Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 28, Number 44, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 1 January 1908 — Page 7

— — \ ON THE TRAIL OF THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY By WILLIAM T. ELLIS This Distinguished American Journalist Is Traveling Around the World for the Purpose of Investigating the American Foreign Missionary from a Purely Disinteretted.Seculai and Non-Sectarian Standpoint. Illustrated with Drawings and from Photographs. "Gift of Tongues” Given to Christians in India

Kedgaon, India. —I have stumbled upon an extraordinary religious manifestation, as remarkable as anything in connection with the great revival in Wales. So startling and wonderful is it that I feel quite unwilling to pass an opinion upon it, so I shall simply narrate, soberly and consecutively, what I have seen and heard concerning this “baptism with fire," and pouring out of “the gift of tongues,” whereby ignorant Hindu girls speak in Sanskrit, Hebrew, Qreek, English and other languages as yet unidentified. The name of Pandlta Ramabal, “the Hindu widow’s friend,” is known among educated people nil over the world. She is the most famous of all Hindu women. There is an International “Pandlta Ramabal association," which cooperates with her in her work of rescuing, training and caring for high caste widows.. She, more than any other woman, has made known to the world the horrors of the child widow’s lot in India, Herself a high caste widow, of rare gifts and education, her appeal has been made to people of culture; nor was her work regarded ras strictly religious or missionary, not being associated with any religious body. \ A World-Famous Work. Ten years ago, at the time of the great famine, Ramabal took hundreds of famine orphans, and ever since she has had aboqt 1,400 widows and orphans and deserted girls under her care, as well as 100 famine boys. All caste lines are now down, and the whole immense work is known as the Mukti mission, although in certain respects. the original enterprise for widows maintains its separate identity. Because of the fame of Pandlta Ramabal, and because of the greatness of her work, I conceived it to be my duty to take the hot journey out to Kedgaon. Were it not for the more Important Incidents which follow, I

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should tell at some length the story of this great settlement, with Its wide acres of farm land, Its many modest buildings, and its varied forms of industry. Study and work are the rule for every girl; clothes for that multitude must all be woven on the spot, and the industrial plant is large. An uncommunicative English woman guided me faithfully to every spot of the settlement that she gfL interest, from file cornerstone to the steam engine and the dying vats. But not a word did she say that Would lead me into a knowledge of what is by all means the most noteworthy fact concerning this famous institution.. Stumbling on a Revival. Os course, I was aware of the unusual' religiots experiences reported from many Christian communities in India; but I had never associated this sort of thing With Pandita Ramabai’a work; probably because some of her foremost supporters in America are identified With the “new theology" which has scant room for the camp meeting type of “old-time religion." My first claw was a pamphlet which I chanced to pick up, relating strange spiritual experiences on the part of some of Ramabai's girls. I began to ask questions, which were answered, I thought, with seeming reluctance, and discovered that this revival was still under way. For half an hour I had been hearing strange sounds, now of one person shouting in a high voice, now of the mingled utterance of a crowd, and now song. At last it settled down into a steady roar. “What is that I hear-KTi I asked. “It is the girls’ prayer meeting," was the answer. "Could I visit It?” I pointedly asked my guide, after hints hgjl proved unavailing. “Why— I—suppose—so. I’ll se’e.” In a few mihutes I found myself witnessing a" scene utterly without parallel in my •xperience of feligious gatherings.

