The morning call., 1890-04-13
THE CRIES OF
FALSE PROPHETS.
Unfulfilled Predictions of Dire
Disaster.
Historical Presidents Like the Prophecy That
a Great Tidal Wave Will Over
whelm Us.
Written for THE SUNDAY CALL.

TO-MORROW, according to the Erick-
FIX SON. Woodwork prophecy, San Fran
cyEgS cisco and Oakland will be over
whelmed by the great tidal wave caused by
the terrible seismic uphesval predicted by
them, and all tmbelieyers will perish there
in. 1t is a sad reflection to dwell upon the
fact that in this enlightened age, with all
the experience of the past, and in country
in which the system of education has raised
the masses to higher standard of intelli-
gence than that attained by any other
nation, there should still be people
who. as regards ignorant superstition, are
not removed one iota from those who lived
in the Dark Ages There are people who
have actually disposed Of their property in
Oakland at an enormous sacrifice and be-
taken themselves to the hills, In the unal-
Logged confidence that they will be in place
of security, while q dreadful cataclySm
sweeps the cities of the bay out of exs-
tence. But such people have always exist
ed, and when charlatans or impostors
have raised the cry of Flee to the noun
tains," there have been ever found plenty of
people TO flee thither, metaphorically speak
ing.
As early as the fourth century the pre-
diction was made that the end Of the world
was near and that only few years of re-
spite would most probably be granted. Yet
from decade to decade and century to CEN
fury the event was postponed till the tenth
century arrived and then the expectation
culmnated:n the confident belief that the
time of the worlds existence would close
In the year 1000 SO great was this faith
that during that century many grants Of es-
tates were made to churches and monster
les under the formula, "Whereas the end
of the world is approaching" In the year
1l79 Eastern astrologers positively predicted
that in September seven years after that
date the world would be destroyed by hurri-
canes.
DELUGE THAT DID NOT OCCUR.
In the year 1924 a great terror spread ali
over Europe, owing TO the prediction Of
the German astrologer John Stoffler that a
universal deluge would occur in the month
of February. The CONSERVATION spread
through France, Italy, Spain and England,
and whole households fled from the low
lands and took up their abode on the hills.
A professor of Alcala, in Spain, deprecated
mourning the cost OF removal and suggested
cheap means Of escape. A doctor of
Toulouse built himself a boat raised on
four pillars, and other devices were adopted
to meet the perils of flood and Storm
Houses were built on hill tops and provi-
stoned for watery siege of several months,
and when in February rain began to fall
the people in great fear cried out: Now
it beginnethl" But this month of February
month, and the astrologeTs, who, taking
up John Stoff1er's cry, had stated that many
great conlunctlons in the constellation of
the Fishes indicated terrible mutation by
Hood in all lands, were glad to excuse them
selves by saying that they had made
mistake of 100 years in their computations.
Comets, until recently, have always been
a source Of alarm, and the vulgar dread
that is still awakened whenever one moves
in the direction of the earth had its origin
n a tamnnG fIhnnrr of
the Earth" published at the beginning of
the eighteenth century. The author of that
work undertook to prove that both the
deluge and the final general conflagration
were perfectly agreeable to reason and
philosophy. he argued that the near APP
prOach of comet was capable Of so alter
ing the orbit Of the earth, by elOngating its
ellipse, that at its perihelion the sun would
burn it up. Winston seems not to have con-
fined himself to the study of physical
ecy. The Duchess of Bolton at court one
day stated that Mr.. Winston had told her
that the world would be burned up in three
years.
PROPHETS nscALcULATIoNs
The most notorious of the would-be
prophets OF the present century was man
named Cummings, whose vanity, presump-
ton and audacity were almost unparal-
leled. He several times predicted that the
end Of the world would take place in a GER
tain year, ana Wneu his prediction was not
verified, with unruffled impudence would
publish another volume explaining his mis-
calculation, and assigning another date.
And yet this erratic individual found the
sale of his many volumes On prophecy a
profitable business. and many poor,
feeble mind accepted in all faith Cummings
explanations.
On Tuesday morning next the promoters
OF the present agitation in Oakland will
doubtless feel IL incumbent upon them TO
give some explanation of the failure to
appear" on the part Of the tidal wave.
Now, the present prediction differs from
those above mentioned, from the fact that
they were based either upon astrological
computations, deductions from physical
science, or upon interpretations of the
prophecies contained in the Old and New
Testaments, all of which methods admit of
the excuse of miscalculation; but it is
claimed that the prediction to be verified
tomorrow is direct revelation, and in that
case no such explanation in excuse for