From 1865-1867, England experienced a deadly viral plague among its livestock, an epidemic that wiped out “myriads” of that nation’s cattle. The effects of this plague were felt in every household, rich and poor alike, as supplies of meat, cheese, milk and butter dried up. It consumed the nation’s wealth. Bishop J.C. Ryle said, it was “as if gold and silver were snatched from us and thrown into the sea.” There was, he says, a “curse of helplessness” upon the land.
