Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-17

eral secretaryship. The visit developed the
| foct that they had a building partially
| erected. that the total budget Of the as.
| ISOLATION had never exceeded 1000, anc
| while some executive officer was needed
| the expense incident seemed an almost in
| surmountable obstacle. The board while
unwilling to assume the enlarged expense
| approved the call Of a general secretary
If new subscriptions could be secured fol-
the salary. Through personal monthly
subscriptions ranging from 81 to s. this
was obtained, and in April, 1868, became
secretary. The association then occupied
rooms on the third floor Of the building
over Metzerott Hall on Pennsylvania ave-
nue.. with about 200 members The work
principally consisted of a weekly meeting
on saturday evening, reading room, some
entertainments. mission Sunday schools in
Two or three sections of the city, open
air services in the parks, and some special
services at the Jail, almshouse and SOL
dfers' barracks. General O. o. Howard
was president. The building in process of
erection secured by joint stock company
was completed during the first year of my
service, at cost of $500, 600, on which there
was floating debt of about $4,000. 1t
was hoped that the rental of the stores and
the income from the hall would create a
sinking fund to pay off the debt and Sc
cure the stock. but as in nearly all similar
ventures by our associations the hopes
were never realized.
Following the opening of the new build
ing the association grew remarkably in
numbers and popularity. A citizens re-
llef commission to care for the poor and a
plan for aiding the Bible Society in putting
Eibles in every house in the city were put
IN operation by the association; district
visitation with tract distributors: great
thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings of
street boys; special evangelistic meetings
Tor the masses; week of prayer services
IN January, ETC., populariZed the asso-
citation with hundreds of people. Added
to these, there were organized under our
direction training classes for Christian
workers addressed by representative Chris
tan teachers from all parts of the country,
and popular course of scientific lectures
with brilliant experiments by such men as
Professors Proctor, Morton, Doremus,
Tyndal and others. In our building dur
ing these years were held the remarkable
temperance crusade meetings under leader
ship of DiO Lewis, from which sprang the
Women's Temperance Union of Washing
ton.
"All these things made the association
building very busy place. and very much
work was done. But the specific associa-
ton work was scarcely realized either by
the general secretary or the board.
wi lille large numbers of young men came
to our building, enjoyed the entertainments
the gymnasium and the social life COM
paratively little effort was made for def.
nltely influencing the multitudes of young
men OF the city. Only the last two years
OF my secretaryship did l come to appre-
clate the definite work of the associations,
ana organize committees and put in motion
agencies for visitation, with invtati to
young men of the departments and in every
portion of the city to the association 1t
was many months before a clear recogni-
ton of the purpose of the association was
fully accepted by even our workers; but
when its distinctive aim was realized to be
a mission of the young men of the church
10 the other young men, new impulse
came to the work. Young men became en-
Unused with a passion to win their fellow
young men to the Savior. All the various
agencies and the splendid facilities in our
building were used to further that thought.
This was the pivotal point which has given
the association it's history of great useful
ness in these later years For the privilege
of sharing in this excellent work l am de-
voutly thankful to our Divine Master"
Francis H. Smith.
My special connection with the Y. M. C.
A. covered a period Of eight years, from
1867 to 1875, Gen. o. o. Howard being pres
ident for the first half and myself for the
latter four years. George A. Hail. as gen.
eral secretary for most ofSthis period, was
really the moving spirit in the large amount
of work done. He was the most irrepressi-
BILE, aggressive man in the line of practical
Christianity 1 ever knew. While in Wash
ington 1 was in the association rooms al
most every day, and 1t was an exception II
the secretary did not meet me with Some
suggestion for some new plan of work.
During this period the population Of the
city was on the average probably one-third
its present number, and general religious
and charitable work had not been subdivid-
ed and organized as has since occurred,
and which the Y. M. c. A. was the most
potent factor in preparing the way for and
accomplishing. The association virtually
organized the Central Union Mission, the
Associated Charities and the Women's
Christian Association, in respect to which I
shall write more or less in detail.
Il remember the blunt remark Of the
head of a bureau in accepting the applica-
ton to conduct a Bible class in one of the
churches: Since 1 have been in Washing