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IHE WORLD-WIDE REVIVAL
I.
SIX WONDERFUL WEEKS IN JAPAN.
God’s Spirit is moving mightily upon the multi
tudes in Japan, as well as in other lands. Rev.
J. H. De Forrest, D.D., recently made an evangelis
tic tour in Japan and was astonished at the changed
condition of the populace. Writing of his trip in
the Mission Bulletin of Japan, Dr. De Forrest says:
“Words cannot express the joy of my soul over
what I have witnessed during my six weeks’ tour
of over two thousand miles, touching at Tokio and
Osaka, speaking in five of the great cities and
towns of beautiful Shikoku, then swinging
around to Shimonoseki, where with Dr. Pettee, I
spoke in four famous cities and towns that bor
der on the Inland Sea.
“Wherever we went there were, with two or
three exceptions, audiences beyond the capacity
of the house. It seemed to make no difference
whether I spoke on “Manchurian Experiences,” or
‘’How to Become a Christian,” or “The Father
hood of God,” there was the same eager listening.
At one meeting there were seventeen decisions for
Christ, and at another I did the strangest thing
of my life—baptized two college students with
three ex-convicts and a number of women, while
another baptized ex-convict led the services under
the direction of Mr. Ilomma Suimpei.”
11.
THE STORY OF HOMMA SHIMPEI.
Continuing his narrative, Dr. De Forrest tells of
Homma’s wonderful career:
“Some day the fuller story of this remarkable
movement will come out—how Homma S'himpei be
came a Christian; how he with but fifty cents opened
his marble works and gathered a band of a hundred
rough workmen, among whom were several ex-con
victs; how he built a chapel annexed to his great
workshop; how he was hated and persecuted for
Christ’s sake, how he conquered by marvelous love
and sacrifices; how his influence grew till students
from the government college, twelve miles distant,
cross the mountains every Saturday to spend Sun
day with him; how officials come seven or eight
miles to hear him preach; how even a governor has
visited him to see this man of God and hear his
message; and how he is invited far and wide to
speak before crowds of students.
“It was a revelation to me to spend a night with
this man, whom I have known now for five years,
witness his magnetic power over all classes of men
and women and children, and see his absolute aban
donment of himself to God and his unwavering
faith in the power to conquer the entire surround
ing region for Christ. There were at least seven
visitors who spent that night in bis house, and
though I went to bed at eleven o’clock after hear
ing five earnest prayers from him, I waked up at
two only to hear him pleading in deepest ear
nestness and sympathy before the five students
who were his guests. And when that talk was fin
ished the paper slides did not prevent me from hear
ing each one pray, and the prayers were all with
tears.”
111.
A MODERN MIRACLE.
Dr. De Forrest, who is one of the oldest and
best known missionaries in Japan, goes on to tell
of how Homma lived two months without sleep
while pointing sinners to Christ. He continues:
“It was four o’clock when that meeting broke
up; and according to Scriptural precedents one of
these young men ought to have fallen out of the sec
ond-story window, but there were no second-story
window’s in his house, and even had there been
there were no sleepy fellows there. I ventured
to chide my friend Homma the next mornin? for
doing such an unhealthful thing as to spend most of
the night preaching and praying, but with a quiet
smile under his deep eyes he said that once he
spent every night for two months in this same way
The Golden Age for December 27, 190$.
Triumphs of the Gospel in Distant Lands.
By GEORGE T. B. DAVIS.
without going to bed a single time. At my look of
astonishment, and before I could tell him that he
was a candidate for an insane asylum, he broke
out with, ‘Well, what else could I do? People
who had to work all day came to me nights, and
some had to walk eight miles and didn’t get here
till midnight or after, and by the time we had
finished our talks and prayers it was daylight and
I had to start for my quarry. It’s all right, God
has given me this work to do.’ ”
IV.
AWAKENING IN AMERICAN TOWN.
In Kewanee, Illinois, where Evangelist William
A. Sunday has been holding a mission for a month,
the town has been revolutionized by the revival.
There were 2,762 converts recorded in a town of on
ly a few thousand inhabitants. On the last Sun
day alone 408 went to the front to accept Christ.
Those who professed conversion included the mayor
of the city; five of the ten older men; officials at
the iron factories located there; half the militia
company; business men, farmers, and people of all
classes and conditions.
