Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-25


and spiritually viii add infinitely TO their
powers as they enter more and more fully
into llfe's opportunities and will enrich
society CorrespOndingly.
Need of the Y. NJ. {. A.
Rev. H. w. Starr. rector Of st. Paurs
Episcopal church. said in part:
In my judgment branch OF the Young
Mems Christian association should be at
once established in Council Bluffs, for the
II is the nature Of the young to seek
amusement and recreation. 1t Is an in
herent law Of life that the potential activ
ity of boys and young men shall ind out
ward expression.
If suitable opportunity is given, this
expression will be had in normal and inno-
cent form In the lack Of such opportunity,
this pent up activity Of the young will in
evitably find expression in harmful or sim
full form, or In an unhelpful and immoral
Adequate opportunity of this kind is not
now provided for the youth Of Council
Bluffs, but opportunities for the wrong
kind Of recreation and amusement are
abundantly in evidence.
Each church might do this work for the
benefit of its own members, II each church
had the necessary means and the necessary
assistance at command. But such Is not
the case, and, almost without exception,
the churches of Council Bluffs are doing
this work inadequately or else leaving II
undone altogether. This is not so much
due to the Indifference Of the churches OF
their ministers as Il Is to their inability to
secure the necessary means.
The Young Mems CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
Is an organization which has been proved
by practical experience to be well adapted
for such service. The defects in its sys-
tenn which have sometimes aroused criti-
cism are not essential or irremediable, but
are largely local in nature and can be
overcome. It becomes the duty OF both
clergy and laity, I'm the spirit OF an I'M
selfish public service, to devote time,
thought, labor and means to perfecting the
details of the local management so that
the organization may best accomplish Its
purpose.
Boys Need Right Environment.
Rev. Otterbein o. Smith Of the First Con
gregational church said:
We think often that because boys do not
want to come into the drawing room they
do not want company, but they do, and
because It is not supplied them they get
, together, for there is fellow sympathy
among these rapidly growing boys. This is
what is called the gang period among
boys. OF what Unreasonable benefit to
such boys is a Young Mems Christian asso-
citation, where they can carry out the gang
instinct under proper conditions and en-
vironments.
At about IS the physical form rounds
out and begins to show plumpness and the
mind and heart become more normal ana
more steady and the boy begins to return
to society and passes to young manhood.
Now he stands before us a splendid speci-
men of manly strength His whole being
is afire with an overmastering energy and
1t must have an outlet somewhere. What
are the dominant qualities of the average
thusiasm, energy and audacity. These are
all commendable virtues, but without 1udg-
ment which is absent from the lives of
most young men, these cOmmendable Vir-
tues may lead the young man into all
sorts of trouble. With his boundless
strength and enthusiasm the young man
is sure to follow persistently what he Is
attracted to till he has overcome II or
mastered 1t. How important It is that he
has right ideals and that his life Is sur,
rounded with such environment as VIII
start it right. Nothing can be of greater
value to him than the Young Mems Chris
tian association.
Purpose OF Y. NJ. c. A.
Rev. ]. A. Mckenzie, pastor of the First
Christian church:
The Young Mems Christian association
has a three-fold purpose. The develop
ment of body, mind and spirit. It. stands
! for cleanliness of body and purity of life.
1t is my honest judgment that no one can
be truly happy who is not living in com
plete harmony with the highest laws of
God. Sin may abound for a tune but re-
morse is certain to follow. 1t is a delight
full privilege to lend all our efforts to help
save the boys and young men OF our city,
to turn them from sin unto God and from
darkness unto the marvellous light of the
gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. Some
years ago the late Horace Mann, the
eminent editor delivered an address at the
opening of some reformatory instituted for
boys, during which he remarked that If
only one boy was saved from ruin II
would pay for all the cost and care and
labor of establishing such an institution
as that. 1t is worth the toll of a lifetime
and the lavished wealth of world to save
my boy from temporal and eternal ruin.
Pie would go the world around to save
him from peril, and would bless every
friendly hand stretched out to give him
help and welcome. And yet every lost man
is one whom some fond mother has called
! my boy" Shall we shrink from labor,
shall we hesitate at cost, when the work
before us is the salvation of a soul? Not
II it is my boy" not If we have the
love of Him who gave His life to save the
lost.
Good Investment.
Rev. James O'May pastor of the Broad
way Methodist church:
The waywardness of any young man is
a pitiful spectacle, and that is the rationale
of the Young Mems Christian association.
fa loss os or OF young man to the moral WEI.
cannot be compensated. If each succeed
ms generation is not better than the one
preceding it, then the problem of biology
is a failure when looked at as a whole.
IL my children are not greater factors for
this worlds welfare than have been then
my contribution to the worlds progression
has failed. There are enough young men
going to the bad every year in our city
and equip Young Mems Christian asso-
citation, II not to build one well. ! have
known enough of young men to have fallen
away from the paths of righteousness in
the few years l have labored in your midst
to compensate for all the expense that Is
entailed with this project SO far.
is especially fitted to do this work. for ii
10 INSTRUMENTATION and approaches the
men from an angle such as the church
cannot approach them were It to have the
means and workers Personally l have an
experience Of over seven years In which
the only religious approaches that were
made to me we're, with one exception by
such workers as these. Council Bluffs Is
the wrong city to set up the cry that there
are churches enough TO do the work. With
the thousands of persons in our city who
never darken the church doors and with
the other thousands who are Indifferent
in that relationship. 1t Is the wrong situa-
ton to say that the churches can tend
TO this thing The churches are not doing
II, and in the opinion of many judges are
not fixed to do IL. The churches have had
a long time to try II and have not wrought
out the problem. Then. It will be a good
experiment to turn the work over to these
specialists in the business of handling
young men and see If they can save the
situation.
You will soon need Ice, CAN p. either
phone. The Council Bluffs Coal and Ice
company.
II you are looking rUr the best in pic
lures and frames. look here. We have
Just what you want Berwick. 211 South
Main.
Tie Cement season Mt Hand.
II you intend doing any cement work do