Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-30

President McKown, General Secretar,
Lang, Assistant State Secretary Bruno
and other members of the association to
gether with Mr. S. l.. Guthrie, of Abiding
ton, Rev. w. w. Carr, of Cambridge, anC
the following city pastors: Rev. Marquis
of the Broadway Presbyterian; Rev
Medium, of the Central Presbyterian
Rev. DIR. Brown, of the United Presby.
terrain; Rev. Leland, of the Baptist
Rev. Applegate. of the Christian chapel,
and Rev. Martin, of the Ninth street M .
E., together with Prof. Housed and the
chorus composed of Mrs. Clark, Misses
Lou Philip, Ella Wilcox, Anna Schnitger,
Ella Philip, May Raston. Miss Olson,
Mrs. Crsndall. Miss Wakefield, and
Messrs. j. r. Noftsker Sewell Dodge, G
l.. Perry, Paul Keller, j. F. Robinson,
John PerIett, G. e. Adams, Arthur Cue
and Mrs. j. F. Robinson, who presided a,
the piano.
President McKown presided and the
exercises opened with the singing of
Coronation" by the entire assembage,
followed by scripture reading by Rev. w .
Ii. Apologize and prayer by Rev. A. b d.
Medium after which the chorus gave
IAN Ye Nations"
President Mckown then took occasion
to thank the Blind Boone company for
the use of their new Chickering piano.
| and briefly outlined the programme for
the evening, saying that the usual custom
of reading reports and statistics at
such meetings had been abandoned on
this occasion, and instead they desired to
give HE people of Rock Island an intel
ligent idea of what was being done and
what should be done among the young
men of the city. He then introduced
Mr.. A. NJ. Blakesley, chairman of the
building committee, who gave an insight
into the growth of the association and its
noble and self sacrificing work. 1t had /
grown from handful of faithful and |
devoted workers., till it now numbered |
one hundred members. Mr.. Blakesley |
sketChed the conception and growth of |
the building project, and showed clearly |
that the growing needs of the association
as well as the condition of the young
men of the city rendered Y M. G. A.
baiIding necessary. He refuted the ar
guments against such building and said
that they felt that they had the sympathy
of the people in their movement and
trusted for their cooperation.
Mr.. A. NJ. Bruner, assistant state sec
rotary of the association, was introduced
and spoke upon 'State Work" Any
one, he said, who Travelled much through
this state and saw the rapid inroads be-
ing made among our young men by vice
and dissipation, could appreciate the ne
cessity for this organization and realize
the work it was doing. There were over
100000 young men in this state under
forty years of age. Ninety per cent of
the saloon frequenters and seven tenths
of the gamblers were young men. Seven
ty.one per cent of the criminals were
young men under forty. They were try
ing to reach the young men of the eoun-
try districts before they came into the
cities and the state had been divided into
eleven districts, of which the headquar-
tiers of one were at Rock Island. There
had been 800 conversions in 1887 He
spoke of the state convention to be held
in Rock Island in September, and asked
a welcome for the members, and closed
with an earnest appeal to young men to
take advantage of the opportunities off,
fered by the association. The chorus
sang, 81 Will Lift Up Mine Eyes
President McKown then introduced Mr..
s. L. Guthrie, of Arlington, who deliv-
cred the address of the evening. Mr..
Guthrie spoke upon Young Men," and
said he regarded it as the greatest subject
he could possibly touch. He was in
tensely interested in young men for there
was DO class upon whom the responsible
Ties and burdens of life could rest as on
,9e young men, and none upon whom the
safety OF our institutions, our country
and cur homes rested as on them. The
of the young men were
great. The reins of government were
soon to be in their hands, they were soon
10 become the rulers of this country and G
we ought to be doing something for them. {
The dangers which threatened the {
young men were alarming. Everyone t
had in him two natures, the ideal and the
opposite, both striving for the mastery.
The devil was always ready and tempta {
lions were legion and nameless. The {
apathy of the people was another danger {
in the way of the young mems success. I
People asked what was the need of a
building, but if the same dangers that ,
our young men were threaten,
ing their dumb animals. they would not /
ask that question. If it was a question {
of dollars and cents they invariably went I
to work to stop the danger. The chief s
need of young man was Christ; a mans
worst enemy was himself, and you could 1