Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-10-23
Y. M. C. A. CONVENTION.
Second Days Proceedings
and Organization.
GEN. 90. HOWARD PRESIDENT.
Committees Appointed, Officers
Elected. Reports Read and
Addresses Delivered.

by Mr.. r. j. culver, OF fasaCend, VINO redu
a part OF the oath Psalm and gave the Con
yention the 4th verse as the key to its flu
ture operations: "rrust ye in the Lord ior-
ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting
strength
At9:sJ O'Clock. the Convention was called
TO order by IL. J. Mccoy, of San Francisco,
Chairman OF the State Executive Commit
tee. After singing Hymn No. As and the
reading In concert by the Convention Pauls
prayer for the Ephesians. 3rd chap. Ia to
q verses, Mr.. l.. F. Gay, OF Los Angeles, led
in prayer. The Sixth Annual Convention
was then declared ready Tor business,
The folio wing committees on permanent
officers was appointed by the Chair, and
temporary committee on business was aP'
pointed by the Chairman as follows' r. D.
Temnorary business Committees J. Gu
10 n of Pasadena; q. q. Coiley' u A. may
committse on Permanent Organ 0rsaniznssionII nsna /
Bray. of oakland C. NJ. Campbell, OF Sacra-
mento: nj. M. Myers, of San Francisco; v.
M. Meis. of University of the pacific.
The Committee on Permanent Organiza-
ton made the following rep93c 3or fc
dents, Ii. J. Mccoy OF San Francisco, LYMAN
Stewart OF Los Angeles. Geo. Quinan Of San
Bernardino, s. e. Holden OF Napa,
Gen Howard was conducted TO the Chalr
by Mr.. Bragg OF Oakland and DR.. Gibson O.
San Francisco. and was received with a
round of applause. On taking the Cnalr
Gen Howard made few well timed re-
marks.
The regular order of the day was taken
UP. Hearing brief tabula.ed reports and
statistics from Associations. The foiloWihg
Associations reported: Pasadena, Pomona,
San Diego. San Bernardino' sacramem.o, mo
.ra, San Jose. Napa City, Santa Cruz, WOOD
land state University, University OF tne
Pacific, Deaf Mute Branch Ct San Francis
co, German Branch of San Francisco san
Francisco and Los Angeles.
Or, Gibson, of San Francisco, said II
panied his heart to hear the report read
here from the State University, announcing
that it seemed to be impossible to sustain
an association in the University, and he
called upon this Convention to pray ana
work for the support OF the assoelation ~
this important Institution OF learning. he
said no religious agency that he knew OF
was SO well adapted to organize and carry
on religious work among students as the
Young Mems Christian Associations; An
interesting debate on the value ana I'M
portance OF association work In colleges
followed and the whole matter was refer: ed
TO the State Committee. Convention tooK
recess until 1.30P NJ.
The Convention assembled az l;3o anu
Speut LntfLN mlnutts III OSNOttoh"A
cises, led by by MIR. Z. S. Mason, Acting
State Secretary.
O'Clock Gen. Howard called the Con-
yention to order and after prayer the
minutes were read and approved. fraternai .asli
greetings by telegram were seut TO the state
Convent ons of Nebraska, tennessee ana
Massachusetts,, now in session.
The order of the day was then taken up,
"The Details and Business Management OF
Association Work" Mr.. II. N. Bevier, gem
eral Secretary OF The San Jose Association,
gave very practical and valuable address
on this important topic.
DETAILS AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT OF AS
ISOLATION
The world is one vast workshop. Men are
toilers in it. and since Adam fell no nobler
title has been given to his proudest son
than that of worker" Every true man
glories In his work, and the curse of God,
once black with punishment and filed with
sorrow, brightens into blessings and swells
with the movings of immortal hope.
"Biest work. if ever thou vert curst of God,
-selkirk.
Work is one of the best educators of prsc-
tical character. By means of work We grow ;
without work we die. As the Christian man
aspires unto the Strongest growth, and de-
sires to build the noblest character, he must
work. The Christian and the worker are,
in sense. Synonymous terms.
Since work we must. 1t Is important to
know first, "what" work to do; and, next,
chow to" do it. In our Association policy.
difficult work for young men is the what.
Under the "how," then, are many things to
settle. Among them the question of ''how"
TO secure needed attention to the "details
and business management" of Associations,
and The subject assigned me by the State
Committee.
The question is an important one. How
important the wrecks of once hourlshing
associations, scattered everywhere, from
the far Atlantic to ourSPacifc, far too elo-
quently attest. 1t is safe to assume that
seventy. five per cent of all the failures can
be traced directly to mismanagement and
neglect of details. Many fine organiza-
tion has started with prospects bright and
excellent equipments, made good progress
for year. and reached point where its
admitted, that suddenly faltered, staggered
and died. Why? Because the community
could not support it? No Because God
was not with 1t? No. A thousand times no
Only because those whom God had trusted
with its oversight; whom He had honored
with it's management, had been recreant to
the trust; and failing in their selfsccepted
task allowed the banner of their Mas
ter to trail in the dust; and their
splendid opportunity to fritter away
amidst the tangled uncertainties of a shift
less business course. Shame on such need
less negligence. shame on such ruthless
waste OF time aud treasure: shame on such
needless loss of strong young lives and gilt
tering jewels in eternal crowns. OF the i'm
portance of fthoroughness need not further
speak; the sound judgment OF men declares
ii, the Aner reasoAings of sound philosophy
demonstrate 1t. The very nature of things
proclaims it. 1t is self evident. How to Sc
cure IL is the practical question, and in
aiming at a solution / will propose, first,
that every association that has not already
done so set itself at once with radical
earnestness both In its collective organiza-
,tion and its individual membership. from
the President down to the most unimport-
ant member of the most unimportant com
anittee to the persistent Gu tivati0u of Sc
ries of good association habits. Habit is to
the man what instinct is to the animal. 1t
is in a sense his life. So with the associa-
tion worker. The sum oil his good habits is
the sum of his efficiency; Just that. nothing
more, nothing less. Slipshod habits make
slipshod men. Slipshod men, snpshod
associations are cyphers, and leit-handed
ones at that, for every. poorly managed one
hurts the reputation of Its thrifty ncighbox
Well, what are good habits. but first, what
they are not2 An association that mas a
nicely printed record, book gilt edged and
Russia bound, wherein the last recorded
minutes Of important meetings, date some
where into last year, while the Secretary's
rough sketches OF the years Proceeahng,
some rainy day in the misty future, has not
cultivated good association habits. Nor has
one who has q finely planned memoership
roll, with 500 names beautiiully engrossed
three years ago, with number OF ruled
columns on opposite pages for expirations
and date Of payment whose bland specs
plead eloquently for little attention per
sistently denied them for the three whole
years and as a result Of which no living
member could possibly approximate to
within so per cent. of its actual numerical
strength ut any time during the period
named. Nor has an association good habits
whose book OF statistical records shows per-
sistent inattention to the securing of statis
ties. / know an association which shows a
brilliant list of working committees on pa
per. each committeeman apparently well
xelected and exactly fitted to his work but
alas. VIXEN the monthly meeting comes
around thoy are but paper committees, and
al fragile and unreliable as the material on
which they are printed.
f;nauce committee, that meets well, talks
we'll and plans well, contemplates great
schemes. but never works, sees millions but
sea but nayer has time to see them. Anoth
Ss e.Ys - - .oarataru who ALWAYS finds fault