The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-04-14
Y. NJ. G. A.
Thirty-Third Anniversary Of the
Portland Association.
Interesting Address by Rev. Or.
Meredith of Boston.
Abstract of General Secretary Win
ter's Report.

The anniversary exercises of the Young
Mems Christian Association, last evening,
called out just as many people as City Hall
would hold and when DIR. Meredith, the ora
tor of the evening came in escorted by Pres
ident A. G. Dewey and a delegation of the
clergymen of the city he found an audience
most satisfactory both as to numbers and
character.
The exercises began with the singing of
Coronation by the audience, followed by a
selection from the End chapter of the 1st
Elistle of John, read by Rev. Charles F.
Marsh. Then Rev. A. X. p. Small offered a
prayer, and the audience sung Duke Street.
President A. G. Dewey then addressed the
audience. He said that they We're there to
celebrate the 33d anniversary of the Young
Mems Christian Association of Portland,
and referred to the report of the general sec
retary, printed copies OF which had been
distributed amoug the audience, as an expla-
nation of the aims, and achievements of the
association both in Portland and the world
at large. For his own part he felt it proper
to say that the work of the asso-
citation conflicted in no way with the church
es. 1t was rather an auxiliary to them. A
large number of associations had a special
field of effort, like the college associations or
those among the negroes of the South. 9th
erS found their appropriate work in large
cities; all were much needed in their places.
As to the administration during the year
mended the work and gratifying results of
the different departments. In conclusion he
thanked those who had aided the members
in their work and the daily papers for their
kindness in noticing the meetings of the as
sociation.
At the conclusion of President Dewey's re-
marks the contribution boxes were passed
among the audience.
Then Rev. DR.. Robert E. Meredith of Bos-
ton, who was introduced by President Dewey
began by assuring the members of the Young
Mems Christian Association and the ladies
and gentlemen present that it gave him great
pleasure, to assist in the anniversary eXer-
cises. He thought himself fortunate to. be
there to offer congratulations at the end of
another year of successful effort These anni-
versary exercises became more impressive as
each year tested the principles and exhibited
the results of the organization. you are
young mems Christian association the
speaker continued, IAN organization formed
to work among young men, banded together
to do Christian work; to work in the name
OF Christ for the glory of Christ, and in the
strength of Christ"
So it would be appropriate, he said, to in
troduce some thoughts of Christian work,
our relationship to such work. and the need
of such work for young men.
There is, in the first place, in operation in
this world vast redemptlve system. All
human reason, experience, consciousness,
theology apart, declare that there is some
thing wrong with the world. Evils in ten
thousand forms disfigure every page of the
history of the past; evils in ten thousand
forms sadden every thoughtful and right
minded man as he looks out upon the world
evils in ten thousand forms trouble our
hearts and hinder our endeavorS as we as
pire to lead true lives. Amid all this we see
the need of the redemptive scheme; but if
the need of it is brought home to us, so are
also examples of its efficiency. There was
time when people came to Christ "a an ex-
pertinent What he could do had not been
demonstrated But now the power of His
grace has been demonstrated through eight
cen centuries, and if the past is full of evil,
it is also full of proof of this redemptive
force.
What then are cur relations to this re-
demptive scheme as individual Christiansi
Redemption means the taking up of the in
dividual soul into the remedial scheme, and
making him part of it. If we ask, whence
did this scheme arise? if we seek to search
verse of the third chapter of John: God SO
loved the world that He gave His only be-
gotten Son to be its redeemer This is where
1t begins, In impartial and redeeming love.
1t comes in with Jesus Christ, who came as
missionary from God to this world.
What did Christ do when down here? He
called about Him few men. He wrote no
book or treatise, but just called few simple
men, fishermen and tax-gatherers. He said:
81 am the life,'' and then he impaired His
life to them. He moulded them in the model
of His own holy nature, and then He said:
II am the vine and ye are the branches;
We live in Me divine life. The life of the
Stock and the root is identical with the life
of the branch. Thus the connection be-