Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-05-01
FOR y. M. G.. A.
IN THIS CITY.
Letter from General Secretary at
Salt Lake City on the Subject
The Plans.

The following letter on the subject
OF a Y. M. G. A. has been received at
This Office from Oscar L. Cox, general
secretary of Y. M. c. A. work in Salt
Lake City, Utah. Harry Runyon, for
merly of this city, is connected with
the work there, as the letter ex-
plains:
Editor Perth Amboy Evening News,
Perth Amboy, N. J.
Dear Shiny attention has been
called by Mr.. Harry H. Runyon, as
sistant secretary of our boys section,
to the news article in the recent issue
OF your paper which announces that a
public spirited citizen has offered to
give 500 if nine other will do as
much toward the erection of an ar
mory for your Westminster Cadets.
| trust that you will not think it
presumptuous If | allow my great in
terest in the work for young men and
boys to lead to make a suggestion in
this case.
The suggestion is that instead of
putting money into an armory for a
local organization that the citizens of
your city bend themselves together in
such a way as to put from $4,000
to 500, 900 into a building for Y.
NJ. c. A. work.
Every reason which argues for the
success of such an organization as
you now have would also argue for
the success of the Association, and
in addition | would have you consider
the many additional advantages
which would be had by the latter.
First. Experience has led Associa-
ton workers to believe that no club
for young men will be successful in
length of life and results secured
which does not embody a special eff
fort for the physical, spiritual, social
and intellectual.
The Association has spent SO years
in finding out how to do these things
with a certain degree of success. Is it
not possible that it would do them
better than could a new organization,
If the new one should attempt all of
them, as / presume it will not?
Second. No Young Mems Chris
tian Association with it's large equip
menf and past experience would be
able to keep eve with the pace of
progress in this work were it not in a
position to confer and exchange ideas
with its fellows doing similar work,
and also to receive the advice and
counsel of trained supervisory eX-
perts; these advantages the Associa-
ton would have which the other or
g%anization would not.
No work for boys in a city of 3d.
$1,000 equipment; such a sum would
scarcely provide housing for a junk
shop, whose Importance I trust you
do not rate in the same class with
your young men and boys.
The work of developing manhood
from your city boyhood is surely not
of less Importance than the success
full operation of your largest bank or
mercantile institution, and to give it
such an equipment as that contem-
plated, and then to expect it to do its
work is little short of burlesque. Ask
your most successful banker or the
principal of your largest school what
could be done without adequate
equipment, and their answer will be
that nothing could be done in COM
p~arison with what is done with the
proper housing and tools.
Prevention is said to be better than
cure, surely this is so in considering
criminality. Experience teaches that
boys from first class g~ymnasiums and
other Association environment do not
become public wards.
/ presume the expense in your city
for maintaining one boy in a correc-
tional school, would be about the
same so far as the public is concern
ed as that for maintaining 40 boys in
the Young Mems Christian Associa-
ton. The Association has the conf
dence of men OF large affairs because
of things accomplished, and the best
business men in the world are among
its best friends.
/ believe that if the citizens of
your city would confer with a repre-
sentative of the New Jersey state
committee of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association that a campaign can
be launched in your city such that
those of you who believe in this sort
of thing will place at the Associa-
tons disposal such money to provide
opportunities for the boys and young
men of your city, as would be ample.
! am,
Very truly yours,
OSCAR L. COX,