The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-02-10
MONKEYS IN CHURCH.
OPEN AIR CONGREGATION WHICH
THEY VOLUNTARILY JOINED.

THEY VOLUNTARILY JOINED.
Some of Them Brought Their Babies With
Them and Boxed Their Ears When They
showed Signs of Levity-Experience Of
Missionaries In India
Tho most singular audience that l
ever saw gathered TO listen TO preaching
was an audience of monkeys. says an
India correspondent of the Boston Gold
en- Rule.
When ! commenced work IN the re-
gion which have now occupied Tor
more than 80 years, asked two fellow
missionaries 20 Join me il preaching
tour IL the adjacent taluk, or county.
We first went with three native assist
ants to the taluk town. or county seat
Our tents were pitched in grove ad-
joining the town. We usually on our
tours went two and two to preach in the
villages; but, this being the taluk town,
and the first of our preaching the gospel
in that region, we went II q body into
the native city.
Walking through the cloth, spice,
grain and iron merchants bazaar streets,
and then through the goldsmiths and
silversmiths' street, around through the
temple street, and then through the
street Of Brahman residences, to adver-
tise our presence and incite curiosity TO
know what we were about. we finally
took our stand in the Brahman street,
and all Joined in singing one OF the
beautiful Telugu Christian lyrics and
gathered an audience of interested lis
teners.
We stood upon little raised platform
on one side Of the street against the
house walls. The houses were all of one
story, Joined together like a city block,
with fat roofs and low parapet along
the front of the roof. One Of our native
assistants read portion ffom the gos-
pels, and another preached briefly; then
one of my fellow missionaries followed,
preaching more at length, while
watched the audience, TO study the conn
tenances Of the people among whom l
expected TO work.
had noticed that behind the houses
on the opposite side Of the street there
was a long row Of trees growing in their
back yards, the branches Of which
stretched out over the fiat roofs.
CHANGING 70 raise my eyes, noticed
many branches of these trees beginning
10 bend downward toward the roofs and
saw the faces of some old jack monkeys
peering out through the foliage. Soon
some of them jumped down and came
forward to see what their ''big BROTH
ers'' in the street We're about, as they
stood gazing so intently at these white
men standing on the platform. Spring
ing upon the parapet, they seated them
selves, with their hind feet hanging
over il front, and gazing with fixedness
at the preacher, rs they saw the people
/ in the street doing.
Other monkeys followed, urtil there
was long row of them thus seated ON
( the parapet. The late corners could see
walking along behind the parapet, look
ing fo- a place wide enough TO get q
seat Failing TO find a wide enough
/ place between two already seated mon
/ keys, they would put up their hands,
/ and, pushing each one sidewise, would
seem to be saying, "Sit along a little,
please, and give a fellow a seat, y until
the "bench" was crowded.
The audience in the street, standing
! with their backs toward that row of
; houses, did not notice the monkeys, and
so their stteption was not distracted by
them.
| had noticed that many mother mon
! keys had brought their babies to church
/ with them. These little baby monkeys
sat upon the thigh Of the mother, while
/ her hand was placed around them in
very human fashion, but the sermon
was evidently too high for these little
/ folks to comprehend. Glancing up,
saw one Of the little monkeys cautiously
| reach his hand around, and, catching
] hold of another baby monkeys tail,
! give it pull. The other little monkey
| struck back, but each mother monkey
evidently disapproved of this levity in
! church, and each gave Its own baby
! box on the ears, rs though saying: "Sit
down! DON'T you know how to behave
| in church?'' The little monkeys, thus
] reprimanded, turned the most solemn
| faces toward the preacher and seemed
| 20 listen intently TO what he was saying.
With the exception of 2 monkey now
and then trying to catch flea that was
biting him in some tender spot, they
thus sat demurely until the preacher
| finished his sermon and until we had
/ distributed gospels and tracts among the
audience and had started for our tents.
Our celestial audience, {" seeing our
terrestrial audience" dispensing, then,
and not until then, left their seats and
/ demurely walked back and sprang upon
/ the branches again. There were no
monkey capers" as they went. They
were as serious az a congregation leay-
ing church and sat upon the branches
( in meditatiye mood as though think
ing over what they had heard the preach
sr say. And thus we left our unique
monkey audience.