Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-05
SPIRITUAL GROUP
TO ADDRESS MEET
oxford Students, Represent
ing South African Team,
Here Thursday.

Washington will be visited this week
;by the South African team of the
famous Oxford group, who returned to
this country shortly before Christmas
after having conducted in South Africa
one OF the most remarkable spiritual
campaigns of modern times.
The oxford group, under leadership
OF Rev. Frank N. D. Buchanan. who
organized the movement some years
ago for work in the colleges and uni
VersitieS OF Great Britain and America,
spent four months this Summer at a
series of religious conferences in the
Union of South Africa. These confer
ences, it is declared, resulted in a
virtual rebirth of personal religion
throughout the Union and, it is added
demonstrated the objective of the OK
ford movement, that the solution for
modern problems is to be found In the
New Testament.
Make Brief Stay Here.
This group of spiritual leaders, all of
them university men and women, will
speak at meeting Thursday evening
at e:15 o'clock in the Willard Hotel.
They are expected to arrive in the
city Thursday morning and probably
VIII remain only for the meeting, which
IS designed to interest religious move
.ments regardless of denomination
Headed by Mr.. Buchanan. a Lutheran
clergyman and American Rhodes
scholarship graduate of oxford, the
group includes IL persons of various
religious beliefs, experiences and pro-
LESSONS, besides several famous ath-
1etes who have become affiliated with
the oxford movement. Howard Blake
a representative of Mr.. Buchanan, is in
charge of arrangements for the meet
ing.
Members Of the party include Rev.
j. P. Thornton Duesbury, chaplain and
fellow Of Corpus Christi College, OK
lord; Morris Morgan, New College. OK
ford, a lsEyer of johannesburg. South
Africa; Archdeacon Haywood Harris
of the Anglican Church of Durham.
South Africa; A. S. L. Hamilton, Christ
Church, Oxford S. A. Richardson.
University College, oxford; E. o. E.
Hill, Magdalen College. Oxford; George
Daneel, University of Stellenbosch,
South Africa; Miss Sylvia De Wet, Pre-
torta; South Africa: Vernon snee of
st. Johns College, Oxford Miss Jane
Rambo Of Knoxville, Tenn; Miss Olive
M. Jones, former president of the Ma
'ttonal Education Association, and John
s. Beck of Summit, N ].
Mr.. Daniel, one of the student mem
bers OF the party, is the Red" Grange
of South Africa. The most noted
rugby player ever produced in the
Union, he was a member of the all
South African team and kicked more
goals last season than any other player
Mr.. Richardson, another athlete, is cap
tain Of the oxford boxing team.
Another interesting member of the
group is Rev. -Duesbury,
known as triple first" being one
of the only four residents at oxford
who was awarded first honors in all
his subjects.
The Oxford Movement in South
Africa was quickly taken up by the
press and spread throughout the coun-
try. The conferences are called house
parties" and from one of these others
grew until it was reported that the
religious influence was felt in all the
schools and colleges. A rugby inter-
members of the teams devoted their
full time instead to- work of the OK
ford group.
Mr.. Buchanan. who is "F. B." of
Harold Begbie's book, Life Changers" !
was born about so years ago in Penn !
sylyania. For some years he was con-
nected with the Y NJ. C. A. and did !
effective evangelistic work among stu I.
dents.
House Party idea Adopted.
In the years following the World
War the conviction grew on him that
the most neglected field of spiritual
endeavor In the English-speaking world
was to be found in the colleges and uni
VerAtleS OF Britain and America. He
saw, too, that there was no group of
people better able to bring about a
vital Christian movement. To awaken
interest something distinctive was
needed. The week end house party. an
established channel Of social inter-
course, offered an evident solution of
the problem.
In the Summer Of 1918 the first of
these conferences took place at Kuling.
a Central China resort, with a group
OF Chinese and foreign missionaries.
clergymen and professional men. Out
OF this conference two years later in
England grew the present Oxford
Group Movement.
The movement spread to the United
States, but the name was held be-
cause 1t best describes the atmosphere
OF these gatherings, which in their
general setting more closely resemble a
secular house party than the usual
religious conference or convention.
They have been called the Church in
the house.
Such a house party is being held
now by the Oxford Group members at
Br1arcl1h Lodge, Briarcliff Manor. N. Y.