THE CHRISTIAN STUDENT MOVEMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12650, 30 April 1903, Page 5

THE CHRISTIAN STUDENT MOVEMENT.

WELCOME TO MR J. R. MOTT. There was yesterday afternoon a large gathering at the Victoria Hall representative of the religious life of tho community, the purpose being to accord a public welcome to Mr ,T. R. Mott, travelling secretary of tho World's Student Christian Federation. Tho Mayor (Mr J. A. Park) presided, and Bishop Nevili and'Mr E..8. Cargill (vicechancellor of Otago University) occupied seats on the platform.

In extending to Mr Motfc a cordial welcome from the citizens of Dunedin, tho Chairman said one- had but to glance through the able- report on the work of tho past two years of tho movement to realise what a magnificent work was being performed. To think that within seven years HO new associations' or unions had been added to tho student movement, and 17,000 students to the total number (now, he understood, 82,000, with 1540 associations) was marvellous, and evidence of Mr Mott's wonderful organising ability. The fact that Mr Mott had refused many high and lucrative appointments in his profession in order to devote his whole time, and life to tho organisation of the Christian forces of the student world was sufficient to show his tnio and genuine earnestness in the Student Christian Federation cause.—(Applause.)

Mr E. B. Cargill in his remarks said that already their young men had shown that they had made good use o[ tlieir educational institutions, and their University had sent forth into; the world a, fair number of young men and women who wero doing it a great (leal or credit. Mr Mott had come to, as it were, crown the education of their students nnd to inaugurate this great association of young people for the dissemination of sound religious nrinoiyles. as tho best controlling power of their educational system. They must all rejoico that Mr Mott ha,d been so eminently successful already, and ho hoped that their young, people would, rospond more and more to what was being done, primarily for their benefit, but ultimately for the benefit of ills wholo community.—(Applause.)

Mr Mott's reply nraved very interesting. Ho is n fluent am! straightforward speaker, and gave his hearers a simple- and earnest account of tho' aims 'and work of ■ tho Student Christian Federation movement that evidently created the best of impressions. Thoir cordial welcome he. received, ho said, not so much for himself as for tho cause lie represented. -Hosns tempted at the outset to turn aside and congratulate tho city of Dnnetlin on tho. marks of. progress, stability, and prosperity it displayed (ovon more markedly than seven years ago), and to congratulate Otago University on its progress, as well as other institutions ■ lor higher learning .in tho city. He emphasised the value of a New Zoaland University degreo which hi point of thoroughness of work and tho standard of requirements compared well with that of any university in the world. The. New Zealand University had every reason to be proud of the position it had taken. The." sneaker dwelt at some length on tiio advantages of university life and education, and., said that without doubt universities and colleges were tho most important' of communities in the different nations, for the obvious reason that there were being trained the coming leaders in almost every lva'llc of life. The centres of learning should be ■ made, strongholds a?id propagafcing-contres of pure Christianity. For well nigh a quarter of'a"century.'the Christian student movement ■• had been, the principal factor in framing, the.moral and religious life of students. This was true especially L as concerned; unseotarian or Tindenominational colleges or' . Government universities similar to that in Dunedin. The numbers and proportion, of students who were Christians had steadily increased. They had been influenced ; as had'the members of no other class of society, and the movement had done much to develop a strong and attractive type of student life, characterised by manliness, reality, openmindedness, sympathy with man, and loyalty to Jesus Christ.—(Applauso.) Tho movement insisted that earnest Christian life was not ■inconsistent with the beet eccjsil and intellectual development., It main-, tained also that a man was not only incomplete but might be unsafe to the community if he went forth' having developed the ether pants of his nature, without developing the moral and spiritual part. Tho fact that 'the 'Bible occupied a greater place in tho mind? of fltudents of their own time'than over in flic past was traceable tti tho'Christian students' movement. Again, the influence of this movement to resist"' counter" character-under-mining influences was, immeasurable. The finest work of any religious society was, ho fiomet-ikiea thought, Us .preventive work, University life was at beet an unsettling period—their aim should bo to make it also a settling period. The influence of the movement in gaining recruits for the Church was indicated, by tho fact thai in Ins own country during the past 25 years 6000 students had been influenced to join the Christian ministry,, and'there.-?.nd ejfiewher© it hud been the means of raising up a great lay force. As'for what tho .movement was dting for tho nation, lot them remember tho German aphorism, " What you. would put into the life of any nation. ,piit into its schools." This movement was lielping tn shape the character of the future- leaders of the nation; it was placing before successive, generations of students the lngliw* ideals of citizenship; it was inculcating the highest principles of statesmanship. One of its bc-st contributions was the promoting of Christian unity. Last year, Mr Mott said, they Irad mot in Denmark; next year they would riicct in Japan. 'Mr Mott then proceeded to stale how he had been imprefsed with tho movement's progress in Australasia during the past seven years. At the* 'beginning of that period, he said, he had found' only five religious societins among students; now there were 46. Seventy was th'en the'total membership: k was now 1370. At thnit t*nw he found isolation, ignorance, asA misunderstanding between ono.osntrc and another.. Now there was unity. Then he had found.-but one Biblo class, with, teijrlii "or nino -students. Last yew'there were 845 stuiJenis. attending J!iMe chased.' The inereajo;in tho university ctaes alone was 61 per cent. Up to seven years a«o lcsthah « dozen-out of 3000 students- Tiad > hcocnW'--foreign 'missionaries. Sihca ".then .22 "mi»»onaries bail- boon sent out, .and. pve-i\,so' ptudenfa wero on llw ' missionary volunteer roll. Hn had every confidence' in tho students of Austratniia. In concluding, lift would bespeak for tliia movenienttfoe intelligent advocacy of all; that the work might be carried on from strength to strength. He thanked them for '.the .present, indication of their goodwill towards the movement. It would pro with him as a moet 'helpful inspiration.— (Anplausc.) ..... On the moMon'" of the Chairman a very hearty vote of thanta was. by reclamation, accorded to Mr Mot't for his efforts in the work of tho movement throughout tho worild.' ' ' . Bishop Neyill said he'-had no intention of detaining them 5 after-wha* liliey.had had the pleasure of -listening id,<- Ho -was there

to express by his presence- his sympathy with the movement. What differentiated this movement from all other similar ones of an evangelistic character was tli»t it was a federation of Christian students. The students of one day were leaders in almost every department of life in days to follow. This movement connected with more intellectual knowledge of foots and the like that greatest of all forces that carried the remedy for human sorrow and evil and the regeneration of mankind. The speaker paid an eloquent tribute to tho work dona by such « movement, the aims of which, he said, were- plainly quits sufficient to;enable every right-thinking /nan to wish it Godspeed.—(Applause.) o Tho meeting then terminated.