The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-04-20
FULL OF INTEREST.
Such was the Annual Meeting Of the Y.
NJ. C. A. Last Evening.

Ne Ss N AIttSt
The first annual meeting of the Young
Mems Christian association was held at
the Central Presbyterian church last ev-
ening. The church was filled to its ut>
most capacity. Although the Programme
was longer than the usual evening SER
vice, good interest was manifested
throughout all the exercises. The sing
ing by the male chorus, under the aus
pieces of Mr.. E. W. Spencer, was excellent
and spirited After the devotional exer>
cises, President Mailer reported the work
for the past year as follows;
We have reached the close of the first
year in the history of the Young Mems
Christian association of Rock Island. 1t
has taken deep root and we hope hence>
forth to see it grow upward and outward
to become mighty bulwark against
sin. The review of the year of the assoc
Citations labors affords only encourage
ment ard stimulus. 1t has been year
of substantial progress. Organized with
membership of 3S. its present member
ship is SO. 1t is also gratifying to note
its prosperous financial condition, the
liberality of the citizens OF Rock Island
enabling US to carry on this important
work through the present year. The as
ISOLATION now keeps open day and even
ing its free reading rooms supplied with
some of the very best and latest publica.
tions including the North American Re-
view, The Century, Harper's Monthly,
Atlantic Monthly, Youths Companion,
S. S. Times, Scientific American, Harper's
Young People, Christian at Work, Chris
tian Herald. Waterman, Daily Union,
Christian Union, Illustrated Christian
Weekly, Independent Interior, Rock Isl.
and Daily ARGUS and The Rock Islander,
the two latter having been generously do
mated by their pr0prietors.
The young mems meetings on Sabbath
afternoons have been well attended, uni>
formly interesting, with good results
The same may also be said of the weekly
jail services. Two of the series of Free
Lectures and Practical talks have been
delivered. They were able and profta>
BILE discourses. The associations impor-
tant work, has, in this enc short year
outgrown the capacity of its present
quarters. We hope soon to occupy
larger and more attractive rooms, while
at the same time we realize that the as
sociation cannot attain its highest degree
of usefulness until it has building of its
own, in which TO carry on its multifarious
work. We believe when our work IS
more fully understood, that the citizens
of Rock Island will come to the front and
sustain their reputation for public spirit
and benevolence. We do special work
for young men because they are subjected
to special and terrible temptations, The
young men fill the many crowded vests
bules of hell; the young men fill our
prisons, while only 25 per cent of the
young men of this country attend church.
Thus they do need special attention
The Young Mems Christian association
is not to take the place of a church; it is
a place where denominationalism, sectar>
ianism and caste are unknown. DR..
Hendrix, president of Central college
Mo-, says the work of the Young Mems
Christian association is the great relig>
ious movement of the nineteenth century
Through the treasurer, Mr.. Warnock
the association was reported out of debt
and finances in good condition Genera
Secretary Warner gave short history oil
the work. The organization was started
in London, 1871, by Mr.. Geo. Williams
with the object in view of uniting the
Christian young men of the establishment
for Christian work among their fellow
clerks The work was so successful thai
it soon spread to similar houses On Junt
9th, 1914, meeting was called to organ
ize the work for active labor. 1t wa
there that the organization received it,
present title. Seven years later we hea
of the first organization of the work in
Montreal; then few weeks later IN Bos
ton and New York. The work is found il
successful operation in Europe, Asia, AT
RIGA. America and some of the islands o.
the sea. There are scattered through
these countries over 1900 associations
At the close of the war there were but &C
associations in the United States, now
S50,3 salaried secretaries, now $50; so as
seciations own buildings, valued at SO,
100000.
The state work was presented by As.
sistant State Secretary E. E. Brown. Fl
said the outlook of the state was neve
so prosperous as it is now both in it.
spiritual and financial work. The stat
work with individual associations wa
outlined, showing how thoroughly tn,
work was looked after. There are in the
state sixty associations; twentY>six have
rooms, four have buildings of their own
thuty-five general secretaries in the stat
devoting all their time to the work. TIL
state committee are correcting the mis-
takes of the past in the association ant
planning for more definite work for youn,
men.
General Secretary Woodford, of thu
Davenport association, spoke upon "Th'
Relation of the Church to the Associa
tion.'' The speaker remarked that th
! church was the mother of the associa
| ton, and that she would not forsake he
child" That the church should supper
the association because it is made up o
members of its own body; that the asso