Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-17
DONE in PHILADELPHIA


ing a camp meeting in West Philadelphia, had
announced that the world was coming to an
end on the 29th or the Goth of the present
month. No excitement followed this weird
proclamation, but what a difference there
was in Philadelphia, in 1874, when the Miller
ties were aroused by a similar belief!
1t was just such strange prophecies which
the educated regarded with indifference that
made life worth living 20 years ago. People
then were thirsting for excitement Of any
kind, and they welcomed Mller's prediction
as break in the monotony of life.
The story of the Millerites and their belief
is that of one of those popular delusions
which seem to have made their appearance
in every age. The present generation does
not have to be reminded of Dowie, whose
ideas, while not quite so weird, still were
sufficiently different to arouse general in
terest. In the past there was number OF
delusions that took the public by storm and
held them until the true character of the
belief became apparent. The tulips that we
can buy today for few cents once were sold
for fortunes in Holland during the rage of
the tulip mania. You see, these delusions are
not always Of a religious character The
tulip mania was purely speculative and had
been nursed to perfection by interruptions
manipulators.
But this is wandering from my subject. I
wanted to say something about William Mil
ler and his deluson that sent dozens of
weak minded persons insane and In some
localities ruined numerous persons.
Miller was born in Massachusetts, but he
was a resident of Low Hampton, in the
northeastern part of New York, when he an
nounced his calculation of the date Of the
second coming of Christ While a young
man he had confessed himself an atheist.
He had served a captain of infantry in
the United States army in the War Of 1872,
and it was not until long after that conflict,
or in 1915 that he suddenly became religious.
Then he began to study the Bible, but he
also began to calculate the time when Christ
was to appear on earth again, and finally he
declared that he had overcome all difficulties
and had reached the conclusion that the date
would be in the spring Of the year 1S43.
OF course, a great deal of this got in.o
printed form, and soon he had convinced
numerous persons who were willing follow
ers. The delusion spread rapidly, but OF
course had it's greatest vogue when the time
Miller had set approached.
Millers theory of the second Advent was
founded upon his Interpretation of the real
meaning of the terms days, weeks and years
in the Old Testament. l will not attempt to
bore anybody by repeating his interpreta-
tions, and there would not be sufficient space
here to do it. But I can assure any in
credulous reader that it was much like
Ignatius Donnelly's famous cryptogram in
Shakespeare in one respect: you could not
find the answer even after you had the rule
to find it. No one ever could work out Don
nelly's cryptogram and, perhaps, as he was
a very bright man, he did not intend they
should
The first date set for the second Advent by
Miller was April IA, 1S4S. The disciples
awaited the day with deepest solicitude."
but when it arrived nothing happened. But
they were not discouraged. They were as
sured that ancient chronology was not thor
oughly understood and that a few months
more or less might elapse before the well
come day arrived
In the meantime, Miller had a stone wall
built on his farm and there was good deal
of talk about it, Some prying ones sired
to know what he intended to do with stone
wall if he was soon to leave this world.
Il also was charged that Miller had refused
to sell his farm; and the newspapers were
asking him pointedly what he needed a farm
for. They also took one of his disciples,
]. V. Hines, Of Washington, to task because
he was engaged in publishing and selling
more than 100000 books and papers"
They added by way of comment that He
must be engaged in a speculation" and
thereupon secuted the truthfulness Of the
prophecy.
But, as in the case OF all deluslons Miller
had followers in many parts of the Eastern
United States. They We're pretty we'll repre-
sented in Philadelphia. When the first date
had failed Miller promptly referred to the
occasional failures of even Biblical prophets,
and announced that very probably his calcu-
lations had been wrong He then asserted
that on October %, 1874. the second Advent
would occur
This statement was made very positively,
and the Adventists became very deeply
interested AS the time approached some of
the followers gave away their property.
Storekeepers disposed of their stocks to who
ever desired them for nothing. In one Sec
tion of the country as many as Is persons
became insane, Some of them were not even
followers Of Miller, but were afraid that he
might speak the truth.
When the day arrived the Philadelphia
followers Of Miller went to Darby where they
awaited the end of the world There were
began to pray and sing.
But it rained. They were very distressed
and when they found the day was not the
day, they waited till the morrow. Then there
was more rain and the majority Of the Mil
lerltes plodded their weary way back to the
city along the Darby road. few were
willing 10 give Miller another "a hours OF
grace, but they, too, found his calculations
We're inaccurate.
When the excitement was at Its height
there were advertisements I'm the daily pou,s