A Tumult of Praying Girls. In a large, bare room, with cement floor, were gathered between 30 and 40 girls;' ranging In' age from 12 to 20. By a table sat a sweet-faced, refined, native young woman, watching soberly, attentively and without disapproval the scene before her.. After a few minutes she also knelt on the floor in silent prayer. The other occupants Os the room were all praying aloud. Some were crying at the top of their lungs. The tumult was so great that it was with difficulty that any one voice could be distinguished. Some of the girls were bent over with' heads touching the floor. Some were sitting on their feet, with shoulders and bodies twitching and jerking in regular convulsions. Some were swaying to and fro, from side to side or frontwards and backwards. Two or three were kneeling upright, with arms and bodies moving, One young woman, the loudest, moved on her knees, all unconsciously, two or three yards during the time 1 watched. She had a motion of her body that must have been the most exhausting physical exercise. She, like others, also swung her arms violently, often the gestures of the praying figures were with one or both hands outstretched, in dramatic supplication. Not infrequently, several girls would clap their hands at the same time, though each eeenAd heedless of the others. At times the contortions of the faces were painfully agonized and perspiration streamed over them. One girl fell over, asleep or fainting, from sheer exhaustion. All had their eyes tightly closed, oblivious to surroundings. Such Intense and engrossing devotion I had never witnessed before. It was full 15 minutes before one of the girls, who had quieted down somewhat, espied me. Thereafter she sat silent, praying or reading her Bible. The discovery of the visitor had this same effect upon

Pandlta Ramabai Dongre Medhavl.

half a dozen other girls during the ext quarter of an hour. At my request the guide after a time asked the leader if I might talk with her, and while a dozen of the girls were still left, praying aloud and unaware of the departure of the others, the leader withdrew. A Strange Story. My first Interest was to know whether the girls had been “speaking with tongues" that day, for I had thought that I detected one girl using English. Yes, several of the girls had been praying in unknown tongues, this young woman quietly informed me. Then, in response to my she toXteH me that these meetings are hejd twide daily by girls who-have been “baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire;” it is common for them to speak in tongues which they do not understand, and "also to be smitten dumb, so that they oannot speak at all, even in their own language. During the early part of the meeting at which I was present, one of the girls had been obliged to write her message, because her, tongue was holden. Sometimes the girls .will go about their tasks for days, unable to utter a word, although they understand perfectly everything that fa s&Td to them, and are able to pray in other tongues, and when they especially pray for the power to do so they are able to speak in. .religious meetings. The girls show no effect whatever of the terrible strain they undergo dur-' ing these prayer meetings, -and they all do their tegular daily work. The burden of their prayers is intercession, that all the mission, and all India, may be converted and experience a great revival and receive the Pentecostal baptism. So much I learned from this young woman. The Most Famous Indian Woman. Ramab&l herself is a quiet, strong personality. She dresses after the

