The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-24

n &ANEAA ~ u IEEGDIlOn To young DG0pkC 19
the local union and the Young Women's
! Christian Association.
Big Crowd Is Out.
Gemmen Hall lacked capacity for
/ the audience which assembled III the
7. M. c. a. building Sunday afternoon
to participate in the service which had
/ been arranged for the formal ded1ca-
ton OF the new building. This hall has
a normal seating capacity of about two
hundred and fifty. Three hundred
/ chairs were crowded into it yesterday
I afternoon but they were not nearly
| lions for those who attended The
I large windows in the rear of the hall,
which open into the library and read
/ ing room, were thrown open and ]
couple of hundred persons who could
not get in the hall found seats or
stood I'D in this room and listened to
the services. This large audience was
made up of the representative business
and professional men of the city, who
contributed so freely of their means
for the erection of the building and in
1t were number of women, princi-
pally the wives OF the directors and Of
ncers of the association.
There was not the slightest bit of
ostentation in the dedication service.
IL " as exceedingly simple, but none
the less impressive and interesting.
no effort mad been made to decorate
the hall. In fact a vase of roses on
the table on the platform was the only
decoration In it. Perhaps the most in
terestlng feature of the dedication was
the presence on the platform of Judge
Julius L. Clark, the venerable jurist,
VINO Is now over ninety-tvo years old,
and whose generosity a few years ago
gave impetus to the movement which
finally resulted in raising the money to
erect the new building. Judge Clark
donated the lot at No. 922 Kansas
avenue either as a site for a new Y.
M. {. A. building, Or to be sold for the
purposes of the building fund. This
was the first donation for the new
building 1t was sold for 5000 and
part OF this sum was used to purchase
the site where the new building stands.
Judge Clark participated in the service
by offering the dedicatory prayer.
n N. Beardsley, mayor of Kansas
City, No, and also president of The Y
NJ. c. A in that city, was the principal
speaker at the service and he pronounced
the formal dedication J. B. Larimer,
president of the association, presided at
the service, which was begun at three
o'clock with general song service, led
Dy male chorus and participated III
by the audience. A number of familiar
hymns were sung and this was followed
with an opening prayer by the Rev. DR..
j. 5. Glendenning, pastor of the Second
Pres byterian church, and a soprano solo
by Miss May Reddick. DR.. ". c. Evans,
former pastor of the First Presbyterian
! church, was on the programme, to read
a passage from the Scriptures. In view
of the fact that he has decided to remain
in California where he has been chosen
presiding elder of the Oakland district
Of the Methodist church, his place was
taken by the Rev. H. A. Off, p7jstor of
the First Lutheran church, who read
the 18th Psalm.
Mr.. Beardsley then delivered the prin-
cipal address of the service. He talked
in a straightforward, earnest manner OF
the work of the Y NJ c. A. and its ne
cessity in the development of a higher
/ life in cities. He paid tributes to the
! directors Of the association for their
work in so handsomely managing the
funds subscribed by the people of the
/ city for the new building and when he
/ paid a most deserved tribute to George
/ Z. Lerrigo, the general secretary of the
/ association. for the big part he has play
/ ed in securing this new home for the I.
NJ c. A. the audience applauded vigor-
/ ously, Notwithstanding the quasf-relig-
iOus tone of the service
After telling of the advantages that
4 the local Y. NJ. c. A. would have over
| similar organizations in other cities be-
/ cause Of the central location of the new
/ building ito the throbbing life of the
( ing was the last and highest proof of
l the love of the people for this city and
their desire for the city's welfare
1T seems that the interests of these
I LlLuESs SdlQ MI. bCdIUS4EAs ara CEHlEI-
ing in city life. The great groWths in
the populations in the country are In
| the cities. Young men are turning to
! them in droves. And here in the cities
| lies the growth of sin and crime, for it
| can be hidden. Here in the cities many
| men pursue avocations which are not
desirable. According to statistics gath
cred in Chicago, one man in over nine
teen there is engaged in some sort of
an avocation for the bringing down and
| corrupting Of men.
alongside of these things there are
other facts which present a brighter
! aspect Never before nave men been
| taking such an interest in each other
welfare, and It is because of the con-
! ditiOns which surround US. It is
necessary that We all take such an in
terest in each other for unless We take
part in the development of the higher
life the lower life will prevail. Out OF
the efforts which have been made fol-
the benefit of the whole people have
grown the institutions for the care OF
helpless children, and for the sick anc
afflicted and countless other deserved
charities So that we are all beginning
: to believe, that while the city AFFORDS
an opportunity for the growth OF sir
and crime, 1t also affords an oppor-
, tunity for the development of the best
thought and the higher type OF life
And so the Young Mems Christian as
| ISOLATION has come to take its part ir
2 the higher life of the cities. And you
) the people of Topeka, have built this
magnificent structure and have placed
1t here in the heart Of the city as tbs
! last and highest evidence of your vel
{ fare in this city.
Great progress has been made II
this old state in the past few years
2 When I was in school the biographies
designated Kansas as a part Of thu
great American desert. But now rail
roads run through its length ane
i. breadth. prosperous farms abound II
4 every part of it. Prosperous cities ar
growing rapidly more prosperous with
! in its confines, and the banks Of tn
state are bursting with substantial evi
4 dence of the material gain which tn
people have made. And all Kansan
. have a right to be proud of their ma
= L.. 4 L.