A local daily, the Star Courier, reports 'as fol
lows the scenes at one of the meetings:
‘ ‘ Scenes unparalleled in the history of Kewanee,
were witnessed by the 4.000 people in the armory
last night at the close of Mr. Sunday’s sermon on
‘Amusements.’ Crowding to the front to take his
hand and thereby confess the Christ he serves were
scores of men and women widely known in Kewa
nee, and with them came a half hundred of those
who renewed their covenants with God and an
nounced their purpose to live in accordance with the
new light upon their path. There were 230 persons
in all and all of these 186 were new converts.
“Trains all day brought in people from the near
by towns and carriages from the surrounding coun
try emptied their occupants upon Kewanee’s streets
all afternoon. The out of town folk took no
chances about getting seats, most of them being in
the building by four or five o’clock. The city peo
ple began to arrive about five and from then until
7:30 there was a constant procession moving upon
the armory. Four thousand people crowded into
the building, but it looked as though 10,000 were
unsuccessful. It is certain that fully as many as
heard the sermon on ‘Amusements’ were unable
to gain admittance. Nothing like the crowds that
assembled have been seen here before for an in
door meeting of any kind. The management should
have rented an eighty acre field on the outer edge
of town.”
V.
AN AFRICAN KING’S LETTER.
Rev. C. F. Jones, of Nottingham, has received a
touching letter from an African king who has ac
cepted Christianity and is earnestly endeavoring to
lead others to the light. The “chief lady” to
which reference is made is Miss Popplewell, who
has been a collector for the Church Missionary So
ciety for seventy-two years. The letter as given
in the Missionary Review runs as follows:
“Hioma, Bunyoro—My Friend: Be it peace this
time! I greet you with all my love, and I thank
you for my letter very much; I was greatly pleased
to receive it. I am, my brother, to blame for not
having written to you lately, but really 1 have not
had time, for truly, sir. God has given me work to
do; because I now have two capitals, Hoima and
Masindi. lam greatly wishing to visit through my
country in all six gayas, every gaya to be visited,
and to accomplish the work to be done there. This
is what I desire God to give me strength to do, and
great grace to judge truly His people lent to me to
reign over.
“But now at this time God is calling many to
come and follow His Son Jesus Christ, and so I
pray without ceasing to God that He may send His
Holy Spirit to flash forth the light in Bunyoro, that
those who are still far away may see and come
quickly to His Son Jesus, the Savior of all men.
“ Also greet the chief lady of the Church who has
reached ninety-five years in serving our Lord Jesus.
Thank her for her greeting and say I also send
greeting to her.
“My wife, also, Mona K. Bisereko, greets her
affectionately and sends her this ring for the arm.
And to you also my wife and my two children send
greetings; and so greet all, my friend, in your house
for me, and say, He greets you affectionately. And
then the gift you sent me of a pencil I thank you
for very much.
“May God give yon His peace and show to you
His grace for all mankind. I am, your friend,
Anderaya Kubaka. ’ ’
Christmas Reflections.
By Da<vid E. Guyton.
’Tis Christmas tide, the world is glad,
The bells are blithely ringing,
And “Peace on earth, good will to men”
The nations now are singing.
The rulers rest—their sabres sheathed,
Their peaceful banners streaming,
Their navies floating—harmless hulks—
Their armies idly dreaming;
For sickened by the sight of blood,
The wise of earth are yearning
To see the dawn of perfect peace—
The Golden Age returning—
When wars shall cease and swords shall rust
And flags shall droop forever,
And armies shall disband for aye,
And navies gather never.
This age, the future years may bring;
But many a sanguine morrow
May come and go before the world
Shall antedate the horror;
Before the nations—wiser grown—
Shall cease from human slaughter,
And Peace shall spread her snowy wings
O’er every land and water.
God speed the day! yet till it dawns,
May freemen never falter
When Dixie calls her knightly sons
To bleed upon her altar;
But mindful of their martial sires—
Far famed in song and story—
May Southern striplings bind their brows
With golden wreaths of glory.
When wars shall cease and swords shall rust
And flags shall droop forever,
And armies shall disband for aye,
And navies gather never—
Then, even then, O land of Lee,
Despite the sneers of sages,
Thy knightly chieftains honor still,
Through all the endless ages!
Muzzling the Ox.
One morning our wash-woman, a lady of color—
very dark color—came hastily in, and, without
any preliminaries, exclaimed: “ Sparatualism!
What is sparatualism. Miss Cora?” My sister
explained as well as she could, and asked why she
wished to know. “Well, you see,” she went on,
excitedly, “Sarah—she’s my daughter, you know,
and she went last week to live with a lady what
says she is a sparatualist; and she says if Sarah
takes anything she’ll know it. Sarah’s going to
leave!”
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