The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-06-11
(For the Dspatch.I
Twolfth Annual Conference of the Sec
retarics Of the Young Mems Chris
tim AssOciufiOuS.

New HAVEN. CONN. June \, lSS2.
The twelfth Annual Conference OF the
Association OF General Secretaries OF the
Young Mems Christian Associations OF the
United States and the Dominion Of Canada
assembled in this city yesterday at $50 +.
VI. The meeting opened with devotional
service; after which the delegates were in
troduced. The topic. "AssociatiOn's Ser
vices Merely for Public Effect" WAS then
opened by paper prepared and read by
w. T.. Lewis, state secretary OF Wisconsin.
This morning the business session OF the
Conference opened with devotional SER
vice; after which a conversation on Assoc
citation history was opened with a paper
prepared by llr. j. 7. Bovine, OF Newburg,
\. \.
The next topic, " Secretarialism n
Snare in Association Work. was opened
by paper by Mr.. II. Il. McBurney, OF
New York.
In the afternoon the topic was "Thc
Secretary's Relation to Young Men in His
Work, Showing Fitness Cor the Secretary
ship" opened by Mr.. W. c. Douglass. Of
II. Louis. This was followed by deyo-
tonal exercises and Z conversation on As
ISOLATION work.
This evening the subject will be "Col
| lege Association Work." opened by Mr..
c. Il. ODER, OF New York.
There are i'm attendance over two hun
dred secretaries and young men who are
/ proposing 10 take up Association work as
general secretaries.
/ When the Secretaries Association was
/ organized twelve years ago there were only
/ about twenty secretaries employed III AS
/ ISOLATION work; now there are tWo hum
/ dred and fifty-seyen-thc number having
! doubled in the last two or three years.
Then there were 10 secretaries in the
southern states, and but two or three in
the West. Now they are located in nearly
every southern and western city. The
increase in the number OF secretaries has
only kept pace with the growth OF Asso-
citation work in other directions.
In 1866, when the International Com
mittee was organized, there were no build
ings owned by the associations. Now
there are siXty-SiX, worth S2,700,000, and
with but one or two exceptions they are
free OF debt. During the present year new
| buildings have been erected at Rome. ".
| Y, costing $1,000; Ehnira, \. Y, or. RI
$1,000: Watertown, n. Y, 100000; and
there will be added before the year closes
fine buildings at Boston. costing $500. 200 !;
Buffalo, $4,000; Pittsburgh, $4,000
Washington, $4,000; NewbTg, II. Y,
$4,000; and Troy, n. Y, Or. r. $1,000.
1t was ten years after the International
Committee was organized that work among
ralroad-men, rs class, was taken up.
Already forty-siX railroad Association secre-
taries are employed, and the leading rail-
road corporations contributed $4,000 per
year TO sustain the work among their en-
ployes.
In 1878 work among colleges, rs a dis
tinctiye phase OF the Association work, was
taken up. There were but few college as-
sociations at that time; now they number
l75, and in every prominent college in the
country except three they are at work.
The International Committee has recent
~ taken upwork for commercial travellers.
a class that numbers 100000, and nearly all
young men.
Among German young men, OF whom
there are over 100000. four secretaries are
at work, and the international Committee
are doing valuable work among the jO0.-
600 colored young men of the South.
In 1866 the International Committee re-
ceiyed and expended some $500. Now
they employ nine secretaries and three as
sistants, and eXpend $4,000 per annum.
Then there wasno State OF provincial Asso-
citation secretaries. Now there are eleven,
having charge OF the work in as many
States and provinces.
New Haven, the City Of Elms, is beau
tiiul place, with its parks and trees. II Is
the seat Of Yale College, founded in 1900,
having now siXty-nine instructors and ten
! hundred and forty-two students. Its grad
yates are scattered all over the'world, and
are TO be found As leaders in science, art,
politics, and the professions.
The Conference Is the guest OF the local
Association. and the people Of New Haven
have opened their homes for the entertain
ment OF the delegates.
The results Of these annual gatherings