The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-12-14

4
Attendance at rooms (est.) aggregate ... 81 ,s7J
Number of baths taken. ................. 4.97s
Books drawn by members ................. 26i
FHty-one mems meetlngS.;.....;..".""..... 3,9il
| Twenty-three sessions Bible elass.......-~ lsl
| Requests Tor prayer '.'''''''''''......... 81
Professed Conversions. -. ..........-..... ~
| known to have joined church"....... .,.... 10
Receptions and socialism.
| Lectures and concerts...... ...............
! Memberships, active %, asSocte 220, total. 3a
Net increase over last report;.. .....,,...- 81
| Educational classes, penmanShip lang'g',
arithmetic. mechanical drawing, free
hand drawing, total enrolment. 49,. 81
Chas. E. Rlgley, chairman of the building
Is printed in full on page two. Following
this collection amounting to SIS was taken
for the building fund.
The report of L. Nj. Miller, treasurer,
showed the receipt of S2,O15.75 and the ex-
penditure Of So, 0O4 n during the year.
| The address of the evening was de-
| livered by Judge V. Ii. Lane, of Adrian, on
The subject, "The Business Man and the
Young Mems Christian Association" 1t
was both practical and intensely interesting.
Our limited space prevents its publication
| in full. A brief summary is given:
Some Of you have said that if you were called
| called upon to state the question you would
have put IL in this way: "Why ought the bust
| ness men of today to be interested in the Y. M :.
G. A. 2" but you will pardon me If say like
| the statement the way IL came to me
II your house is on fire while you sit here it is
matter which interests you, though you arc
entirely unconscious OF il, and consequently
give 1t no attention. Your boy for two years
has been learning TO practice the vice of gam
bling and you sit in your place tonight without
slightest suspicion of it; and yet you are deeply
interested in that fast. You do not know nor
appreciate the fact, and consequently give 1t no
concern, though you ought to know it If he has
been at it one.quarter that time He is your boy
and 1t cannot be he would do wrong. Faith
ers and mothers, beware We sin in oyer-conil-
dence in our own sometimes.
In good sense of that word a man is inter-
ested in every fact, matter, circumstance, thing
or event of any character which touches his life
for veal or woe. i trust you will agree with me
now that whether the business man of 0wosso
has ever thought upon the Y. Nj. c. A. or given
it any attention, yet if it has touched him. either
for his advantage or disadvantage, or iii has In
it that which may operate either for or against
him he is interested.
Ihave had placed at my disposal, some sta
tistics gathered by u friend, brief extracts of
which i have permission to make use OF if IL
please me. My investigation has been directed
toward discovering what are the causes of bust
ness failures, which statisticians tell are ten
times more numerous than business successes.
Ihavc learned among other things that never
before in the history OF business was competi'
ton so strong and close and the customer so
exacting. 1t follows that the winner in the race
must make the best use of oil the elements of
success. He dare not waste a single opportunity
or relax n single endeavor lest therace go to one
who does not
Another thing, business enterises in which the
proprietors alone conducts, are very few and of
little Importance. The proprietor is but one of
several, in most cases. The details are almost
all wrought out through the assistance of clerks
and agents.
Other facts have come TO me which led me to
the conclusion that as large n per cent of bust
ness failures is due to incompetent and unreia-
BILE help, upon whom dependence must be placed
in making out these details, as from faulty plans
laid by the business man for carrying on the
business. Not all the helpers of business, nor
the larger proportion of them, are TO be dis.
trusted. Many of the noblest of Gods creation
are serving Him and their generation well in
the common and laborious walks OF life. Bust
ness men arc driven to give more attention than
eyer before in ascerlaining what his employee is
doing with his money and where he is spend
inghis time while OFF duty
The kind of help business men arc looking for
ana not always finding is the young man who is
honest, sober Industrious, faithful TO his en-
ployer, courteous, punctual, clean in his private
life, intelligent and one who makes good use OF
his time, whether on duty or on duty And do
you realize, friends, that these arc each and all
Christian virtues!
Does the Y. NJ. c. a. assist in the making of
that kind of young mon out of the boys and
youths of city like yours and IL it does, is it
too expensive good thingy
The speaker referred to the natural desire OF
youth at a certain age TO throw off the restraints
of home life and to assert himself This is the
critical period and If it is safely passed the devil
has small chance for drawing him away from
an upright life 1.-THE boy Is gradually drifting
away from you; you are not as sure of his com
panionship as you once were; his .evenings are
not spent at home; he gives you plausible ex
plantations of his whereabouts and not willing to
think your boy would do wicked thing you ac-
cept his statement and go on with life some
times too busy to give the same attention to
your boy that you would to your horse, or 1t
maybe your dog. II your horse is not in at
night, you know IL, and know where he is or you
at once take steps to find out But you say the
boy knows enough to care for himself and the
horse doesn't. The chances are better in my
judgment thatthe horse beyond your control at
night will come back unframed in the morning
than that your boy will IL he is beyond your
control. The dangers which threaten your boy
are ten times more dangerous than those which
threaten your horse.
Your boy, father and mother is spending
much of his time out of your sight ut the gam
ing table and you are happy in your ignorance,
hugging to yourself the delusion that because
he is your boy he is all right. Ispealx the truth
to some father and mother here tonight, or this
is a remarkable city and this a remarkable au-
dence to be gatherede even in, church. And
your boy Is learning TO drink the hcllish stun
which is going 10 put him under the sod shut
out from Heaven, and you are unconcerned in
in your confidence in the boy that learned to
walk ut your Preside when you were watchfu
OF HIS steps and whom II may be you taught at
your knee TO pray.
Your boy, IL he develops as you want him TO.
cannot at this age be shut up in the home as he
could when he was a babe. He is going 10 find
associates out of the home and is going to spend