The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-04
PROF. TOTEM OF YALE.
WHAT MANNER OF MAN THE LIEU
TENANT.PRoPHET IS.

Stories of Joshua'S Long Day, Jonah
and the Whale, and Noeh's Ark-ae
Lives Among the Caesars, and, There
fore. Copyrights His 5ook-Ris Queer
Ideas.
For three years, says the New York Sun.
the great university of Yale has numbered
among its professors man who has spread
abroad the most extraordinary teachings
and predictions concerning what he pleases
to believe is the approaching millennium.
Friends OF the university have felt them
selves Inundated by the continued engage
ment of this man. They have felt that the
standard Of the institution has been
lowered, and that great damage has been
done to the prestige of the university.
So extraordinary have been some of the
sayings of this man and so eccentric some
of his acts, that they have caused very
widespread comment. The Yale authorities
have been taken TO task for those utter
ances Tee demand for the removal of the
author has been very loud of late. particu-
larry, and the attacks that have been made
on him and on the university have been ex-
ceedingly bitter. Little has been said OF the
man himself other than that he is a crank.
1t was to see and tell of him that a Sun re-
porter visited him at his home.
c. A. L. Totteu, U. s. A. professor OF
military science and tactics Of Sheffield
scientific school, who is the man referred
to, does not look the lunstio that many per-
sons IN New York regard him. They have
formed their opinions from his books and
from alleged interviews with him which
have been printed in the newspapers from
time to time. He is a man 40 years old, of
erect military bearing, and looks older than
he is because his close-cropped beard and
hair are feoked with gray. He has a strong
face, and gentle, intelligent eYes-not the
kind OF eyes usually found In religious
monomaniacs. They have none of that
emotional or enthusiastic and unnatural
brightness and fire. His manner is courteous,
intelligent, and therefore pleasing. An
| expression Of gravity. of thought, and of
solemnity is continually Ia his face. His
| manner of speech is serious and convincing.
He says nothing that he cannot prove by
his own Interpretation Of prophecies in the
| Bible, and he has these prophecies, and the
verses Of the New Testament promising
their fuihlment, at his tongues end He is,
above all, sincere in his belief. and deserv-
ing Of respect.
He is monomaniac on the subject OF the
second coming Of Christ. ~ know, - he said,
that the college authorities do not like my
| teachings, or, rather, my theories. though
they never have said SO TO me, even indi-
rectly. My publications annoy them, but l
| cannot help that. My time after my duties
to the college are done is my own. Ny mind
is my own, to speak as l will. am free
man. l have been permitted to discover
these things about which l talk, and it is my
duty as man and Christian to publish
them to the world. Until that day comes,
moreover, when the Son of Man shall visit
! the earth as he has promised, and as means
come to me to disseminate these things, |
| shall spread them more and more. would
rather by far be wrong in such oppressive
| premises than hold my peace. have never
| predicted the end of the world, rather,
thank God, its grand beginning The world
endureth forever.
II do predict the imminence OF his re-
| turn who is the desire of all nations The
chronology that l outline must be right. 1t
cannot be wrong. BY that | mean that
whether it strikes the absolute end Of Gem
| tile times or not, 1t moves constantly to its
hither bourn. 1t may be the human be-
! ginning Of that zone of Judgment years,
! though rather do ! fear for them on whom
1 can make no impression that 1t Is the
| final seven"
"Do you know, Prof Totten, that in New
| York there are many people who regard
| you as man who is crazy on this subJect!'
asked the reporter.
The prof essor's face relaxed. He swung
back in his chair and laughed. ''Of course
do. OF course do" he said. THAT is
because l have been misquoted. They say
| l predict the end of the world. That is not
| so, as you know. There are numerous
chronological lines by which calculations
fetch US down to the year 1891 as the
| year of the overthrow Of anti-Christ and
| the beginning Of the millennium on the
| earth. 1t is needless to republish even an
| epitome Of the chronological lines They
| have all cen followed down with the ut~
most care. They all come TO the same
pcint.n sr
Prof. Totten talked as a man very much
in earnest, and told in detcil some of the
lines on which he had calculated. He had
| proved to his own satisfaction that the story
| of Joshua's long day, when Joshua, on the
battlefield Of Hebron. commanded the sun
to stand still, and it stood still for % q
hours, was true. He had also proved to his
own satisfaction that the story of Jonah
and the whale and the story Of the food
were true stories. On the mathematical
demonstration Of the proof or these stories
he pinned his faith on the whole Bible and
all the prophecies in IL. His manner and his
talk was intensely interesting. He talked
as a man who knew OF what he spoke.
His eccentric act in spiking a copy Of his
last book to telegraph pole in the main
street in New Haven was mentioned In the
course Of the interview.
81 spiked 1t to the pole" he said, with
deliberate intent. The book was written to
combat the works of Huxley and Ingersoll,
who tried to disprove the stories of the
food and of Joshua's long day. 1t was 20
combat them on scientific basis that the
calculation was undertaken and has been
carried to its end. The title, "A Scientific
Spike Through Noah's Ark, is fitting to the
topic aud tho treatment and the way l
treated the first copy, l hope, has justified
or will justify the end in view A great
many persons regarded this act OF mine as
eccentric. | see nothing odd In such an act
done on the spur Of the moment with
deliberate intent as soon as the idea was sug-
gested and literally as explained at the
time. Had the means | would go over the
cities Of Israel and spike copy of that
volume on every town post, and | am conf
dent that before had spiked them all up
the one who guaranteed his second advent
by reference to the food would fulfill his
promise and be here. The book deals with
the blunt question upon the data and prem
Uses supplied in the Mosaic account. Ihave
applied astronomic tests to the very date,
and proved the truth of the story. l am
confident that the world wants just such q
vindication."
Have your brother professors ever made
any complaint of your advancing those
things as Yale professorp asked the re-
porter.
"They have not, said the professor, who
then told something of what he thought the
millennium would be like, beginning with
the catching up from the earth Of the A.
OOO as in aualafiou