The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-06-16

anu save the lost, through the power o.
Christ.
Christian Association is a young mans
club, and encourages class distinctions
that the Woman's Christian Temper
ance Union is part of a political ma
chine, and is using its honorable past
history, solely as cloak for present
trickery.
If either of these sayings be true, the
worth of these organizations as Christian
agencies is practically nil. Moreover
they should be denounced as nam.
moth frauds. From them should be
withdrawn the support of Christians,
and upon them should be heaped the
anathema of the church. Christ did
not come to establish, but to overthrow
class and caste. He did not organize
parties whose route to the kingdom
should be by the way of Washington.
1t follows that if one of these bodies is
simply club, and the other simply
politics, the titles are misnomers, and
the sooner we are aware of the decep-
ton the better. have hailed the OPP
portunity which the assignment of this
topic has given, for looking up the facts
by system of correspondence in the
territory that lies between the cities of
Chicago and Boston. Letters were
addressed to secretaries and presidents
of Associations and Unions, and pastors
of Churches, all of the latter being men
we'll known in the denomination, and
some of them across Christendom.
This gave me whenever any differ
ences might appear, as between the
Churches and these organizations, the
benefit of that exceedingly sharp, two
edged sword of truth, the parallel col
umn. AS result of these letters / am
led to the following opinions:
First, that to say the Young Mems
Christian Association is a club, or that
its work has that tendency, is to do
violence to all the facts. Only one of
many ministers ventured to repeat this
common saying, and he located his
illustration in city thousand miles
Based on this principle the Associa-
ton pushes out and down to the COM
munity after young men who are I'M
reached by the churches, gathering
them in from the streets and the facto-
ries, the shops and saloons, indeed
wherever they may be found. 1t in
vites these young men into a pleasant
hall or building where every induce
ment is given for a noble and Christian
manhood. Reading Rooms, Baths,
Parlors, Gymnasiums, Evening Schools,
Employment Bureaus without charge),
Boarding House registers, Socials, Lee
lures, Music, Sunday afternoon meet
ings for young men only, and Bible
Glasses during the week; in general, a
homelike headquarters, where all his
wants are met, is provided for the
young man. Often in large cities
special work is done for operatives, in
factories and other establishments, by
the location of branch Associations in
the proper districts. The Secretaries
are bishops over these fiocks of young
men, and their visitation and counsel
are often most helpful. In short, the
methods are such as Christ would have
employed to meet the needs of the hour
in this work for young men.
As result of this work multitudes of
young men are reached who otherwise
would be neglected. In New York
about twenty per cent. of the member
ship are unconnected with the churches;
in Illinois, forty per cent; Indiana,
fifty per cent; Michigan, fifty-nine per
cent. The Secretary in one considera-
BILE city said that one-half to three
fourths of his members came under
Christian influences in no other way
than through the Association. In my
own city, there are sixty operatives in
the Association who would be adrift
if it were not for this agency. A re-
vival carried on this past winter re-
suited in the conversion of ninety men,
A steady stream of accessions is flowing
as a result, into the churches. A sys-
TEN of conversion cards is used, by
which the pastor is informed in each
case of the converts who would like
his church for home. In a city of
300, 900 a Secretary once told me that
only one pastor ever acknowledged the
receipt of these cards! Sometimes
churches are built up from this kind of
work. In my former parish, in Column
bus, out of membership of 800, fully
forty per cent. were directly traceable
to the work of local Railroad Young
Mems Christian Association. These
members were always on time and
ready to obey the orders of the great
Chief. Evidently, judged by its genius
and methods and results, the Young
Mems Christian Association is doing
Christian work, and on a field of its
own. In Cleveland nineteen per cent.
of the adult population are church
members, while only ten per cent. of
the young men are. We are familiar
with the showing made some time ago