STUDENTS' CHRISTIAN FEDERATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 207, 26 May 1908, Page 5

STUDENTS' CHRISTIAN FEDERATION.

'•.,'Yesterday-afternoon?a drawing-room-nieet-mg'was held at theresidenco of, Mrs. Arthur Hoby, wlion Miss Ruth Rouse and Mr. Lisle, organising ; secretaries; of tho . Worlds; Students' Christian /Federation, made an , appeal -for help for their work: Among-those pre*' sent were'.Mrs. and the Misses Gibbs, Mrs. Picken, Mrs. Climie, Mrs.' and Miss ' Blacte' burno, 'Mrs. ShirtclifEe, Mrs. Wilson/ Mrs. and Miss. Hannay, < Miss Rouso gave aii-i-ntoresting- accouiit-'of .the - _work amongthe .stud.ents,. showirfg its importance to/the communities in which the universities wero situated.- .Sho told of countries, . British ia,nd foreign,,,where ; the '' tendency of students was towards agnosticism, ;.'a tend-encjr thait has-been in .many cases, entirely checked by tho formation of Christian '■Unions''., amongst the students, which ■ from small; beginnings became the most powerful influence in very .many and- she .pointed out that this 'influence, did not stop, at spiritualising the students themselves, but ■from them passed to the communities whero those students , afterwards worked. The. schoolteacher especially was ablo to influence tho children whom, he taught; - In America, where the Union is very strong,-Teligious instruction is barred in tho State, schools, but through the teachers the children receive a religious, impress which is all to tho gocd of tha -nation. - -. -

In Holland, where : the : students aro -inclined _towards ■:agnosticism, religious instruction in schools is forbidden; and in Germany, whero;tho same fooling/prevails at' : the ..Universities, but where religious teaching of children is compulsory, the ; influence of , tho-teachers in very many, cases tends to wreck-the faith of the scholaa-s, committed, their care, and Miss Rouse claimed that if it were only for its work among the teachers the Christian Union was worthy:.of support. - Then she told 'how the Y.W.C.A. was the direct outcome of the , Young Women's ' Christian Associations formed among women students :in America. . When they left tho colleges and , .made -homes of their own in largo cities they felt the need of some similar. society outside' the .walls. of tho "University,, and so the .-City; Y.W.C.A. ■sprang into being, and the more important positions, in. its 'institutions, were often, held by' University, graduates. .In tho' saino way, throughout the churches 'many minor societies, which have proved of great benefit to tho young 'life of the Church, had been formed-at the instanco of graduates who had found .such useful in . their college days. , -■ ■- '

..Then'there was, tho even more, direct -religious influence of the Union' in. inspiring graduates'with a desire to. dovoto-themselves entirely, to church or mission work.' From tho United States, and Canada, as a'result of the work of the Union, 3000 graduates, men and women," had gono to the' mission field. _ .. ... ■ In fact, Miss Rouse mado out a very : good caso for the claim of tho Christian Union to -outsido support, and Mr. Lislo, 'who followed, quoted, figures to show how much help was 'The Union feels that a woman organising secretary should be appointed to direct tho work of the women students in tho Australasian Universities, and it is 'hoped that sufficient funds will soon bo raised to enable this to be dono.