Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-02
y. CD. c. 4. fin hew fielo.|
Interstate Committee, With Headquarters Here,
Plans to Extend Activities to Small Commit
ities-Country Boys to Be Enlisted.

an equal chance with the city young man.
the college student and the railroad man.
1t finos him. ii reports. worse than
any other boy If he has the chance TO
have an organized movement for the cu!-
tivation of character
Recent reports coming to the interna-
tional county department tel of its Pc
cul,ar success. . Among the correspond
ence is letter from the selactmen of ii
town in Essex county. Mass. rendering
thanks TO the official in charge for the
good influence APPARENT on group OF
high school fellows. who the year pre-
vious had driven eight different teachers
out OF the principalship. In the same
county a short time before two young men
united with the church These were the
first male accessions in any church in that
town for six years. These young men are
becoming moral factors in the community
One of them is now superintendent OF a
Sunday school and the other president of
Christian Endeavor society The lack
in the country churches. which has long
been recognized. is that of the masculine
element III its management and meetings.
THESE county associa tions seem TO be sup
plylEg this in considerable measure
where they have been at work.
Eighteen Sunday schools in Minnesota
county. with 1.:'95 scholars. have but
thirteen men teaching in it's Bible class
es. but in another county the department
supplied fifteen young men as teachers to
Bible Classes through its training: while
III a New Jersey town association
group provided leaders for mission Sun
day school among street boys from It's
effectively taught classes.
Many pastors OF weak and struggling
churches in the small towns in the country
had looked upon the Y. NJ. c. A as an in
terloper and possible rival which would
defect the attention o. young men from
arx-tP Of t1,,
are shown TO have been groundless. In
Il Maine village of 800 population. where
there are only five male members under
twenty-five years of age in the two
churches. tWenty-siX young men are now
in the County Association Bible Class
THIS includes several fellows who have
been known as ''terrors.' Four of them
have now Joined the church Accessions
from these Bible classes have nearly
doubled the number Of young men in the
church. Strange to say the leader of this
class IS d Syrian. now a respected mer-
chant. who came to the town some years
before as a pack peddler
These county associations are taking
the lead in athletics in their sections by
organizing field meets which attract the
attention OF the country round. These
are conducted on d "clean-sport'' and
falr-play principle. which the assoeia-
tons have introduced into the cities. Boys
are held under Christian influences by
this combination of athletics Bible study
and social service. which holds them at
the time they usually leave the church
and Sunday school. The Bible classes are
popular: for instance, 300 older boys and
younger men are found in the Bible
classes taught by older boys and young
men in Lenawee county. Mich Much of
this popularity depends upon the class
leader. as in q county association in
lumber community in Maine the Bible
class of twenty-five young men has for
it's teacher former crack college athlete.
who is the principal of the high school.
When the association begins 10 work in
a section there are oftentimes no Chris
tian young men. This was so in an Iowa
town. where. when a Bible class of twenty
men was formed. only one man was a
Christian. but today there is only one of
them who is nos Christian. Sometimes
the students of these classes drive from
three to five miles to attend Bible class
which may be held in a home or school
house. At Grand Junction, Iowa the
largest class is made up of the members
of the Masonic lodge, who are studying
the life of Christ from His birth to resur-
rection, as typified in the old temple wor-
ship.
But the county associations met hods of
work are not limited to Bible classes nor
to athletics, lectures and entertainments
are arranged and evening educational
classes according to the needs of the
men. In the summer the boys camp to-
gether.
1t seems that this department of the
organization is to affect in very vital
manner the conditions of life among the
young men in the smaller towns and the
country communities. where - per cent
of the young men and boys Of the United
States live.