Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-05-18
Excitement About Comet.

hCtC tOuoy HoAAN6 hAS'A eS
psroxyisms of terror with dire prophecy
that the end of the world Is almost at
hard. Early this moraiDg little bands
of supers.itious black men and women
congregatsd on the streets and prayed
loudly for deliverance and salvation. 10
several OF the churches In the vicinity,
where the negroes are even more super.
ct tit US than here, special services are
being held In an endeavor to avert by
prayer tho calamity which all seem to
believe Is certain to follow the contact OF
The earth with The tail of Halley's comet
tonight.
The fear while general, has resulted In
the development of marked deIomlna-
tional feeling. Negroes of one faith believe
that those Of hia faith alone will be saved.
As result Baptista are urging Metho.
dssts to come over and vice verss. Both
are using streBuons efforts to pusuade
NON church members to ''get religion"
and their efforts are meeting With no
small success.
Marked evidence of the effect of the
comet on the morals Of the population of
color WAS shown by the police court
docket this morning. Usually crowded
With men and women charged with
every variety of petty offences, today
found this ccutt almost empty. For the
present st least the petty thievery and
drup keness has been done away with.
Negro saloons and resorts might as we'll
close their doors, for there are no cns.
TONERS.
All this, however, is severely felt By
the whites, many OF whom were hard
put this morning to secure their break
fasls.
Servants failed to put 10 their sp-
pearauce, nor could any amount OF cosx'
Ing persuade them to :eturn to their
mental duties.
''Dse, honey, 1 got TO look after NAB
soul, an' Pm got no time for nothin'
eIae," WAS the way one old nanny ex-
pressed herself when implored by her
mistress, q young Richmond society
woman whom she had nursed, TO return
to work. And this seems to be the
general at i:ude among the dsrkeys.
The more educated GLASS of negroes
are disgusted With what they tsrm "dem
fool carryins' on" and have attempted
to rout superstition With many more or
less feasible arguments. Their efforts
are generally futile.
New York, Msy 18.-Dr. Harold
Jacoby, Rutherford Professor of Astron-
omy q. Columbia University, writes a.
follows for the United Press: "The
proof OF the pudding is In the eating,
and the proof of astronomy 10 In what
will happen tonight when the earth will
probably pass through the comets tall
Astronomers have made their dednc-
tions SO accurstaly as they knew how.
tu. everyone will have personal know
ledge OF the exact truth by midnight.
1.-THE COMET can no longer be seen liz
the morning sky. Henceforth it will be
visible only in the Testsrn sky In the
evening directly above the point where
the sun sets.
"This appearance will take place every
night for six weeks beginning tomorrow
The clearness With which the comet may
be viewed will depend on the blacknes'
of the skies. The moon, which will be
full by May "a, will interfere with the
view until that dste. During the tirsl
and second week In June, 1t Ia likely,
the com.t should be seen In all of ii
glory then 1t will gradually disappear.
"By the end of June the comet vii
have disappeared not 10 return for 70
years. The current visit bad arou,ed
the greatest popular interest and aatronc'
mers ex .,ect as a result there will be a
stimulus in the science of astronomy
which will bear fruit In new discoveries
and inspire the young to follow Halley's
example.
zone bene6! has resulted from The
widespread discussion of the visitor, thai
is the world has been rid of much saper-
stitiou touching the end-of.the- world
problem.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, May 1S.-Dster-
mined to die With their wives and child
rem Ia the event of destruction of the
earth today by Hslley's comet, thou
sands of miners 10 the anthracite region
refused 10 20 down the mines.
Boston, May 18.-The mootsd quea-
ton about the competition OF the head
of Hslley's comet will be settled SOM,
according to Professor 0. O. Wendell,
of Harvard. There has bsen consider
able dispute as t. whether the head Is
solid or gaseous.
"Wben the head of the comet passes
across the face of the sum-" said Pro.
feusor Wendell, "any solid matter will
be distinctly visible. Observers 10 the
Orient should be able to determine de.
6nitely the composition of the comet.
I expect no unusual phenomena as the
earth passes through the comets unless
1t be a reddish glow In the sky"
Harvard professors are unanimous 10
their declaration that the earth will
pass uDscsthed through the comets tail.
Professor Pickering declares there
need be no fear from the comet. IA
comet sppasrs at least three times q
year." be said today, and Halley's
comet is no more baleiul In effect than
any other."
Paris, May 1S-French Astronomers
have failed to reassure the public re-
garding the harmless nature of The
c,anogen gas in the tail OF Halley's CO.
met, aud hundreds of peuple today rsided
the chemists shops and bought their
entire supply of oxygen gas, to be used
to Offset the feared effect of the cyanogap.
New York, May 1S.-All day revival
services are in progress in negro church
On the yes aide. In the San Juan Hill