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~ii ,1,, i „ i tjt 2 J| (library) CjqfcßWf|fe< IN THF VOLUME ONE. NO. FOETY. The Young Men's Christian ation An Account of its Origin and its Present Work. c- Ete-' d II ' JMjj| HOtjg vßs ’■ «M |g ' j| Sir George Williams. a human characteristic as is that of a univer sal complaint against adverse conditions, and it is only occasionally that a thinking person seeks the source of the influence which has brought benefits into his life. For instance, if one would ask the average young man today, 11 What is the Young Men’s Christian Association, and how was it or ganized?” the chances are that he would answer to the latter question, “I do not know,” and to the former he would say, according to his own standard, either “It is a place where a man may get general instruction cheaply” or “It is a place where for a small annual sum you have the use of a splendid gymnasium and an up-to-date reading room.” While all of these answers are obviously true yet all of them combined form only half the truth regarding one of the best known and most useful organiza tions which marked the history of the nineteenth century, and which bids fair to incorporate itself into the history of all our future civilization. Material benefits most certainly accrue to the members of this Association, but the primal cause of the great world-wide movement was not a ma terial but a spiritual one, and its origin was a di vine spirit of helpfulness which grew in the heart of a humble young Englishman who began to work for the uplifting of his kind more than sixty years ago. This young man was merely a clerk or an apprentice in a dry goods shop in Bridgewa ter, England, who in 1837, when he was but a lad of sixteen years, felt the divine touch in his life and in his heart, and who became an ardent Chris tian himself and who was, naturally, anxious for the welfare of his fellow workers. “What” you may ask, “could a poor boy alone and unaided accomplish, save for, perhaps, the very few of , bis personal friends and acquaintances?” The , answer to this question will be found in the fol lowing history of one of the greatest organizations in • the world today. An organization which has done more for the making of pure and honest citi zenship and for the spread of the Gospel “even unto the uttermost ends of the earth” than any other one movement which the world has seen. For It is a fact worthy of more than passing com ment that the average in dividual accepts the alle viations offered to him by helpful institutions and organizations with but little questioning as to the source or reason for the existence of such potent influences for good, and the same is true of our acceptance of providen tial provisions for our comfort and happiness. This quality is as much ATLANTA, GA., NOVEMBER 22, 1906. this young English clerk was George Williams, the founder of the Young Men’s Christian Association. A man of humble parentage, but who was knighted in later life by Queen Victoria as a royal recogni tion of his service to humanity—a man who was brave enough and strong enough to disregard the limitations of his surroundings and to reach out for a yet wider circle until he put himself in touch with young men of every class and every country and united with other Christian workers for the sal vation and the service of his kind. Yet the story is a simple one enough—the young apprentice left the small town of Bridgewater and in 1841 he took a position with the Aim of Hitch cock & Co., St. Paul’s Churchyard, London. It was customary in those days for the employes of a large firm to occupy rooms on the premises, and George Williams soon found himself one of a small colony of young men, all engaged in the same work by day but having no common bond and no congenial employment for their hours of leisure. He soon discovered, also, that many forms of vice were common in this group , and being himself im bued with a great spiritual light he first sought the one or two kindred spirits who were near him and together they decided to meet each evening in the bed room of one or the other and to invite their fellow workers to join them in a simple religious service. This service was preceded and followed by social converse which in itself proved an attrac tion to those lonely young men. Mr. Williams, rec ognizing fully the active need for some organiza tion which should insure a continuance of the work as well as of its increase, approached Mr. Hitch cock, the head of the firm, with the request for a room to devote to the purposes of these meetings. To his surprise Mr. Hitchcock, who was regarded as an austere and hard man, was impressed at once with the plan presented to him, and he not only gave the desired room, but also accorded the young men his heartiest interest and support. First Step in Organization. It was then decided to attempt like organization with the young men in other large firms, and the success of this attempt being so marked, new and larger meeting rooms were needed. At a meet ing held on June 4, 1844, it was decided to organize a “Young Men’s Christian Association” the avowed object of which was to “improve the spiritual con dition of young men engaged in the drapery (dry goods) and other trades.” The name was chosen as being an exact statement of the purpose of the organization. During the period of formation John C. Symons and William Creese acted as voluntary secretaries but in 1845 it was found that the work devolving on the secretary was of such a nature as to demand a man’s full time; hence T. H. Tarlton was engaged as the first salaried secretary of the first Young Men’s Christian Association. One by one other elements besides the purely re- ligious one was introduced into Association work and today branches of this great organization may be found in every part of the civilized world. Those of France and Switzerland are directly traceable to the London movement, as of course, all the American associations are likewise, for branches of the London organization were very early formed in Montreal, Canada, and the United States was eager and anxious for the work within our own midst. First American Association. The very first American Association was the one founded in Cincinnati in 1848 under the name of “Young Men’s Society of Enquiry” which name was changed to the “Cincinnati Society of Relig ious Enquiry” and in February, 1853, this society added to its name the words “and Young Men’s Christian Union.” The transition to the present name and the increase to the present vast field of work was but a natural step in the progress of a movement designed for the best good of the young men of our country—organized by these young men and brought today to a state of usefulness which even surpasses the brightest dreams of its founder. Growth of the Work During Sir George Williams’ Life. To but few men is it given to see the full frui tion of a most cherished plan, but Sir George Wil liams was a shining exception to this rule. Thie work which he began in a small and humble way grew of its own momentum, as it were, until before his death, which did not occur until November 5, 1905, lie was able to personally witness results which seem little short of miraculous when viewed in the aggregate. It is said that the young men, twelve in number, who met in the old store of Hitchcock & Co., contributed just sixty cents a week to “Association” purposes, and as figures speak more convincingly than mere statements of facts, we can say that at the close of 1905 in North America alone more than SIIO,OOO was expended weekly—that this sum, amounting to $7,000,000 yearly, was contributed by 400,000 members; also, that the membership of the Y. M. C. A. in other countries numbers about 300,000 with a yearly con tribution estimated at about $4,000,000! Comparing also, the one room in which the parent association met it is of interest to note that over $10,000,000 is being expended for new buildings, and that ev ery building erected for the use of the Young Men’s Christian Association is just one more stone in the Temple of Right and means just one more step toward the Source of all Righteousness. Varying Branches of the Work. While the religious element in the great work is never subservient to any other, yet it was soon un derstood that the principal way in which to contrib ute to the real usefulness of young men was to give TWO DOLL AES A YEAE. FIVE CENTS A COPY.