The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-09-06
HENDERSON, N. c. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1900
TOtten'S Predictions.

TOtten'S Predictions.
WILL THERE BE A GREAT CHINESE INVA.
SION OF AMERICA?
The Man Whose Researches Along
the Lines of Chronology Attracted
Attention Some Years Ago Recalled
! by Present Trouble In China-Be-
lieves all Things Tend Toward Car.
rying Out Prophecies of the Bible.
/, wilmington Messenger,
Many of the readers of the Mes.
senger will recall the name of Lieuten.
ant c. A. L. Totten. formerly of the
United States army. Some years ago
his books on the Lost Tribes" and
other historic events attracted no lit
tie attention. He is again prominent
by reason of a dream he had in 1872,
and which was made public in 1880.
1t will be recalled that he was in 1892,
detailed to Yale University as profess
sor of military science. He is a
bright man with considerable ability.
The New York Sun says his "Bibli-
cal researches along the lines of chro-
nology have led him to study the
political future of the nations. He
views the trouble in China with in
tense anxiety. Mr.. Totten believes
that all things tend toward the car
rying out of the prophecies of the
Bible"
The account given in the dream
would fill column and a half of the
Messenger. He is said to be watching
the unrolling of the events in China
with uncommon interest. His dream
represented that a great horde would
attack her, but she would come out
supreme. Secretary of War Ramsey
published the dream in 1880. 1t seems
that it was not China invaded, but
China invading that filled the terrific
dream. The Chinese in endless force
I was in Amarica. In his book it was
said:
Their onward movement was like
that of vast machine, perfect hor-
ror of tactical precision and blind
obedience. The vast army seemed to
be actuated by the same impulse
which sends an army of ants onward
in spite of fire and water and smotE-
ers all opposition with the very bodies
of 'forlorn hopes, sacred bands that
leads the rest"
The description of the fierce battle
that followed is most graphic, most
awful. The Suns account is this:
''In this dream the prophetic part
is hardly to be put upon that which
relates to battle of Dorking" with
the much abused Mongolian, but who
shall say it may not family grasp
some of the tactical possibilities of
that awful warfare of the future,
whose deadly arms inexhaustible sup
plies, and relentless control of cleo
tricity and the higher explosive, and
whose utilization of all the Internal
mechanism of human military inge-
nuity shall tend towards battle like
to that of Armageddon."
Time will show and before many
years passes, what will be the final
output Of the Chinese murderous cam
paign-whethcr it will remain or be-
come great power among the powers
or be overrun and despoiled and final
ly dismembered. Mr.. Totten in his
interview with the Sun, gives very
vivid description of the great changes
made in war-like instruments of de-
struction. We copy paragraph or
| so:
''While heavy artillery is straining
every power of nature to fabricate
enormous guns, engineering is taxed
at all her skill and genius upon the
counter-questions of more permanent
defence. New explosives are harnessed
to new machines, and the most recent
offspring of the terrible torpedo
brood, stunning its appropriate ele-
ment, and essaying the very air itself,
leaps forth upon its errand of destruc-
tion from the cannon's mouth! From
the nightmare of experiment that
these efforts are suggesting the very
air seeks the relief of vacuum, and
the ocean, unable to escape, quivers
with anticipation as monster after
monster, each more horrible in defOr-
nifty, and more instinct with internal
potence than it's predecessor, launches
with accelerating sequence into her
troubled bosom.
Field artillery has witnessed the
successive abstraction of solid shot,
canister and shell from the astonished
limbers, as each in turn has been pro-
nounced 4 hopeless efficiency; and
now the very guns themselves, the
single, muZzle and breach-loading
cannon of the best pattern, are threat
ened by machine guns, as but lately
rifles and breach small arms threat
ened and drove into the curiosity
shops the good old Brown Bess' Of
our fathers, and as today the maya
zine arm threatenes to displace them.
Nor does the confusion end here, for
infantry, still in doubt and excitement
over this long-range controversy, and
burdcned down with an overload of
ammunition, is now urged to add to
its marching weight, not trowel-
matters are far more desperate-but
the pick and shovel, and to cling to
| them as to their rifles as to their
| lives.-it almost seems as il where
with to dig, if not their graves, then
as least the very last trenches OF hu-
| man warfare"
Il s4 -