Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-02-01
Physica.


The conference of Y. NJ. c. a. secre-
taries, presidents and board members
of the state associations, which has
been in session in this city since Tues
day morning, closed with the Wednes-
day afternoons meeting, and with the
two smaller conferences of physical
directors and on county Work held in
the evening. All who were here are
agreed that this conference has been
one of the best ever held by the Sec
retaries of the state. Practically all
of the Tuesday afternoon session was
given over to Mr.. +. NJ. Robinson, of
New York, International secretary OF
the boys department work, who talked
OF the work for boys.
Mr. Robinson argued for what should
be done, what was being done and
how, and showed by stereopticon views
just what had been accomplished With
the boys in associations elsewhere. Mr.
Robinson claims for the boys work
that it is, by reason of the number OF
boys represented in the associations
of the country, one of the important
branches of the associations cam
paign. In proof Of its Importance, by
reason of mere numbers, Mr.. Robinson
said that in the associations of the
country there We're between 700 and
500 boys departments which had q
membership of over 100000 boys In
their teens, who represented about
third of the total Y. NJ. c. A. mem
bership. One-half of all those in the
physical departments, Mr.. Robinson
said, are boys under seventeen. Con-
tinuing, he said:
For these reasons the boys work
is worthy of our attention. The prim-
airy purpose of the Y. NJ. c. A. is not
only the winning of men for Christ. 1t
is the banding together of men to work
for their companions The way to win
boys is not SO much to work for them
as it is to band them together to work
for themselves and for other boys. The
big part of it is the setting of boys to
work for Christ, the association of
Christian boys for Christian work. To
do the best work with men you must
begin with boys. In order to get the
best results the membership must be
graded ana grouped in all departments,
sub dividing into. groups the Bible
study, religious work, gymnasium
classes and social work The we'll
balanced association should have it's
membership made up of one third each
Of boys under Is years of age, young
men between 1s and 25 years, and men
over % years.
"The well-equipped building is not
everything by any means. The deter
mining factor in the success of boys
work is not equipment but it is the
kind and character of the supervis-
ion To attempt work without having
the right man to guide and inspire the
boys is useless, regardless of the finest
equipment
For Iowa, which is not especially
prominent in boys work, Mr.. Robinson
predicted tremendous revival of in
terest along this line. Touching this
suggestion of the future he said:
"This work will come either with
or without the aid of the Y. M. G. A.
and even in spite of it. The Y. M. c. A.
can have it and can have either the
direct or indirect supervision of it II
it chooses, but it is coming whether
or not the associations take an active
interest"
Mr.. Robinson closed his address by
showing views of boys classes and
quarters of all kinds in various assoc
Citations, and pictures of boys base ball,
basket ball and cricket teams and OF
boys camps, showing what other as
sociations were doing and what boys
elsewhere were doing for themselves.
Committee Report.
The two committees, one on policy
and the other on resolutions, appointed
nv Mr.. Olnsted, reported at the af-
ternoon meeting. The resolutions pre-
pared by that committee, of which -
". Pierce, of Keokull, was chairman,
which thanked the state executive
committee and it's officers, the lnterna-
tional secretaries, the board of dlrec-
tors. secretaries, Searchlight Club ana
ladies' auxiliary of the local assocla-
ton and citizens who furnished enter
tainment for delegates, and the press
of the city for the part each contrib
uted toward making the conference
success, was adopted.
The resolutions on policy, prepared
by that committee. which set up stand
ards for the coming years work. in all
of its branches. was also adopted.
Physical Directors Conference.
The physical directors who attended
the Y. NJ c. A. conference. together
with a number of the directors who
remained in the city held a confer
ence at the association building last
,;pbt ia discuss methods of work j. r.
Bachelor, physical director of the Ce-
dar Rapids association, who is presi-
dent of the Y NJ. c. A. Physical Dr.
rectors' Association of Iowa, presided.
c. D. Day, physical director of the
Fort Dodge associa ton, was elected
vice president. The organizing of the
state upon lines similar to the plan
under which the colleges are organic
ed, was discussed Various phases of
the work were discussed.