1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

Unabridged Dictionary Explanatoryand Pronouncing Vocabulary, p. 1604.Herschel says: "The Dark Day inNorthern America was one of thosewonderful phenomena of nature whichwill always be read of with interest, butwhich philosophy is at a loss to explain.""In the month of May, 1780, therewas a very terrific dark day in NewEngland, when 'all faces seemed togather blackness,' and the people werefilled with fear. There was great distressin the village where Edward Leelived; 'men's hearts failing them forfear' that the judgment day was athand."--Tract No. 379 of AmericanTract Society, Life of Edward Lee, ofMassachusetts.The moon was correspondingly darkenedat this time from the same causes,whatever they may have been.In 1833 came the falling of the stars.Not the falling of "fixed stars," truly,for that which can fall is not fixed.Neither could stars many times largerthan this earth fall upon it as a fig-treecasteth her unripe figs when shaken bya mighty wind (Rev. 6:13). Hence itis very evident that Jesus could not havemeant these. But a remarkable meteoricshower, just such as fills the description,and the like of which is not recorded inhistory, did occur in November, 1833.We quote the following account from"The American Cyclopaedia," Vol. XI.,page 431:"The year 1833 is memorable for themost magnificent display on record.This was on the night of November 12,and was visible over all the UnitedStates, and over a part of Mexico andthe West India Islands. Together withthe smaller shooting stars which fell likesnowflakes and produced phosphorescentlines along their course, there wereintermingled large fire-balls, which dartedforth at intervals, describing in a