QUEER RELIGIOUS SECT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2394, 8 January 1909, Page 6

QUEER RELIGIOUS SECT.

“THE HOLY GHOST AND ITS.”

Last month considerable interest was manifested in connection with a mysterious yacht in Australian waters, which was reported to be the home of a strange religious sect en-: titled “The Holy Ghost and TJs.” The New Yoi'k correspondent of the London “Daily Telegraph,” writ-, ing' to that paper on Thursday, November 19th, had .the following to say in connection with the sect: —- Statements by former converts printed here complete the discomfiture of the “Holy Ghost sect,” a strange organisation bdrn in Philadelphia, the members of which, never very numerous, claimed that they had the gift of tongues, iand could preach tp the heathen in their own language. Some neophytes arrived in [New York last year., and I interviewed them for the ‘ ‘Daily Telegraph,” describing them as fanatics of the most extraordinary type. They did not profess the multi- . lingual faculty except during moments of spiritual exaltation few - and far between. _ - r ; Mabel Robbins, a pretty convert to the “Holy Ghost sect,” who is now .home in Philadelphia after troublous times in India and South America, relates experiences which confirm the wisdom of those members who deserted the organisation during her, absence abroad. It is ia year'ago since she, with twelve other young, women .missionaries and five men, sailed for, England.'' Starting from Philadel-

pijiia as a pretty girl 18 years of age. Miss Robbins looks to-day like a woman of 40. One girl of tlieir number, she says, died, on the pampas ot the Argentine, two girls aro working in factories in Buenos Ayres, three of the men are laying ties on a South American railroad, two girls are in Indian harems, and one was captured by hill tribes. “When we left New York as members of the Holy Ghost sect,” said Miss Robbins, “we all believed we had the gift of tongues, and we went to teach the rest of the world our religion. We decided to sail to London, hut London did not seem keen about us. Six of us got the call to go to India. We went from London and reached Calcutta in July. Besides myself, there were three girls from New York and two from Philadelphia. AYe nearly starved in Calcutta, and went to South America. \Ye reached Buenos Ayres a month later. There,two of the girls disappeared. They were very pretty, and there were some natives who met and (iked them very much. AYe were destitute, and the girls—well, they just vanished. AYe did not complain to the .authorities, because we knew pvettv well where they had gone. AYe did liot have the real gift, and life was far more terrible than I can tell von. . “Again we went to Lucknow. Another* 3 girl of New York was taken from us one night while we were camping out. There were some wild hill-men who rode down and stopped at our camp. Next morning there were only three of us left. The three of us went back to Calcutta, and from there we sailed to Buenos Ayres to join the others. One girl, who was from Philadelphia, died in the pampas on the way to R-osario. AA'e had been .overtaken by » storm. We had no covering of any sort, and the cold was lawful- AYe buried the poor girl there. AYe had oven harder times in Argentina than in India. Then mv parents succeeded in getting me home. Our gift ot tongues was not from heaven.