The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-05-22
ITHE 81. -iM... C,.I.A. :

THE II. NJ. GA. ts.'afis3
THE ANNUAL MEETING-THE PRESIDENTS
ANNUAL REPoRT-PEoGREss .oF TIL ]
WORK OF THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PREsENT-ELEcTIoN OF OFFICERS.
rThe,annual meeting OF the Young Mems
Christian Association was held at their hall
last night. ~ es.tag .Egi!fg6
After the usual devotional exercises the
President: OF the Association, j. D.. T.
Sleight, Esq read hisannual report, which
was adopted, as follows: H
PRESIDENTS REPORT.
Tn presenting our twenty-fourth annual
report brief epitome OF our past history
may not be untimely or uninterest;Hg.
This Association was organized in De.
cember, 1854, with Hon. p. Y. Daniel, Jr.,
as. its first president. The people OF Rich.
mond rallied to its support, and prosperity
attended it. A good library was gathered,
pleasant rooms secured, frequent meetings
held for social and religious culture, and an
endowment fund commenced for future
hall. Then came the war, and our Associa-
tion took her stand grandly, with out
stretched hands and willing hearts-these
circumstances leading 1t to assume more oil
an eleemosynary character In its workings
and it thus accomplished untold good
among the suffering poor OF Richmond and
the sick and needy soldiers then crowdine
our city.
At the evacuation, on the Sd OF April,
1865, our library, records, &C., all persisted,
and our endowment fund was blotted out In
the smoke and ashes Of burning city.
FROM THAT SAD HOUR
till now our life has been marked by strug-
giles. and yet, through all these years OF
trial, we feel thaA God has not withdrawn
His blessing from us, nor left Us without
evidences Of our usefulness in this commu-
nifty. We have commodious and accessible
rooms, and good library with from 1900
to 1000 visitors per moEth, or an average Of
about so each day, while over 500 volumes
are drawn ont every month by the member
ship.
In our eeemosynary work constant aid,
to the extent OF our abilities, has been ex-
tended to the deserving poor all through the
past winter, while our officers and members
have .co0perated heartily with the Christian
Women's Mission in its work at the soup
house and the night school for poor boys.
In our strictly religious work we have
failed in our efforts to hold prayer meetings,
&C., at our rooms, but through the zeal OF
our committee on
RELIGIOUS EXERCISES
regular services have been held throughout
the year in penitentiary, jail, almshouse,
4 har fror
three TO six every week, or over two hun
dred meetings during the year. In this spe-
cial department Of our work "the field is
white to the harvest, and the laborers few"
Who is ready to enter in? These services
have been carefully and iudiciously con-
Quoted by our most devoted and intelligent
workers, frequently aided by tine ministers
OF our different churches, and great good
has been accomplished. Many who attend
these meetings are never seen inside our
churches, while numbers Of hopeful con-
versions have occurred, and the subjects
have united themselves with our various
denominations.
We have also, until the past winter, pro-
yided regular course OF interesting and
useful lectures each year; but the pecuniary
loss was SO great that our circumstances did
not seem to justify their continuance during
the season now closing. tly
OUR FINANCIAL CONDITION
will be seen by brief synopsis from our
treasurer's report, as follows-yiz.: Total
receipts of money for the year ending
April S0tb, S1,353.0S; total disbursements,
81 ,356.S1; balance due treasurer, 1913.
Our entire liabilities up to the 1st OF May
aggregate the sum Of S1,249.33, which is al-
most identical with the figures one year ago,
giving us the gratifying fact that our in
debtedness has not been increased, and that
no neao debts haze been contracted during
the present administration. We now have
subscriptions and pledges enough to pay
about one half OF this indebtedness, but a
portion OF it is contingent upon our raising
the entire amount. Surely, brethren, this
can and must be done, so that our beloved
Association may be relieved from this heavy
load and enter upon q brighter and more
useful future.
OUR PRESENT MEMBERSHIP
is about 400, but of this number nearly 10C
have failed to pay their recent annual dues
thus depriylng US Of some $500 income from
this source. No doubt much Of this remiss'
ness on the part Of our membership has
been caused by the stringency Of the times,
and we still hope that many OF these delin.
ouent ones will rally to our standard once
more. We propose for the future, il oul
means allow, to make our rooms and library
more attractive; to increase our supply and
variety of newspapers and periodicals, and
to hold regular monthly meetings OF the AS
sociation. In other words, we design togo
back to our original constitution.
Recent urgent and successful efforts have
been made to awaken new interest in ouI
Association and its work in Richmond. A
series OF public meetings have been inaugu'
rated, and generous contributions have
been made by many Of our citizens to aic
us in Iiquidating the debt which has beer
slowly accumulating for years past, arc
which has materially crippled all our aS
gressiye efforts. New and valuable mem
bers have recently united with us, and hoN
all that is needed is an earnest awakening
among the members OF the Association, tht
hearty cooperation OF our people, and the
gracious blessing Of God, and new era O
prosperity and usefulness will crown ou
future.
Respectfully submitted.
id. X. SLEIGuT, President.
The Association then proceeded to the
ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
NIr. Sleight having positively declined
reelection, Colonel William ?. Munford pu
in nomination Rev. j. William Jones, ant
appealed to him to serve II elected ana u
the Association to elect him.
MIR. Jones pleaded numerous engage
.ments, and begged the Association to selec
some one better able to discharge the dutle
OF the office. =,
The nomination was seconded ana urge,
by Colonel John b. Cary, Leroy ). Eo
wards, j. w. Cringan, Thomas Potts, an
others, and Dir. Jones was unanlmousi
alaotad