Hindu fashion, but in white, and beer hair is short, for she is a widow. She elects to sit on a low stool at the feet of the person with whom she converses, for the sake of better hearing. While we were talking her grown daughter, Monoramabai, her first assistant In the work, sat on the floor with ;her arm about her mother, and occasionally interjected a pertinent word. Ramabal (the suflftx “bai,* means “Mrs.” or "Miss’*) speaks simply, naturally and directly. Bo she told me of, the growth of Shadai Badan, the work for widows, and one of the Mukti mission, the whole supported by faith “We do not make a special point of the gift 1 of tongues; our emphasis is always put upofa love and life. And undoubtedly the lives of the girls have been changed. About 700 of them have come Into this blessing. We do not exhibit the girls that have been gifted with other tongues, nor do we In any wise call special attention to them. We try to weed out the false from the true; for there are other spirits than the Holy Spirit, and when a girl begins to try to speak in another tongue, apparently imitating the other girls, without mentioning the name or blood of Jesus, I go up to her and speak to her, or touch her on the shoulder, and she stops at once; whereas, If a girl is praying in the Spirit I cannot stop her, no matter how sharply I speak to her or shake her.” The Wonderful Gift of Tonguee. “My hearing is peculiar,” continued Ramdbai, “in that I can understand most clearly when there is a loud noise (a well-known characteristic of the partihlly deaf) and I move among the girls, listening to them. I have heard girls who know no English make beautiful prayers in English. I have heard others pray in Greek and Hebrew and Sanskrit and others in las* guages that none of us understands. One of the girlß was praying in this very room (the room of one of the English staff) a few nights ago, and although in her studies she has not gone beyond The second book, she prayed so freely aqd clearly and beautifully in English that the other teachers, hearing, wondered who could be praying, since they did not distinguish the voice.” “Yeß,” spoke up the occupant of the room, “and she prayed by name for a cousin of mine whom I had forgotten, and of whom I had never once thought since coming to India.” When I asked why, in Ramabai’B opinion, tongues that served no useful purpose being incomprehensibly to everybody Should be given, whereas the gift of tongues on the day of Pentecost was so that every person iix that polyglot multitude should hear the story in his own speech, she replied, “I, too, wondered about that. But it has been shown to me that it is to rebuke unbelief in the gift of tongues, she herself has been given the gift.” All these wonders I have set down Impartially, as phenomena of great Interest to all who give thought to religious or psychic themes. Neither Ramabal, nor the native teacher who led the meeting which I described, is an emotionalist, so far as I could perceive. Both, in fact, are persons of more than ordinary reserve, culture and discernment, nor can I explain the relation between what is happening at Mukti and the revivals that are being reported from various parts of India, most of them characterized by astonishing confessions of sin, on the part of Christians and by prolonged and even agonized prayer, with pronounced physical emotion. Making Presbyterians Dance. There has been a pronounced physical side to the demonstrations, as I found at Kedgaon. Entire audiences have shaken As if smitten with palsy, strong men have fallen headlong to the ground. Even 'lepers have been made to dance. Leaping, shouting, rolling on the floor, beating the air and dancing, have been common. Concerning. dancing, Bishop Warne said, “Personally, I have not seen much of > the dancing; that is reported as mostly having taken place in Presbyterian churches!” It is a fact that the dignified Presbyterians, even the Scotch church missions, have been foremost in these revival experiences. The revival has continued in various parts of the empire for more than a year; I have reports from Lucknow, Allahabad, Adansol, Moradabad, Bareilly, Khassla Hills and Kedagaon. The Methodists baptized 1,900 new converts during the (year, besides the notable result of secured more Than 300 new candidates for the ministry. Dramatic in the extreme have been the confessions ef-Bih, and restitution therefore, and the reconciliations between enemies. “ j Everywhere there Is agreement that the lives of the people have been markedly altered for the better. “The revival,” says one, “has given India a new sense of sin.” The spontaneous composition of hymns has heen a curious feature of some meetings; Bishop Warne thinks that “there will be anew hymnology In the vernacular as an outcome of this revival.” While columns more could be written concerning incidents of this revival, there Is only room here to add that it must not be assumed that all of India is being stirred by these events. Many churches and missions are strangers to them, and; the European population of the qountry as a whole know nothing about them. Yet it Is the conviction of those who claim to have received , the Pentecostal baptism that all of India Is to be swept by a fire of religious revival. Some even say that they have bee'q, given direct supernatural assurance of this fact - _ (Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowls%J -

