The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-07
TOTTEN AND cHE MILLEN-
MUM.
Curious Calculations in Chronology Based
Upon the Scriptures.

Curious Calculations in Chronology Based
Upon the Scriptures.
New HAVEN, April 1.-THE wide
spread excitement of the North Ameri-
can Indians few months ago over :he
expected coming of a Messiah for their
race by curious coincidence had fol-
lowed closely upon a marked revival of
the discussion Of the millennial doc
trine in various parts Of the country.
Now we have an interesting contribu-
ton to the subject in the calculation
just made by Lieut.. Charles \. l.. Tot
ten, Fourth Artillery, which fixes the
date of the Second Advent for March,
1899. Lieut.. Totten, who is detailed as
Professor of military science and tactics
at the Sheffield Scientific School of
Yale University, has for several years
made remarkable applications Of math-
ematical science to the Scriptures.
Recently he fixed upon the exact date
when Joshua commanded the sun to
stand still; and he has also made curl
Gus calculations to show that the fun
damental dimensions of the Great
Pyramid are founded on distances in
the solar system, and employed the
inch unitof measure knows to our En-
glish systerc of long measure. He has
further made studies to show that
Americans are the lost tribes Of Israel.
1t is not impossible that now, in one
form or another, there may be con-
siderable revival of millenarianism
One Of the last noteworthy agitations
OF the subject was that Of DR.. John
Cumming, who had fixed the begin
ming Of the millennial period for about
a quarter of a century ago. But quar-
ter of e. century before that far more
widespread and famous excitement
was caused IN the United Stat S by
William Miller, who had predicted the
Second Advent for 1913. But more or
less important predictions and agita-
tions can be found during many CEN
turies. The grades of belief on the sub
ject have varied from that of an ap-
preaching destruction of the world at a
liked hour to that of a coming in of toe
Golden Age without any physical
crash. In various countries there have
been sects that have held from time to |
time that the millennium had already |
begun, and that they were enjoying its
opening years. Perhaps the greatest
period of modern milienarianism was
the one between 1900 and 1860, but
during the first and second centuries
it was a very generally accepted tenet.
Taking together the Book of Daniel
and the Revelations, the endeavor to
find in current events the fulfillment,
or tendency to fulfllment, Of the
there made, was then almost
The last decade of years of the pres
ent century, on which we have now
is likely to turn speculation
anew in this direction; and presumably
the twentieth century will see it still
m1ie rife, and gaining in intensity as
the year 2O0O approaches. A learned
divine os the Dominion has for some |
time fixed upon that datefor the Second
arguing that the greatest crises
in human history have occurred at in
tervals of 1000 years FROM the creation,
this last to be about 4, ZOO
years before the Christian era. The
same date has been fixed by those who
hold that the six days of creation signi-
fed or typi1ied six periods, of 1,00O
years each, in the worlds history, de-
voted to toll and endurance, to be fol-
lowed by seventh of blissful rest.
But what is most singular is the variety
Of texts and calculations adopted by
hose who deal with this subject, Lieut..
Totten, for example, finding all the
he needs in chapter of the
Gospel of St. Luke and another of the
Gospel of st. Matthew, without resting
lpon the Apocalypse or the earlier
prophets.
The expectation that the last day of
he world would come in the year 1000
A. D. was widespread, as the history
If that perion shows. The approach
If the year 2O00 is likely enough to see
history repeating itself in that particu-
ar. The millenarian doctrine, how
ever, is obviously quite distinct from
my such foreboding, since by its very
erms it gives he world another thous-
md years of existence, and under far
happier conditions than any it has ever
Known. Lieut.. Totten, if he is correct
Y reported, does not look for the end
If the world sooner than a million
1ears; and in any case the conception
If millennium, assuming, as it is not
litficult to do, that the period is not
llready running, is not to be confunded
With that of those who look for the
lear approach of the worlds end.
AGAINST TIME.