A POPULAR ERROR by Jasper Hazen

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 26, 1859

A POPULAR ERROR.

By Jasper Hazen

BY JASPER HAZEN.

[Bro. SMITH: The following article published in the Chris. Palladium in 1843, shows how the mass take things for granted, and also strikes a death blow to the arguments of infidelity. M. E. CORNELL.]

An error has been quite common in relation to the number of the human race. It has been supposed that were they all raised from the dead, they would be so far from finding room to stand upon the earth, that they must necessarily form a solid mass of 50, 100, or 200 feet high over the whole face of the earth; and that the whole surface of the ground must have been moved some hundreds of times to furnish a resting place for her perishing children in her bosom.

It may be difficult to determine the origin of this common opinion; but probably some curious calculating genius, instead of going into the field of facts to inquire went into the rule of Geometrical Progression making 2 (the first pair of our race), the first term of a geometrical series—the number of generations to the flood the number of terms, and 2, 3, or 4, as he might happen to think, the ratio, and by that process determine the immense number before the flood. Having satisfactorily to himself made out a census of the antediluvians, he then goes through with a similar process since the flood,

making 8 (Noah and his family) the first term in the series, then adding both sums together makes up the astonishing aggregate which covers over the whole earth perhaps 200 times.

The terms of the series all appear reasonable; on re-examination the work is found correct. It carries upon its face all the appearances of mathematical certainty, and is, through the different mediums of communication given to the world. ASTONISHING CALCULATION! WONDERFUL CALCULATION!! It goes for true and the impression is left upon the mind that the world must have been dug over perhaps hundreds of times to bury her dead.

Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead? Anything connected with our view of the gospel of Christ appearing incredible to the mind, goes to weaken our confidence in its truth. The very thought of the resurrection of a mass of human beings 200 feet high over the whole surface of the land, strikes the mind as incredible. We inquire, in what theater can they be assembled? This may lead the mind to doubt the resurrection of the dead. That is attended with doubt of the truth of the gospel which declares the resurrection and ends in infidelity; and this whole evil has its origin, or is forwarded by this common error.

With how many unbelievers these considerations may have been important weights in turning the scale against the gospel, we may never know. That they may have an important bearing on many minds we may readily believe. And they would certainly be worthy of as much consideration as the argument of the Sadducees against the resurrection, if they were true.

A little reflection must satisfy any rational man that the opinion that the whole surface of the earth must have been dug over so many times to bury her dead, must be a very great mistake indeed. We will make a few inferences and calculations to illustrate the idea.

If the earth has been made a graveyard so many times, it must have been dug over once in 30 years. Is the man living who has seen the third course of coffins covering the world? There are numbers over 90 years old. Suppose it 50 times instead of 200. Then we must have seen North America almost covered with her second tier of coffins, since the landing of the Pilgrims, as it would take but 120 years to cover the earth once with the dead. But is it so? Instead of this how very small a tract of the oldest town in our country is yet made a burying yard.

But a single example will illustrate the fallacy of this popular error. London is said to be 8 miles long and from 3 to 5 miles broad (say average 4 miles) and has 1,500,000 inhabitants. Suppose London to have been thus densely populated for 6000 years. She would then have had 200 generations of 1,500,000 each, equal to 300,000,000. Her territory 8 miles by 4, is 32 square miles. This reduced to feet, gives 892,108,800 square feet to 300,000,000 of inhabitants; lacking but a small fraction of 3 feet for every man, woman and child; room enough for them to stand upon were her whole population of 6000 years contemporaries and had her population for the whole term of time equaled the present. But London has not been thus populous from the creation, and instead of 300,000,000, has not reached 100,000,000 all counted and furnishes ample room for graves for the whole within her own limits. How small a part of the whole earth then would have been covered with graves.

The estimated number of one generation multiplied by the number of generations in 6000 years will be an approximation of the whole number to our race sufficiently near to answer our present purpose.

The United States Almanac for 1843 gives the following table of the area and population of the world from Balbi.

Square miles.	Population.
Europe	2,793,000
Asia	12,118,000
Africa	8,516,000
America	11,046,000
Australasia	3,100,000
Amount	37,573,000

But for the present purpose suppose one generation to amount to 800,000,000 of persons; suppose a generation to continue 30 years. Then in 6000 years there will have been 200 generations. Thus 200 multiplied by 30 equal 6000. Then the number of one generation multiplied by the number of generations gives the whole number of our race. Thus 800,000,000 multiplied by 200 equal 160,000,000,000. Then the whole number of our race, supposing the earth to have equalled its present population for the whole term of 6000 years, is one hundred and sixty thousand millions.

Reduce 37,573,000 square miles to rods will give three billions, eight hundred forty-seven thousand, four hundred seventy-five million, two hundred thousand square rods. Then divide 3,847,475,200,000 rods between 160,000,000,000 will give a fraction over 24 rods to every one of the race of Adam who may have lived at the end of 6000 years.

Divide the square rods in the thirty miles of the territory of London, 3,276,800 square rods, between the present population, 1,500,000, will give a fraction over two rods to each citizen of London, while the world would furnish a fraction over 24 rods to every child of Adam were they all raised from the dead at the end of 6000 years.

Then if the whole 160,000,000,000 were raised from the dead and equally dispersed over the earth, the population would not be one tenth part as dense as the present population of London.

Were the whole 160,000,000,000 arranged in order with four feet to each individual, they would require 640,000,000,000 feet of ground. This would form a square area of 151 miles 164 rods and fourteen feet on a side. Less than double this area would furnish a burying ground for our whole race.