Some take a break from today, others make a sea change and set off in quite another direction. It's obvious that the Ehrlichs, enriched by their 1969 book on disasters-pending, chose to drop out of society for awhile. Now that they have reemerged as authors of yet another doomsday message, it is only proper to put their escape in perspective.
Consider the following, "The professor appeared, saying that he had had a revelation that the end of the world was at hand, and that on the 15th of the next month, the pick of the faithful would be taken to a safe haven: many believed, and supplied themselves with proper attire and other accouterments, and settled their worldly affairs, though it is whispered that some lent the money they had raised by their sale of their goods, at a good per cent, per annum. The young ladies had their traveling clothes fashioned long, that their flight might be conducted with all due regard to decorum, and that they might not display too much ankle to the miserable masses left behind. One young lady had her sofa placed near the window and sat there awaiting the 15th, to avoid the chance of deranging her hair by being taken quickly in the rush to escape the miserable masses left behind.
At length, the 15th arrived, the faithful waited in their clothes for the glorious moment, till at regular dinner hour, when getting tired and hungry, it was determined to ask an explanation of Dr. Ehrlich, when, alas! It was discovered that he had departed -- not with the select few, but by train. On the train was a lady, who being fully convinced that her husband and family were going to be selected on that day, and feeling herself not quite worthy of such a distinction, thought it no wrong to take unto herself a fresh spouse ...
Paraphrased from the writings of Edward Sullivan, Rambles and Scrambles in North and South America, pp33, published in 1852.
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What was the good Dr. Ehrlich revelation(s)? World War III would begin on
October 13, 1979, Insecticide-caused cancer would cut U.S. life
expectancy to 42 years, Famines to kill 65 million Americans, and more.
It appears that the good Doctor Ehrlich, as with many of today's environmentalist, failed to study history closely. They ignored the basic strength of humanity; that innovative spark, that provides solutions to problems, thus causing the cataclysmic event(s) to be postponed or forever avoided.
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