Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-01-23
MONKEYS IN CHURCH.
OPEN AIR CONGREGATION WHICH
THEY VOLUNTARILY JOINED.

Some of Them Brought Their Babies with
Them and Boxed Their EArs When They
showed Signs OF Levity-Experienoe Of
Missionaries In India
The most singular audience that /
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-
gson which / have now occupied for
more than 30 years, asked two fellow
missionaries to join me in q preaching
tour in 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 a grove adj
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 In 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 city block,
with fiat roofs and low parapet along
the front Of the roof One Of our native
assistants read a portion from the Cos
pels. and another preached briefly; then
one Of my fellow missionaries followed,
preaching more at length, while ]
watched the audience, to study the coan-
tenances Of the people among whom j
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 fat roofs.
CHANGING 60 raise my eyes, noticed
many branches of these trees beginning
to 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 were 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 in front, and gazing with flzsdness
at the preacher, as they saw the people
in the street doing.
Other monkeys followed, until there
was long row of them thus seated on
the parapet. The late Corners could see
walking along behind the parapet, look.
ing for 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 q little,
please, and give fellow a seat, A" 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 attention 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