What a Tract Can Do
Early in 1819, while waiting to see a patient, a young physician in New York took up and read a tract on missions, which lay in the room where he sat. On reaching home he spoke to his wife of the question that had arisen in his mind. As a result, they set out for Ceylon, and later, India, as foreign missionaries. For thirty years the wife, and for thirty-six years the husband, labored among the heathen, and then went to their reward. Apart from what they did directly as missionaries, they left behind them seven sons and two daughters. Each of these sons married, and, with their wives and both sisters, gave themselves to the same mission work. Already have several grandchildren of the first missionary become missionaries in India.
And thus far thirty of that family―the Scudders―have given 529 years to India.
Another missionary well known to us writes:
“We are having a ‘revival’ in Travancore such as I have never witnessed nor anyone else here.
Thousands of nominal Christians are professing to be saved, and thousands are coming out from heathenism into Christianity. During three months no less than 2,500 have been swept into the Salvation Army alone, so it is reported.
One particular feature of the ‘revival’ is dancing.
Nightly meetings are being held in hundreds of places, and towards the close the men will dance together and the women together. The excitement is more than I have ever seen.
The doctrine is: Only those who are filled with the Spirit should dance; and sometimes in large meetings upwards of 500 will be found dancing. At a workers’ meeting I felt it absolutely necessary to speak upon the evils of excitement and the foolishness of seeking to work up a dance at the conclusion of meetings. None of our workers have danced, and neither do they encourage others. There have also been many who have had ‘visions,’ and strange things are reported to have been seen, which we with our Western training have never heard or witnessed. Personally, I am of a very skeptical disposition concerning these things. Prayer is much desired for wisdom to know how to deal with this work, and able and spiritual men are needed to guide the ‘revival’ and lead it in a right direction.
We are looking to the Lord for help to carry on His work in the midst of this wonderful movement. I am now endeavoring to work without an interpreter, visiting daily, and having meetings from house to house, and public meetings in the evenings. ―E. H. N.”
We can quite understand the reader passing severe criticism upon much that is here described. It is to be deplored that any should encourage such demonstrations amongst excitable people. So much the more reason why intelligent and sober-minded Christians should devote themselves to the work in those lands. Much prayer is needed for those actually on the spot.
ED.