The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-08-19

LEGTENANT IUTTEN.
tians of the first century believed quite
generally that the end would come with
I'm q hundred years of the birth of Christ.
When that epoch had passed, they be-
gan to date from the time of the ascen-
zion, and when this period wa also com-
pleted they looked forward to the fall
of the Roman empire as the critical juno
ture in mundane affairs.
But the empire fell and the end came
not, and once again the prophets were
forced to revise their predictions. They
then fell back upon the twentieth chap
ter of Revelation and taught that the
church would reign for q thousand yeas
and that then satan would be bound
for another thousand years, after which
Judgment and the end would come.
This put the disaster far off in the fu-
ture and Immediately found enthusiast
tic believers. But time moved ON and
the tenth century approached, to the dis
may ofmillions who had gained but a dim
idea of the m~illennial doctrine and misap-
pretended its purport for the idea that
the end was to come in 1000 years. Once
more the prophets turned loose their ell
oquence, once more the miseries that fell
upon the population of Europe seemed
to justify the conclusion that the proph-
cts were correct, and once more the sub
sequent prophets were able to point out
the mistakes of those who had preceded
them.
Ever since then there have been be-
levers in the millennial doctrine, and
various dates have been set for the SAC
complishment of the prophesies," and
still the world ways on. But there have
been a number of alarms during the in
tervening centuries that had no neces-
sary connection with this doctrine ex-
cept it might be on the general ground
that it predisposed people to be panicky.
Most of these were but of local infiu-
ence, but several became quite general.
One in the sixteenth century was &C.
Casioned by a German astronomer
named Stcfier, who was also an as
trologer. He predicted that on Feb. 90,
1874, there would be a second deluge,
and not a few people believed him.
The famous eclipse of 1854 produced
another panic principally because people
did not understand eclipses very well
then, and the great comet of 1879, which
was visible for six months, o~ccasioned
yet another. The disastrous earthquake
in 1855, known as the Lisbon earthquake,
also impressed many people with the idea
that the end of the world was imminent,
and most of the great quakes since then
have produced the same effect.
The Millerite delusion is still remem.
bered by many people as an event Of
their youth and had the advantage OF
disadvantage of having four different
years set for its fulfllment-1S42, 1847
1S48 and 1867. Since then various othe,
times have been fixed upon by believer,
In the millennial theory, the latest ant
consequently the most interesting b,
Lieutenant G. l.. A. Totten of the Unitet
States army, formerly a professor il
Yale university, whose theory ha
brought him a good deal of notoriet,
during the past four years.
Lieutenant Totten, however, does no
believe that the end of the world is neal
nor does he accept the common belief o
TO the day of Judgment. The earth, b
thinks, win abide forever, and the da
OF Judgment is q period Of seven years
which has already commenced and wi
end In the spring of 1899, when the daw
Of the millennium win be ushered In
The recent trouble In the financial worl
afforded him opportunity for his lates
jeremiad. s'Things will not get better,
- says, ssbut worse. We are approach
ing the crisis which must procede til
millennium. These troubles are worli
wide. 5They will not down. They mea
disaster 70 rotten instttutions, the burs
~ 81 all inflated enterprises, the expt
80 % deoetts Of every description an
~ trial ~ By IRE of every mans worl
Ycu mey can ~ Whist you viii, I cali