Middletown transcript., 1896-05-16
(Fifth Papers)
MY IDEA OF ITS MISSION.
nY {. ). JONES.

By e. s. JONES.
What we should do to make the Y. NJ. G
A. q success and accomplish the most good
for which we are organized:
We should at all times and at every op-
portunity invite those with whom we come
in daily contact in our daily occupa
tions to visit our room and make that
their headquarters, especially should we
extend hearty invitation to the country
people and we should make them feel that
they are welcome and. I'VE are glad to have
them. We have very bright and cheer
full room situated centrally and conven-
lent for every one.
We can do great deal of good by hold
ing cottage prayer meetings with the men
that have been overcome with sickness in
life's battle. it matters not Of what denomi-
nation they are or whether they are chris
tians or not, we should remember that we
are all of one blood and in the hurry and
hustle Of our business lives and occupa-
tions we should think to stop for q few
moments of each week and scatter little
sunshine in the home of some sick and
afflicted brother. There is nothing that
makes man that is shut in feel so good as
to have his friends call to see him. it makes
him feel there is some one i'll the world
that has not forgotten him and this work
being done the Y NJ. G. A. can accomplish
great good.
Our Sunday afternoon meetings are be-
ing conducted by the different members,
every leader makes out his own program
and conducts the meeting according
to his own ideas and if the same custom
is continued the Y. NJ. G. A. will be train
ing school for young men which will be OF
great help to all Of the churches, and all
churches need the help, ideas and the as
sistance Of young men.
We have in our rooms all of the leading
papers, periodicals, library and an organ.
They are all good and answer their diff
ferent purposes but to reach the great num-
Der of young men whom We hope to bene-
fit we must have more than music and
reading matter, we must have amusements
and I am in favor OF billiard and pool
table. / know there ar, others that are not
in favor Of either and in the tim es gone by
there were those who did not believe in
having stoves in churches. They argued
that person who did not have religion
enough in his heart to keep his body warm
during religious service should stay at
home; but all churches at the present time
have stove sand everything else to make a
church comfortable. can remember in
my short life several little church wars be-
cause of the introduction of the organ, but
almost all churches have organs some have
nearly full brass band and orchestra, and
for what? to make the church service attfac-
tive; and so we have got to make the
rooms of the Y. M. C. A. attractive to the
young men and pool and billiard table
under the management of the association
will do great deal of good. There are
many men of our land that have devoted
their time and money to the great problem
Of making the Y. M. G. A. a success and it
is the unanimous opinion of those men
that pool and billiards under the manage
ment of Y. NJ. C. A. are not at all objec-
tionable but add great deal to its success.
1t is customary to have them in all of the
Associations in the cities and if it be man
aged successfully there it can be here. l
have great confidence in the young men of
our association and believe that we have
just as capable young men in our associa-
tion as they have in our large cities.
These are few of my ideas as to the best
way of carrying out the mission of our as
sociation for the spiritual, moral and in
tellectual assistance of the young men of
our town.