Newspaper Page Text
6
German Y. M. C. A. Students in
Convention
By MARVIN F. BEESON, Carnegie Exchange Teacher, Potsdam.
Every year just after the summer
vacation, begins there gathers in the
beautiful little mountain city of
Wernigerode in the Hiarz, an assemb
ly of some five hundred students for
the annual conference of the German
Y. M. C. A. While this movement,
owing to the slight interest shown by
the students here to religion in gen
eral, is much smaller than the cor
responding one in America, still it has
grown more rapidly in the last years
and has become a factor, however
small, in the German academic life.
The Y. M. C. A. in most of the Ger
man universities numbers some fif
teen to forty men, though the organi
zation at Tubingen is considerably
larger.
While in America these student con
ferences are divided into two sections,
one for the north and one for the
south, the latter meeting near Ashe
ville in the mountains of North Car
olina, here there is only one central
conference for all Germany. This
little town at which it meets, the seat
of the government of the Prince of
Stolberg-Wernigerode, is situated ©n
the slope of the Harz mountains, and
is noted as a city of flowers, tourists
and girls’ schools. The students who
attend usually take advantage of the
opportunity and make a tour through
the Hiarz as soon as the ceonfernce
is ov©r.
The conference began every morn
ing at half past nine by a paper fol
lowed by a general discussion. The
first of these was written by Prof.
Paul Gruner, a well known scientist
of the University of Berne, his subject
being, “Man in His Struggle With
Nature.” Others were Dr. Hein’s,
from Halle, A. S., lecture on “Peace
with God,” and a paper by the famous
Leipziger theologian, Prof. Ihmels, on
“Answered Prayer.” The afternoons
were devoted to various walks and re
ports on various subjects, the most in
teresting of which was a report of the
well known Berliner social worker,
Dr. Paul Le Seur, on the “Inter
national Student Conference” at Lake
Mohonk, U. S. A., in wlrch he show
ed many sharp observations of Amer
ican life and institutions in general.
Also the report of the young Dr. Sieg
mund-Schultze on his social settle
ment work in Berlin, and the lecture
of the noted American missionary,
Dr. Zwemer, from Cairo, on the
“Mohammedan World”, the latter
held, however, through an interpreter,
were interesting events.
German and American Students—The
Difference.
There are several chief differences
between the American Conference at
Asheville and this one. Since the
German Y. M. C. A., is so small, and
is more or less disregarded by other
students, the members seem to be
really more in earnest, and men of
far deeper spirituality than the mem
bers in America where tradition, the
influence of members, and the general
pietfstic tendencies play such a part.
Again, the American thinks little of
the inward life, of a harmonious sys
tem of practical philosophy, while
the philosophically inclined German
Christian student shows in his con
duct -andi character, that he had not
simply accepted a svstem of formu
las workpd out by oP'er? b-t t’'%f he
NEWS FROM THE WORKERS
THE GOLDEN AGE FOR WEEK OF SEPT. 18
had gone through the inward strug
gle and found satisfaction, that he has
“worked out his own salvation with
fear and trembling.”
In America athletics, college colors,
pennants and yells play an important
part in the organization and Confer
ences of the Y. M. C. A., but in Ger
many this is unknown. None of this
is included in the aim of the German
organization, so there is no fear of
these occupations being put first. Also
the form of organization is much
looser here than in America. There
is a President, but he holds much the
same place and position as the other
members and is rarely heard from.
Too much is done in America by ap
pealing to the “college spirit” and to
the American gift for oratory, and
for organizing while in Germany
everything that is accomplished by
the society is done wholly by the
direct appeal to the religious interest
and spiritual life. There are no traps
and “catchy melthods” here, no great
assembly halls, nor attractive music,
and consequently those men who at
tend the meetings are usually earnest
and sincere in their search for the
true Christian life, while in America
the Y. M. C. A., is too often a society
for the promotion of a “college spirit”
and athletics with relig : ous motives
apparently in the background.
Through Forests of Beauty
After leaving Wernigerode, I am
spending several weeks in the Harz.
The Harz railroad leads from there
through vast forests of firs and box
trees, gradually ascending green hill
sides dotted now and then by herds
of cattle, the music of whose tinkl
ing bells penetrate even through the
car windows. This railroad ends at
the top of the Brocken or the Blocks
berg of Goethe’s “Faust.” The bleak,
but w’ld and rocky summit has given
rise to many an old legend to German
folk-lore which one can easily justify
after seeing the many fantastic forms
of the great rocks about which graze
a few haggard looking goats on the
desert slopes. It is here that the
witches hold their mid-night carou
sels in the “Walpurgisnacht”, the first
of May. Here they come riding on
their broomsticks or black cats from
all directions to hold their high court
and brew their magic potions. Woe
to the unfortunate wanderer who errs,
or as Faust, is led into these parts
on this night.
