Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-01-16
Y. N. C. A. CONVENTION.
Addresses or Welcome Exercises
During tho Day.

yeItion held in the Presbyterian Church
yesterday afternoon and last night were
largely attended by our church going
people generally, and the meetings
throughout we're spirited and interest
ing.
The first half hour of the meeting last
night was devoted to praise service. con-
Quoted by ]. A Dorritee, after which Mr.
James NJ. Munroe, Of the Annapolis bar.
was introduced, who delivered the
Address OF WELCOME,
to the convention, in few appropriate
remarks The house in the meantime
had become so crowded that many of the
delegates who occupied the front benches
were asked to take seats around the plat
form in order to allow those who
were standing TO set down In his pre-
liminary remarks, Mr. Munroe said 1t
was not courteous for aspeaker TO turn
his back TO those whom he was about to
address. neither was ii very inspiring,
but under the circumstances he hoped
the delegates would not take it in the
literal sense of the word. "It affords
me great pleasure. he said, ''to extend
TO you in behalf of the citizens of Annap-
oils cordial welcome to our ancient city
city rich in historical interest, quaint
in its antiquity. Astounding in places of
interest, and fun of charming women
and good men, who will, am sure, do
all in their power to make your sojourn
with us interesting and pleasant The
people of Annapolis bid you welcome
and God speed in the good work which
calls you together here, because you
come representing no sect and preaching
no dogma, but standing upon the broad
platform of glad and unreserved allegi
ance to Christ. You come to us in that
broad and catholic spirit which recog
nizes in every man brother. As breth-
rem we welcome you.
The Rev. DR. Williams Of the Presby-
terrain church was next introduced, who
made the
ADDRESS OF WELCOME
on behalf of the pastors and churches Of
Annapolis DR. Williams said:
Lord Bacon once said: "a knowledge
of the speculative opinions of 1.-THE men be-
tween twenty and thirty years of age is
the great source of political prophecy. +"
Says another: 1--WE may learn more Of
the tendencies of an age from young men
than we can from old men," Says an
other Il would give more for the keen.
honest judgment of an enthusiastic, capa-
BILE student of eighteen upon the condi-
tion of Great Britain and Germany than
l would for that of cynical, overwork-
ed business man of fifty"
When we remember that the most i'm
portant discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton
were made while he was yet a young
man, and that the outline of Dugald
Stewards philosophy was made when he
was only eighteen year old. and that
many achieved greatness in early life,w
see what promise of usefulness MAY be
found in youth In the district covered
by this convention there are, probably.
not less than 100000 young men. OF
these not less than 100000 are in the
State of Maryland Not one.tenth of
these are members of our churches Pro.
badly not one-fourth of these attend the
house of God with regularity. From
such statements as these, we see what a
large proportion of the young men of
our land are living without religious
belief and also without religious habits.
Some of these viii be brought into the
fold of God through the remembrance of
early instruction received when they
were children. But the sad part of the
condition of many is, that they have new
er received Christian training in their
homes, and their minds, religiously, are
as blank as the minds of the heather
themselves. The boy who never hears
of Christ at home is in danger, in these
times, of not finding Him after he has
left his home.
The Bible having been banished from
many of our schools, multitudes are pass
ing from childhood into youth without
the memory of religious truth. There is
no device of Satan that is more produ-
tive of evil to-day. than that which keeps
the great Bible thoughts and language
out of the minds of the young. for it is
becoming a well-known fact that unless
some regard for the Bible is awakened in
childhood, there will be but little inter-
est in ii, except in rare instances, in af-
ter years. Take the Bible out of child
hood and youth, and you have done
much TO take it from the whole life. We
cannot look upon the purpose to remove
the Bible from our schools and from the
hands of our children, except with the
greatest apprehension and alarm. Sta
tistics show, that the number of CONVEX
sions between the ages of twelve and
twenty are equal to those between TWEEN
~ and fifty Says DR.. Holland: IF the
world is to be converted, it must be done
before it is twenty-one years Of age" If
these statements be correct. then we see
that the work among the young must be
vastly more efficient than it is to day.
In view of the work as now carried on
we give you most hearty greeting, and
hope and pray that you may be bless
ing to many in the city of Annapolis, and