The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-29
PORTLAND Y. M. c. A.
Corner Stone of the New Binding to Be
Laid Today.

building will be laid today.
The Portland Association is one of
the Oldest on this continent, and in the
new building will be able to rank
well in the matter of achievements.
The following account of the early his
| tory of the association by Mr.. D. W.
clark, will undoubtedly be of great in
terest at this time:
June 9th, 1874, George Williams, (since
knlghted by Queen Victoria), organized
the first Young Mems Christian Associ-
alton in London, England, but it was not
until December, 1851 that the first asso-
| citation was formed on this continent,
that year two were organized, one in
Montreal, Canada, and one in Boston,
Mass.
The Portland Y. M. C. A. was orga-
nized year and ten months after the
Montreal association. October "a, 1858,
meeting was held in the vestry of the
First Baptist church to consider the ques-
ton of organizing Young Mems Chris
| tian Association, and committee ap-
pointed to draft a constitution. On the
| I'd OF November they reported at meet
| ing held in the Second Parish vestry, and
on motion of DR.. I. T. Dana it was voted
| to proceed to organize Portland Young
Mems Christian Association" About
| 60 young men united and proceeded to
elect the officers for the first year. At
this time there were only 10 associations
| in all the United States and Canada, in
GLIDING our own. VIM. w. Woodbury.
was elected the first president. OF all the
| officers, board of managers and standing
committees elected at that time, only
two are now living-Dr. I. T. Dana,
corresponding secretary, and Sewall B.
| Haskell of the board of managers.
| Of the 70 young men who Joined dur
ing the first year, 1858, there may be now
living 10 to Is i'll ais or 9, now old
men, are still living in this city. Dur
| ing the year 1854 the membership was
| considerably increased. At a meeting
November 13, 1854 about 100 were adj
mitted. The writer joined at this time
with John Neal, Judge Ether Shepley,
Hon. Thomas B. Reed, Eben Steele and
others whose names are equally familiar.
Fox block on the corner of Middle and
Exchange streets, which they occupied
until burned out by the fire of July 4th,
1866.
We cannot now realize the hard strug-
gle of the early years of the association
The prejudice which was felt at first, and
for many years, against the movement,
has died out, and now it is acknowledged
to be g useful instrumentality for good
In fact it is really the church at work
for young men by union of all denomi-
nations. In the early days, while the very
existence of the organization was in dan
ger, the association netted some $500 by
two lectures by John B. Cough; this
was at that time, such help and was so
Providential, they were encouraged to
hold on, and go on. Another year the
| association had a successful course of
lectures by home talent. At the time of
the great fire the association lost all their
furniture, library, etc. This was such
hard blow, some thought best to give up,
and today, those who took up the burden
and went to work in faith that God
would never let the work cease, can re-
joice in the outcome of their faith
The work of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association has been enlarged and
made far more useful. Whenever they
have erected..carefully planned buildings
and employed trained officers, who make
systematic effort to keep the young men
under good influences, they have done the
greatest good for the young men who are
to have power over the destiny of our
country i'll few years. The association
in its earliest days did great deal of
good missionary work by holding meet
ings and establishing Sabbath schools in
the suburbs,
| Many of the members went into the
army during the Civil War, 1s61-65, and
the association was actively engaged in
doing all they could for the soldiers.
When the first regiment was in camp
here the association distributed 48O tesla
ments to the soldiers, besides visiting it
and looking after the comfort of the
young men in the camp.
In November, 1861, the U. S. Christian
commission was formed which sent 5000
Christian helpers to the camps and hos
pitfalls through the aid of the Y NC. A.,
and they distributed over $1,000, 600 in
money and stores. Our association elect
ed annually, during the war, a commit
tee to aid the Christian commission in
looking after and helping to care for our
own Maine soldiers. They opened their
rooms for the use of the ladies in making
and packing the things they made for
and sent to the Maine soldiers They
made collections and frequently appro-
priated money, sending at one time
$449.29 when they themselves were in
debt.
Many other good works of the Y. M. G..
A. must go unrecorded, and probably
eternity alone reveal all the good done
in the years past, perhaps the unrecorded
greater than the written. Z
The management Of the association
has sometimes been accused of being too
conservative, but to have so managed the