Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-14
Hlngu Holy NAn"
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
Copyright, 1907, by Joseph b. Bowles.)

d. WILLIAM L. tLiIlS
Copyright, 1907, by Joseph B. Bowles)
KEDGAON, India.-I have stumbled
| upon an extraordinary religious manifes-
tation as remarkable as anything in con-
nection with the great revival in Wales
| So startling and wonderful is it that I feel
| quite unwilling to pass opinion upon it,
| so l shall simply narrate, soberly and con-
secutively, what have seen and heard con
corning this baptism with fire. and pour
Ing out of 'the gift of tongues whereby
| ignorant Hindu girls speak in Sanskirt.
Hebrew, Greek, English and other Ian
guages yet unidentified.
The name of Pandta Ramabai, "the Hin
du widows friend is known among edu
Gated people all over the world. She is the
most famous of all Hindu women. There is
international "Pandita Ramabai asso
ciation,' which co-operates with her .in her
work of rescuins, training and caring for
high caste widows. She, more than any
other woman, has made known to lnC
world the horrors of the child widows lot
in India Herself a high caste widow, of
rare gifts and educa ton. her appeal has
been made to people of culture: nor was h"r
work regarded as strictly religious mis-
sonary. not being associated with any re
ligiouS body.
Ten years ago, at the time of the great
famine, Ramabai took hundreds of famine
orphans, and ever since she has had about
l. 400 widows and orphans and deserted
girls under her care, as we'll as 100 famine
boys All caste lines are now down. and
the whole immense work is known as the
Mukti mission although in certain respects
the original enterprise for widows main
tains its separate identity.
Because of the fame of Pandita Ramabai
% of "a atr1aC of Iar
l conceived it to be my duty to take the
hot journey out to Kedgaon. Were it not
for the more important incidents which
follow, / should tell at some length the
story of this great settlement, with its
wide acres OF farm land it's many modest
buildings and its varied forms of industry.
Study and work the rule for every
girl; clothes for that multitude must all be
woven on the spot. and the industrial plant
Is large. An uncommunicative English
woman guidei me faithfully to every spot
Of the settlement that she thought of in
terest. from the corner stone to the steam
engine and the dying watts. But not a
word did she say that would lead me into
a knowledge of what is by all means the
most noteworthy fact concerning this
famous institution.
or course, 1 was aware of the unusual
religious experiences reported from many
Christian communities in India; but hal
never associated tnlS SORT OF thl1g WITH
Pandita Ramabais work; probably because
some of her foremost supporters in Amer
lea identified with the new theology
which has scant room for the camp meet
ing type of "old-tine religion. My first
cleT a pamphlet which l CHANGED to
pick up, relating strange spiritual ex-
periences on the part of some of Ramabais
girls I began to ask questions which
were answered, 1 thought, with seeming
reluctance and discovered that this re-
-t,-a1 cfin fy,Ia
For half an hour 1 had been hearing
strange sounds now of one person shout
ing in a high voice. now of the mingled
utterance of a crowd and now of song. At
last it settled down into steady roar.
What Is that hear?" 1 asked 1T is the
girls prayer meeting" was the answer.
guide. after hints had proved unavailing.
"Why-1-suppose-so I'll see In a few
minutes 1 found myself witnessing a scene
utterly without parallel in my experience
of religious gatherings.
In a large, bare room with cement floor
were gathered between thirty and forty
girls, ranging in age from twelve to twenty.
BY table sat a sweet-faced, refined, native
young woman, watching soberly, attentively
and without disapproval the scene before
her After a few minutes she also knelt on
the floor in silent prayer.
The other occupants of the room were all
praying aloud. Some were crying at the toy
Of their lungs. The tumult was so great
that it was with difficulty that any one
voice could be distinguished. Some of the
girls were bent over with heads touching
the floor. Some were sitting on their feet,
with shoulders and bodies twitching ana
jerking in regular commissions: Some were
swaying to and fro. from side to side or
frontwards and backwards. Two or three
were kreeling upright, with arms and bod
les moving. One young woman, the loudest,
moved on her knees, all unconsciously, two
or three yards during the time l watched
She had a motion of her body that must
have been the most exhausting physical ex-
ercise. She, like others, also swung her
arms violently Often the gestures of the
praying figures We're with both
hands outstretched, in dramatic supplica-
ton. Not infrequently several girls would
clap their hands at the same time, though
each seemed needless of the others Al
times the contortions of the faces were
painfully agoniZed and perspiration stream
ed over them. One girl fell over, asleep
fainting. from sheer exhaustion.
All had their eyes tightly closed, oblivious
| to surroundings Such intense and engross-
| ing devotion l had never witnessed before
| 1t was full fifteen minutes before one of
| the girls, who had quoted down somewhat
espied me. Thereafter She sat silent pray
| ing or reading her Bible. lie discovery
| of the visitor had this same effect upon half
| uozen other girls during the next quar-
| ter of an hour At my request the guide
| after time asked the leader if l might
| talk with her, and while a dozen of the
| girls were still left praying aloud and una
| ware of the departure of the others, tn,
leader withdrew.
My first interest was to know whether
| the girls had been speaking with tongues"
| that day. for l had thought that l detected
| one girl using English. Yes, several of the
| girls had been praying in unknown tongues,
| this young woman quietly informed me-
| Then, in response to my questionngs, she
| proceeded to tell me that these meetings
| are held twice daily by girls who have been
| baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire."
| it Is common for them to speak In tongues
| which they do not understand, and also to
| be smitten dumb. so that they cannot speak