The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-05
NOTABLE Y. M. 6. A. MEETING
DELEG ATES TO BTENNIIL CONTEN-
 TION REPORTED YESTERDAY.

DELEG ATES TO BTENNIAL CONVEN.
 TTON REPOR1ED YESTERDsY.
 State Secretary Bates and General Secre-
 tary Lotze Told of the Wonderful
 Gathering-Doingsa at the Three Prin-
 cipal Sessions sDescribed-VVen K nown DIen Present-Rear Admiral John W. | Philips and Others.
 A very interesting meeting was held
 yesterday afternoon at the association! rooms, 713 Chapel street, at which time
 addresses were made by the New Haven
 delegates who had just returned from
 attending the thirty-third biennial con
 venton of Young Mems Christian asso :
 citations held at Grand Rapids, Mich | The speakers were Messrs. E. T. Bates, | state secretary of Connecticut, and Will l liam G. Lotze, general secretary of New | Haven. Both were enthusiastic in their | praises of this most wonderful gather l ing. It was the most representative | gathering of the association workers ever held on this continent. For month , the international committee at New
 York has had it's representatives travel
 ing from the east to the west interview ing business men and they were suc-
 cessful in securing an unusually large
 attendance.
 Tln ae est, inasmuch as some of the greatest
 problems of the day were under con-
 sideratlon by men who were able to
 speak with authority. One of the sub
 jects up for consideration was The
 Forces Which Are Destroying Young
 Men" Anthony Comstock, secretary of
 the Society for the Suppression of Vice,
 New York city spoke on "Impurity"
 and made the startling statement that
 during his thirty years of service he had
 seized and destroyed seventy-threa tons of vile literature and made 2,300 arrests. During the first six months of his work
 $150,0O0 worth of books, negatives and other material were destroyed. He told of several cases where these tlends had led away pure minded young men and
 'otA'~h NY 5NN'llio llicll HUH some of our finest institutions of learn ing and thus sending their vile litera- ture under cover of mail.
 J. M. Buckley, D. D., editor of the Christian Advocate, spoke on the same subject from the standpoint of rational ism. Among other interesting things he said: "Spiritualism is lnfidelity with a bogus ghost In it." For three years pr. Buckley fell in with infidels and on ev- cry occasion he spoke against Chris tianity, and while he has sympathy with every honest doubter he claims that no Christian has a right to spend time talking with a man who does not believe in the existence of a God.
 Among the many interesting sessions of the convention there were three re- markabe gatherings which will long be remembered. The first was on Thursday evening, when the work in the army and navy was under consideration. The presiding officer on this occasion was Rear Admiral John W. Philip, U. $. N. He paid a glowing tribute to the work of the association In the navy and reported that the first branch to open was at the Brooklyn navy yard, which | had already outgrown its quarters and that time and again more men had ap- | piled for lodging than could possibly be accommodated. The admiral stated that one of the best features In connec- tion with the Navy association was the | savings bank, whereby the men could | deposit the greater part of their money | with the general secretary before falling | into the hands of the land sharks, who | eagerly await the arrival of sailors at all of our principal ports. While the | Brooklyn branch was only established in January of this year the sailors have already deposited oyer $50,O0O with the secretary of that association The other speakers on this occasion were Rear Admiral Francis J, Higginson, U. s. N, and Lieutenant Commander AL bion Wadhams, U. s. N. Both of these gentlemen endorsed the good work be- ing done and urged the international to push forward this impor- tant line of work until branches should be established in every important sea port in the world. During the remarks Of the evening the good news was made public that the officers now on the way to relieve commanders at Manila and Honolulu were both familiar with the Navy association work and promised to organize branches at these stations.
 Rear Admiral Philip stated that to his this was the first time in the history of the country when a naval of icer was called upon to preside at @ 'eligious gathering and he closed by ;aying that on Dewey's return he would confer with him about the Naval Young Mems Christian association movement md strongly urge that the work be pushed rapidly forward to other ports. n retiring the admiral presented F. l.. shuey of Dayton, O., the president of he convention, with a beautiful gavel made from wood of a Spanish warship.
 The second notable gathering was leld on Sunday afternoon when the arge auditorium was filled with men,
 s. M. Sayford of Boston gave most inspiring address on the subject "Why re not more young men becoming Christians" He said there were three easons: 1, Indifference: ?, Garbed gos- e in pulpit; 3. Inconsistent life in eWs.
 Lack of thought is the first great anger. If men would only stop and | hink half the battle would be won. | Ve need something to make men see | heir true condition and nothing will do oo ,efaot,,nIl1, thp cip1r1a erpS,al l