POVERTY IN ENGLIBH CITIES. . -—r* — Appalling State es Miaery That Ip Unknown In America. * No country in the world exhibits so painfully and so publicly the squalor and suffering of the poor as England. There are slums In New York, but London IP all slums. The misery of the poor and the vices to which the poor fly for, an anodyne to misery, overflow the precincts of the East End and Btalh Mayfair. If selfishly bent, a man can escape the evidences of human suffering in an American city. The people .of Fifth avenue might never know that there was such a thing as abject poverty if they did not see it in its least unfavorable aspect from a cab window while on their way to their country houses on Long island or in New Jersey. But in London there is no escape. Base, brutalizing poverty sweeps along Park lane and gazes with sorrowful, cowardly eyes at the palaces of South African millionaires. It crowds the June morning parade of smart ladies in Bond street It touts for cabs or needlessly sweeps crossings in front of the restaurants. It fills the Strand with drunkards and Piccadilly with prostitutes. It is to be seen in the squares of the fashionable neighborhoods where its presentment is drunken women asleep with their babies in their arms. England may be the richest country in the world, but London is a swamp of dreadful poverty. In degree the" provincial cities are as bad. Who that has ever seen them can forget the palpable miseries of the poor of Edinburgh and Glasgow and Dublin?— American Magazine. MARTYR TO HOME COOKING. Wife Wanted Him to Teat It for Her -t—-• Experience. The first part of the dinner had gone off with quite surprising success, but when the young housewife put the dessert upon the table there seemed to be a halt in the proceedings. I don’t believe I’ll take any of this, dear," her husband said. “Yon see, I’ve eaten so much, and you know, desserts aren’t my strong point anyway.” "That’s a delicate way of saying that they aren’t mine,” she pouted. “Bet.you'll have to eat this one, anyway', for economy’s sake, if for nothing else.". “Why?" “Because”—this in a confessional tone—“it represents so much, I was hunting my cook books this ’afternoon for something that would especially please you, when I found this recipe. My first attempt was a dismal failure, the second only a little better, and—well—this is the sixth. If you don’t take it I’ll feel that all my experience has gone for nothing, to say nothing of the butter, eggs and—” “I’m just waiting for my share,” he announced in the tone of one determined to prove that marriage is not a failure. > Marvelous. “I saw a goblet to-day made of bone.” “Pshaw! I saw a tumbler made of flesh and blood last night.” “Where?” "At the circuß."—Royal Magazine. Fluctuating. Mr. Hayseed—Willie has a very up-and-down life in the city. Mrs. Haycorn—’Deed? What’s he doin’? Mr. Haycorn—He’s the boy that works the lift. Every Confidence. - “You seem to have a good deal of faith in doctors,” said the friend to the invalid. "I have,” was the reply; “a doctor would be foolish, toi let a good customer like me die.” —Royal Magazine. . A Secret. Uncle—You seem to be living very comfortably here, my boy, but are you saving any money? Nephew (whispering)—Yes; but for goodness’ sake don’t tell my wife.— Chicago Daily News. THE MARKETS. New York, Dec. SO. LIVE STOCK-Steers *3 75 @ 7 66 Hogs 4 20 #4 60 Sheep ,J; r. 380 @6 56 FLOUR-Winter Straights.. 460 & 4 70 WHEAT—May 1 12%@ 1 13% July 1 06%@ 1 06% CORN—December 73(4@ 73% RYE—No. 2 Western 90 @ 91 BUTTER—Creamery Firsts. 21 @ 30 EGGS-Good to Choice 36' 0 38 CHEESE 9%@ 16% CHICAGO. j, CATTLE—Choice Steers 5 50 & 6 25 Fair to Good Steers 600 @ 5 50 Yearlings, Plain to Fancy 5 00 @ 6 60 Fair to Choice Stockers. 2 25 @ 325 Calves 325 @ 7 00 HOGS—Prime Heavf „. 4 55 @4 75 Mixed Packers 4 40 @ 456 Heavy Packing 4 36 @ 456 BUTTER-Creamery 22 © 29 Dairy 17 @ 25 LIVE POULTRY 8 & 11 EGGS 15 @ 27 POTATOES' (per bu.) 50 @ 66 GRAIN-Wheat, May 1 06%@ 1 08 December 99 %& 1 01% Corn, May 58%@ 60 Oats. Old, May 83%@ 54% Rye, December 75 & 75% MILWAUKEE i . GRAIN-Wheat, No 1 Nor’n *ll2 @ll3 May 106%® 107% Corn, May 69%@ 59% Oats, Standard 49%@ 60 Rye, No, 1. BQ%@ 81 KANSAS CITY. GRAlN—Wheat, May * 98 @1 01% July .... 91 0 92% Corn, May 53 @ 53% Oats, No. 2 White 48%@ 60 < ST. LOUIS. CATTLE-Beef Steers *3 00 @ 6 00 Texas Steers 2 66 @6lO HOGS-Packers 425 @4 70 Butchers ........... 440 @4 76 SHEEP—Natlves 800 @ 5 25 , * OMAHA. CATTLEWWive Steers.... *3 26 @5 60 Stockers and Ffeeders...^ l - 2 25 @4 25 Cows and Heifers. 2 00 @ 4 00 SHEEP-Wethers 4 00 @ 4 40

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