The morning times., 1896-04-27
Enthusiastic Mass Meeting in
Metropolitan M. E. Church.
BISHOP GRANTS ADDRESS
Facts and Figures In Reference to
the COnditio of the ColOred Y NJ.
c. A. In This City-EffOrt to Raise
$4,000 to be Used in Paying Off
the Debt.

| address in behalf OF the colored Y M. c. A.
| OF the Capital City. The music, an inter
| esting feature OF the meeting. was rendered
| by the Metropolitan A. NJ. E. choir of
| forty voices and by the vance Jubilee
| quartet. The attendance was not as
! large as the importance OF the meeting
would seem to demand, but the lack in num-
| bers was made up in enthusiasm and the
| result prom ises to be of considerable
| interest to the promoters of the work here.
The meeting was one OF series which
| is now being held for the purpose OF ac-
| quainting the general public with the
| financial condition OF the Y. III. c. A,
| established for the purpose of bettering
| the physical. intellectual, and moral con-
| dition OF the colored youth OF Washington.
| it is the candid opinion OF all interested
in the matter that any plan or movement
| that can be devised to carry on the work
| will be of inestimable value.
| Any plan which will benefit the colored
| youth morally will benefit him physically,
| and If he is improved in any one OF the
| conditions named there certainly will be
marked improvement in the other two.
The program of the meeting was begun
| by singing ''All Hail the Power of Jesus
| Name" after which the Rev. j b. Col
| bert. colored, read part OF the twentieth
| psalm. Bishop Harris. colored, of the Zion
| A. NJ. E. Church. then offered pra yer, in
| which he invoked the blessing of God on
| the movement to improve the condition or
| the colored youth and the building up OF
| the kingdom of God. An anthem was sung
by the Metropolitan choir, and the Rev.
Abraham Grant, bishop OF the Georgia con-
ference. delivered his address.
BISHOP GRANTS REMARKS.
Referring particularly 10 the singing OF
the choir Bishop Grant said:
III there is any one thing that the colored
people can do, and do well, il is to sing
and the singing of the colored people had
a great deal to do with the removal of
the shackles thirty-five years ago. The
singing helped them. and the voice of
the Colored people is going to help them
now.
In San Francisco the speaker con-
tinued, there are 10000 colored people,
! only 100 OF whom intend church, and right
here in Washington there are $4,000 young
men who do not attend divine service al all.
I'm Washington he said, there are
1000 bar rooms, 200 pool rooms, 2 300
| gambling dens. and 900 houses of i'll re-
| pute. II we can't get the 5000 young men
| into the church how in Gods name are
| we to reach them? We want these Young
men to make husbands OF, to make better
| homes. and if the home is right the state
| will be right.
Something must be done TO close up these
| gambling hells and the saloons. for the
! people seem to be more willing to spend
| their money there than they do to put
| 1t into the churches for the benefit OF the
| people who desire to better the condition
! of mankind.
The schooIsofthe South are doing great
/ work for the eolored youth of America,
! but the white man Is the manufacturer
| OF the liquor and IL is he who puts il INTO
the mouth of the negro. He drinks him
q no of ha loo
/ the chain lightning for the colored man,
and 1t is this that tangles him up, takes
away from him his decency and self
respect, and leaves him bereft of his sense
OF duty to his God and to man.
Whatever can be done TO aid the col
ored youth of this city must be done
! quickly. In the police courts men are
| fined for drinking what the saloonkeeper
| has been licensed TO sell, and the ship which
| carries the missionary TO the foreign land
| also carries liquor to the people whom the
! Christian people desire to save"
! The bishop vehemently asked: ITO whom
F.. is the country, the church and the govern
| ment TO be turned over TO? Itcan't be TO
drunkards.- America is our home, and what
is wanted here is a man who Will stand
| up, tower above the people and speak out
| like the late Fred Douglass"
WHAT DR.. MAYOR SAID.
| AlUtE lHt vance quartet Hdu SuUS. SIedl
Away" Bishop Grant introduced the Rev.
| DR.. Fl. R. Naylor. of the McKendree NJ. E.
| Church, who gave a lengthy description
| of the organization of the colored Y. NJ.
| c. A. and the trouble it had to exist after
| esta blishing itself in a little room on
| Eleventh street. between @ and X streets.
| He said 1t was the women who were in
strumental in establishing the association
| and they were behind the movement TO
| hr1 40 hIiiiinp w SraV We Z n q locality
| whereit was situated in the euphonius name
| Of Helrs Bottom.
| The association has prospered here, but
| there is a debt of 81 g 600 on the building and
| furnishings, S4. 600 of which must be paid
| soon. The remaining So 900 can stand.
| Some means must be devised 10 meet the
| demand which has been made upon the
| promoters of the association, and must be
made soon. DR.. Naylor said he had no fear
but what the money could be secured, for
| it was a matter of considerable Importance
| to the city.
| The Rev. william A. Credit, of the
| Berean Ba ptist Church, was the next
| speaker. He said that one of the greatest
movements that could be inaugurated was
one by young men for the benefit of young
men. The reverend gentleman spoke inter
| estingly of the work that had been done
after the establishment of the colored
Y. NJ. c. A, and gave an outline of what
was expected In the future. the present
| time, with the debt hanging over their
| head they were In the dark and could not
| tell which way to turn to seek the light
| which was to guide them on their way to
| success.
The speaker paid a glowing tribute to
| the newspapers, and said that if they
| could be secured to champion their cause
| 1t would be a good work half done already.
| He said that So 900 must be raised, and
| raised soon. If failure in this direction
is reported he could not ina gine the result
which would follow.
! Bishops Grant and Harris then went to
| work and by personal solicitation secured
quite a sum of money for the purpose of
| paying off the debt and quite a sum was
| raised. number of others pledged
themselves for certain amounts and on the
| whole good start was made for the end
| in view.
A printed circular giving detailed ac-
| count of the condition of the Y. NJ. C. A.
| was passed around TO those in the church.
| 1t showed that the building now occupied
by them at 160716O9 Eleventh street had
cost $21 800, and Of this only $500
| has been paid, leaving an Indebtedness OF
| $13,260 yet to be paid.
| The plan which the managers have
| determined upon is that Of raising by
subscription, if possible, $4,000 during
the next few months and secure of this sum
| $4,000 in cash to pay on the principal of the
i debt. The balance of the subscription TO
| be paid in one and two years or earlier, if
convenient and suitable to the donors.
oSSSSSSSSSSS$SSS$S
! & FOR FIFTY YEARS! 3,
3 MRS. WINSLOW'S 3