MEETINGS AND SOCIALS.

Evening Star, Issue 14036, 17 April 1909, Page 5

MEETINGS AND SOCIALS.

| UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN UNION. I The Otago University Christian Union held their annual welcome social last evening in the Hanover Street Church Hall, Mr J. L. Robinson, 8.A., presiding. The principal object of the gathering is to afford new students an opportunity of making acquaintances among their classmates and, incidentally, to make known to them the aims and objects of the Christian Union. Professor Salmond, in the course of a short address, said that he found something almost tragic in watching the great tide of life that was continually passing through the University and swiftly disappearing from his view. The institution, however, constantly rejuvenated itself, and men and women were always found ready to come forward and carry on the various societies. The twelve or thirteen years that had passed since the formation of the Christian Union had been quite sufficient ito test its solidity. He had rejoiced exceedingly to see it started, and had felt j that it supplied a very pressing want. There used to be a kind of dark and black heathendom about the place that almost made one cold at the heart by its pure, unmitigated secularity. They were obliged to carry on all their educational institutions on secular lines, but he thought that most rather accepted it as inevitable than j rejoiced in it. The Union had done serj vice in taking away something of the ] “ paganishness ” of the place, and he was ' glad that it had flourished and continued j still. He pointed out, however, that it , was possible for students to become so atI tached to the Christian Union as to cease to become good, all-round University men. | He had not come across much of that, but , he thought the caution was perhaps worth giving. It had been said that the demand of the present day was that we should begin and Christianise Christendom, the point being that up to the present the world had only half understood the message of Christ. 'There was room to go on, and , this movement should begin, above all, among those who gave themselves to a liberal education.

During the evening a weU-arranged programme was contributed to by Miss E R Ward, M.A., Mr H. Short, and Mr J. h'. Robinson (songs), Messrs Blue and D. Madill (duet), and Miss Mitchell (recitation).