Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1890-04-17
A YEARS WORK.
Annual Report OF the General
Secretary OF the v. M. G.. A.

GENTLEMEN:-Ano year of the
Associations life has just come to a
close, and az we look back over its
months and weeks of toll and labor,
we feel that they have not been spent
in vain, but that great good has been
accomplished.
In our last annual report, we stated
that the year had been the most pros
porous since the formation of the AS
sociation We are glad to say that the
same sentence can be applied this
year; for we find in looking over the
records, that the year has been the
most prosperous in the history of the
Association, especially in the depart
ment for which the Association was
organized, namely, the Religious de-
partment. This department far ex
ceeds all previous years in interest
taken and in the large number of
young men and boys who attended the
meetings and Bible Glasses, as will seen
beby comparing the figures of the last
annual report with those of this. Du-
TluS OIc yodI> 1t1 leCuSiOuo eOANioCo
were held in the rooms with an aggre.
gate attendance of 7,111, against 104
services held last year with an aggre
gate attendance of $500, including the
mems and boys meetings of the State
Conventions. AAa -
These services were as follows: so
Young Mems Meetings, with an aver
age attendance of 6,against an average
of so last year. 33 sessions Of the Work
ers Training Glass, with an average of
Is, against an average of 8 last year;
"a Boys Meetings, with an average of
As, average last year 3S; 16 sessions of
the Boys Bible Glass, with an average
of g. This class is new feature in our
work, and we nope it will prove a
great benefit. 1S Conservation Ser
vices were held, with an average of 20,
and Young Mems Meetings during
the week of prayer, with an average
of Al, showing great increase in the
attendance during the year. Besides
the large increase in attendance, the
interest manifested has developed ma
terially, and the young men look upon
the hours spent at these services as
source of great joy. Not few have
through these means been influenced
to live Christian lives, who a year ago
were Indifferent to all that was pure
and holy. During the past year,
greater number of both young men
and boys have been led to give their
hearts to Christ than in any previous
year. The Christian young men who
have engaged in this work have been
greatly blessed and built up spiritually,
and are more active in both Church
and Association, and we have larger
force of young men who are willing to
make great sacrifices, if need be, in
order to push forward this part of our
work in the salvation Of young men,
and we feel like calling upon all that
is within as to bless and magnify the
Lord for what he has done for us in
this life, during the year. Besides the
services held in ehe rooms, IA church
services were held under the auspices
of the Association, and one Boys Mass
Meeting, all of which could not help
but have had a great influence for
good. The work accomplished in other
departments was as follows:
The Literary and Debating Society
has been carried on since September,
with encouraging results, and young
men through the debates, declama-
tions, essays and readings have ac-
cumulated considerable knowledge
that will be of great value to them in
after life. In the grand work of the
Young Mems Christian Association the
Literary Society with the Gymnasium
and the prayer meeting, form COM
bination that makes full rounded
man in the true sense of the word. The
Society has had an average attendance
of 35.
Our Medical and Practical Talks
have been we'll attended and have im-
parted important Information to all
who had the pleasure OF hearing them.
The average atiendance was 11O
against 80 last year.
Also during the year, 55 committee
meetings were held in the interest of
the work, 317 letters and 1853 postals
were written, 5000 printed invitations
were given out against 5000 last year,
situations procu ed for young men,
IA directed to good boarding houses.
450 Book Reception invitations and
450 pamphlets (setting forth the advan-
tag.s $ offered young men), were sent
through the mail, and quite number
OF sick young men were visited.