Zealous, but Ignorant by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 11, 1885

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 11, No. 23.

Zealous, but Ignorant.

By Editor

A MAN in Oshawa, Canada, writes a long communication to the Weekly Globe and Canada Farmer, giving an account of the work and “the death of Millerism.” Somebody has kindly sent us a copy of the paper. A couple of points are sufficient to show the extent of his knowledge of the subject of which he writes. He rehearses as a fact the long-ago and oft-exploded story that the believers in Mr. Miller’s theory prepared “ascension robes,” declaring that the story is true; and we know it is not true. The other point which we will notice will show to the satisfaction of every one that he is entirely ignorant of the matters of which he speaks. He says that Millerism flourished until April 15, 1843, when it died; and that the proclamation of the coming end of the world was greatly aided by “the grandest meteoric shower Canada and the Northern States ever saw.” And this he locates “on the 13th day of November, 1842.” This date with him is not an error of the pen, or a mistake of the printer; he states it deliberately, and describes the hard winter of 1842, following the falling of the stars. Now the winter of 1842–43 was a hard winter, just as he describes it, similar to last winter, but the stars fell in 1833, nine years before! We advise him to inquire of somebody who knows the truth about these things before he attempts to write their history again.