In general the Harz is a beautiful,
idyllic spot on the north central part
of Germany, the woods and hills of
which offer rest and recreation to
thousands of people every summer
who are bound/ by their profession to
the city life in this thickly populated
country. In winter it is even more
attractive. The young people come
in throngs at Christmas bring’ng
their sleds, sleighs and skis, for the
fascinating winter sport. True, the
restful music of the mellow-toned
cow bells of the Harz so noted and
loved Is hushed, but in its stead the
“merry jingle of the bells, sleigh bells,
and the joyous laughter of the crowds
of children and young people awaken
the hearts to new thrills of delight.
The German notion is happy in hav
ing such a play ground in its center.
Sam Monroe’s Remarkable Chart
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J
UST for the sake of putting
something good in the way
of Christian workers, es
pecially those who work in
Sunday Schools and with young peo
ple “every day and Sunday, too,” we
are giving herewith a cut of Sam D.
Monroe’s remarkable chart which we
partly introduced to our readers some
months ago.
The maker of this chart is well
Georgia Sunday School Association
The Executive Committee of the
Georgia Sunday School Association
held an important meeting at the
o-_ce of the Association at 613 Tem
ple Court Bldg., Atlanta, Monday,
September Sth. The following mem
bers were present: Mr. J. J. Cobb,
Macon, Chairman; Mr. Frank L. Mai
lary, Macon; Rev. Troy Beatty,
Athens; Mr. T. M. Furlow, Americus;
Mrs. W. M. Wilcox, Elberton; Rev.
W. C. Schaeffer, Dr. Jos. Broughton,
Mr. A. B. Caldwell, Dr. Marion McH.
Hull, and Mr. J. V. Wellborn,, Mr. D.
W. Sims, of Atlanta.
Several important items of business
were transacted.
Among other things it was voted to
employ an Elementary Superintend
ent, and a sub committee consisting
of the President, Dr. Jos. Broughton,
the Chairman of the Executive Com
mittee, Mr. J. J. Cobb, and the Gen
eral Secretary, Mr. D. W. Sims,
were appointed to name the person
and salary.
On motion a vote of congratulations
was extended to the officers of Ca
toosa, Newton and Hancock County
School Association for their splendid
work in bringing these counties up to
the Banner Standard..
On motion Mr. T. S. Lowry, Sr., of
Macon, was elected as a member of
the Executive Committee to take the
place of Rev. S. Y. Jameson, who had
moved from the state, and Mr. Asa
G. CnndP-r, Sr., of Atlanta, was elect-
Unique Help to Teachers Everywhere
known to the Editor of The Golden
Age who personally rejoices in all
the good things he is hearing of the
golden fruitage which the chart is
bearing.
Many wayward boys have been
converted as a result of talks and
sermons built by laymen as well as
preachers around the “10 Step Chart.’
Congressman Hobson, one of the
greatest prohibition orators and mor
al leaders in America, says: “Sam
D. Monroe’s ‘lO Steps’ chart ought to
be in every school, church, society and
home in the land.”
The author joyiously tells this
story:
“One of our Birmingham young
men, with a wife and tw r o sweet chil
dren, was fast going the inebriate
route. He stepped into a printing
office in May and picked up a Gospel
Post Card that was being printed
from the cut on the last page of this
folder and ridiculed it at first, but
it gripped him, and a few days later
he volunteered the testimony that it
had lead his conversion, and never
again would he touch liqour. Verily,
what simple little things our Lard
sometimes uses to arrest the way
ward and bring joy and gladness to
the hearts and lives of wives and
children. This incident was not in
tended to reach the writer but 1 am
glad it did.”
This chart is 18x38 inches and
when hung on the wall can be plain
ly seen all over the church or school
room. The price has been reduced
from 50c to 25c. Write to Rev. Sam
D. Monroe, Birmingham, Ala., and get
one of these charts to hold up be
fore the eyes of the boys and girls
of the community.
ed to take the place of Dr. J. H
Dickey, of Oxford, resigned l .
The report of the General Secre
tary, Mr. D. W. Sims, showed that in
the four months since the state con
vention he had traveled $263 miles,
worked in 34 counties, delivered 154
addresses in 44 regular meetings, and
helped in 27 regular co«fernces. His
report also Showed that there are now
about 70 counties organized in the
state, and that 21 County School Con
ventions have been held in the past
four months, and definite dates are
already arranged for 16 others'.
In the Hall County Convention,
which was the first convention held
in that county, they had 26 Sunday
Schools represented by six pastors,
ten Superintendents, and 44 Sunday
School teachers, besides a large num
ber of Sunday School workers. A
number of (other conventions have
been held that were nearly as good
as this one.
The General Secretary’s report also
brought to light some Interesting
facts. For example, he helped in a
meeting in one church that had 270
members, and only 12 of these wore
enrolled in the Sunday Sehnot In an
other convention only two of the Sun
day Schools represented run twelve
months in the year.
The Georgia Sunday School Asso
ciation through its workers are push
ing better methods of Sunday Schoo!
(Continued on page 7, Column 34