Democratic messenger., 1906-02-03

lir ItrH thdt well blackcu shoes ana
wCl creased trousers are sure proofs
that HE owners Of those shining shoes
will walk III the path of virtue aud Of
truth l8ui the Young Mems Christian
nSsociation WAS started with the idea
ni leading young men To seek first the
Kingdom Of Cod and his righteousness
II WAS @tartcd with the idea that the
grcatcJ work of life for young man
To do was to bring other young men
iitn touch with Jesus Christ Thus the
Young Mems Christian association has
never from the beginning been afraid
10 lifi li@h The banner Of the cross Its
very lamc signifies the purpose for
which II WAS organized. young Mems
Clri tian association" means young
men for christ That is the first AMI
chief reason for which honor this be.
neiiccut nnN Ncmcnt.
work For Young Wen.
I5ui the Young Mems Christian MS.
soclation work ddcS not end here II
Is important 10 get young man 10
confess Jesus Christ. hut 1t ls also nee
f
! tan Infancy or formative period. to
Keep The young man by Christ's side
and t. surround him with the protect
ing Influences Of Il Christian home
4 That to mc is the greatest work on
earth 10 be done for young men In our
large Or smaller cities. next to getting
Il ynliug man To publicly confess his
/ love fnr the saviour. Indeed. | may
20 farther. Perhaps the second work
4 Is even more important than the first.
/ for il Young man who has once con
tossed His love for Christ does not con-
tinue - live very close to Christ he is
very alt 10 bc drawn aside hy tcmpta-
tious and his last condition be worse
/ than tire first. Let me sketch the story
Of a young man coming into Il large
city. | usc this illustration because
tie work Of the Young Mems Christian
as citation always has been ana al
WAYS will he chiefly among the young
fellows who. like George Williams,
come 70 live in a large city With no
/ hon.r iul ii boarding house. and no
friends hut those they are compelled TO
make amou" strangers.
This aycr; - Young man is the son of
/ Christian parents All his past life has
been >arrormed hy Christian intu-
enccs: lHt &c rplst young mcr living
in the sual ~ WIS or on the farm, he
wants IL -.st Iap tile center Of things.
lie gleS to NeW York, Chicago. Phila-
deip,tia Sau Francisco or Los Angeles.
At FIST he Is daIod or daZZlcd by the
noise aml the hustle The houses look
to Him as though they were reaching
to the sky. The streets are SO crowd
ed will electric ears aud tramways
aud automobiles and shooting auto
cyclrs that he is afraid To cross them.
1hCu tho crowds, The people seem to
be cvorywhcrc They push him. they
Jolt him they Growl nj him. they do
everything hut speak kindly 20 him.
Everybody seems TO he in such a hur-
ly. The people are running for the
fvrryioats. and they are running for
the elevated trains, and they are run
nin@ for The bridge ears. They are rum
ming eyerywherc
The Sense of Loneliness.
At first thr young mans time is tax
en- vi With watching the different
sights He acts Just as lie did when his
father first took him 10 county fair,
Then there comes over him All awful
sense If loneliness. Like David, he
scems To cly out, NO man careth for
my soul Ic goes To church the first
sunday He says 10 himself. Nov, II
~ 10 church will meet some nice
people" iiut he finds the average city
church Just as different from the coun-
try church rs the tall, stltl, unbcnding
nnd inhospitable city home is different
from his fathers genial, open door
farmhouse No one speaks To him ut
church Then the lonely Monday night
and the lonely Tuesday night and the
lonely "Wednesday night and the lonely
Thursday night and the lonely Friday
NIGHT and the lonely saturday night.
lie wants 20 be good. but what is he To
do: Yet all this time sin Is everywhere
| bcckoniug. Come. brother. come and
drink with me. Come and laugh with
me Come and make merry with me"
Plenty of church services on the Sab.
bath day. hut what is he to do during
all the reSt Of the week? Mark this:
The young men Of the city will not he
saved for Christ by two sermons
preached on the sabbath day. They
must have Christian home. They
must have q place where they can 90
and meet Christian people. II the
Christian churches in the past had been
run on the line of the institutional
church, there would have been no need
of u Young Mems Christian associa.
tion iiii as they have not been 80 run
there have been thousands and tens Of
thousands Of young men saved for
Christ through the influence Of the
Young MHI's Christian associations
Now, how dots the Young Mems Chris
tlan association offer 10 the young men
Christian home:
Wafk far the day Is done. Monday
night Is here, The young man is eating
his d nncr at The boarding house. The
hoardcrs are about To separate Whore
arr Won .suiuw tonlghtt" asks one uf