Another predicted end of the world has come and gone , although the American evangelist responsible for the latest furphy has revised the date from May 21 to October 21 . Guided by a mystical force, Little Darwin has discovered that a New Zealand religious organisation in 1900 predicted the end of newspapers .
Tucked away in our archives is a copy of the Dominican Star , a literary annual, edited at the Dominican Priory, Dunedin,an impressive building constructed in 1877 ,then the largest un-reinforced concrete building in the southern hemisphere ,designed and built by architect Francis Petrie ,father of the NZ architecture association and the daddy of 13 children, he one of 16 . Petrie also designed the Christchurch Catholic Cathedral which collapsed during the recent earthquake.
In an article headed TALKING THROUGH THE ETHER ,dealing with Marconi’s invention of the wireless , the Domican Star predicted it would herald a new era in which “newspapers will be no more .” There would be no more waste of paper and ink.
News in the future would be "ticked off tapes " every hour into homes of subscribers who had "receiving instruments ". The news would henceforth be sent out by Marconi signals from high towers ,the Eiffel Tower being a great distribution point. One such tower could be erected on the South Island’s Mount Cook - putting it to better use than standing there idle , attracting tourists "to break their necks trying to reach the summit , and burying them in glaciers , avalanches, snowdrifts , fogs and blizzards–scenic pleasures!" Obviously the nuns were not only worldy and trendy, but also had a sense of humour .
The Dominican Star was also available through Mr Ryan , a Catholic bookseller , Perth, Western Australia. Our copy is ex libris St Paul’s Retreat , Glen Osmond, Adelaide, bought from a Port Adelaide auction room.
