The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-21
THE WORLD FOR CHRIST
WAR CRY OF A YOUNG, BUT POWER
Full, RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION.
The International Student Volunteer
Movement for Foreign Missions
to Meet This Week.

CLEVELAND. o., Feb. 20.-"The World
for Christ is the war cry emblazoned on
the banner of one of the most unique and
what is claimed to be one of the most pow
erful and efficient Christian enterprises
the international Student Volunteer Move
ment for Foreign Mssions-which will hold
it's convention in this city from the 23d 10
the 9th of this month. 1t will probably be
one of the largest missionary gatherings of
the century. Some of the best known men
engaged in missionary work both in the
field and at home and the greatest number
Of missionary boards and organizations ever
brought together at one time will be here.
Practically every nation Of civilization, as
well as of heathendom, will send delegates.
Students, men and women. and professors
will come from the five great continents of
the world and from the islands of the sea.
Cleveland will have the latch-string out
to receive these representatives of the edu-
cational world. Five thousand young men
and women of education and refinement.
many of them the possessors of more than
one college or university degree. and hun
dreds of them pledged to go into the mis-
sion field-such is the character of the Stu
dent Volunteer Movement, and of such ma
teral will the coming convention be COM
posed. Important and far-reaching results
are dependent this gathering. A great
revival and awakening of missionary inter-
est in all civilized countries is expected to
follow in its wake
At recent meeting in New York. to
whic- the mission boards were invited 10
send representatives and which was to be
an official conference of these bodies TWEEN
ty-seven were represented. This was re-
garded at the time as a satisfactory show
ing. The character of the Student Volun-
teer Movement which is interdenomina-
tional and not officially connected with any
denomination. will be apparent from the
statement of one of the officials that lover
sixty of the denomination bodies are sure
to send their leading representatives, to the
meeting in Cleveland"
The Countries which will be officially rep
resented are Great Britain. India, Burmah.
Laos, Malaysia, China, Corea, Japan, Per-
sia, Syria. Turkey. Macedonia, Africa
Colombia Brazil, Chile and the United
States. There will also be representatives
from southern Europe and some OF the Pa
cic islands.
The Student Volunteer Movement has been
in existence only twelve years; yet II has
accomplished as claimed by rs 1riends,
what other enterprises for the outlet of mis-
sionary zeal have failed in doing. The de-
nominational missionary boards have been
hampered and handicapped in their work by
the fact that it was difficult for them 10
secure an adequate number of men and
women, properly educated and equipped,
who would go as missionaries to foreign
lands. The Student Volunteer Movement. in
it's function as an enlisting and training
agency for volunteers among college and
university students has it is said. changed
the condition of affairs. Men and women
are no longer lacking. but the means
wherewith TO send them-five thousand stu
dents-largey of the colleges and universe
ties Of North America, being now ready TO
go. In the last few years a great change
is said to h taken place among the stu
dents in then attitude toward religious mat
ters and il is stated that the colleges are
becoming the centerS of religious influence
and missionary zeal
This convention will bring together repre-
sentatives from UNCONVENTIONAL colleges like
Amherst Williams. Beloit. Ohio Wesleyan:
state institutions like Cornell. the Uniyersi-
ties of Michigan Vermont, Ohio, Wiscon-
SIM Texas, California; independent univer-
sites like Harvard. Yale. Princeton, Vir-
ginia denominations like Drew. the Chi
cage, Mccormick, Princeton, Andover, and
many others. And there Will be present