Arizona republican., 1906-05-13
IA VICTORIOUS ARMY
 Y.M.C.A. CONQUESTS
What the Organization Has Accom-
 plishsd in Fifty Years.

branch of the r. M. c. A. The few who are familiar are those who have
 contributed liberally their time and their services at the various meetings
 which have so far been held One of
 the foremost in the work here has been 1 MT. A. l.. Higgins, whose work has been the securing of the endorsement
 of the project by young men of the | city, those who would receive the
 greatest benefit from such an organi-
 zation in the event of a realization of
 the plans of the promoters. His sue
 cess along this line has been very en-
 cOuraging to him. The movement is | growing in Phoenix.
 Not only have a large number of
 young men of the city promised their l support of the Y. M. c. A, should a 1 local branch of the organization be es- l abolished, but equally as large a num- | Der have promised to attend the meetings which will be held in the in terest of the organization pending it's | establishment here. And not the least | encouraging Is the support the local
 movement is receiving from the busi- | ness men. This support will be in-
 creased undoubtedly if the attendance
 of the young men at the regular meet ! ings is kept up to the hign standard
 promised. In this way they will show | that branch of the Y. Nj. c. A. Is de- | sired, and as soon IS such a showing
 is made 1t is safe to say the business
 men of the town will offer the neces- | sary financial support. Already has a | very liberal offer been made by MT J. | w. Dorris
 The remarkable stride forward the | r. M. c. A. movement has taken in Phoenix as pleasing as it is to those in | phopua {c fy,
 the growth of the association during | the last fifty years of the nineteenth century as compared with its develop
 ment during the first five years of the present century. The first association | on this continent was organized in
 1851 at Montreal and Boston. At the l close of the nineteenth century there were 250,000 members enrolled and the l association had acquired S22.O0O. GOO
 worth of property. There was devel- | Oped five sided plan of work for the
 whole life of young men, the physical.
 social, religious, educational and bus | mess.
 | In times of war it is considered q
 great thing for ane army to capture ! one city and yet in fifty years this ! movement captured 500 cities in which ! the organization did effective work. In | the life of a young man it is thought | a great thing to enter a college. and yet this institution entered 500 colleges | and universities and became a mighty ! influence in the college life of Ameri- | ca. It brancned out to the field of the i employees of the great railroads. The
 association occupied 15O railroad cen | ters and was assisted by receiving | hundreds of thousands of dollars m i the work as conducted by the em- l pIoyees themselves of whom there are | now nearly 10000 members of the Y. | NJ. .. A.
 l The question of boys work was talk i en up in this same period. that is. for 1 boys from 12 to 16 years of age. They | also launched a missionary campaign | sending out 25 secretaries to such ] countries whose missionaries sent a
 unanimous request asking for the as | sistance of the organization. India | China, Japan, Korea and South Amer
 ica were included in this foreign work It's growth was made possible large | ly through the fact of its wonderful adaptability in meeting the needs of various classes conditions and races of men. All this which has been written happened in the last fifty years pre- ceeding 19001.
 During the first five years of this century from 1901 to 1906. the Y NJ C- A. duueu lSO,OOO members to it's
 number, an increase of 54 per cent, ana also gained in property holdings. | 60 per cent over that possessed in 1900. But not alone in membership has there been an increase but in all | the branches of the work all of the 1 live branches. The Y. M. c. A. is now established on a permanent basis in the army and navy hitherto neglected | fields of endeavor. It is now finding | its way into large shops and industrial centers, mining and manufacturing towns as illustrated by the organiza-
 tton say at Proctor, Vermont. and at
 Bisbee. in Cochise county. The boys enrolment has more than doubled dur ! ing the past five years and in several of the larger cities separate buildings | for the boys have been erected from those used by men.
 The crOwning achievement of the | past five years, however, was the cap
 lure of the Japanese army by the r
 M. C. A. Their leaders heard of the | effective labOrs among the American | troops. and the Japanese secretary of
 war requested one Y. NJ. c. A to go
 with the forces to Manchuria. Com
 manding officers of the army praised
 the work. and requested that more of ! the r. M. c. A. men be sent to the l n OiAt- HIS WaS brought 10 the at tention of the Emperor of Japan and
 ne subscribed personally, $5OOO to as- slst in the matter, also authorized the i sending of as many Y. MIG. A. secre-
 taries IS could be sent to work among | the troops
 The question of locating a branch of
 the organization in this city was con ! sidered several weeks ago by MT. c. G
 Titus, a general secretary now making
 El Paso his headquarters. If enough encouragement is given it is likely
 such will result, although much de- | bends upon the interest the young men
 of the city take in the plan. When this | is considered what has already been l accomplished here will be more ap-
 preciated by those not familiar with | the work.