St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-04-24
CONVENTION IS OVER


CONTINUED from page 1.
town of Vermont. He then spoke of
the great work being done and to be
done by the county Y. M. G. A. as
soc1ations. While we hear much of
decadence in vermont there is more
being done now in the state for the
conservation of the boy than ever
before. The work of the Y. NJ. G. A.
is broadening and excellent work is
being done in Windsor and Addison
counties.
DIR. John Brown Jr.
DR.. John Brown Jr., was then in
troduced and said it was his first
visit to Vermont and he was enjoy
ing 1t immensely. He hoped every
one had come to the convention for
mental stimulation and to get some
deep seated convictions and close
the leaks in their life.
Prof. Henry Fairbanks.
Prof. Henry Fairbanks, the donor
of the building, was introduced as
the only living charter member of
the st. Johnsbury Y. M. C.. A. and
spoke in a reminiscent vein. This
was the first Y. NJ G. A. in YER
mont and was the outgrowth of the
young mems prayer meetings which
were established about so years
ago. This was a definite evangelistic
work and developed into the local
Y. NJ G. A. The organization at
first occupied a vacant room in Mr..
Boynton's building opposite the post
Office on Main street. They got a
little furniture, then some papers
and organized a Christian Associa-
ton. The work was mainly person
al religious effort and he told how
they held meetings in the jail, aims
house, and at school houses in this
vicinity. 1t established the lecture
course which was successfully main
tanned for many years. He read from
an old report how 581 religious
meetings we're held in one year with
total attendance of 10,040. He
closed with a plea for more definite
religious effort in the present day
Y. M. G. A.
Toastmaster Stone supplemented
the remarks of Prof. Fairbanks
somewhat, saying that the lecture
course was the first to be established
in New England and the Y. M. G. A.
maintained it for 40 years bringing
many noted speakers here. He then
read letters from Arson S. Hopkins
of Hartford, Conn, and George l..
Leonard, former Y. M. G. A. work
ers here. He announced that Thorn
as McHattie of Montreal, chairman
of the Grand Trunk railroad 7. M.
G. A. could not be present owing to
the tragic death of Charles M. Hays,
president of the road and in rer
Spouse to the suggestion of Mr..
Stone the audience rose in silent
tribute to the firm friend of Y. M. G.
A. work.
George r. Coxhead.
George T. Coxhead, international
Y. M. C. A. secretary spoke on ''By-
Products of the Y. M. G. A." He
said this was his first visit to Yer
mont and he remembered how he
sent here for cut of the new Y. NJ.
c. A. building to publish in a paper
at ST. Louis where he then lived
and where there was no such build
ing at that time. Among the by
products of the Y. M. G. A. were
the bringing together of the North
and the South after the Civil War in
christian work, the inter-seminary
missionary alliance which was one
of the first agencies to get students
interested in missionary work; the
iSt. Andrews Brotherhood, the
Christian Endeavor and other de-
nominational societies, the laymen's
missionary movement and the mems
religious forward movement.
President Guy p. Benton.
The best address of the evening
was by DIR. Guy P. Benton, presi-
dent of the University of Vermont,
who spoke on ''The Possibilities of
Service" He said that our posi-
! bilities constitute the measure OF
our responsibility. 1t is our duty to
guard some of the things that re-
main and he maintained that things
do still remain in Vermont. We
should not run away from the op-
lportunities at home for the appar-
emily larger opportunities else
where. We are treating the posi-
bilities of Vermont with contempt
because they seem so small, some
even saying there are no opportuni-
ties here. This is wrong as we pos
sess possibilities that are worth
while. He told how some enter
prising man will build roads to
make more available our natural
scenery and Vermont will become
the vacation ground of America. It
may sometime become a cold wealth
er resort for legitimate cold wealth
er sports.
Vermont soil is revealing it's pos
sibilities under scientific agriculture
and spoke of the great possibilities
for service there are in the aban-
doned farms and orchards of the
state. We should turn our educat-
ed young men back to the mountain
towns from which they came. There
is the possibility of creating an at
mosphere there that will make for
development and success. He then
told how young minister had been
sent to most unpromising fields but
he had made a success there be-
cause he did not ignore the small
possibilities before him.
The situation in Vermont is no
~ o+hn,. ard fha~o