The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1911-10-17
AFTERMATH OF THE
Y. M. C. A. CAMPAIGN
Correspondents Voice Their
Ideas Of Building Project.

ulke SlocK or, 10 continue the n1l-
itary figure, let us walk over the
field, congratulate ourselves on what
las been won and count the cost of
victory.
For certainly splendid victory has
beef won. One hundred thousand dol
lars of new money has been sub
scribed and part of it already raised
toward erecting a new association
building in Morristown and properly
for its support.
Great credit is due to Mr.. Ward, of
the International committee, and to
Mr.. Honey, general secretary of the
local association, for their great busi-
ness ability, their untiring energy and
their masterful plan and execution
in leading this strenuous undertaking.
More important than the raising of
the money has been the bringing to-
gether of various elements in the
complex social life of Morristown as
they have probably never been brough
together before, in a civic movement
which aims on broad lines to pro-
mote the social, moral and religious
welfare of the community. The truly
democratic and fraternal spirit which
PREVAILED at the team meetings every
evening was an inspiration in itself
and the union in common service of
SO many men of various callings
even for short time has done great
good.
Something like an earthquake or a
ewhirlwind" was necessary to bring
about the fusion of varied elements il
dear old conservative Morristown;
and If rightly followed up the moral
effect of this forward movement must
be greatly for good.
But it must be rightly followed up,
and the mistakes of the campaign
must not be repeated by a policy
which disregards in any way the
wishes or the feelings of the people
of Morristown
The hand of the clock should have
been placed at $4,000 when the
campaign began in order to show
what the ''languishing association
had on hand as assets, or if the
assets of the association were to be
in any sense counted in as part ol
the campaign fund then the trustees
of the ''languishing association
should have been honored as the
givers of the one very large gift
which this fund finally contained
1t was also very unfortunate, and
plainly an after thought, that the
name of an honored citizen of Nor.
ristown, lately deceased, should have
been brought into the campaign al
the last moment. This, as every
body knows, was without the sane
ton. and | am told without the
knowledge of the family of the gentle
man to whom this memorial was
proposed. The plan has been disap
proved by the family and wisely
after correspondence which reflects
great credit on the generous presi
dent of the association.
One more thing should be said
Events have proved, what l have al
ways maintained, that it will be j
great mistake to put up a very cost
ly building. The new Summit ass0cia
ton is to cost only about $4,000
1t will contain all that is needful
and be an ornament to the town
And yet the Summit association will
hold a place in the social life oi
Summit very much more prominent
and important than will the Norris
town association, even with it's new
building, hold in Morristown. Why
this is so l shall not now explain
only state the situation as long ex
perience has shown it to me. Tt
erect a building costing more thar
sixty or seventy thousand dollars
will be to burden the community will
the cost of maintenance to a degree
which will be greatly disapproved by
our best citizens and the evil effect
of continual campaign to meet
deficits will hamper If not destroy
the best moral and spiritual results
for which the friends of the work
are so earnestly desirous.
This is not said in captious criti
cism, but as the result of careful OBJ
servation and after many converse
tions with practical men of affairs
| write as a friend of the association
and still more as a citizen of the
community interested in what its
leading promoters rightly called "a
civic movement and in both these
capacities | am glad to testify to the
advantage, even with some draw
backs, of having had the cam
paign as we had it, and to say that
/ am convinced the money could not
have been raised in any other way
FRANKLIN B. DWIGHT
Wants Local Architect.