THE WORLD'S STUDENTS' CHRISTIAN FEDERATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10129, 12 May 1896, Page 6

THE WORLD'S STUDENTS' CHRISTIAN FEDERATION.

INTERVIEW WITH MR. J. R. MOTT. Yesterday afternoon a Herald representative interviewed Mr. J. R. Mott, honorary and general secretary of the World's Students' Christian Federation, afc " Bella Vista," Waterloo Quadrant, where he is at present staying. After the usual preliminaries the conversation settled down on the federation which Mr. Mots represents. THE FEDERATION,

" What is the World's Students' Christian Federation, which you represent, Mr. Mott!" queried our representative. " It is," said Mr. Mott," the organisation uniting the great student movements of the world. One of these includes the United States and Canada; another the colleges of the British Isles; a third the Universities of Germany; a fourth the .Universities of Scandinavia; a fifth the colleges of India and Ceylon; and the sixth includes the Christian societies of students scattered throughout the mission fields. These six . movements were united last summer, thus forming the Federation which I represent as honorary and general secretary." " What is your mission to Australasia I" "At the request of the British Student Movement I have come to these colonies to establish Christian Unions in the different universities and leading colleges, and to unite them in an Australasian Student*' Movement, and then to attach this movement to the World's Federation."

SUCCESS OP MR. Mora's MISSION,

"How. successful has your mission been thus far?" * "The students and their friends have been most favonrably impressed with the idea wherever I have been, and have taken hold of it most enthusiastically. Christian Unions have been established at Adelaide University, also at those of Melbourne, Dunedin, Christchurch, and Lincoln College (Canterbury), St. John's and Prince Albert Colleges (Auckland), and various other colleges."

HIS FUTURE MOVEMENTS. " What are your future movements ?" " I go from here to the University of Svdney, and then to Melbourne, where the first Christian Conference of students of Australasia will be held, from June 5 to the 7th. This bids fair to be a most significant convention. Delegates will be gathered there from all parts of the colonies. They will there lay the foundation of this national students' movement. From there I will go to visit all the colleges of China and Japan, then back to America, thus completing my world's tour.' 1

IMPRESSIONS OF NEW ZEALAND. " Having travelled through New Zealand, what are your impressions of the colony ?" " I have been most favourably impressed. Considering its varied resources, its excellent climatic conditions, its educational advantages and progress, its moral and religious life, and the freedom of the population from ' objectionable foreign elements, it certainly ranks among one of the most favoured colonies of the British Empire."

AUSTRALASIAN FKDERATION DESIRABLE.

"I understand that your work has taken you a great deal through Canada. How does Australasia compare with the Dominion ? And is it desirable to form the Australasian group into a similar Commonwealth having one Federal supreme authority?''

" My frank opinion is that the Canadian Dominion is in advance of the Australasian colonic in several respects, and this is due to the fact that the provinces of Canada have been formed into a strong Commonwealth. There can be no doubt that th■. Confederation has been of immense advantage to all parts of Canada. Every reason which has favoured such a step in Canada applies with even greater force to the Australasian colonies as promoting higher aspirations, and as being the foundations of national life in the hereafter."

IS SCEPTICISM INCREASING OR DECREASING ? "In your wide travels among the Universities of the world bare you forftied the impression that Scepticism is increasing or decreasing?" , "All the facts go to show that Scepticism is decreasing among thinking young men, not only in such countries as France, but in India and Japan. In the United States and Canada, 17 years ago, less than one in three of the students were members of the Protestant Churches. Now the proportion is a little over one in two. The increase has been most remarkable in connection with the Government Universities where the proportion of Increase has been more marked than even in the Christian Colleges. At Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh there is the greatest religious activity, and more students are becoming Christian than ever before. There is a great revival in Bible study spreading among the Universities of different lands, and at no time in the history of the Church have more students offered themselves for service in the mission field and in the Church than during the nast five years or so.

NUMERICAL STRENGTH OF FEDERATION. " What, statistically, may be the strength of the World's Christian Students' Federation ?"

" Well, it comprises 700 Universities and Colleges, containing 40,000 students and professors, representing the leaders of thought in the world, without regard to nationality or race."