Evening star., 1899-02-04
Good Attendance at the Meeting at
Cumberland.
LISTEN TO REPORTS
What the Organization Accom-
pIished During the War.
WASHINGTONIANS PRESENT
pecial nispatch to The Evening Star

CUMBERLAND, Md, February 4.-The
sessions of the convention of the Young
Mems Christian Association of Maryland,
District of Columbia West Virginia and
Delaware has been attended by about $50
delegates. Joshua Levering of Baltimore,
who was prohibition candidate for Presi
dent in 1896, is the president of the con-
vention, John B. Sleman, jr., secretary of
the Washington Y. NJ. C. A, first vice pres
University, secretary.
A large number of Washingtonians are
in attendance and are being finely enter
tanned at various Cumberland homes.
A feature of the convention is the large
repress ntation of railroad and college
branches.
Theodore A. Harding of Washington read
the report of the state committee. 1t says
the war put a check to proposed plans for
state work, and the committee went into
the field The report details the splendid
work accomplished in the camp of the lst
Maryland Regiment at Fort Monroe and
continued when the troops We're sent to
Camp Meade. Beginning June p and end
ing September g. the total visits to the
tent at Fort Monroe were 3l,t22; letters
written, 12,i03; gospel services held, Is;
total attendance, 2.65o; conversions, So
Report of State Committee.
The report says that systematic and or
ganized district work is in great need; that
outside of Baltimore and Washington there
is a lack of state supervision, and the ap-
pointment of a state secretary is urged and
authority is asked by the committee to
raise at least 50 800 for the carrying on of
the work. secretary has been employed
by the coiored association at Baltimore,
and there are prospects of the appointment
of an intercollegiate secretary for the six
medical colleges in the district. The report
n Ai,NSrr
citation has succeeded in paying the floating
debt of $1,000, and December 30, 1898, pur-
chased the magnificent club house of the
Columbia Athletic Club, and will take pos
session of the same formally Monday, Feb
ruary 13.
On July W. N Multer was loaned to the
international committee to take charge of
the army work at Camp Alger, and later at
Camp Meade Mr. Mu!ter resigned October
/, and January 1, 1899, Mr.. John b. Slee-
man. jr., was called general secretary.
Mr.. Harding spoke enthusiastically Of re-
suits in Washington when reports OF the
various associations were called for. The
association was obtaining new members
at the rate of 100 per week. The fee was
SO. over 800 new members were enrolled
since January l. The expenditure of $4,000
in improving the new quarters was con-
templated. G. l.. Brist of the Columbian
University said the chapel had been placed
at the disposal of the association, with
splendid results, over 200 on the average
attending each meeting.
The Poolesville, Md. association was re-
ported in fiourishing condition by Secre-
tary G. w. Reddig. The building had been
wonderfully improved. Annapolis, Will
mington and Wheeling, especially, reported
marked progress, while all the college and
railroad branches spoke encoura gingly of the
work. G. A. Holton of Baltimore read
paper on physical department work, refer
ring to the increased responsibility of the
physical director who was called upon to
train young men. Mr. Charles Ldnkins of
ha IT,iu a
among others discussed this paper.
Mr.. Charles S. Clarke of Washington has
charge of the singing of the convention.
Address by Mr.. HamIin.
Rev. Teunis S. Hamlin, pastor of the
Church of the Covenant. Washington. de-
livered an address on THE Duty of Chris
tan Young Men to Develop and Maintain
the Cosmopolitan Temper" He spoke of
the cosmopolitan work of the missionary
and the duty of America this hour His
address was along the line of expansion
He said Now we are called to new en-
terprises, to go to a land with our Chris
tan civilization, with our common Chris
tanity. We are called to a thousand open
DOORS to which are bound by the tieS
of humanity, by the ties of sympathy. by
the ties of civilization" He spoke of Eng
lands friendship for us which prevented
the combining of other nations in war
against us.
w. B. Millar of New York. secretary of
the army and navy branch of the Y. NJ c.
A, gave an illustrated talk of the work
In army and navy camps. He first threw on
the screen reproductions of the letters from
the war Department giving the Y NJ c.
A. the privilege of erecting reading tents
at army camps, following this with illus
trations of camp life and the Y NJ c. l.
work connected Herewith.
Mr.. Harding's Paper
The convention held largely attended
session this morning, the principal feature
of which was the paper of T. A Harding Of
Washington, chairman of the state commit
tee, on Money and Stewardship" the
pith of which was a special plea for funds
for the state executive committee to back
up tri-state work. He said the trouble
heretofore had been that nothing had been
done toward raising finances at the begin
ming of the year, the matter being deferred
until the year had slipped away The state
executive committee made a recommended
ton that $1,000 be raised, and it was adopt-
ed. 1t was advocated that competent and
not cheap man be employed as state sec
retary, for whose salary and expenses
5000 would have to be set aside. Mr. W.
H. Morris of Baltimore stated the trouble
has been that a man has been put in the
field only two or three months before the
convention to stir up interest when there
should be state secretary in the field all
the year round. Because of the lack of this
supervision the association at Charleston