The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-12-03

IL ID 20 me maCter or peculiar
pleasure to he present on this, occa-
sion, at the laying of the corner
stone of the. building for the Colored
Young Mems Christian Association
or Washington. The Y. M CA.
has worked among colored men for
less than thirty years. For mum
bert of reasons for some time after
the. work was begun very little pro-
gress was made;. indeed at first, curl
ously.senough, the churches tended
to antagonize the Y. M. C. A.. But
during the last twenty years the Y.
NJ. C. A.. work among our colored
fellow citizens has proceeded rapidly,
and these are the, very twenty years
In WHICH the colored race In America,
has made most progress. The reli-
gious people, those standing highest
In the colored~ churches, now appre-
ciate, as they failed to appreciate
quarter or century ago, that in
nocent sports and disbursements should
be encouraged. and that the poorest
lesson to be taught to any men of
any race Is that pleasure and vice
are synonymous terms. The bowling
alleys, the swimming pools and gym
nas1ums Of the Y. M. G.. A. buildings
are a3juncts Of a very important
kind to the effort for the moral, and
religious uplift with which the Y. M.
G. A. movement has always been
identified Moreover, the Y. M. C.. A.
reaches both the classes that. are
reached by the churches and the
classes. that the churches fail to
reaeh:' Such q building as this will
be open every day and every evening.
it brings in men of many different
types, for it appeals to many differ
ent sides Of human nature. Already
the colored Y, NJ, c., A. has mem
, bershin% In this eauntry of neaElY
10,G8dE 5J006. belonging TO the g T
agsoct3 tions, 4 .aIld A.skSQ00Sto. the stu
dent organizations. Of the 10000
dollars spent last year for they cur
rent expenses OF the 81 city associ-
ations, thfee fourths were paid by
colored men. 1t Is noteworthy that
Of the 10000 colored men attending
the colored colleges of this country
half are active members of the Y. M.
G. A. This speaks well for the
spirit of these colleges, and gives US
character of the leaders Of the color
ed race in the future. Over 4,600
volumes were circulated last year
from the as yet limited number of
colored Y. M. G.. A. libraries.
No city in the country presents a
better or wider field for useful Y. M.
G. A. work among the colored people
than Washington. Here we have
more than 10000, colored men, who
have, unfortunately, but few safe
places to which to go for innocent
amusement. Hundreds Of young
colored men are every year being
lured away from the habit of decent
living because they are not-supplied
with the chance to go where inno-
cent and healthy amusements are
provided in surroundings that en-
courage EDUCATION and morality.
can not too heartily commend the
action Of those colored men who are
responsible for starting this build
ing. When completed 1T will be q
tribute to the advancement Of the
OOAON~o 'N~ON' 'EoA NNO
to tho advancement Of the city OF
Washtngton' 1t Will be model fo1
the entire county,; 1T will influence
other cities; and 1t ahords an excel-
lent opportunity for both white and
colored men to join In the WORK OF
uplifting class that sorely neeu alo
The colored man VINO bullos tna'
Whlch improves ana peau1lnes, his
city earns the rtght TO the respect o'
his white nelghoor' and dement's MN,
self In a doup}e way nope tha'
the coloreo men wiz contribute ,lee,
~ toward 'nAS pulio'ns' s, anu III, 10y. nn1,