INDIA.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 27, Issue 7, 1 July 1937, Page 5

INDIA.

A Story from Dr. Somervell, the Mt. Everest Hero.

"I will tell you a story about one such man. He was a schoolmaster at one of our Mission Boys' Schools. Not very long ago he had a pain m his leg, which rapidly got worse. Unfortunately, it was the time of the annual hot weather holiday, and both Orr and myself were away from Neyyoor. He went to another hospital, and there a doctor very unfortunately operated on his leg with in-

sufficiently aseptic methods, and secondarily infected it. A few weeks later we came down from the hills, and soon after our arrival this man turned up at the hospital at Nayyoor. By. that time he was already fairly ill, and we put him to bed and took an X-ray picture of his leg. Alas! The whole bone of the leg (tinia) was affected from top to bottom with tubercular disease, and to this had been added a secondary infection. The outlook for the leg was none too rosy, especially as the patient himself was getting worse and worse. Everything we could do for him seemed to be without avail. The disease is one which medical science reckons to be well-night incurable once it has reached this stage. The man was going downhill and daily getting more weak and feverish. His leg became more and more painful, and after a few weeks we took another X-ray picture and found that the disease was worse m the whole of the bone involved. There was only one thing to be done, and that was to amputate the leg to save the patient's life .... So we told the poor fellow that there was nothing else to be done. His reply was unexpected: 'Will you give me three weeks? I want to try the effect of praying about it.' We agreed to give him that time, and on the next day he went home. Miraculous Healing. "In three weeks he turned up, true to his promise. He had left hospital feverish, ill, flushed m the face, and only capable of being carried about. He returned m a car, but hobbling with a stick, and looking much better. The wound m the leg was not healed, but the leg itself, as revealed by the X-ray, was wonderfully improved, though not yet free from the disease. We were amazed. What had he done to make so great an improvement? He told us, quite simply, that he had been quite sure that it was against the will of God for any of his servant to suffer and that he had before him a life of service to God if only he could keep both his leg and his life. So he called" his family and friends together, and said to them: 'Look here, will you folk unite m prayer for this leg of mine, that it be completely healed?' They agreed, and for a week a continuous chain of

prayer was kept up by that family. One of them would pray for a quarter of an hour, then another would take it on, and so on for over a week. . . . In another three weeks he came to see us again. The leg had healed, he was able to walk on it a little, and he appeared almost well. A few months later he was back at his school, perfectly fit and playing games with the boys, running about on both his legs, with no sign of disease. This man from a family which, a few generations ago, was worshipping devils, and despised as untouchable by the official religion of India, was able to exercise a faith m prayer which we so-called civilised Westerners have forgotten how to use. ..." Hyderabad and Christianity. In view of the rapidly increasing Christian population m Hyderabad State, it is interesting to record the tribute paid by the Nizam to Christianity during his recent silver jubilee celebrations. The first and only Indian to be a full Anglican Bishop is a Hyderabadi. He is Dr. Azariah, Bishop of Dornakal, m Hyderabad, a position he has held for nearly twenty years. The Nizam himself is a devout Mohammedan, but has a great respect for the Christian religion. Replying to an address from his Christian subjects, the Nizam said: "Christ is considered by the Muslims also as a great prophet, and they respect Him as such. All Christian missions, like the followers of other religions m my State, enjoy the liberty to preach their religion. Most of their schools receive grants-in-aid, and there are several churches here belonging to them. As subjects, Christians are very peace-loving, and are loyal to the State." Miss Florence Smith, Miss Sowry, Miss Young, and Miss Reynolds all represent New Zealand m Bishop Azariah's Diocese. General.