The Portland daily press., 1893-08-18

tians of the first century believed quite
generally that the end would come with
in hundred years of the birth OF Christ.
When that epoch had passed, they be-
gan to date from the time of the ascen-
sion, and when this period was 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 a thousand years
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 of millions who had gained buta dim
idea of the millenpial doctrine and misap-
pretended it's purport for the idea that
the end was to come in 1000 years. Once
more the prophets turned loose their ell
oauence, 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 wags on. But there have
been 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 inlu-
ence, but several became quite general.
One in the sixteenth century was oc-
casioned by German astronomer
named Stofder, who was also an as
trologer. He predicted that on Feb. 20,
1894, there would be a second deluge,
and not a few people believed him.
The famous eclipse Of 1864 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. occasioned
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 or
disadvantage Of having four different
years set for it's fulfllment-1842, 1847,
184S and 1857. Since then various other
times have been fixed upon by believers
in the millennial theory, the latest and
consequently the most interesting by
Lieutenant G. L. A. Totten of the United
States army, formerly professor in
Yale university, whose theory has
brought him good deal OF notoriety
during the past four years.
Lieutenant Totten, however, does not
believe that the end of the world is near.
nor does he accept the common belief as
to the day of Judgment. The earth, he
thinks, will abide forever, and the day
of Judgment is a period of seven years,
which has already commenced and will
end in the spring of 1899, when the dawn
of the millennium will be ushered in.
The recent trouble in the financial world
afforded him opportunity for his latest
ieremiad. Things will not get BETTER"
he says, 'but worse. We are approach
ing the crisis which must precede the
millennium. These troubles are world
wide. They will not down. They mean
disaster to rotten institutions, the burst
ing of all inflated enterprises, the expo
sure of deceits of every description and
the trial as by fire of every mans work.
You may call it what you will, I call it