Evening star., 1925-02-16
Editors MOralize on
END of the World

The preparation by the followers
Of Mrs. Margaret Rowen of Call
fornia for the end OF the world on
February 8 and it's subsequent failure
to materialize brought from the
editors OF the country a variety Of
comment, philoscphizing and moraliz-
Ing, which ran the gamut from the
sublime to she ridiculous.
=, ut is an oft-told story" says the
Cleveland Plain Dealer. with the
dawn Of civilization the human mind
turned toward the unknowable.
somehow, some time, IT must have
an end. And so mystics and dream
ers and 3ealots OF all ages have fore
told the ultimate catastrophe. Only
once, however. has the belief In the
approaching end Of the world become
nearly universal or even general.
This was In the year 1000. the Chris
tian millennium. The lesson learned
then has been sufficient to deter man.
kind as whole from making any
reckless preparations for translation
to a better sphere"
Just how absurd is this conf
dence?" asks the New York Herald
Tribune. "a belief in definite be-
ginning for the world Is among the
Oldest creations of finite human
ming logic demands that there must
be an end. 1t Is only in very recent
years that even scientists have come
face to face with the possibility that
there may never have been a be-
ginning: and society has not yet
reached a stage of perfection in
which there Is the possibility that
there may never be an end" And the
New Haven Register reflects: "In
these days Of great scientific knowl-
edge, the weather man is the only
prophet that can get away with in
correct predictions. That is because
when he says what they like His rec
ord OF failure Is chalked up against him
phen he prophesies what people don't
want
In questioning the Rowenites' pre-
diction, the Pittsburgh Gazette Times
exclaims: why, Of all possible
places. Hollywood is chosen for such
an event Is not explained. Possibly
because of the CONTRAST And the
Los Angeles Times. hard by the
elected spot, exultx: we had heard
from afterdinner orators that people
who had passed into the other world
had to be put In cages to keep them
from coming back to Los Angeles
We had even heard that Pasadena is
so near heaven that all you have to
do is reach up to tickle the feet Of
angels. But we did not know that
the aviation field whence the heav-
emily chariots would ascend had been
laid out at Hollywood"
There are two outstanding truths"
observes the Louisville Post. Com
tained in the preparations that were
made by no inconsiderable number
contemplating the end of the world
One In the incontestible yearning of
4 great part Of mankind for an au-
thentic message from God during
their own day and time. The other,
the indubitable existence OF that large
body of simple minded folk which has
been christened the booboisie, willing
to give ear to anything anybody tells
them" The only end, comments the
San Francisco Bulletin, "of which
men are certain 10 the end of each
individual man. For live we how we
may, yet die we must, whether of the
elect or the rejected"
The Rowenites, declares the Seattle
Times. Awoke to find that something
had gone wrong with their prophecy.
The Times muses.: People resumed
their occupations and began lodging
increasing cost of government. 1t
WAS the week end, not the worlds
END. that broke upon that plodding
humanity"
The Savannah News ponders after
this fashion: Some Of those who
said they thought the end Of things
mundane would come sold their
hoznes--~hy?,-., Did--thSy- expect to
take the money to- the next world?
Is United States currency tender on
the other shore? Will Charon accept
q quarter for faro on his Styxs ferry2
There might be some logic In. quit
ting work, and stopping eating, but
why monkey with such things as
money and property?' And the Lin
coin state Journal generously sug-
gests. Let II be hoped that in their
carelessness for the economic future
the folks who expected to be travel
ing today with wings did not sell
their automobiles too cheap"
1T must be admitted" says the
Butte Post. that the human race is
vastly credulous and short memoried,
for II is deceived in the same way
time after time. Only as age after
age elapses and the general level Of
intelligence rises the percentage Of
the cfedulous and deluded grows con-
tinuAliy smaller" The Kansas City
Times reflects: The poor fanatics >
we say--or we use an uslier word
and pass on to tho next item in the
paper. But We do not quite get the
Significance Of these pathetic persons.
They are not to be judged by ordinary
standards. They are really survivals
from a-past age. They are our CO.
temporary ancestors"
The Omaha World Herald thinks
there ought to be a law against end
of-the-world predictions. These
prophecies create too much mischief"
II says, ITO go unchecked. There are
too many people that cannot take
them temperately. Instead Of taking
their prophecies in reasonably mod
crate quantities they drain the cup
to the dregs, go Off on a spiritual
bust. throw up their Jobs, impoverish
themselves, and then find themselves
nat on their backs when the expected
fails to 'materialise."
However" hays the st. Joseph
News Press, "even non-believers often
are conscious OF a lingering hunch
that possibly-well, we might have