--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1842 to 1843. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 4 number: 20 published: 1843-09-01 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Millerism-Fanaticism,” *Times and Seasons* 4, no. 20 (September 1, 1843): 307–308." printed_title: MILLERISM-FANATICISM. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-09-01_4_20 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v4n20.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-09-01_4_20 start_page: 307 end_page: 308 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1843 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-09-01_4_20 publication_year: 1843 --- # Millerism-Fanaticism The following is from the correspondence of the New York Journal of Commerce. It speaks but little of what we boast as an enlightened age. What are likely to be the results of Millerism and its kindred fooleries? Either to make infidels, or, proving to all that there is a reality of which their are base counterfeits, to lead men to embrace the true religion and secure their consequent happiness. BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Sept. 7, 1843. Messrs. Editors:-The Miller Camp Meeting which has lately been held in our vicinity, on the line of the Housatonic Rail Road, at a place called Stepney, came to an end on Tuesday morning or Monday night. Such a scene of confusion, fanaticism, and impiety (as it appeared to me,) has never been equalled [equaled] in this country since Columbus first stepped on our shores, unless the case of Matthias the Prophet, whose career was short, and endeavored to prove that the world would come to an end in 1843. He spoke of the judgment and eternity with a great deal of solemnity. During his preaching, a man pretended to be inspired, passed up and down the camp with a great leaf in his hand, waving it over his head, and crying 'Hallelujah' and 'Glory,' at the top of his voice.* He soon began pointing his finger at certain individuals, making at the same time a muttering sound, with his mouth closed, which the Millerites said meant, that the individual to whom he pointed was to all intents and purposes, internally damned. Thus he went from one to another sealing up forever and ever the damnation of individuals-and the leaders all testified that the man was inspired, and it would not answer to stop him, for that would be sinning against the Holy Ghost, which sin could not be pardoned. At night, however, he was taken off the ground by his father and confined for a time. On Monday, another man by the name of Campbell got inspired and went through the similar performances, being joined by many others affected the same way.-It is impossible to describe the scene. Any person wearing a breastpin, artificial flowers on their bonnets, or a safety chain of gold, or a gold watch, was pointed out as lost. These fanatics would fall on their knees, and demand of others to fall before them. They pulled off breastpins and finger rings and threw them away-broke up safety chains and scattered them to the winds. One lady was induced to take out a whole set of false teeth and throw them on the ground, which were stamped in the dirt. Others cut off their hair, which they were told was their idol; pulled it out and tried to persuade their friends to do likewise. Two young ladies from Bridgeport were also inspired, and pronounced woe upon individuals who did not believe as they did, by pointing their fingers and making this muttering noise, groaning, &c. A Mr.-,† minister of the Episcopal church at --, mounted the stand to make some confession, and declared that he should be no longer minister of that particular church, or any other, but should do what he could for this great cause. He was pointed at, however, by the inspired man, and had to leave the stand. A Methodist minister, by the name of Fuller, and a Baptist by the name of Gregory, were both sealed over to eternal damnation by these inspired ones. They were, however, not so easily frightened. The Methodist Fuller, commenced praying.-For a while all went well-the Millerites crying 'Glory,' 'Hallelujah,' 'Praise God,' &c., till soon he prayed for the poor deluded ones who thought they were doing God's service and were not, asking that the devil might be cast out of them. Whereupon the Millerites cried, 'take him away,' 'stop him,' 'his damnation is sealed,' and laid their hands upon him. Fortunately, their was friends enough to protect him. The Millerite preachers said all this was the Spirit of God, till Litch, of the 'Midnight Cry,' saw how things were going, and announced from the stand, that these things were of the devil, and the Millerites must leave the ground. One minister declared that the world would come to an end this year. 'It was just as sure as preaching.' Others of the Millerites said it would be the seventh month from March 1843. Others, that we should never see the 1st of October, 1843. But this meeting ended, and the inspired ones fled. It was well for them that it did, for the people were about adopting such measures as would protect their wives and daughters from the insults of these deluded men. I have not told you the half, nor need I. Are these doctrines of the Bible, and is this Millerism carried out? * This was said to be the Millerites, one of the latter day signs and wonders which the world could not understand. † We leave this name blank because the writer has not given us his own name, which he should have done for our private information, that we might know the degree of confidence to which the letter is entitled. We never make public use of the names of correspondents except with their own consent. Eds Jour. Com.