UNDERGRADUATE .
By DE SMO ND GRA YES (Christ Church, Oxford) EVENSONG was over. At the door, the Rector stc shaking hands with the people as they left. "Good-night! "he said to me. "I'm coming back," I replied; and joined the long qui standing close to the wall outside, seeking protection from rain : but it came down vertically and soaked the blazers ( gowns of the undergraduates queueing up for their spec ration of Evangelism. At twenty to eight I was back inside the church, sitt 115 damply in a pew and watching the speedy file of young n ell and women. A white linen collar stood out amongst a multi' tude of coloured raincoats. The familiar face was hardlY more recognisable than the strange dm. A duffle coat g its owner a roughly monkish look.
Tom struck eight, reminding us of our allegiance to University, warning us to keep our emotional feet on ground. At ten past, we began to sing hymns. The girl bes We sat silent and douteuse, the negro with the beard strait his eyes for a sight of the evangelist, the baritone behind Si loud enough for five, and in harmony. People came cea kssly in; five pairs of legs now dangled from every wind( sill; eight .behinds were lodged on each of the kneelers lin the centre aisle. The Bishop of Dorchester stood up and spoke of Kierkegaard, his intricate silver cross on its silver chain gleamed Tightly against the massive purple of his cassock. With his Index finger he made a point, and the episcopal amethyst played with a ray of light. We sang another hymn, and the baritone behind began to fail and grow hoarse, although he 4'11 bawled on. The captain of the University cricket team read the lesson; a olid figure in a dark suit, the light above his head reflected Ifn the sleek black hair. It was about Moses, and the harlot /61altab, and the faith that they had in common. When he had 'fished, he sat down where he had stood, for there was no t°0111 to move away. Another hymn, and this time they tried to take a collection. „1311( it was impossible to move about, and the Bishop asked 1-"eoPle to give moncy, as they left the church, to the yellow- ticketed stewards. Then we were praying about God and love and faith. Hesitantly, the Bishop introduced "Billy Graham --not Dr. Graham, because he comes tonight to speak to you as a man, not as an authority." Dr. Billy Graham mounted the steps to the pulpit. He fvore his academicals, a black velvet surplice with heavy cotton 1pves, and a crimson velvet hood. He looked worn out, after Wembley and the White City the previous day. " When I read what the newspapers said about me being 110110w-eyed today I just had to take another look in that Mirror. Then I swallowed another vitamin pill," he said, "and rw I'm feelin' fine! " He began with three jokes. We aughed immoderately, not because somebody was telling funny °ries in church, but because the jokes were really funny. 'silfere was something for everybody: Cambridge, politics, lhe H-bomb, the federal head of the Church, and religious sincerity. kt" But, Billy,' you will say, 'isn't it enough to be sincere? ' °- 1 once saw a footballer dribble a ball sixty-five yards down "le field in front of a wildly cheering crowd of twenty thousand People. He was the sincerest man on that field; but he was g°ing the wrong way." t,He held up his old Bible : the floppy black book containing ,11e Word of God. It curled over his hand as he read the ''"'enty-third psalm. It sounded as if he had just come across It today for the first time. We were all thrilled. He talked faith--the why and the how. He didn't know how to prove hnst to us. He just knew it was true by the inner feeling. he two long hands became fists on his chest. Tom struck nine. " Is that Tom bell? I've heard it called by so many different /lames I just don't know which is the right one. . . . Thank i°11, sir. Great Tom." The last piece of ice was broken and i` °”ated away on a sea of familiarity. He was autobiographical, then biographical. A former Iffember of the University who had been a very great athlete Was now a Presbyterian minister. He told us how a faggot srvice helped Bob Fergusson. In the other corner, Colin k-owdrey looked out from behind the lectern. We had expected passion, pyrotechnics, li'l ol' Moses, like Harringay. Instead we got logic, philosophy, Einstein. It 7as oppressively close, yet nobody fidgeted or fainted or snarracked from the back. Christianity would change us, he 441. Anxiety was a sin. t After he had spoken for forty-five minutes, he tried the acid tSt. We prayed, and then,he asked those who were ready to ‘,e,gin life anew to remain behind, and the rest to leave quickly. filed out as purposefully as we had come. Not a pew was alt , empty; none remained full. A college chaplain stood up sighed, as he looked about him. Perhaps he had been on committee that had vetoed the use of the Sheldonian for 'Ins meeting. tr Outside it had stopped raining, but the road still reflected „allic robots and headlights. A small crowd and a photo- 6raPher were waiting by Dr. Graham's car. At Carfax, two t°ek-marked G.I.s were negotiating with a couple of young
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