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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!” 3