COMET SCARES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10049, 23 May 1910, Page 4

COMET SCARES.

Having safeJy accomplished our brief journey through the tail of Haliey's comet, all misgivings as to the occurrence of some terrible and unnamed disaster will now be laid at rest. The negroes of the Southern States of America and many estimable Russians, will be specially thankful. After all, these who had anticipated some untoward happening erred in the most excellent of company. All down the ages the appearance of comets has been greeted with undisguised dipmay. Haliey's comet in 1837.filled Louis the Debonnair of France with terror. He summoned his bishop in consultation. Then ensued fastings, prayer, and penance, the endowment of churches, and the founding of monasteries. In spite of all this palliation he died— i three years afterwards. One of the most remarkable scares hi connection with a comet was that which swept over the world in the year 1000. The approach of the period had long been anticipated with alarm as heraldine the end of the world. Royal proclamations were commonly headed, "Whereas the end of the world is approaching"—Sitan, | it was prophesied, had bean chained for 1000 years, and was now to be loosed for a period. Other forecasts boldly announced the millenium. As the fateful term drew near a comet suddenly appeared in the sky. The effect was electrical, especially upon the ignorant population of Europe. All work ceased, the peasants abandoned their crops, and the nobles took refuge in the monasteries. On New Year's Eve, 1000, thousands gathered in the fields to await midnight and th*ir doom upon their knees. But nothing happened. The sun rose , cheerfully in due course and shone out upon dense masses of half-frozen devotees. Through universal neglect of husbandry operations, pestilence and famine stalked throughout Europe. Another widespread panic was caused by the appearance of a large comet in 1528. All work was abandoned, and Europe came to a standstill; or, rather fell in an agony of terror upon its knees to pray. A mathematician named Stoffler added zest to the prevailing excitement by predicting that a secoud Deluge was at hand. Arks were hurriedly knocked together by the thousand. Inhabitants of the German coastal districts so'd their lands to the unbelievers for a. mere song and took to the hills. And once again nothing dreadful happened. The appearance of the comet of 1811 was regarded, oddly enough, as having a beneficent influence. The winter and summer were favourable to primary production, there was an excellent vintage, and immense numbers of twins were born, to say nothing of the wife of a Whitechapel bootmaker, whom the comet inspired to quadruplets. Nevertheless, the appearannce of Beila's in 1852 was responsible for further alarm, and its return in 1872 was hailed, on the authority of a pseudo professor at Geneva, as the end of tbe world. But the earth continued to revolve solidly upon its axis, and was no more disturbed in its purpose than it was on Thursday m its supposed passage through the attenuated appendage of Haliey's comet.