The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-12-15
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION


| Are you interested in the boys and
young men of Ocala? Are you willing
to make some sacrifice in the interest
of their future welfare? If you are,
please read this article; if you are
not, it has no interest for you.
There has been movement started
to organize Young Mems Christian
Association in Ocala, and it is up TO
the people to give it the. support that
| it merits. We do not expect to do
this work in week, or even a month,
but we mean to do it, and any help or
encouragement you will give will be
greatly appreciated by those who
have pledged themselves to carry on
this great work.
Here is our plan: For the present
we propose to rent suitabue building
and furnish it with chairs and tables.
This building is to be used by all who
wish to come there to read, write or
enjoy an evening in harmless games.
The purpose of this is to provide the
--oung men of our town with a suita-
BILE place to gather and spend the ev-
enings pleasantly and socially. In
addition to the reading and writing
rooms, there is an adjoining tract
that we can secure, rent free, and
turn into first class gymnasium. We
propose to make this movement as
near self-supporting as possible by in
stalling a lunch counter, where the
men who gather there can be served
with quick lunches at a very reasona-
BILE cost, the profits to go towards de-
fraying the expenses of the place.
There is one great reason why this
plan should succeed, and that is that
the best women of our town are be-
hind the movement, and are giving it
their support. Another is that it fills
a long-felt want. 1t will be a place
where we can meet and enjoy an ev-
ening with our friends and acquaint-
ances. But here is the main reason
| for this work: There is not a place
in town that young men can go TO
have an after-supper chat with a
lfriend, but to some bar-room. This IS
one of the prime reasons why so
many men drink. 1t is not for the
sake of getting drink that so many
go to the saloons, but they simply go
there because our town has no other
place for them. After they are IN,
it is an easy matter to get them to
take the first drink, and then how
many stop at one?
Are you willing to do your part TO
provide a place that will do more to
stamp out the drink evil than any
thing that has ever been brought
against it?
| Will the mothers and fathers of
Ocala step out and say: We are will
ing to do anything that We can toward
providing a place that may be the
means of keeping some mothers boy
from taking the first drink and the
first step downward"
If you are interested in this work
we would be glad to have you meet
us at the Baptist church, after prayer
service next Wednesday night, and
discuss this matter with us. There
will be submitted at that time a de-
tailed statement of the cost and re-
port of what has been done so far in
this work. If you do not feel disposed
to enter actively in this work We
would be glad to have you come out
and see what we are trying to do for
our town and community; or, if you
have a contribution of money toward
it, and it is impossible to attend the
meeting, hand the same to Mr.. w. T..
Gary at the Munroe & Chambliss
Bank.
| We solicit the influence, co-opera-
ton and aid of the business men,
whose names carry weight in any en-
terprise.