Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-19
Y. M. G. A. CELEBRATION
OBSERVANCE OF IT'S FIFTY
FOURTH Anniversary.
dwelling Of Portrait Of the Late Cen
eral Secretary Pugh-Names
Of Speakers.

hood In this city Is great, too great" DR..
Merrill E. Gates at the Y. NJ. C. A. yester-
day afternoon declared. The service, which
was attended by about 600 persons. was in
celebration of the fifty-fourth anniversary
Of the founding Of the Y. NJ. c. A. in this
city and the first anniversary Of the in
auguration of work in the new building 1736
G street. DIR. Gates subject was Unused
Power
One of the features Of the service was the
unwilling Of an Oil painting Of Mr.. James
E. Pugh, former general secretary Of the
local association. who died during a cam
paign for new building in 1895. The paint
ing was presented to the association and
will be displayed in the prayer room" Mr..
H. B. F. Mcfarland. second vice-president
Of the association. and Rev. DR.. Samuel H.
Greene, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church,
spoke of the work and character OF Mr..
Pugh. The painting was much admired.
The American flag, with which 1t was yelled
at the opening of the service, was drawn
aside by H. M. Arnold, religious work secre-
tary.
DR.. Gates discussed first the powers Of
nature. History, he declared, was made by
the conquering of natures forces by man.
When man passed from the stage OF fight
Ing an opponent with club to that in
which he used a bow and arrow he utilized
that the oak stick would enable him to meet
an adversary and yet remain at a distance.
So the progress continued. The law OF
gravity in the waterfall was recognized and
utilized for power: the energy In steam was
soon harnessed- by man. The great discov-
cries In electricity, 1t was added, have been
made practically In a lifetime. The speaker
remembered he said, when Morse asked for
an appropriation from Congress for the first
telegraph line from Washington to Balti-
more.
What is to Come.
"And now we look down the long vista Of
time and wonder what is to come in the
future, what are the unused forces of ma
ture which man will control next" he con-
tinued.
The great unused power today, the speak
er asserted. Is the young man. The men
who have directed affairs and have ruled
the old forces are passing; and the force
that Is to take their place lies in the young
men. If they are to make the proper prog
ress. he asserted. they must be directed
rightly when young men.
Here is the province Of the Y. M. c. A..
the province of the new building of the
association in Washington. 1t was pointed
out A year ago the new building repre-
sented a power; and now the rooms are
being used by large numbers Of young
men. But there is still more power to be
utilized. Washington, the speaker de-
clared. is the greatest city in the country
for young men; and, therefore. the Y. M.
C. A. has a great work to perform here.
That the power in question should be en-
dowed with the Holy Spirit of God and
thus made kinetic energy, instead Of po-
tential energy, was the closing idea ad-
vanced by DR.. Gates. In that respect, he
thought that the Y. M. c. A. is doing
great work. He pleaded, however, that
the churches should take hold Of the effort
to train the unused power for use in the
right direction.
dwelling Of Portrait.
At the conclusion of DR.. Gates address
President s. w. Woodward, who presided.
introduced Mr.. Mcfarland. The painting
of Mr.. Pugh was unveiled as he began his
remarks.
Mr.. Mcfarland spoke Of his personal
debt to Mr.. Pugh for bringing him into ac-
tive work as director Of the Young Mems
Christian Association, SO that he was able
said that he felt he could speak for
the community in acknowledgment Of its
debt to Mr.. Pugh for a real and great pub
lie service through his uplifting and in
spring influence upon its men. Mr.. Pugh
informed and elevated public opinion, which
governs here as nowhere else and must be
guided by noble men to be at once benefi-
cent and effective. Mr.. Pugh still lives in
thousands of lives made better by his pres
ence, the Commissioner said
Rev. DR.. Greene declared that Mr.. Pugh
was clean, healthy, whole-souled and true
man." He had combination of qualities
which made him friends and which enabled
him to accomplish the work that he did.
AS representing the pastors of the city, the
speaker added that Mr.. Pugh was one of
those select few upon whom the pastors
depend for success in their fields of en-
deayOr