Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The Spike or Victoria College Review, June 1907

Christian Union

page 54

Christian Union.

"Let knowledge grow from more to more,
But more of reverence in us dwell;
That mind and soul, according well,
May make one music as before,
But vaster."

—Tennyson—"In Memoriam."

SSince last Session the Christian Union has lost two of its old identities, W. Gillanders and J. A. Rybura, each of whom has left the College to enter on another sphere of labour. Men of streling worth they were, pioneers of the Christian Union, and it well behoves us to wish them every success in their future careers.

With the future of our two delegates from the Healesville Conference. Victoria, it was to be expected that this year the Christian Union would make a decided progressive movement. This hope has to a large extent been realised. The total membership now stands at 111, a decided increase upon that of last year, and it does indeed appear that the Christian Union is now a force in the College. All branches of the work have been entered on with enthusiasm by the members. The Bible Study classes, the most important section of the work, have now a total attendance of 79, 9 circles having been formed, 6 for women and 3 for men. The text-book used is Oldham's "Studies on the Life of Christ."

The Mission Study class, despite the early hour (7.15 p. m.) at which it meets on Saturday evenings, has a membership of 22, which, under the circumstances, is most satisfactory.

The hand-book, in a much improved edition, was as usual presented to students at the opening of the session, and the Executive expresses the hope that freshmen found its information of use in their introduction to College life.

Pre-Sessional Work.

During the months of November. December, and February, the Rev. T. H. Sprott was kind enough to deliver a series of lectures intended as an introduction to the study of the text-book prescribed for the present year. Those who were fortunate enough to attend the lectures were amply repaid by the interesting and learned manner in which Mr. Sprott treated his subject.

page 55

On February, 10th, in St. John's Class Room, Willis Street, the University Day of Prayer was observed. The class-room, which seats about 100, was comfortably filled, aud addresses were delivered by the Rev. Dr. Gibb and Mr. W. Gray, M.A., B.Sc. The former gentleman took as his subject "Why Pray?" and the latter "Practical Work for and by Students."

Meetings.

The opening meeting of the Union was held on April 13th, and the seating accommodation of the room used last year was tacked to the utmost. W. Gillanders was the speaker, this being his last appearance before taking up his position of Travelling Secretary for Australasia of the Y.M.C.A. The speaker outlined his conception of the ideal of the Christian student, and concluded with an earnest appeal to freshmen to join and stand by the Christian Union through thick and thin.

An address was delivered on the 27th April by the Rev. Dr. Gibb on "Bible Study." After stating his reasons for studying the Bible at all, Dr. Gibb urged that the Bible has nothing to fear from the results of present-day criticism. He was convinced, he said, that the Bible would come out of the ordeal the grand old book it has always been.

On May 11th the Rev. T. H. Sprott gave an address on "The Divinity of Christ." Mr. Sprott pointed out very clearly the dilemma with which the denial of the Divinity was faced. Having established by quotation from Christ's own teaching the fact that He laid claim to a divine nature, the lecturer asked whether it was possible to conceive so admittedly pure a character stained with what, if untrue at all, must have been the most blasphemous of impostures. Mr. Sprott urged that if for nearly 2000 years men had labored under a delusion, then that delusion had had more beneficial results than had ever been attained by truth.

On May 25th an address was delivered by G. H. Gibb, one of the delegates to the Healesville Conference. The speaker sketched the trip of the delegates, and gave an account of the most important work carried out at the Conference, laying special emphasis upon its practical nature.

H. W. Monaghan, the other delegate, was unavoidably absent owing to illness.