128 



The Review of Reviews, 



February 20, 1906. 



press take notice of the movement, and speak of it 

 in the following laudatory terms: — 



SOME PRESS OPINIONS. 



The Union (says the ChristchurcJi Press) is now in 

 its third year, and i1 has in it- ranks over 2000 mem- 

 bers. Its objects are not merely spiritual. It re- 

 cognises t lie value and the claims of physical training 

 and athletic sports, and gives them due consideration. 

 The Union has gathered strength by appealing thus 

 to the many sides of the character of our Now '/. 

 land youth, and in most of the large centre- it has 

 proved of great benefit to t.he young men and to the 

 Church. The Union attract-- to itself the pick of the 

 young men of the congregations, and many university 

 graduates are to be found taking a prominent part 

 in the management of the classes. It is the aim of 

 t.he Executive of the Bible Class Union to keep the 

 movement as free as possible from the "cant" which 

 is so frequently associated with these organisations, 

 and the vigorous and manly character of the proceed- 

 ings at Wainoni during the past few days is quite re- 

 freshing. 



The Bible Class Camp iv (says the New Zealand 

 Times), a distinct proof that, despite a general im- 

 pression to the contrary, the young men ot New Zea- 

 land — or, at any rate, a considerable proportion <>t 

 them- are strongly impressed with religious ideas, 

 and are imbued with the truth that "righteousness 

 profiteth in all thing-." Our young men are some- 

 times accused of over-devotion to athletic- and to 

 amusements; but the "camp" iv evidence that at 

 least a number of them are not only •muscular 

 Christians,'' hut place their Christianity before their 

 muscularity. For it is primarily as members of B ble 

 Classes that these young men have banded them- 

 selves into a wide-spreading Union, employing a 

 salaried organising secretary, and devoting themselves 

 to the study of the sacred writings upon which the 

 religion of the British people is founded. It is not 

 the province of a secular journal to discuss at length 

 the objects of societies formed for the purpose of 

 Bible discus-ion or their methods of parrying out these 

 objects : but, as observers of movements hearing upon 

 the welfare of the State, it gives us pleasure to notice 

 an organisation that is evidently doing good work in 

 the interests of the young. 



THB OLD AND THE NEW. 



The Bible Class is an institution dating bark very 

 many years and has been one of the recognised ad- 

 juncts to every well-organised- congregation. Many 

 readers can look back to its efforts and influence 

 with gratifying pleasure as being one of the chief 

 formative agencies which shaped and strengthened 

 their lives. Until recently the Bible classes in 

 existence, with a few exceptions, were latterly com- 

 posed of an almost exclusive membership of young 

 women. Young men were no longer attracted either 

 by the constitution, the syllabus or the methods of 

 work. For a time in Xew Zealand there seemed to 

 be no Church institution which laid hold of the 

 voting men in any numbers, and it looked as if 

 they were to lie largely lost to the Church. 

 Since the adoption of a new and forward policy bv 

 the Bible Class matters certainly have improved. 

 Young men have been attracted to its membership, 

 and have become very much attached to its 

 policv. In the "Presbyterian classes alone the 



members now number over two thousand, and this 

 number is weekly being added to. The Wesleyan 

 and Baptist classes formed on similar lines have 

 also a verv large membership, and a noteworthy 

 feature is that the membership of the Men's Unions 

 outnumbers the membership of the Young Women's 

 Unions, which are similarly organised. 



DISTINGUISHING FEATURES. 



While the old name of " Bible Class " has been 

 retained, the methods of work have been altered 

 very considerably. There has been quite an altera- 

 tion of method in the conduct of the Sunday meet- 

 ing, which is now worked on co-operative lines, most 

 of the work and speaking being done by the young 

 men themselves. The meeting has been made a 

 young men's meeting, as distinguished from a meet- 

 ing for young men. The subject is opened up and 

 discussed by the young men themselves, the con- 

 ductor « .r leader only guiding it and piecing tin 

 fragments together in his closing remarks. 



Another distinguishing feature of the movement is 

 that an interest is taken in all matters that rightly 

 enter into the sphere of a young man's activities 

 whether they Ik- of a spiritual, mental, social or 

 physical nature. The work while centred in the 

 Sunda\ afternoon meeting does not end there. 

 Again, due recognition has also been made that 

 Christianity is a social, as well as a spiritual fact. 

 I shall, in the remaining space at my disposal, and 

 in accordance with your own wishes, deal with the 

 social side of our work as being more more suited to 

 the columns of your " Review." 



THE SOCIAL SIDK. 



Every encouragement is given to members 

 of the classes to engage in social work out- 

 side the class itself. Work is undertaken 

 amongst hoys and lads not so well circum- 

 stanced in life. One class has for many years 

 past conducted a flourishing Boys' Institute, and 

 have recently donated from the members themselves 

 a sum of over ^400 towards a building, in which 

 thev hope to have a gymnasium and swimming bath 

 provided for these boys. Several classes undertake 

 the regular visitation of young men in the district 

 hospitals. Anti-gambling leagues have been formed 

 and worked with excellent results in many districts, 

 and latterly the No-License Movement has been 

 heartily taken up by members, an outcome of which 

 has been the formation of a Young Men's No- 

 License League. These are some of the outlets for 

 social work outside of the class itself in which the 

 energies of the members have been successfully 

 directed. In the class itself there are many agencies 

 at work which not only interest and bind the mem- 

 bers together, but which also attract to the class 

 manv who would otherwise never come within its 

 influence. Literary and Debating Societies, by 

 means of competitions, have brought the members 



