WORLD’S STUDENT FEDERATION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 286, 19 November 1923, Page 5

WORLD’S STUDENT FEDERATION

UNIVERSAL DAY OF PRAYER. Yesterday being the day set apart by the above federation for the observance of a universal day of prayer lor students, the Rev. P. Ramsay, at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Hastings, at the morning service, in .e--sponse to the appeal strongly urged their claim upon the churches for then prayers and thei rhelp. To his minj the movement was the finest conception of modern times in applied Christianity. And the rapidity of its organisation was in itself a wonder, reflecting the highest credit on the statesmanship which directed its policy. No name was more prominent in the Christian world today than that of Dr. John Mott, the chairman of the Federation, and no doubt in conception and prograess the movement was greatly indebted to his rare enthusiasm and commanding personality. “If unity is strength,” the preacher continued, “then the unifying of Christian students of all universities and colleges through the world is a fine instance of strategy on behalf of the Kingdom of God., No matter how obvious it may be to the man of practical affairs, ultimately it was the scholar and thinker who blazed the path of future progress. And thus the endeavour to capture the receptive, aspiring, fresh minds of the seats of learning is of the utmost value to Christianity. The appeal issued by the federation to the churches is interestingly typical and revealing, show- : ing the open, fresh, self-confidence of | the youthful mind, for we are assured that ‘one fundamental problem which the young people of the world are facing with a striking unanimity of spirit’ is to discover what is reality. 1 There speaks the typical student voice. ] There is a dead earnestness about the dreamer of dreams and the seer of I visions so, ‘alike in religion and in < life they will have no cant, no hypo- < crisy, no mere conventions and life as they see it is dominated by convention and superstition rather than by honest thought and faith. But they all admire Christ.’ It is just on forty years since I was in that atmosphere and it does not seem to have changed, and no one wants it to change, for nothing can lx? achieved if this spirit } of venture and chivalry is lost. May ( God prosper the valiant youths who 1 are out to kill su'ch established giants < as cant, hypocrisy, convention and j superstition! It is a big scheme, on 1 the road to the cross, in line with the best, let us invoke the blessing of the crucified upon them.”