The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-29
GREAT MISSION
0F.T. / \ Y.M \. G. G. A..
Every Avci1uc ii Mans Develop
mentis Promoted by This
Organization.
ON THE YOUNG MANS TRAIL
~. M. A. Seeks Out Young
Men Even oil the Firing
Lilic.

A generation ago tho Young Mems
Christian Association was commonly re-
gurded us n society whose chief pur-
& poses wcrc preaching md prayer. To-day.
almost every one knows 1t better--knows
1t US IL powerful organization that works
Tor the good Of society highly practical.
4 SO multiform Is the association Of to-
day, in 70 many fields arc It's vast
energies at work, that It Is not easy to
define or describe II In IL single sentence.
An intelligent foreigner. on reading its
species Of organization Is this? Is 1t u,
real estate desperation, u igymithsilitn, u
university, church. II hotel, or re-
creation club?" F
one may call II any ono OF these and
give good reasons. For instance, IN tho
y United states alone II owns thirty-one
million dollars worth OF land and btlild-
ings. Its yearly income is moro thah
four million dollars, hale of which IS per-
4 petuatcd In property. 1t has more than
five hundred club houses. large enough
to house The whole population Of CITY
Ike Pittsblrg. Every five days on an
average. il puts up n new building
Look at 1t from another point Of view.
ana one will find has moro than thirty
Il two thousand students In Its schools
about as many AZ the eight biggest uni
Z verstics In America can show. US
diplomas are accepted by hundred col
! lcgcs asst year II gave away 70 Sol SOL
d,ers and sailors: scventy-fivo tons OF
n looks and magazines Plainly ~ taxes
rank as university. and most prac-
teal ono, for 1t teaches It's students use
ful trades ana finds them employers when
they graduate It's finished product IN
this line last year numbered fifteen thou.
9, spnd young men.
Promoter Of Sports.
Give this 6fn,anv-sdcdf institution an.
other twist, and 1t becomes the greatest
school or physical culture In tho world.
s opcrat ting five hundred and fifty-six
gymnasiurns With a hundred and thirty
five thousand pupils 1t Is the foremost
promoter OF clean sport When IT taxes lold
Or young man, 1t hardens his backbone
q and tiHhtcns up his, muscles. physically as
well as morally. o} For cientifics body
& building, .lits instructors are generally
4 admitted to be the best in their pro-
g:fess!on They arc the finest body OF
SPECIALISTS in physical training In the
world" says no less an authority than
DR. Anderson, of Yale.
3 The American spirit OF democracy has
had full swing in the Young Mems Chris
4. tian Association. Every branch is inde-
pendent and sclf-governlnK. There lsFglio
Imperialism. At the head are congress
or fifty-four, n cabinet OF iOur,t ana q
president; hat these have no power 10
make laws. TheN,,lnerely offer shelpsand
advice 10 the secretaries, who arc the
real leaders and b,irden-bearers. There
is no cut -and-dred set of rules. Tho only
universal order is keep out of the ruts.
The man who believes that the Young
Mems Christian sAssDciat Ion Is merely Il
religious institutions. where he would nave
4 TO go through Il sIxty-mlnute praytr
meeting 10 get II tenSninute bath, mas
not been inside one Of Sitss club houses FOR
Mt least ten years. To-day 1t 10 more
+ than I'm to-date. 1t is years ahead OF the
calendar In educational matters It has
& become an experiment station. making:
new roads for the srhools and colleges
For Instance, here is n typical. bright 4
idea which is being put into pracuce IN
two OF tho New York branches. IN q club
of boys IL map is hung on the wal repre-
senting an imaginary town which they
call Collcgeville. Every boy is supposed
10 bc Il resident of this town. lie mas Il
house and a place OF business. a f'iil
set Of town OFFICIALS is elected, bonds are
Issued 10 provide money for Improve
4 mcnts. and public franchises are sold 10
th. hIgcst bidder. In one club this
game OF citizenship has been running for
Two years. with all manner OF highly
+ exciting complications. IA
Boston and Detroit have schools for
chnffe,lrs, in which no doubt. the stu
& dents arc taught The rare and difficult
frt of going slow. Troy has q class OF
ten natioaitiesf learning American 1is-
tory. New York has a hundred thousand
dollar building for Frenchlncn only. De-
Knlb has II school for Amcrcanizng
rims Denver has set on foot q renlark-
abel enterprise. called II "health farm"
In n handsome park Of sixty5ncres, 1t has
built n town of tents SO that the weak
l,inged young men who have climbed TO
Denver in search Of pure mountain air
may sleep out-of-doors and recover their
strength.
On Young Mans Trail.
No matter where "a young man goes
the association is on his trail. IIe will
find 1t among the paper makers of Maine
the coal miners OF Pennsylvania and
n,larrymen OF Vermont. tho cotton mill
workers of the Carolinas and tho gold
mines of Alaska. Tho lat test Idea In tho
South is the movable association. which
follows tho lumber camps. The average
secretnry Is II sleuth. lIc tracks his
prey to It's hiding-place, Every week
little meetings arc held in fragments
slanty. M engineers caboosc, q coal