American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-05-23

registered houses of prosttution-in all
of which every young man will meet
cordial welcome. Why, here is a whole
army with banners, a sonorous and gilt
tering array, perpetually recruiting for
those powers of Evil which our philan.
thropists claim to oppose. 1t is cstimat-
ed that the receipts of the "prctty-waiter.
girl" saloons and of the houscsot i'll fame
alDne, amount to the annual sum of &C.
100000. Add to this enormous item
the immense income OF the dram.shops,
and you have an exhaustless commissary-
chest for the maintenance Of the satanic
campaign.
What are the forces ON the other side?
Item: few Evening Schools; the APP
paentices Library and the Printers Free
Library; neither sufficient for the class
designated in its title; item: the Mercan-
tile Library, richly endowed, noble in
stitution, but which docs not directly aim
at social aud moral influence, and offers
no attractions without charge; item: the
Cooper Union, in many respects the most
comprehensive and efficient of all, but
limited in comparison with the field ar
ound it; item: 80 attractive places ol wor
shiu, too fashionable and expensive for
young men to attend; item: 30l places of
worship, where the sttings are at mod.
crate rates, but the preaching and exer-
cises of which, not to be irreverent, the
young men consider dear at any price.
The Young Mems Christian associa-
tion, however forms vanguard of en-
couraging influences and bids fair to be
a host in itself, |, has lattcrly been man
aged by earnest and accomplished young
men, belonging to resident families,
who devote time and money without
stint to belriending those less fortunate
than themselves. There are literary, So
cial, aud religious facilities at the rooms
OF the Assoclatiou and its members per-
form deal of gratuitous labor in finding
aid and employment for those newly ar
rived and out of work. Committees "On
Boarding Houses" "On Employment" ,"
and "On Visitation of the Sick" are sig
nificant of the practical turn which the
Christianity of this Association has taken.
The managers are now essaying to in
crease their means to the proportions of
the work in hand, aud, especially, to erect
a building which will really enable them
to offer social and moral attractions to the
young men of New York Their design
includes a Lecture Room, Reading Room,
Circul ating and Reference Libraries,
Conv ersation Rooms, Il Gymnasium, and
other means of recreation and advance
ment. Such a house could not fail to be.
come a general place of resort. For its
erect ion and endowment they ask the
sum of 250,000. The amount, if large,
is nothing in consideration of the object
to be gained, and our generous merchants,
if they choose, can raise it in a single
day They can find no better use for sur
plus funds, since this is almost the first
movement, of a truly philosophical nature,
in behalf of the youths of this city. 1t
is based upon Heavens own plan-that
of making the instincts and tastes Of the
young subscrve to their growth and we'll
being. Young men love, and will seek
for, brightness, friendship entertainment,
love, society. Give them something Of
all this in the pure and natural way if
you would offer any effective opposition
to the saloon, the gambling hell, and the
brothel
1t is strange that the gathering forces
of corruption which rcdden our thorough
fares at night with their lurid watchfrcs,
do not awaken an alarm among US. We
fear the coming pestilence, and have ov-
erthrown the routine of years to stay its
advent. But what of this moral plague 2
at is not so difficult, 0 Athenians, to cs-
cape the pcstilcnce; but, first of all, flee
depravity, for it courses swifter than