The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-06-29

Young men. because We are strong" Is it not
well on these anniversary occasion, to stop ana
ask "Are we doing all we CAM is there no
way by which we can broaden our heid OF Ia
| Dor and extend our usefulness?
1t seems to us this might be done very mate
| rally if the ladies could be induced to take
| more active part in our labors. In THIS age
when woman is filling station never before
occupied by her. and exerting such marked
influence in the world, we should desire very
| strongly to avail ourselves of this increase OF
strength by adding her power to our own.
| Without the aid and cooperation OF our SISTERS
large part of our work must be left undone.
| Will not the Christian women of Portland and
| vicinity accept the invitation we extend them
to join our number and share our burden?
Let us then put on the whole armor OF God,
| and Join hands in this noble work with zeal
| that no Encouragement can quench, for the
| work of rescuing the lost will never end. Day
by day, generation by generation it must ne
begun again. Let us then be co-workers with
| God in this grand work, and
| "Rescue the perishing,
Care for the dying;
snatch them in pity from sin and the grave.
| Weep DER the errDg one
| Lift UP the fallen,
| Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save"
| Then when the battle of life is over and we
| arrive on the other side there will be COM
| pany of rescued men and women around US
| pouring out their hearts in praise, not indeed
| to us but to Him who has redeemed them 10
God by His blood out of every kindred and
| tongue and people and nation.
| At the conclusi IN of Mr.. Winters address
| the Rev. r. r. Meredith, d. D., of Boston de-
livered powerful and eloquent address upon
| the benefit and the need of Young Mems
| Christian Associations in every city and COM
munity in the land.
REV. DIR. MEREDITH's ADDRESS.
DIR. Meredith opened his address by re mind
irU bic hat nj
to himself the delusion that he is Christian
unless he is worker. The sooner that God
and man lock hand and go to work the better;
never until men join God and work in the glo-
rious vineyard will there be harvest. God
said the salvation of Israel is 20 come out of
Zion. God said 81 am the life; go We into all
worlds and preach to all people. The under
| lying principle of Christian endeavor is to
carry the gospel to dark and hidden minds.
God has chosen way for the furtherance OF
his work-his plans. He might have sent an
angel down from Heaven; He could have
done SO, instead OF of obliging us to do it. But
He has not begun to do SO; that Is not His
plan. We are His co-workers and if His work
| is not done it will be left undone
| The hardest thing to get rid of in Christian
! is selfshness and when man succeeds in get
ting it out he is then perfect Christian How
can it then be gotten out? No virtue can be
taught it must be learned by practice, and
the best way is to go to work on that line. I
hear many times, said the reverend gentleman,
prayers that are the very essence of selfshness
and am reminded of the old prayer:
God bless me and my wife,
My son John and his wife;
Us four and no more; amen
Men, in order to become good, true, Chris
tian men must get rid of selfshness. There is
to be collection tonight let us cheer mp.
You will have chance to begin to practice
the virtue and get rid of the worst obstacle a
man trying to be Christian has to contend
with. Do not shrivel up; but let the human
soul overflow as it will if you only put your
self in cooperation with Christ. You can't be
Christian without the aid OF the Christian
church, bear that in mind, neither can you be
of any use fighting the devil outside the infu-
ence of church.
The Young Mems Christian Association are
an arm of the church, which have for their
specific object the reclamation of young men.
These young men who flock into the cities;
how they all need such protection as tne as
sociations stretch forth In every city that mas
the enterprise and philanthropy to sustain
one. DIR. Meredith closed by entreating the
auditors, friends and others who have the as
ISOLATION in mind and to whom it looks for
support, to withhold not their hands, butte
give literally. He reminded them that now
they are sowing the seed; soon will they see
golden harvest. (Applause)
At the conclusion of DR.. Merediths speech a
collection was taken up and it is hoped that
liberal sum was secured to the rather depleted
treasury of the Y. M. G. A. The audience
rose at the invitation of the choir leader and
Joined in singing "Blest is the Tie that Binds"
Dr. Kimball then introduced the Rev. T. De-
Witt Talmage of Brooklyn, n Y, who spoke
very effectively on the value of Christian en-
deavor.
DIR. TALMAGE's ADDRESS.
Dr. Talmage was received with loud and
and complimentary applause. He had the
same general air that charles all sensational
speakers and his entire audience was on the
qui uiue for something rich, rare and racy
They were not disappointed at the outset, for
such succession of sharp telling points have
seldom been hurled at Portland people. They
saIney enjoyed being pricked, and
in fact, some who were struck the hardest ap-
peared to relish the SMILES as keenly as the
rest. His allusion to the mixing up OF Ortho-
dox and Calvinists, all creeds in point OF fact,
always to be found on public platform on occa-
sions of this kind, occasioned great laughter
and many "amans" DR.. Talmage said 1T gave
him great pleasure to be present at the ami
versary. He was glad to find himself on a
common platform of Christian brotherhood
The great worksof the Young Mems Christian
Association is to create in all our young men a
knowledge that there is hut one God, one
Christ. The young men whom we want to
save are the generous hearted, the noble
young men whom Jeasus died to save. NOW,
in these associations, are to be found to-day
hundreds and thousands of young men who
have been brought under their influences after
they have left their homes in the bright hey
day of youth. DR.. Talmage plunged into his
subject that of the needs of Y. M. G. A. As
sociations in Christian work, at once, and ap-
pealed to young men to hold to their bibles
to turn deaf ear to scoffers at religious mat
tiers. He cited instances to prove that young
man cannot afford to let Ego athe blDle-eVen
if all else fails them
One of the great helps to sin young men in
cities have to contend with he said is the cor
rupt system of commercial ethics. There
were numerous instances, where employers
give their clerks to understand that they must
do this-do that-whether honest or dishonest,
or they cannot have positions. He lmplored
young men to turn from the danger. He said
that nothing could be worse than these dread
full pitfalls to be met with on every side.
These Young Mems Christian AS
sociations are for the purpose of
influencing these young hearts to do right
Another strong temptation is the vice OF strong
drink. This is one of the worst and most eff
fective weapons that the devil has to operate
with The Associations are organized for the
young; they do their work very quietly, but
with great success. They do their work in the
true missionary way, and they help to keep
many men from the public-houses, the bar
rooms the houses of sin and death, where
every facility is offered to pull them down TO per-
dition. Young men enter stores! They are fresh
from the country; they have been brought up
under the teachings of Christian parents; they
are Immediately pounced upon by these har-
pies of the devil, and led into the way of sin.
God can, and will help those who help them
selves. He begged his young men auditors to
let go the hold they had on the rope held out
by Satan, and turn now-leave the employ of
dishonest men, and trust in Providence.
DR.. Talmag &c interspersed many anecdotes to
illustrate his arguments, each of which
drought down the house," BE drove hard
at the tight-fsted Christians, and expressed
himself freely upon the possibility of their be.
coming bright and shining lights in the last
great day. In concluding his address, which
was short, he asked the friends of the Y. M. CA
of this city to foster it as they would child.
The Doxology, sung by the audience en-
masse, concluded the exercises.