The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-09-29

At a public meeting held yesterday
afternoon in the Elm Park Methodist
church the great and urgent need for
| more active workers and more money
for the Young Women's Christian As
socation were forciby presented by
Miss Bertha NJ, Wood, the general sec
retary.
Despite the unpleasant weather which
prevailed fairly large sized gathering
was present. The principal address
| was to have been made by Mrs. Mar
garet l.. Sangster but illness prevented
her from coming to this city. Mrs. 10.
II. Ripple, the president, was also Ill
and in her place. Rev. DR.. Robert F. Y.
Pierce, pastor of the Penn avenue Bap-
tist church acted as presiding officer.
Prayer was offered by Rev. DR.. c. M.
Giffin and after selection by the
church quartette, DR.. Pierce introduced
Miss Wood. paying at the same time a
high compliment to woman's power and
influence for good throughout all the
ages.
"You women" said he, "are moulding
lives not only for time but for eternity
and you will never know until you
come before the judgment seat Of God
the extent Of your influence"
Miss Wood in beginning said that the
work of the Young Women's Christian
association Is an expression of the prin-
ciple Love Your Neighbor," which
Christ expressed while upon earth. The
association aims, she said to recover
not only womans soul but her body
as well.
NO WORK MORE NOBLE.
"As association workers." she con-
tinued, "you must realize that there Is
no work more noble, more Chrlst-like or
more dignified than assisting in the
formation of the character of young
| women. l have no desire to lessen the
need of reformatory institutions for
young women but 1 see no reason why
we should wait until they have sinned,
until they have lost that which they
can never regain before seeking to save
| them."
| She outlined at some length the work
being accomplished by the local asso-
| ciation and it's branches in both ma
terial and a spiritual way. The need OF
| a boarding home where strange young
women coming to the city might stay
pending the making of permanent ar
rangements on their part was comment
ed upon. The closing of the West
Scranton branch because of lack OF
| funds was commented upon and the
hope expressed that it might again be
opened this coming winter.
The present debt of the association,
about $1,000, Miss Wood said looked
very large in the eyes Of the board OF
managers but there would be no need
| for its existence if the Christian people
| of this city rallied to the support of the
work as they should.
| "People who go down on Lackawanna
| avenue on Saturday night" she said,
land see the thousands Of young girls
walking up and down are inclined to
think that the association isn't accom-
plishing much. l think we are accom-
plishing more than any reasonable
person could expect us to.
WHY ON THE STREET.
| "Did you ever stop to consider that
the reason these girls are on the street
| is because there isn't much in their
home-life to attract them. | wish that
| some of us who have beautiful homes
of our own would open them once in
a while for the use Of these young
women. 1 wish I could get number
| of women to volunteer to open their
| homes once or twice q year to these
young women and assist in entertaining
them. I'm sure that the feeling that
one had done something to brighten
their lives and to help them to some
| thing better would more than repay for
any trouble which might be caused.
1.-The work of the association in this
city would be stronger and more ef-
ficient and more young women would
be saved If we had more workers, If
there were more women doing individ-
ual work. l think that the best thing
in this work is to seek out an individual
young woman and bring her to see the
| truth rather than to devote ones time
| and energies to save the masses. That
was Chrst's way. He hunted up in
dviduals
I'VE have hardly commenced in this
city the great field known as extension
work or work among the factory girls
of whom there are so many thousands
j here. There seems to be hopeful signs
that this work will broaden and grow
here but it hasn't been fairly COM
menced yet"
NOON HOUR SERVICE STOPPED.
Miss Wood told of an attempt which
was made in the South Scranton silk
mills to have a service at the noon houl
for girls and how the management hat
stopped it. There is a tremendous field
for active work among these girls. She
said, many of whom work for clever
hours with but half hour for lunch
OF a party of twenty-seven taken t.
Lake Scranton last summer only two
had ever visited the place. Another
tasted ice-water for the first time II
the South Side association rooms.
"It takes two things" she concluded
"to increase the usefulness of the Y. w
C. A. in this city-people and money
There are plenty of both in this city