The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-07
LIEUT.. TOTTEE AND THE MILLEN-
MUM.
Curious Celebrations in Chronology Eased
Upon the Scriptures.

Curious Celebrations in Chronology Eased
Upon the Scriptures.
New HAVEN, April 1.-THE wide
spread excitement of the North Ameri-
can Indians few months ago over the
expected coming of a Messiah for their
race by curious coincidence had fol-
T lowed closely upon marked revival OF
the discussion of the millennial doc
trine in various parts of the country.
Now we have an interesting contrlbu-
ticn to the subject N the calculation
Just made by Lieut.. Charles A. 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 tc
stand still; and be has also made curl,
| Gus calculations to show that the fun
damental dimensions Of the Great
Pyramid are foanded on distances II
the solarsgEstem, and employed the
inch up OF meAarsA knows to our En-
glish sStem of long measnrses He ha:
| further uade studies to shoW~that
americans are the lost tribes Of tssffseS
1t is not impossible that I'sw' n one
form or another, there may be con-
siderable revival of .millenarianisnl.
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 century before that far more
widespread and famous excitement
was caused IN the United States by
William Miller, who had predicted the
Second Advent for lS43. But more or
less important predictions and aglta-
tions can be found during many cen
turies. The grades of belief on the sub
iect have varied from that of an ap-
preaching destruction of the world at a
fixed hour to that of a coming in Of the
Golden Age without any physical
crash. In various countries there have
been sects that nave 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 millenarianism 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 rhe Revelations, the endeavor to
find in current events the fulillment,
or a tendency to fulfllment, of the
prophecies there made, was then almost
universal.
The last decade Of years Of the pres
ent century, on which we have now
entered, is likely to turn speculation
anew in this direction; and presumably
the twentieth century will see it still
oore S,Ps;sss and gaining in intensity as
to ,,o.- oo00 s,;snroaches. A learned
ivine os the DomiuioHaas1sss asss 1or some
ime fixed upon that datefor tF oscohu
Advent, arguing that the greates cli.e'
q human history have occurred At q
ervals of 1000 years from the creation,
this last to be about 4,o00
'ears before the Christian era. The
anne date has heen fixed by those who
lold that the s.4 days of creation signi-
led Or typifed six periods, of 1000
,ears each, in the worlds history, de-
,oted to toll aud endurance, to be fol-
owed. by a seventh of blissful rest.
But what is most singulari the variety
If texts and calculations adopted by
hose who deal with this subject, Lieut..
rotten, for example, finding all the
material he needs in q 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 l0OO
A. D. was widespread, as rhe history
Of that perion shows. The approach
Of the year 1000 is likely enough to see
history repeating itself in that particu-
lar. The millenarian doctrine, how
ever, is obviously quite distinct from
any such forebodiug, since by its very
terms it gives the world another thous-
and years of existence, and under Tar
happier conditions than any it has ever
known. Lieut.. Totten, if be is correct
ly reported, does not lcok for the end
of the world sooner than million
years; and in any case the conception
of a millennium, assuming, as 1t is not
difficult to do, that the period IS not
running, is not to be eonfunded
with that of those who look for the
near approach of the worlds end.
AGAINST TIME.