Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-24

The Associations New Hall to BE Dedicated
Tomorrow.


The Associations New Hall to Be Dedicated
| Tomorrow.
The new assembly hall Of the Colored Young
Mems Christian Association will be dedicated
tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 o'clock. The SER
vices will be of an interesting character. Rev.
Or. Byron Sunderland of the FIRST Presbyterian
Church will be the principal speaker, and it is
expected that addresses will also be made
| by Rev. DR.. Alexander Crummell, pastor
of St. Luke's P. E. Church; Rev. DR.. F. j.
Grimke Of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian
Church, Rev. n. c. johnson, president Of
the Baptist Union; Rev. j. 7. Jenifer of
Metropolitan A. NJ. E. Church, Rev. 8. p.
Brown, pastor Of the Plymouth Congregational
Church; Rev. Or. ]. ". f. Bowen and several
others. The Y. NJ. G. A. choir, which is COM
posed of some Of the best colored musical tai
ent Of Washington, has arranged a program Of
especial merit, and will be under the direction
of NJ. J. T. Ratley.
BIRTH OF THE ASSOCIATION.
The colored Y. NJ. c. A. had q humble be-
ginning. 1t was organized during the summer
of 1891. For some time prior to that time the
desirability Of the project had been impressed
on the Christian element Of colored Washing
ton. The question was agitated TO
a great degree in the churches.
L. was declared that there were
in Washington thousands of young
colored men who would embrace the advantages
presented by the projected organization
Aside from the churches there was no place at
which the young colored men of the city could
assemble for moral and religious instruc-
ton. While the colored clubs of a
literary and social nature filed a useful
NH hoy
which would be the aim of Y. NJ. G. A.
At first it was sought to form a branch OF the
white Y. NJ. c. A., but this scheme was aban-
doued. The promoters Of the order were Rev.
DIR. Grimke, Rev. DIR. }. W. E. Bowen, Rev.
George W. Moore. late pastor of the Lincoln
Memorial Church; Col. George Arnold. who was
killed in the Ford's Theater accident, and Rev.
J. Milton Walden.
THE BUILDING.
The Reed building. on 11th street between @
and streets, was purchased, the price being
sl2.O0 The building was forty by ninety five
and contained number of small rooms, which
have been so altered as to be well adapted to
the uses Of the association. 1t contains .
spacious reading room. library; class
rooms and an assembly hall. in
which religious services ard public lectures
are 10 be held and which also serves as a gym
nasium. This hall is an entirely new addition.
1t is a one-story building, thirty-fve feet wide,
forty feet long and twenty feet high. 1t has an
interior gallery and q seating capacity OF about
four hundred. Most OF the material used in it's
construction was donated. The original cost OF
the building and the cost of the alterations
and improvements bring the total to SIC, 500.
There remains an indebtedness of about $40, 600.
A note for 1900 natures during the present
month. Some Of the principal contributors to
the fund have been Messrs. B. H. Warner, John
T. Arms, b. F. Leighton, l.. ID. Wine, W. E.
Edmonston. Woodward Lothrop, Isadore Saks,
W. b. Moses, DR.. LaFetra, Dr. Craighead,
Bishop Philip Brooks and John W. Foster.
PROMINENT HELPERS.
The pathway Of the projectors was smoothed
by letter heartily commencing the effort Of
the Young colored men to established Chris
tian Association" signed by Right Rev. John F.
Hurst, d. D., bishop of the NJ. E. Church, Rev.
William A. Bartlett Of the New York Avenue
Presbyterian Church; Rev. Geo. William Doug
lass, d. D., pastor Of ST. Johns P. E. Church;
Rev S. M. Newman Of the First Congregational
Church. Rev. Rush R. Shipper Of the Unitarian
Church, Rev. s. H. Greene, d. D., pastor of
Calvary Baptist Church; Rev. ]. G. Butler,
d. D., pastor OF the Memorial Lutheran
Church. and Rev. F. d. Power, pastor of the
Christian Church
COMMITTEES AND oFfrcERs.
The committee on building and repairs con-
sisted of j. H. Meriwether, chairman L. c.
Bailey, E. R. Russell, W. E. Mathews, Geo. W.
Cook. R. ". Tompkins. Daniel Murray, VIM.
Warning. Albert Mcintosh. H. P. Montgomery,
]. r. Francis, NJ. D., W. A. Stewart and c. T.
s. Brent.
The officers Of the association are: ]. H.
Meriwether. president; ]. H. Butcher, vice
presidents Lemuei c. Bailey. treasurer; j. E.
Mooreland, general secretary, and r. 8. Smith,
secretary. The board of directors Is as follows:
J. H. Meriwether, L. C. Bailey. David Warner,
E. c. Russell. r. G. Douglass. R. s. Smith, d.
s. Brandon, Thomas H. Wright, J. s. Chestnut,
Harrison Gordon, R. P. Drew and P. A.
Gains.
THE BUILDING.
The building used by the association was at
one time known as the Harris and Reed build
ing, Nos 16O7-1609 18th street. 1t had an un-
enviable reputation and during the soldier
period was well known an assignation house
with bar attachments. The place and the
young mems reading room for colored
youths were at war. The reading room was
at one time stoned by the habitues Of
the ill-famed resort. In the summer Of 1891
ex-Commissioner Roberts entered the place in
disguise and made a report to the police on the
strength of which it was raided. The place
was thus broken up. and was soon after put up
at auction and bought for the purposes out
lined.