The Cairo bulletin., 1906-12-07
BOUNOFOR AFRICA
ON MISSION TOUR
FRENZY OF EXCITEMENT OF NEW
CULT is BEYOND DESRIP.
TON.
ENDURANCE IS TAXED
Negro Leads Sect That Speaks
Strange Language That They
Cannot Understand Them
selves in New York

: New York Dec. G.-In little room
that seats some two score persons, .
35l West Fortieth street "a number
of those in attendance believed mir
acle was being wrought
Led by negro, calling hlself Elder
Sturdevant, who comes here from Los
Angeles en- route 10 the interior oi
have been gathering for the past two
weeks in the little mission and have
gone through frenzy of religious eX-
element, believing that the power TO
preach in languages that We're un-
! known to them before had been given,
| as it was to the Apostles on the Day
of PentecOst, as described in the first
! chapter of the Book Of Acts in the
New Testament and klown as the
Gift of Tongues
The leaders of this strange move
ment are for the mot part negroes
and of the poor and uneducated class
but some at least of the converts made
here are people of refinement and cGl-
cure. The heights of frenzy they
reach seem in many instances to go
beyond the limits of normal physical
cs durance
STANCE Babel Of Noises.
Almost every nghe well dressed wo-
men are seen ru hing up and down the
aises throwing their hands wildly
in the air and uttering at the top of
their VI ices strange sounds that they
believe in some language, the nature
of which they do not know, but which
they say is spoken somewhere OF
earth by voice to which they viii
constantly preach ..
In no instance have any Of the con.
yerts claimed that they can them
selves understand the language that
they believe they syeak, In most in
stances they do not even attempt to
give il name. They put it down,
for the nest part, as some dialect ol
the interior of Africa.
There is confusion even in the |
name of the new sect. The hall in |
Fortieth street is known as the Union |
Holiness Mission, but this does not an |
pear to be the designation of the cult. |
In their literature, for they issue Il |
paper in Los Angeles, they do MT |
mention in its many pages a name by |
which they themselves wish to be do
scribed. If asked what their faith is
called they quote from St Paul: THE
taiih'once delivered to the saints" L
is said that a negro brought the ten
cts of the religion from Texas to Cali,
fornia about two years ago, and pro
it On the street corners I'm.
til he and the band that he gathered
about HIM could secure a place in
doors.
Starts for Africa.
Elder Meade and his wife (whitcs)
and two negro men and two negro wo-
men lately became o1yinccd at the
-os Angeles meeting that the ton.
que that had been divinely given
hem was one spoken in the middle
Of Africa. and they have started for
heir destination They began their
curney east without purse and with
,ut cloak" They separated during
heir trip and preached Their way
lcross the continent Exactly how |
hey Jared they cannot or will not tel.
They only declare that the Spirit lei
md they did not waatn
Here in New York as in other :
'laces, they have stopped to plant
heir faith" before they 20 farther, :.
nd the remarkable part of # is that
rom the present indications they will /,
ave succeeded in establishing their
TRANCE creed here fore taking ship
or Africa. Their meetings are by no
means made 20 of the grossly ignc- =
ant. One faithful attendant is
roman who is a member of wei
nown southern family. and another
5 the wife of a travelling salesman
Tho is in comfortable circumstances !
nd has an attractive home.
Reraarksble Convert.
The last is Mrs. Frank Ortman. Il
rove street. She is an unusually
rctty woman. tsll and very dark. with
u black eyes and swarfhy skin that
8 explained by her Mexican birth
he is well educated and everything
bout her surroundings bespeaks re-
nement and nicely Of living. When Il
cen there was 20 difficulty In get il
ng her TO talk about her new faith 1.
nd her new gift" La
1T is wonderful. glorious. 7 am k
lied with God" she kept repeating. L
L was week ago that the gift Of p
'ngue' came TO me but I sharnk v
ack- could not realie itz. Then v
hen I was sitting in the meeting last
hu~odo. r-o4+s,-- ,~sF - q.