Y.M.C.A. WORK ABROAD

Evening Star, Issue 17313, 29 March 1920, Page 4

Y.M.C.A. WORK ABROAD

A busy day was spent yesterday bv Messrs Owens and Haslett, who are on a visit to Dunedin in the interest of the foreign work of tho Y.M.C.A. At 10 a.m. Mr Haslett addressed a devotional meeting at tho Y.M.C.A. Rooms, speaking to a large audience oii the subject of 'Making Religion Vital,' and winding up with the plea for the men of the association to back the Y.M.C.A. Bible study effort. At 11 o'clock Mr Owens occupied the pulpit of the Moray Place Congregational Church, his subject being ' Responsibilities of Empire ' : Mr Haslett preaching at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, his subject being' Unity of Purpose.' At 4 o'clock a men's meeting was held at the Y.M.C.A. Rooms. Mr F. H. Wilkinson occupying the chair, Mr Owens speaking on the subject of the Y.M.C.A.'s responsibilities on the foreign field.' At the strangers' social tea, which was held at 5 o'clock, a bright service was held, during which time Mr Haslett spoke on the 'Source of Power.' Mr Owens's evening service at the Central Methodist Mission on the 'Call of the Ea'st' was once again full of interest. At the Empire Picture Theatre an after church service was held, Mr H. K. Wilkinson occupying the chair; Mr J. Timson officiating; at the piano. After several opening hymns lead by Mr V. T. Drew, Mr Wilkinson introduced the speaker, telling something of Ins university record, and pointing out that he had been the only Y.M.C.A. secretary who worked on Gallipoli during tho campaign. After serving with the Y.M.C.A. in Egypt and Palestine" he had set his face towards India, and was now going out to carry on the work at Hyderabad commenced bv Mr J. H. Lane Mr Owens opened his lecture on 'Building Manhood in the East,' by showing that the majority of reforms which had come 10 .riie East were the result of Christian civilisation and that Eastern religions were fast dying out and giving place to atheism. To combat this, missionary societies and the Y.M.C.A. (who 30 years ago began work in India at the request of the missionary societies) were doing their utmost. Ho pointed out that India is a- land seven times the size of Great Britain, with 315 million inhabitants, speaking 164 languages. Ho showed that there were over 200 million Hindus in India, but that Jo make Hinduism attractive to the Indian to-day they were borrowing from Christianity. The Y.M.C.A. began work in India 50 years ago, and to-day 200 institutions were, operating actively. lhe policy of placing Indian secretaries in charge has been so successful that the national general secretary (Mr Paul) was an educated Indian, and half of the employed officers were also members of the native race. To give local color to his lecture, Mr Owens showed Hindu temples, Mohammedan mosques, tombs, and numerous views of Indian life, followed by pictures of some of the principal buildings of the Y.M.C.A., and groups of athletic teams, Bible study circles, both among the Indians and British soldiers, with a view to showing something of what tho Y.M.C.A. wero attempting. To do the enlarged work that is necessary for this year, Mr Owens pointed out that it would bo necesssary for the Dunedin Y'.M.C.A. to raise £240 as their quota, the object being to place in the field of Hyderabad a group of Australian and New' Zealan-1 secretaries to replace the American, British, and Canadian men who had served during the war period. During tho evening Mr H. A. Brown sang very effectively.