The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-06-04

Y. NJ. c. A. JUBILEE
Jersey City Associations
Services in Honor of
the Event.
IT BELTS THE ENTIRE GLOBE.
Prominent Men Tell Of Its Phe-
nominal Growth and
Influence.
IT BELTS THE ENTIRE GLOBE.

The Young Mems Christian Association OF
Jersey City yesterday contributed its quota
towards the universal celebrations over this,
the golden jubilee of the Y. M. e. A., now
being so conspicuously observed in London,
where 1t was born fifty years ago.
The Jersey City part Of the rejoicing was
in the shape of a special service which began
at four o'clock in the afternoon and was held
in the meeting room Of the Association
Building on Wayne street. Secretary
Parkes of the Y. NJ. C. A. presided, having
near him Messrs. William e. Drake, Presl-
dent of the Y. ii. C. A.; Elijah j. Cowles,
ex-president; Major q K. P~angborn, Rev.
DR.. D. Mitchell, Rev. II. c.. Cronin, Rev. E.
c. butcher and Rev. Tneo. Heisig. Mr..
Frank Clerihew was in charge of the hymnal
part of the service.
MI. Cowles, after a reading of the Scrip
lures by the Rev. H.. C.. Cronin and the
offering of a prayer by the Rev. Mr..
Mitchell, spoke of the growth Of the asso-
ton. ,
He sketched the life of Sir George Will
liams, it's founder; how, as a shopboy. III
London, he conceived the idea of Christian
izing his companions; how that idea was
carried into o practical shape, and how from
a little meeting in a little room, with little
help, this association sprung into existence
on June 6, 1914.
From that meeting a desire originated to
begin others, and seven years later an asso-
citation YVES started in Montreal, Canada.
Later on in the same year the first assocla-
tion was established in the United States In
the city of Boston.
THE Y. M. C. A. IN AMERICA.
In 1858 there were twenty-three associa-
&fo,,o xulilct in 1SS1 n convention WAS held
in Buffalo at which 26S societies were rep
resented, including delegates from almost
every country in the globe. An astonishing
growth of Sir George Williams idea in ten
short years.
At the Buffalo convention, Mr.. Cowles
said. a General Committee was formed to
take charge of the work of the association,
and from that General Committee the Inter
national Committee Of today has emanated
Among the many good things in the Y. M.
C. A. was the formation of the United States
Christian Commission during the war. That
beneicent charity distributed five and a half
millions of dollars in helping the soldiers.
The speaker then told the meeting what was
going on in London this week at the Jubilee
celebration, and said that some time ago,
while in Paris, he met Sir George Williams
and invited him to come to America where
the people would make a fuss over him and
give him a good time"
SlT G0OiSb,- tIc Sdtu, log CtUc0 LAo Ia
ability to cross the big river because of his
advanced age, but praised the Americans for
the practical work being done here by tue Y.
M, c. A., which, he said, in Its plan and
workings far ou~tstripped the associations
generally in the Old World"
Mr.. Cowles closed his ten minutes speech
with figures showing the astonishing growth
of the association, which today numbers
500, 600 members, belonging to 5000 or more
associations scattered over the earth. OF
this number there are 1928 associations in
the United States, numbering 25o, 900 MEM
bers. or one-half OF the membership of the
entire world.
IT'S WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT.
President NJ. E.. Drake, at the beginning of
his ten-minutes' talk, said it was difficult to
speak of development without touching on
growth. or going over what had already
been said He would, however, give the
meeting some figures as to the associations
development. According to the President of
the Y. NJ. C. A., the association Is the great
EST religious movement of the nineteenth
century, and in fifty years has done more
for humanity than any other force set in
motion. Scattered in forty-three countries,
there are 5,14f associations. In the United
States, the 1928 associations represent prop
erty to the value Of SIS, 000,00 0 Thirty
mentso of 1881, 900; 612 have libraries valued
at s42S, 900; 1873 have building funds amount
ing to s452, 600; 1853 have building funds paid
In amounting to s1,6l3,0 600, and 984 associa-
tions lave a total current expenditure OF
80, 13S, 900. This latter amount, Mr..
Drake pointed out. does not include
$121, 900 expenditures for State and national
conventions. There are 1888 secretaries In
the United States, 3o4 educational classes
and $50 association colleges and schools. The
association college at Princeton was estab-
Iished in 1879.
Then the association, the president said,
has In the United States 90 railroad branches
| German, 81 colored and 81 Indian associa-
| ton. Thirty-ive thousand members serve
on committees and z, $780, 900 people have at
tended in one year the devotional meetings
| of the various associations.
But figures, the speaker said, are poor
measuring rods. The association is stilj
| its infancy. 1t has, however, anticipated
| and provided for every want religious and
| educational of the young man.
Major 2. K. Pangborn and others also
spoke.
PURI,IO library CIRCULATION.