Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-20
WILL MEET FRIDAY
international Convention of
the Y. N. c. A.
EMINENT MEN WILL SPEAK
District Commissioner Macfarland
Will Preside.
WORK IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES
Represented in 90 Cities-Has "a
Secretaries, 90 in China and Is
in India, Rest Scattered.
WORK IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES
BY WILLIAM z. CURTIS.

Herald.
Tho convention of the Y NJ c. A. which
is to meet in Washington from November
% to B. inclusive, is an international af-
fair and will be composed of two dele
gates from each of the 1.952 associations
on the American continent. There will be
daily sessions in Continental Hall, which
belongs to the Daughters of the American
Revolution and in the evening at Con-
vention Hall. Commissioner Macfarland
of the District of Columbia. who was
chairman of the convention which met in
Buffalo in May, 1904 will preside, and a
choir of 500 mans voices will be led by
John J. Virgo, a delegate from Sydney,
| Australia. Mr.. Virgo is general secretary
of the Australian association He has a
fine voice and a great reputation for or
ganizing and conducting mems choruses.
He has been appointed musical leader as
a recognition of the interest which the
Australian associations have shown in
sending delegates such long distance.
NJ. c. B. Willis of Milwaukee has con-
Quoted the music at international con-
ventions for twenty years, but voluntarily
gives way to the visitor.
Mr.. Virgo is an Australian by birth.
| thirty-five years Old gives all his time to
the work and is now putting up building
for the Y. NJ. c. A. at Sydney that will
| cost $50. 600. The association has grown
very rapidly in Australia since a deiega-
| ton. consisting of J. r. Mott. r. c..
| Morse, general secretaries; D. A. Bulge
of Montreal and DR.. L. c. Warner. chair
man of the international committee, went
down there several years ago. They
stirred things up so that thu Australians
| decided to have an Anne rican secretary
and Lyman L. Pierce of Washington went
| down there two years ago TO organize
things on the American plan. He makes
| his headquarters at Melbourne but trav-
| els over the entire continent and has met
with great success. The Australian asso-
Citations are now sending men to the
| United States to be educated for Y. NJ. c.
\ work. They have three in the training
schools at Chicago and Springfield Mass.
ana one student in Washington.
There is long list of eminent speakers
on the program for the meeting of the
interna tional convention. among them
James Bryce. the British ambassa dor;
| William ]. Bryan John A. Macdonald
the Canadian statesman; Bishop Brent of
Manila. DR.. Grenfell of Labrador Rev
DR.. johnson of Montreal. DR.. Parkhurst
| of New York. President Charles Cuthbert
Hail of Union Theological Seminary. New
York; Bishop Mcdowell of Chicago. Rob-
ert E. Speer of New York and others. who
will discuss various phases of civic, social
and moral responsibilities of young men
1
b. he.u daily upon the steps of the gov
ernment buildings and elsewhere, as may
be arranged. and the announcements will
appear in the daily papers.
Great Growth of the Association.
Few people outside the active forces of
the Y. NJ. c. A. realize it's magnitude and
the force it exerts in the world and the
remarkable growth that has taken place
during the last few years. The following
table will show a comparison of the con-
| dition the organization in 1900 and
| 1907:
M Member IF associations 2saa ss 4s 93s
T raGRsTty fees $50 sss 900
Weekly attendance. mems
Bi Pset Classes s. eos ss. 900
These figures refer to North America
alone, and do not include the European
associations or those in other countries
which have grown quite as rapidly.
The International Committee.
The foreign work is under the charge of
an International committee which includes
among it's members some of the leading
| business men of the country. The chair
man is DR.. Lucius c. Warner of Bridge
port, Conn. He lives in New York. is a
deacon in Broadway Tabernacle and prom
| inent In all kinds of philanthropic work.
| The vice president in charge of home
work is Alfred G. Marling of New York
city. the surviving partner and the SON.
| in-law of Horace S. Ely. He has been
very active in philanthropic work. particu-
| larly in the Y. NJ. c. A. He was chair
man of the committee that put up the
SSO0.O0O building in that city. He is prom
inent socially, belongs to the leading
| clubs and Is a man of wealth.
The vice president in charge of foreign
work is William D. Murray. who lives at
| Plainfield n. j., and has Office in New
York. He is the author of several Bible
study courses used by the associations
| throughout the world; is very much inter-
ested in Sunday school work and conducts
a Sunday kindergarten of 200 children at
! Plainfed. Mr.. Murray is an amateur ar
| fist and very clever at caricaturing. and,
| on the birthday of every child in his kim
| dergarten he writes an appropriate letter
| illustrated with his pen. These letters
| have come to have great value both for
their personal and artistic interests. AS