Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-23

man" However, II a man lacks In sociai
power, or in energy needed to acquire that
mower. he as a rule lies down and ex-
claims, II can't help 1t; am Just as
God made me-"
Away with this heresy! God made US
to grow In the requirement Of this power
and. as In other things. so in this, prac-
tice makes perfect: and man can grow In
social grace as well as in physicai
strength or spiritual truth. All that Is
needed IL the proper exercise or the al
ready existing talent. Throw away your
napkin duke xix. go, use the talent
you have, and unto your present supply
other talents win be added, and In the
end thou shalt hear, "Well done, thou
good and faithful servant"
II will effect the discussion or THIS SUD
iect to keep In mind that 1t is "Erec-
tive Social Work in the Young Mems
Christian Association that we are dis
cussing. What would be an effective
social measure In the so-calied upper
TEN or ''higher club-life' would be and
is A miserable failure In the Young
Mems Christian Association For, as
such, we must be like unto our heaven
ly Father-no respecter Of person Char-
acter, and not clothes. must COUNT
We must do good TO all men. and extend
TO the mechanic and worldngmen as cor
dial a grasp Of the brother-hand as we
would do to the well-dressed gentleman.
contributor, member of the Board OF d.
rectors, or State secretary This, l
am glad TO say. / believe, with rare ex-
ception. the Young Mems Christian AS
ISOLATION, through its members and Sec
refaries, does. In this case, like all
othera the exception proves the rule.
Occasionally. men will come In who. II
you were to embrace the opportunity, and
Id a. bQ1nQ
lacking in social qualities. and nothing
but a half-hour or perhaps halliday OF
valuable time spent In talking about
the weather or some kindred heavy sub
ject could convince them Of your socie-
bility Be a mani Live John viii, p:
For I do always those things that
please him" Treat men cautiously;
pay no heed to the carping critic. or the
chronic kicker. and leave the results to
God.
THE SOCIAL-SPIRITUAL NEED.
II we mistake not the social work Of
our association was born coequal In time.
and inaeparable in character, with the
spiritual work The need that George
Williams realized was q social-spIritual
need; hand-to-hand. head-to-head.
heart-to-heart contact with his fellow
men; IN time redeeming, character-buiid-
ing and soul-saving work.
While we have held with a fair degree
Of tenacity to work for men only. along
other lines. In the social work, the con-
sensus OF opinion seems to be that 1T
Is not good for man TO live alone" or.
perhaps had better say. eat alone:
for II seems that we have fallen into
an epidemic Of cosocial feeds. Let me
right here. in the spirit OF brotherly love
and kindness dissent from the opinion
that. In order to have a good time So
cialiy we must be always feeding lot
OF people who never experienced real
physical hunger. and yet. because OF
good manners. are always courteous
enough to make certain that there are
mo fragments TO gather up" or crumbs
to falp' unto those who stand In need of
the necessarIes OF life. 1t does seem
to me that this everlasting feeding lowers
the tone OF. not only our social work.
but perhaps that Of some VI our spiritual
work.
since the social dens Of to-day are ia
the main "man-holes" or resorts for
men only, fall 70 zee why we confine
work along all other lines to this class
and IN our social work. with rare excep-
ten. open our doors TO the fair sex.
DO not misrnderstsnd me. ! believe in
the fair sex; I have two OF the fairesl
In the world Al home; God pity the wcrld.
TIE chrrch. ana the philanthropy Of the