The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-04-08
"RAJA YISU AVA"
OLD HINDU SONG
THEME OF PAGEANT TO BE
PRODUCED BY METHODIST
CHURCH APRIL 10
(By Rev. R. /. Stone

A play-very short and giver
/, without scenery-a song-a Hindu
folk song, to be exact-will be pro.
duced at the high school assembly
room Saturday evening. In itself
nothing tremendous, but wherever
this so-called pageant of the India
Mass Movement has been produced
its effect has been the same and in
the daring evangelistic campaign for
one million souls by the first of June,
it has become a power.
A lady appears on the platform
she is a district evangelist in India
and a missionary-the man himself
asks how the work is faring. Spleen
didly, she tells him. He asks if the
converts are faithful. Yes. Then he
asks about persecution. 1t is every
where. But there are no backslid-
ers; all the converts remain stead
fast. Here comes a group of them
now.
Costumes of Beauty
In costumes of soft blue, dull rose
and glowing emerald, they troop
across the platform, greet the mis-
~sionaries with a low bow and the
Hindu word, "Salaam," and sit down
cross-legged with their backs to the
audience and a voice leads off in the
opening strains of "Raya Yisu Aya
king Jesus Has Come"-and they
all beat time by clapping their hands
as they sing.
Up to the platform after the sing
ing comes the robed and turbaned
figure of a chaudri-leader of his
caste in a Hindu village. He salutes
the missionary, and, holding out his
hands, asks baptism for ten thousand
Hindus. "We have destroyed our
idols, we have broken all our shrines,
we have shorn from our heads the
sacred lock of hair. There are ten
thousand of us. Ten thousand. Send
a man to baptize u.s."
No One to Send
The missionary faces him and
speaks. "My brother, we have no
one to send. You must wait. Go
back to your people and tell them to
wait a year" The chaudri prostrates
himself. His turban touches the
ground. "Give us a man." he i'm
plores, "Give us a man." But the
missionary is helpless. Impossible to
send a man. Not one to be spared.
The missionaries wiring their hands.
The chaudri hesitates. There are
moments of narrowing suspense.
Then from the rear of the church a
voice rings out: mn. Missionary,
Mr.. Missionary" and an American
hastens up the aisle and mounts the
platform bringing the news from
home that the Methodist Centenary
has triumphed-that money will be
forthcoming. No more turning away
of applicants for baptism. The
chaudri shall have his man-and
again in glad joy starts the refrain,
"Raja Yisu Aya! Raja Yisu Agar
At Columbus
At the Methodist Centenary at
Columbus, Ohio, where this was put
in a corner of the India building
to tell the facts about missions, the
place was packed with spectators.
Six hundred and forty cadets took
stand as Christians and 397
gave themselves in life service en-
listment as ministers, missionaries
and church workers. /:
Not long ago, after a performance :
N a church, a woman gave all her
saying, 81 can't wear these :
while conditions in India are like :
hat"
Church leaders thought it would :
pc a good thing to send this pageant +:
throughout the country, especially :
20 some outlying points. So it will
be the privilege of Wolf Point to (;
nave this given here. This pageant,
n costume, will be given at the high
school auditorium on Saturday eve /:
ling, April 10, at eight o'clock. (:
There will be no admission charge. +:
We want You to come. Get a glimpse
Of the foreign field at first hand. F.:
This pageant will be given in only (:
two cities in northern Montna-
Havre and Wolf Point,
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pJETY Hill. e