The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-01
WILL B|G ATLANTA
 REALLY FALL DOWN?
Ten Days Campaign Did Not Raise Great Y. M.
 C. A. Fund

Atlanta. February 2s.-(Special)-- Atlantans are criticising the eity's rich men for not coming forward in a more telling manner to the support of the movement to strengthen the Young Mems Christian association here.
 Prominent citizens who interest themselves in public enterprises start ed out on a 1O-day campaign to raise s60O.oo0 for Y. NJ. c. A. purposes. This amount included the present Y. NJ. c. A. property, which was valued at S200,- 0oO John D. Rockefeller's contribu- ton to the Tech Y. M. c. A. of s50.- ooO and contribution of S25,OoQ to the negro Y. M. C. A. movement of fered by a Chicago man.
 This left to be raised only sS25,o00.
 The 10 days passed with but little more than s2O0,000 raised among At lantans. most of which was given by the men of moderate means and the campaign was continued through two weeks.
 At the end of the two weeks pe- riod Sunday the subscription commit tee was still se5,000 shy of the re- uuired amount and many of the sub
 
 scriptions which had been given de- pended upon raising the full amount s6OO,Ooo.
 Should Atlanta fall down on prop osition of this kind? Everybody said no. but the men with the big money or most of them hold aloof.
 One of Atlantas richest men said to command s4,O00.O00 or s5,O00,0 900, had given nothing. It had been hoped that he would head the list with $50,0O0, or that he would at least give $25,000 to the movement.
 One or two others who were looked to for at least s10,O0O have also re- mained clam-like. And there are sev- eral others who were expected to come forward with s5000 or s25Oo. but who have not yet chirped.
 At the last moment the committee got busy and went out to hunt up these backward brethren with the hundred thousands and the millions, but after they had seen them, or all Of them they could find, they still lacked tho same old s65,OOO. and the situation looked pretty tough.
  together and said it would put an other week into the fight.
 It started out with the slogan, At lanta must not fall down." And in two days a good part of that s65,0O0 has been raised. though there is s ill much tc be done to reach the goal.
 The trouble with the rich men, or some of them, was that they had al ready been leg g-pulled pretty heavily and their extremities had about been exhausted of their elasticity.
 For instance. the man who was looked to for s50.000 in one bunch. not long ago gave S75,000 to a big church enterprise; others had contrib uted heavily to the Agnes Scott college and similar campaigns, and, although they had a few dollars left with which to keep the wolf away from the door. they felt as if the limit had been reached.
 But the committee says it is going to put the thing through this week or die in the attempt.
 If it does succeed it means a new sS0O,OO0 Y. M. C. A building for gen eral purposes; a s1OO,OOO building for the boys which will take in the re- gently organized Boys club; s75,000 Y. NJ. c. A. for the Tech a s75,000 Y. M. c. A. for the negroes and at least a S50,000 building for the Young Wom- ems Christian association.
 That is the end toward which the committee has been working with a view to taking care of every feature of the Y. NJ. C. A. work in Atlanta the field so fully and so generally ap- pealed to the people of Atlanta, even though the rich men have not as yet done their full share.