Life of Ahmad — Page 480
CONFERENCE OF RELIGIONS as 480 4:30 p. m. , which was the time for the rising of the conference. But even then the first of the questions had not been finished, and the audience desired that that part might be concluded before the sitting broke up. The directors accordingly ordered that the reading might be continued and it accordingly went on till 5:30 p. m. As soon as the reading was over, the audience made the prayer that the sittings of the conference be extended by another day in order to allow the paper to be finished. Accordingly arrangements were made to continue the sittings on the 29th. And since representatives of some other religions had also made a request for additional time, it was announced that on the following day the proceedings would open at 9:30 a. m. instead of 10:30. a. m. , and that the first paper to be read would be that of the Promised Messiah as. One effect of the impression created by the first day’s reading of Ahmad’s as paper could be perceived in the fact that while on the previous days the audience did not fully assemble even at 10:30. On the third day it had not yet struck nine when men of all creeds and sects began to pour into the Hall in large numbers and the proceedings commenced punctually at the appointed time. On this day also the period of two hours and a half assigned for the finishing of the paper proved inadequate, and since the audience with one voice desired that the reading should continue, the directors had no alternative but to extend the time. In short, it took during the two days altogether seven hours and a