The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-28
PRAYER OF A aHEATHEN.1
Incident of the Chicago Parliament Of
 Religion.

John C. Kimball in Christian Register.
 The recent death of Protap Chunder Mozoomdar brings to mind an incident oc- curing at the parliament of religions in Chicago twelve years ago. which more than anything else l have seen or heard of him manifested his wonderful spiritual power. In the formal exercises of the parliament care was taken to exclude all criticism of the so-called heather religions and all efforts to proselyte their adher- ents, though now and then such speakers as Joseph Cook and George Pentecost could not resist the temptation to violate all courtesies and "go for them" face to face on the common platform.
 But besides the formal meetings of the parliament. presided over by it's officers a multitude of subsidiary gatherings were held by the different Christian denomina- tions, among them morning prayer meet ings, over which the general officers had no control. At one of these prayer meet ings, quite numerously attended by repre- sentatives of the nOn-Chfistian faiths, the spirit of proselytism was let loose. The newcomers were prayed for as souls lost in pagan darkness and exhorted by speak CT after speaker to forsake their heather supefstitions. come to Jesus and be saved from eternal death by being washed in the blood of a crucifed Redeemer. It was all doubtless well intended, but an exhibi- tion of the missionary zeal of Christianity in it's worst form, and some of us wear ing the Christian name could not but be pained and alarmed at it's occurrence.
 Near the close of the meeting, after specially denunciatory harangue, Mo- zcomdar arose simply to offer prayer. and with the first half dozen words tho entire atmosphere was changed. Ther was no alusion to anything which had been said, no petition in behalf of narrowm minded Christian brethren-and some of us have had experience of the wounds that can be inflicted by prayers in our behalf-no use of Jesus words on his cross, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." but simply great spiritual na- ture lifting the whole assembly above all narrow. dividing, controversial differences into the very presence of the Eternal One himself. No art could have devised more effectual answer to what had been said against heather religion, no wit or logic has put It's defenders more to shame or more palpably in the wrong, but the best of 1t was the feeling 1t produced that there was no art about 1t, nothing but the natural outpouring of the man, and that it's hearers were made to forget to be aShamed, and we, SympalhlzefS Wlth nm, made to forget any exultation over them forget everything but that we were be-
 ing lifted into the joy of a worship and into the beauty of world such as the most Christian of us had never experi- enced before and never till then known to exist
 The prayer was very short, and when 1t was ended there was no hymn sung, no benedction pronounced, no other voice that could break Into the unutterable peace 1t left on all souls and without even the usual buzz of conversation but with shining eyes, the meeting dissolved into the outside world An orthdox lady who was present said that hitherto she had always attended monthly missionary meetings and put her quarter of a dollar into the contribution box, but hereafter she should devote her money to getting some heat11en to come here and show us Christians what religion really is.