Description: |
THE NORMAL ADVANCE105§. fSL anb §. ». C S.A BREEZE FROM THE KANSAS CITY
CONVENTION.HENRY KNAUTH.From 2:30 oclock Wednesday afternoon, De¬
cember 31, 1913, to ten oclock Sunday night,
January 4, 1914, Convention Hall in Kansas City,
Missouri, was the center of the religious world.
This statement is borne out by the number of
cablegrams that were read from the platform, rep¬
resenting practically all the nations of the world.What was it like—this Seventh Quadrennial
Student Volunteer Convention?Like nothing else. Imagine, if you can, a na¬
tional political convention just after the idol of
the party has been nominated, when men are
shouting, singing and giving vent to joy by every
means, reasonable or unreasonable.Then imagine some mysterious force that main¬
tained every vestige of that emotion, yet subdued
every active manifestation of it to a silence that
made the very streams of light through the gallery
windows seem noisy.Again imagine yourself hearing such God-in¬
spired men as Dr. John R. Mott, the greatest mis¬
sionary leader in the world Dr. Robert E. Speer, the greatest missionary speaker in the world G. Sherwood Eddy, who holds a record in saving mens lives Dr. Robert Forman Horton, of Lon¬ don, England Dr. Samuel M. Zwemer, the first white man to explore the inland country of the Isthmus of Owan William J. Bryan, the Prince of Peace, and others.That is what it was like.Dr. John R. Mott, founder of this volunteer movement, presided. In his introduction of the other speakers he spoke on the value of Bible study. He expressed himself so fully and advo¬ cated the keeping of the morning watch so sin¬cerely that the writer decided to study and ob¬ serve the morning watch more carefully. If the reader will kindly pardon a personal mention, the writer will explain the effect of careful Bible study.After reading the second chapter of the Book of Genesis, the conclusion was reached that Eve could hardly be given the whole blame for the downfall of the human race. According to this book she was made by God after Adam had been told concerning the forbidden fruit. It does not say that God told her about this fruit, but she knew it. Perhaps Adam told her. Now consider it in this manner. If Adam had been created under the same circumstances, would it not»have been possible for him to have been the guilty one ? This is a chance for argument. At this time it would not be improper to mention that the Nor¬ mal Young Mens Christian Association main¬ tains three Bible Study classes, one in the Y. M. C. A. rooms at 4:15 p. m. Tuesdays at the Cen¬ tral Christian church Sunday afternoon at 2 :30, and at the Centenary Methodist church at 2:30 on Sunday afternoon, to which every young man of the State Normal has a standing invitation.But it is time to get back to the original sub¬ ject. Mr. Eddy calls the great awakening in the far East a new Renaissance. The changes in Asia that are now going on are even more vast and fundamental than those that drew out of medieval Europe the foundation of present Occidental life. The histories that are yet to be written will make this Renaissance in the far East just as important a subject as the European one is in the histories of today. Europes revival of thinking affected about one hundred million people, while Asias great awakening will affect about nine hundred million. It may be that some of the Normal men and women may have their names written down in history as the makers of some of the nations. |
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Source: |
http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/32553 |
Collection: |
Indiana State University Archives |
Further information on this record can be found at its source.