Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-05-24

ont in the highways and byways Of
the great English metropolis preach
ing in the open air, George Williams,
young clerk in big dry goods estab-
lishment, at st. Paul's churchyard, was
organizing his associates, the eighty
employees in the place, into the first
body known as the Young Mems Chris
tian association.
At meeting on June Q, 1874, of the
assistants in the house of Hitchcock &
Co., the formal organizatio ton of the y.
NJ. G. A, took place, and its object as
stated was "to improve the spiritual
condition of young men engaged in
the drapery and other trades The
growth of the Salvation Army and the
Y. NJ. C. A. has been something re-
markable, and in June there win be
celebrations by the followers of both
organizations that will show their
enormous strength and the tremendous
amount of soul saving being constant
ly accomplished.
Gen. Booths jubilee programme
has not yet been sufficiently arranged
to be of interest, but the Y. NJ. C. A.
jubilee exercises have been mapped
out. Committees are now at work in
this country and in England complet-
ing the details for a monster celebra-
ton, an international affair, to be held
in London, commencing June 3. Tho
jubilee exercises will last for a week,
and there win be delegates present
from seventeen nations. George Will
liams, the founder of the organization,
now in his seventy-third year, will at
tend these exercises and tell how he
came TO start the Y. M. C. A.
Mr.. Williams, the founder of the Y.
NJ. O. A, is still in the enjoyment of
his free mental powers. On the death
of the earl of Shaftesbury, in 1885, Mr..
Williams became president of the Lon
don association, which position he still
retains. Few men enjoy his privilege
of seeing u work, instituted by them
selves, so widely extended and so fruit
full of good as the Y. NJ. c. A.
The first Y. NJ. c. A. branch of the
London association was organized in
Boston December 20, 1851. A letter
dated June, 1885, which appeared in
Boston paper written from London by
Mr.. George NJ. Vanderlip, a student
of the University of the City of New
York, described the work of the Lon
don Young Mems Christian associa-
tion, and led to the organization of
that in Boston. During 1851 kindred
associations were formed in several
other cities, including New York. Two
years elapsed before any systematic
effort vas made to bring the twenty
six American associations which had
by that time been organized into COM
munication with one another. William
Chauncey Langdon, then layman and
member of the Washington associa-
ton, afterward a clergyman of the
Protestant Episcopal church, accom-
plished the welding together of the
different associations in the United
States, and he also brought about the
first conference of the associations of
all lands in Paris, August 1924, 1865.
The first convention of the American
associations was held in Buffalo June
7, 1854. This was really the first con-
ference of the associations in the Eng
lish speaking world. There have been
thirty conferences in this country
since then. Much Of the success OF
the international Y. M. c. A. in this
country Is attributed to It's chairman,
Cephas Brainerd.