The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1903-01-20
WORK OF THE Y.M.C.A.
ROOSEVELT LAUDS THE ORGAN
IZATLoN'S EFFoRSS.
President Delivers a Notable Address
and Reviews the Last Half Gen.
tury-Praises Religious Work
Among Young Men.

Washington, Jan. 19.-President Roose-
welt was the guest of honor tonight at the
banquet commemorative of the hruetn
anniversary OF the Washington Young
Mems Christian Association and the in
ternational committee of North America.
Among those present were Justices har-
Ian and Brewer, Secretary Root, Senators
Depew and Perkins; George Foster Pea
bouy, Baron Person, Secretary SHAW
Admiral Dewey, Generals Corbln and
Young and secretary Cortelyou.
President Roosevelt was greeted with
loud applause as he rose to address those
at the banquet. He said:
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen. 1t is
no accident that we should meet here
to celebrate a record of fifty years. That
period covers the half century which has
seen the gigantic Industrial change of
the world, a revolution, socially and in
dustrially such as was hardly seen within
and preceding Ave centuries. Life dur
ing that half century has been carried
on a higher pressure than ever before.
That means OF course that all the forces
have been raised to a higher degree OF
power, the forces of evil and also the
forces of good. II 1t had~iot been for
the work of such organizations as this
the immense material progress of the
world during the past half century would
have been a progress that would have
told for III to the nations. not for good.
(Applause.J
And we can say with truth that we
are better off and not worse OF than we
were. We see all around US people who
say oh, well, things will come out right
So they will, but they will come out all
right not because they are content to say
that they will come out all right hut
there are sufficient number of earnest
men with the root of Righteousness in
them who are bound to see that they
come out all right (Applause.)
"A hundred years ago there was no
such need for the Young Mems Christian
Association and other movements of this
kind Life was simpler. AS the forces of
evil manifested themselves in stronger
and stronger form they had to be met, II
they were to be successfully grappled
with. by organized effort, and the sue
cessful effort to combat the forces of
evil had to take just such shape as has
been given to the growth of the Young
Mems Christian Associations. There have
been philanthropic movements led and
supported by most excellent people, which
nevertheless have produced results alto
gether incommensurable with the efforts
spent because they failed to combine as
this movement has combined a recognt-
ton of the need of human nature at the
same time that the resolute effort was
made and make the human nature better.
at have been acquainted especially with
three types of your work the work in the
army and navy. among railroad men
and among college students. Now those
three classes are not going to be effective
" reached as classes by any effort which
fails to take account of the fact that they
demand manliness as we'll as virtue, and
you can make them straight on condi-
ton that you keep in mind that it is nee
essary for them to be strong.
I'm the long run tine man who Is de-
cent is apt to be the man who is the best
soldier The work among the railroad
men always particularly appealed to me
because of the willingness of these men
to take risks. to accept responsibilities.
You get among a body of mon like that
and you can make them accept morality
If you make them understand that it is
not only compatible with, but is demand
| ed bv essential manliness.
The work of the Y. NJ. c, A. has
grown so among the college tsudents be-
| cause it has tried not to dwarf any Of