The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-27
Presidents Address.

President Roosevelt said:
 It is to me a matter of peculiar pleasure to be present on this occasion, at the lay ing of the cornerstone of the building for the Colored Young Mems Christian Association of Washington. The Y. M c. A. has worked among colored men for less than 30 years. For number of reasons, for some time after the work was begun very little progress was made; indeed at first, curiously enough, the churches tended to antagonize the Y. M. c. A. But during the last 20 years the Y. M. c. A. work among our colored fellow-citizens has proceeded rapidly, and these are the very 20 years in which tne colored race in America has made most progress. The religious people, those standing highest in the colored churches now appreciate, as they failed to appre- ciate quarter of a century ago, that innocent sports and amusements should be encouraged, and that the poorest les son to be taught to any men of any race is that pleasure and vice are synonyms terms. The bowling alleys the swimming pools, and gymnasiums ot the Y. M. C. A. buildings are adjuncts of a very important kind to the effort for the moral and religious uplift with WIlCn the I. M. '. A. I1ONeInenl tldS dl- ways been identified
 Moreover, the r. M. c. A. reaches both the classes that are reached by the churches and the classes that the churches fail to reach. Such BNpuildfng as this will be Is open every Nay and every evening. It brings in men of many different types for it appeals to many different sides of human nature. Already the colored Y. M. c. A has member ship in this country of nearly 10000, 5000 belonging to the S7 city associations and 5000 to the student organizations. Of the s3O,00O spent last year for the current ex- penses of the 37 city associations, three fourths were paid by colored men. It is noteworthy that of the 10000 colored men attending the colored colleges of this country, half are active members of the Y M. c. A. This speaks well for the spirit of these colleges, and gives us hope and encouragement for the character of the leaders of the colored race in the fu- ture Over 4600 volumes were circulated last year from the as yet limited num- Der of colored Y. M. c. A. libraries.
 No city in the country presents better or wider field for useful Y. M. c. A. work among the colored people than Washing ton. Here we have more than 10000 col ored men, who have, unfortunately, but few safe places to which to go for innor cent amusement. Hundreds of young col- ored men are every year being lured away from the habit of decent living because they are not supplied with the chance to go where innocent and healthy amuse- ments are provided in surroundings that encourage education and morality. l can not too heartily commend the action Of those colored men who are responsible for starting this building. When com pleted it will be tribute to the advance ment of the colored race; and also mon ument to the advancement of the city of Washington. It will be a model for the entire country; it will influence other cities; and it affords an excellent oppor- tunity for both white and colored men to join in the work of uplifting class that sorely needs aid.