Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-01
BY GOV. ROOSEVELT
His Address Read at the Y. M. @.
A. Sunday Afternoon.
LAST SABBATH OF THE CENTURY
Occasion Appropriately Observed by
the Local DISQUALIFICATION. r. D..
Foster officiated as Spokesman for
Roosevelt--A Big Meeting.
Flom Mondays Daily.

Flom Mondays Daily.
The auditorium of the Y. M. c. A.
was well filled with a representative
gathering of Ottumwa young men yes
lterday afternoon when President T.
d. Foster, arose and began the reading
of the address of Hon. Theodore
Roosevelt, which was simultaneously
delivered in person by that distin-
lguished gentleman in Carnegie hall,
New York.
1t was an original as well as valua-
Bile thought, that conceived the idea
of having an address by one of Amer
ica's foremost men, delivered and read
simultaneously before the Young
Mems Christian Associations of the
United States and Canada. There pos
sibly could have been no more fitting
way of celebrating the closing Lords
day of this great century, by the Y. M.
c. A. turnout the land, than the man
ner in which it did, and it's leaders
are to be congratulated upon having
secured this address as the principal
event of the celebration of the occa-
sion.
Governor RooseveIt's Address.
| The preliminary exercises of the day
were very brief. They were opened
with short song service by the male
choir, which was followed by two vol
untary prayers, after which General
Secretary Wade introduced President
T. D. Foster, who, after few intro
ductory remarks, began the reading
of Mr.. Roosevelt's address which was
as follows:
Greeting.
ut is peculiar pleasure to me to
come before you today to greet you
and to bear testimony to the great
good that has been done by these
Young Mems and Young Women's
Christian Associations thruout the
United States and the Dominion of
Canada. More and more we are get
ting to recognize the law of combina-
ton. This is true of many phases in
our industrial life, and it is equally
true of the world of philanthropic eff
fort. Nowhere is it, or will it ever be,
possible to supplant individual effort
and individual initiative; but in addi-
ton to this, there must be work in
icombination. More and more this is
recognized as true not only in charit-
liable work proper, but in that best form
of philanthropic endeayor where we do
good to ourselves by all joining togeth-
err to do good to one another. This is
exactly what is done in your Associa-
ltions.
Reasons for Recognition.
sit seems to me that there are sew.
eral reasons why you are entitled to
especial recognition from all who are
interested in the betterment of our
American social system First and
foremost your organization recognizes
the vital need of brotherhood, the
most vital of all our needs here in this
great continent. The existence of a
Young Mems or Young Women's Chris
tian Association is certain proof that
some people at least recognize in prac-
teal shape the identity of aspiration
and interest both in things material
and in things higher, which with us
must be widespread thru the masses
of the people, if the national life is to
attain full development. This spirit of
brotherhood recognizes of necessity
both the need of self help and also the
need of helping others in the only
way whichever ultimately does great
good; that is, of helping them to help
themselves. Every man of us needs
such help at some time, and each of
us should be glad to stretch out his
hand to brother who stumbles. But
while every man needs at times to be
lifted up when he stumbles, no man
can afford to let himself be carried
and it is worth no mans while to try
thus to carry some one else The
man who lies down, who will not try
Ito walk has become mere cumberer
lof the earth's surface.
These association of yours try to
make men self helpful and to helm
them when they are self helpful They
do not try merely to carry them, to
benefit them for the moment at the
cost of their future undoing. This
means that all In any way connected
with them not merely retain but in.
crease their self respect Any man
who takes part in the work of such
an organization is benefited to some
extent and benefits the community to
some extent-of course always with
the proviso that the organization is
we'll managed, and is run on bust.
ness basis, as we'll as with philan-
thropic purpose.
Beauty of Standing Alone.
"The feeling of Brotherhood is nee
| essarily as remote from patroniz
ing spirit on the one hand as from
a spirit of envy and malice on the
other. The best work for our uplift
ing must be done by ourselves and
| yet with brotherly kindness for our
neighbor. In such work, and there
fore, in the kind of work done by the
Young Mems Christian association
we all stand on the self-respectina
basis of mutual benefit and common
effort. All of us who take part in any
such work in whatever measure both
receive and confer benefits This is
1 true of the founder and giver and 1t is
| no less true of every man who takes
| advantage of what the founder and
4 giver have done. This brotherhood
4 makes us all realize how much we
have in common, and how much we
can do when we work in common.
doubt if it is possible to overestimate
the good done by the mere fact of as
| ISOLATION with common interest and
for a common end, and when the com,
! mon interest is high and the common
end peculiarly worthy the good done
is of course many times increased.
/ Resides developing this sense Of
i hrotlonbood Tho faalipo which h,,1-, Il,