Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-01-24


| Enjoyable manner, and though that be
| me only attraction that draws him there,
ne IS within the circle of the associations
ihuuence. Does that pay? There can be
pul one answer, unless you are looking
LOT dividends in cash and nothing else
| But II is facts we have to deal with
| tHlngs that are, and there is a vast throng
OF our young men who have no homes to
stay ~, only places. The association
sIepS IN at this point, and furnishes
place OF attraction where a young man
may meet in social concourse with other
| young men, and breathe the pure air of
good surroundings and pleasant results
that would but for the association privi-
| ieges and enterprises, be spent under in
HiFeehees ana at places that blemish the
But we are only half way up the ladder
yet. there are still two more rounds to
ascend, and the next one we come to is
IIle intellectual nature of young men.
we 90 not compete with the college or the
university, but we try to meet the real
needs IF young men whose educat nal ad-
NahtdSes have been limited We have
nad evening classes in mechanical draw
ing, arithmetic, bookkeeping penlnan-
snip stenography, German and history.
4 ~ such classes 106 sessions have been
neld. In this connection we may mention
the nine lectures and entertainments with
an attendance Of 2.800 Also we have
Ders Or daily and Weekly papers and
| magazines. both secular and religious. 1t
is resorted to at all hours of the day and
! in the evenings. The character of our
I literature is wholesome and standard,
and the influence refining Here also is
I another installment Of dividends which
are beyond the power of being expressed
1 in cash terms
SO many illusions are made to sports,
| games and social life and entertainment.
| that there is risk of losing sight of the
| chief object of our labor. Having the one
| thing IN aim and purpose, namely, the re-
claiming of our young men to the life of
| Christ, this one thing we do and use
! other things only as they aid in the ac-
complishment Of the one result. That one
| result now more directly appears in our
! religious meetings for young men held the
, year round. A Bible class was in the
very efficient charge of the Rev j. II.
! Litten and the special eVangeliStic ser
| vices held during our association week of
| prayer in the month of November We're
conducted with much acceptance by the
Sunday but one. No better addresses
have been heard in our city than were
delivered a these meetings. Many a
young man has taken the keynote of his
life from the melody Of truths there UNI
folded. SO of the Saturday evening meet
I ings, only one evening was missed dur
ing the year. The boys also Were not
overlooked Of religious meetings there
were held 115, with an attendance of 6,222.
Fourteen young men protested conyer.
| sion. This also is a part of the kind OF
| dividends which we seek TO earn for those
who have put their money, interest, time
young men. The church has better work
ers, or workers it woulo not have a all
! May it be burned into your minds as in
| words of spiritual fire that no man repre-
| sents the spirit of the association who IS
diSlOyal TO the church of Jesus Christ.
This fact also goes to swell the dividends
| that constitute the peculiar pay to our
appreciative and sacrificing friends
| whose purse strings unloose for and
whose sympathies sustain our labors.
They are satisfied it pays. =.
But all the foregoing is the expression
of those to whom has been committed the
| responsibility Of this work in your city.
There are other sources Of testimony
however, from young men themselves
! who have come in contact with the infiu-
ence and work of the association. The
following expressions are taken from let
tiers received from young men and on hle
one writes: "The association has been
of incalcuabe benefit to me. In the first
place it was one Of the instruments in
bringing me to Christ and has been one
of the most helpful ones in keeping me
close to Him. | have been greatly bene-
! fitted by it's physical training department;
have made many pleasant and valuable
acquaintance through the association.
In fact it has been 50 much to me
could not tell the half Of it..
Another writes: THE association is ev-
erything to me. [ enjoy its spiritual. attn
letc and amusement features. Besides
it is a good money investment. young
man can easily save more money by
spending his evenings at the building than
his membership will cost him
Says a young physician: Il cannot re-
frain from expressing myself in praise Of
the association. As a source Of mental
recreation ] have found the games Of
with the useful pool, is certainly all that
may be required to invigorate after bodily
fatigue
Still another writes: 1T is with pleas.
ure that / testify to the spiritual work Of
! the association Through its influence |
was lea to Jesus Christ"
"a book-keeper says: THE association
has helped me very much in physical,
intellectual. spiritual and social ways;
| NV start in the spiritual life was made at
the association. and ] am very much in
debted to it for my success so far, as a
business man..
wv. j. w. COwden, one Of the direc-
tors, made brief statement concern
ing the finances of the institution, and
asking those of the audience who had
enjoyed a blessing during the past
year to contribute to the support Of
this Christian work, saying that no
parent or business man in the city
could afford to be without the Y. M.
G. A., with the good influence which
it throws around the young men OF
the town. He stated that the Y. M.
G. A. was $500 in debt for needed i'm
provements made during the past year
and urged that this load be lifted.
Rev Henry Ostrum also spoke
briefly on the same subject with much
effect, and as result Of their appeals
the audience responded literally. Mr..
John p. Wells sang with deep melody
!, Mighty to Love-"
Rev S. n. Thomas, rector of st.
Matthews, made an earnest and elo-
quent talk on the subject of Char
acter." He stated that character was
the name of all the facultiasecof the
man and what he is. 1t is the all-in-
portant thing in the world. and will be
when we stand before God in the last
day. Character is made by habit. 1t
is built up by undivided efforts and
habits by individual acts. The speaker
said he would say that it was the
great Office Of the Y. NJ. G. A. to form
character by influencing young men to
cultivate good habits, and in this way
the Y. NJ c. A was doing something
that none of the churches could accom-
plish; for while preachers could draw
men to Christ, it could not govern
their habits in daily life, which if
wrongly directed, would undermine
the strongest character. 1t is only by
putting something in the place of the
influences that draw young men away
from Christ that young men can build
up noble Christian characters.
Rev Henry Ostrum, the evangelist,
followed in an address which made a
deep impression on his audience. He
said the Y NJ c. A. was bond be-
tween the churches and that by such