The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-01-30
FREE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH,
dress at Yesterdays Morning
Sermon.

| A notable feature of the morning ser
vice at the Free street Baptist church was
an address delivered by Mr.. Henry nj.
Moore Of Boston. who is in attendance up
ON the annual convention of the Y III. G.
A, and one of its most prominent
workers Mr.. Moore was I introduced by
the pastor, Rev. DIR. Wilson, and incident
ally remarkedEat the outset of his address
that he esteemed 1t great honor AMI
privilege to be In church presided over
| by Rev. DIR. Wilson, and was glad to
observe that an Offering was part of the
worship The speaker then announced
tina theme Of his remarks: And the
King saith, is the young man Absalom
ssfef"-sd Samuel 1929. He said these
were the words of burdened heart and
that cry had reached $4,000 men who
had banded together In the Y. NJ. G. A.
He expressed his love for the church OF
Christ and the association, and spoke in
behalf of young men because he was
patriot and believed the success Of the
country lay In its thorough christiauiza-
ton for what is to be its future with oil
its boosted civilization save what the
young men make itp
He referred to the fact that young men
had fairly swarmed to the larger cities for
renown and wealth, and gave statistics
showing that during a certain decade the
larger cities increased their population
at rate OF 4b per cent, while the general
increase in the country at large was only
about % per cent, and the large cities
have become nerve centres and storm
centres as we'll What the United States
will become In the next ten or twenty
years is occupying the minds of our
thoughtful citizens, and the speaker
then quoted from the late Bon. Nelson
Dingley, who at an international con-
ference Of the y. NJ. c. A. said: Il notice
the corruption sgoing on in the great
cities and when look upon the faces be-
fore me in this gathering know 1t is just
such an organization as this that Will
save our land and give US purified citi-
| zenship"
Mr. Moore believed that the Y. III. =.
A. was a mighty factor in settling
politi cal questions, for when it was prop
erly established and supported in any
community it raised up young men whose
sentiments would tend to put down Tam
many halls wherever they sprung up.
He thought the young men of our coun-
try are noted for being in the churches,
and Boston was cited where out of u 100
young men only 10 900 were in the pole
of the church, and at least 1900 never
attended worship with any degree OF
1 pAf IN ha
more fashionable among the young men
than church going, and the large number
of mem bsrs of the Century club who
spent their Sundays on their wheels had
come under the personal observation OF
the speaker. Probably 1t was the same
in Portland, and a club from this city
might by way of example visit Lewiston
and then in course of time the Lewiston
club would be expected to return the
visit, and SO 1t went on.
He then com batted the theory that we
do not need organizations like the Y. Nj.
e. A., because we have churches and
Christian homes, by saying that even II
We have Christian homes 1t does not
allow that boys will remain in them, for
they liked to be linked together. and one
win frequently drag another away, and
too frequently, to places which good home
influences never reach, but no mother
worries for a boy when she knews he is
at the rooms of the Y. N. G. A.
Mr. Moore then dwelt upon the mar
vellous growth of the association and how
God had blessed 1t. He believed that the
evangelical test had bound the org triza.
ton together. word of warm praise
was bestowed ON the railroad organizG-
tiops, and it was noted that nine-teu this
of the men of the Maine Central railroad
were identified with the association.
| From 20 to 80, the organization began
to build, and the speaker thanked the
| business men of the country for the liberal
contributions which had permitted the
building through the country sof 1874 Y.
M. c. A. buildings which young men
could never pass without being touched
by hallowing influence.
He praised the magnificent building
| lust completed by the Y. II. q. A. in our
midst and paid handsome tribute to the
business men of the city for their aid
along this line, and then observed that
| SIS, 0OO, 900 was the aggregate value of the
buildings now in use by the different
organizations in the land, and the invest
ment was a good one, for there WAS an
element of permanency about 1t.
The gymnasiums connected with the
rooms were highly commended as they
afforded recreation without temptation,
and appealed to the social element SO
strong in young men. The physical in
structor gets nearer the men than any
one else can and any signs of vicious
practices are soon detected. The gymna-
SUM was the body builder and at the
same time the instructor has an excellent
opportunity of bringing the young men
to Christ. Mr.. Moore closed his very in.
teresting address by referring to the
| wonderful work done bv the v nj G.