farmers will be
stricken with fear and cease to till the soil
tina: famine viii make human misery more
wretched. That hundreds will flee TO over.
crowed cities foT aid in vain. That sudder
changes IN ocean currents, temperature and
surroundings will entirely transform the face
Of nature and all climate Of countries: thai
I the air viii be so foul with malaria and Other
noxi0us gases, that those who survive will b,
troubled with disorders of The digestive organs
That many who escape other ills will bloat
with dropsy and suddenly pass away, Will,
others viii grow thin and drag out misera.
bic existence in indescribable agony for weeks
Neuralgia pains in different parts of the bod
will torment them. They will easily tire anc
become despondent. A faint, hot feeling viii
be succeeded by chilly sensation, while hal
lucnations and dread of impending i'll will
paralYze all effort "The birds in the air
the beasts OF the field and even the fish of the
sea will become diseased, poisoning the ali
and poisoning the waters of the globe" W.
are told on the other hand that those who shall
pass through this period of trial will hav,
larger enjoyment oflife and health The earil
will yield more abuudantly than ever before
The animal kingdom will be more prolific ant
life prolonged materially. This prolongatior
Of life viii be owing to the healthy electri,
and magnetic influences that will pervade tn,
atmosphere. Il would perhaDs seem that the
present redness CT the sun, and the presenc,
of belt or veil of cosmic matter, justified, il
a measure, the prediction of Professor Grim
| rr.nr lSr.. LIZ Me.-r,rr-l.