Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-14
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tongue was holden. sometimes the girls
will go about their tasks for days. ole
to utter a word, although they und arstand
perfectly everything that is said 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 effect what
ever OF the terrible strain they undergo
during these prayer meetings, and they all
do their regular daily work. The burden of
their prayers is ntercession. that all the
mission, and all India, may be coaverte ed
and experience a great reviva! and receive
the Pentecostal baptism. So much I
learned from this young woman.
Before relating my interview with Pan
dita Ramabai herself let me quote from a
narrative of this spiritual experience, which
has been written by one of the teachers
and printed at the Mukt Mission press
Many are being ano!ntei with the spirit OF
interc assory prayer, spending hours lost
to time and surroundings, pleading for the
uEsaVed Young men and young women
receiving the gifts of the Spirit speak
ing with tongues, interpreting tongues pre-
VioUsly unknown to them the sick are be-
Ing healed, and unclean spirits cast out in
answer to prayer.
In January 1905, Pandita Ramabai
spoke to the girls of Mukti concerning the
need of q revival. and call led for volunteers
to meet with her daily to pray for it, Sew
enty volunteered. ana from lliLe 10 time
others joined, until at the beginning of the
revival there were 5o0 meeting twice daily
In June Ramabai asked for volunteers
from the Bible school to give up their sec
ular studies and 90 out into the villages
ABOUT US TO preach the Gospel Thirty
young women volunteered. and we were
meeting daily to pray for the enduement
OF power when the revival came.
''On tae Z9tn OF June, at $50 am, the
Holy Spirit was poured out upon -
O these volunteers. The
sleeping next to her awoke when this oc-
CURED, and, seeing the fire enveloping her,
ran across the dormitory, brought pail
CT water, and was about to dash 1t upon
her, when she discovered that - -
was not on fire. In less than hour
nearly all the young women in the COM
pound gathered around, weeping, praying
and confessing their sins to God. The
newly Spirit-baptized girl sat in the midst
of them, telling what God had done for
her, and eXhorting them to repentance.
The next evening, while Ramaba was ex-
pounding John viii, in her usual quiet
way. the Holy Spirit descended, and the
girls all began to pray aloud 50 that she
had to cease talking. All in the room
were weeping and praying, some kneeling,
some sitting, some standing, many with
hands outstretched to God. Promises and
words of help were Of no avail"
Ramabai herself is quiet, strong per-
sonality. She dresses after the Hindu
fashion, but in white. and her hair is
sit on low stool at the foot 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 the
floor with her arm about her mother, and
occasionally interjected a pertinent word.
Ran,abai (she sufiX bal means Mrs. B"
or "Miss') speaks simply naturally and
directly. So she told me of the growth
of Shadai Sadan, the work for widows,
and one of the Mukti mission, the whole
supported by faith. Then, passing on to a
visit to Keswick, England, two years ago,
she related how she had united with a
band of spiritually minded persons who
were praying for world revival. In 1905
she began to pray especially for an cut
pouring of the Holy Spirit upon Mukti; six
Gated above. Now praying bands OF Mukti
girls, accompanied by teachers, go to viii
lagos as distant as fifty or one hundred
miles conducting revival services
I'VE do not make a special point of the
gift of tongues: emphasis is always
put upon love and life. And undoubtedly
the lives of the girls have been changed
About 100 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 be-
gins to try to speak in another tongue, ap-
parently initiating the other girls with
out mentioning the name or blood of Jesus
l go up to her and speak to her, or touch
her on the shoulder and she stops at once;
whereas II a girl is praying in the Spirit
1 cannot stop her, no matter how sharply
l speak to her or shake her.
MY hearing is peculiar" continued Ra-
mabai, "in that l can understand most
clearly when there is loud noise "a we'll
known characteristic of the partially deaf.
and l move among the girls. listening to
them. l have heard girls who know no
English make beautiful prayers in English.
l have heard others pray in Greek and He
brew and Sanskrit, and others in langua ges
that none of us understands. One of the
girls was praying in this very room Che
room of one of the English staff few
nights ago, and, although in her studies
she has hot gone beyond the second book,
she prayed freely and clearly and beau
tifully in English that the other teachers
hearing wondered who could be praying,
since they did not distinguish the voice"
Yes" spoke up the occupant Of the room,
land she prayed by name for cousin of
mine whom I had forgotten. and of whom
l had never once thought since coming to
India"
When asked why, in Ramabafs opinion,