The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-08

Mr.. Fishback sAddresses the Y. n. G. A.
on . strangeF's Needs.
The Young Mems Christian Association
held . Target y-attended meeting at 4
O'Clock yesterday afternoon to hear an adj
dress on "A Stranger ir . Great City" by
Hon. Charles r. Fishba:k. The singing
was good and lad an orchestral accom-
paniment under the direction Of Prof.
Harry Sherman Sharpe.
The speaker began HIS address with .
humorous alinsion to she natatorium.
which 10 now heing rapidly pushed to COM
pletion by the association, and then COM
merfced his subject by briefly sketching
the progress Of a young man coming to
make his home in one of She great cities Of
the Northwest He arrives on one of the rail-
roads or steamships. and saingling with the
crowd about the wharf CT depot 10 soon
lost to sight. aud as ne sometimes imag-
ines, 10 soon last sight OF. This, however,
10 great mistake. A thousand eyes are
upon him every day OF his life. He is
weighed in the balance hy every act and
deed that he does. This IS because he ever
finds himself st the poirt Of divergence of
two ways, one Of which leads in the path.
way of duty, sud its reward is honor; the
other leads to indulgence. and its inevita-
bic outcome il disaster and ruin. Upon
his choice at this point depends success or
failure.
The speaker then presented q vivid
picture Of the realities Of life and the
struggles in which every one must take
part. Very few can hops to arrive at
worldly distinction. Success of such q
kind is an ED pity bubble Nor ID it to DO
valued when the bitterness and heart
aches with which it is attended are con-
sidered. Reputation is - sounding brass
and tinkling cymbal. Character 10 the
only reality. That life Is the most sue
cessfui which has made she most Of its
opportunities. and therefore life is race
in which, while extra advantages are given
at the start aud the hencicaps are most
unequally adjusted. yet many whom We
least expect are victors au account of the
extra distances to be taxds up by the
favored ones &t the finish.
The pitfalls which await every stranger
were clearly indicated. sni ''the allure
ments to dissipation" said the speaker,
captured victims tenfoid. on account Of
the coldness of well-n;eaning men and
their failure to come forward at the right
moment with a word IF encouragement
OF netp- stIikiDR ttE'Ito was poiu W
the work Of the Y. NJ. &. A. and kindred
organizations in welcoming men and max
ing them feel that spirit OF true friendli-
ness was behind the wee3ome.
In the course of his remarks Mr.. FISH
back mentioned the natna of Col. Inger-
soil, the great agnostic. n. one to whom
Christianity was under many obligations,
as formerly it had been to Voltaire, for
pointing out and emphasizing the mistakes
of the past ara showing how great was
the bigotry and intolerance Of skepticism
and iniidelisv. While Christianity may
have made ~ stakes, il did not cling to
them. but vas ever ready to turn upon
them the search-light o. truth.
The great drawback in the work OF
emancipatins the souls of men was the
indifference caused by cur selfish struggle
for money-getting. The glamor OF mere
worldly prosperity distracted the moral
vision from he higher and nobler things
of life and caused men 10 build up a wall
of sel.ishnesa against kheir less favored
brethren. This meant the existence of
class distinctions, thousand times more
cold and calculating than even the old
aristocratic notions of S-irth, and these it
was the aim IF true Christian socialism to
forever blot sat and atpSlIsh, and in this
warfare every young man was enlisted
who Was tru@ TO his col nsry, trae TO hu-
manity, true 10 God.
At the conclusion of the address Secre-
tary Carter raid high tribute OF apprecia-
ton to the s.eaker.