The Future

Plans are afoot in at least two of the societies to increase the number of co-operative efforts, such as the Corso collection and the week of prayer for Christian Unity. The formation of a committee representing the various clubs has been suggested, to facilitate the organising of joint functions, and to avoid clashes in programmes. It has been proposed that inter-club social functions should be encouraged to increase personal contact between members, a feature which has so far been largely lacking.

But optimism, however justifiable, should be tempered with realism: as the spirit of religious co-operation has so markedly increased within the university, so has the number of chaplains. Perhaps the former is a result of the latter? Rev. John Murray, NCC Chaplain, feels that this is the case—that the initiation of inter-religious functions has been made possible by the efforts of the chaplains rather than by those of the societies themselves.

The growth in the chaplains' ranks is not really incongruous with increased co-ordination of religious activity. For when the societies have reached the coming-together stage, and are in a position to accept each other's integrity and sincerity, then the next logical step would seem to be more specific definition of areas of agreement and disagreement, with a view to expanding the first at the expense of the second. Apart from patience and enthusiasm, a task of this nature would naturally require a great deal of specialised knowledge.

Whether definite steps will be taken in this direction it is impossible to say at the present time. Meanwhile the aim seems to be, as John Murray views it, that the religious clubs share each other's programmes as much as possible, bringing their own particular emphasis to particular questions, complementing each other, but no longer competing.—M. King.