The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-08
TYPE ERROR PUTS
NEGROES IN PANIC
Believe End of World is Coming
Now.

ATLANTA, Ga, Aug. THE error of
a compositor in merely substituting the
figure ..1'' for the figure $50 in setting
up the matter for the 1903 issue of Greer's
Almanac, which, with the possible excep-
ton of the Bible, is the most widely read
publication in rural homes, of both white
and black, in the South, has resulted in
period of excitement almost approach
ing panic among the negroes of Gaines
vile, Ca, who think the day of judgment
is near at hand.
The panic was caused by recent ser
mon by Rev. j. D. Lovejoy, a negro
pastor, in which he declared that the day
of doom will come on Nov. rs of the pres
ent year, and, as if to dispel all doubt
as to his authority, pulled a copy of
Greer'S Almanac from his pocket and
In the November table of the rising and
the setting of the sun the astronomers
calculate for the 18th that the sun will
rise at 6:59 a. M. and set at Sol p. m.
his work. which caused the negro minis
ter and his flock to fear that this old
world has only few more short months
to move in its orbit
By substituting the for the he made
it appear that on Nov. % the sun is to
set at 1:O1 p. m. Rev. Lovejoy, in looking
over his almanac, came to this item. 1t
attracted his attention and being a close
student of the Holy Scriptures, he at once
recalled that passage of Amos, viii, g.,
which reads:
And it shall come to pass in that day,
saith the Lord God, that will cause the
sun to go down at noon, and will darken
the earth in the clear day.
The thought of doubling the truth of
the time set in the almanac did not once
occur to, the preacher. He would just
as soon have doubted statement in his
Bible.
On last Sabbath he took for his text
the Scriptural passage quoted and then
with a voice trembling with excitement.
attention no ufa 10
ment In the almanac. and with the GER
tainty of prophecy in his tones ANNOUNCE
ed Nov % as that great day of the
Lords"
Gainesville is the town which, on June
l. suffered from the storm which in an
instant snuffed out more than a hundred
lives. With the roar of the tornado still
in their ears, the negroes were even
more than usually ready to believe in
such prophecy, and a veritable whirl-
wind of repentance and prayer at once
began. Runners soon carried the dread
news to other negro churches in the
town, and in short time the entire
negro population of Gainesville was gath
cred at the Methodist church praying
and Wailing
The morning meeting became an aH-day
AFFAIR and the shouting and praying was
kept up until late hour at night.
Inc next morning many failed to ap-
pear at their usual place of work, and
town was demoralized. The negroes de-
clared that they cared nothing for earth
lys things, as they were all soon to go to
their reward
White citizens have now persuaded
nearly all of them to go back to their
work on the idea that they will have to
live until Nov. 25 even if the Judgment is
to occur then, but all efforts to explain to
them the error which caused the proph-
ecy have been unavailing and Rev. Mr..
Lovejoy and his hearers are still in NOR
tai fear of Nov. %, and all because the
compositor used the wrong figure and the
proofreader failed to catch the error.