Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-04-24
Y. NJ. g. A. ANNIVERSARY.


sunday Evening.
The anniversary exercises of the Young
Mems Christian Association were held in
the College Street Congregational church
Sunday evening. The church was filled tC
overlooking by the friends of the Associa-
ton, who had assembled to listen to an
account of its work for the year, and tc
testify their sympathy with It's object On
the platform were the retiring presi-
dent of the association, Mr.. f.
w. Smith, the president, Mr. w
j. Van Patten, the general secretary,
Mr.. Edgar Beckwith, and the
pastors of the churches. Music for the
occasion was furnished by the choir and
org anist of the College street church.
Rev. j. |. Bliss, rector OF St Paul's, read
the opening scripture selection, and Rev
DIR. Halves of the WinoDski avenue Con-
gregatlonal church offered prayer. The
report of the retiring president Mr. f. w.
smith, was then read. President
Van Patten then introduced Rev. NJ. D..
Jump of the Methodist church. who
spoke, briefly as follows:
Rev. Mr.. Jumps Remarks.
We seem to have fallen upon the return
to the age of cabulistc signs; and shall
take, rs the heads of my brief remarks,
this evening, the letters y. NJ. c. A, only
| shall take the liberty of reversing their
regular order In the first place. as to
what. we arc doing. And ! say what ne
are doing because ! count myself mem
Der of the association. As member |
have watched the work which is being
done with the greatest interest and espe-
cially have remarked the good influence
which is being exercised by the as
ISOLATION in its work for boys. | have
frequently visited the boys room, and can
testify to the humanizlng and refining
effect of that room, with its associations
and accessories. | suspect that this work
is more important than many of us have
thought. ! have seen distinct advantage
also in the work of the associa-
ton for young men--for the re-
llgous young men of the community,
especially in training them for religious
duties in the churches; in giving them a
ppTTactlca! drill in Christian work.
doing II good deal in harmonlzing
and bringing into closer relations of fel-
lowship and sympathy the Christian
churches of the community. The assOcia-
ton has promoted this catholcity among
the churches wherever it has been estab-
lished. This feature is one which must
strongly commend the association to the
sympathy and confidence OF every Chris
tan.
In the second place, let me speak of
what we can do. We can do a great deal
more than we are doing, if we only set
our hearts and hands to it. | am
pleased ut the way our Christian
brethren connected with this association
keep drumming away at this idea of an
association building. | hope from the in
tluence OF these services God will bring it
into the mind of some man to give the
association royal start upon this work.
In the third place, may he permitted
to say that there is something that must
be done. The time has come when We as
an association, should all of us see
to 1t that something more def
mite is done for the positive religi-
Gus welfare Of the young men of
our city. 1t grieves me to look over the
positively idcntitieiWith the religious work
of the churches or the association, and
do,not think that the,case of reaching these
young men is ii particularly difficult one.
The morality of our young men is general
ly good. There is very little skepticism.
The difficulty is simply that we have failed
to ivedelnite Christian aim and effort to
our work. 1t pains my heart to see such
Il vast possibility for good unused.
And this leads me to the fourth part of
my subject. The trouble with us is that we
that think the association, through its com
mittees and machinery for the work, is to
do all, instead OF putting our own heart
and hand to the work. We are in danger
of multiplying our facilities and losing
our personal conservation. In closing let
me propose motto, to be our watchword
for the coming year: More and better
work for Jesus And THAT means more
and better work along all the lines