The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-06
YOUNG MEMS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION IS THREE SCORE
 AND TEN YEARS OLD TO-DAY

N r EARLY A million youths in many lands ~ will celebrate today the. seventieth birthday of the Young Mems Christian Associa- tion. This great and influential organization which now girdes the globe had its humble be- ginning in London just three score -and-ten years ago. June 6, 1844. From Q single society it soon spread over Great Britain, and in 1850 the first overseas branch was founded in Ade- laide Australia The movement reached Amer ica in 1851 when societies. were established. in Montreal and Boston, the Canadian metropolis taking, the lead by month. The New York as sociation was started in 1859, and from these three cities the association expanded all over the North American continent.
 The first of these associations for improv- ing the physical, mental, moral and spiritual we'll ?being of boys and young men was found ed in London by George Williams a member of the dry goods firm of Hitchcock & Rogers He was a native of Somersetshire, where he was born in 1891, and when at twenty he invaded the metropolis he was confronted, like all .coun- try boys who go to city, with the problem of finding congenial and helpful mpanionship. He observed that the young men employed by his firm were similarly deprived of the place and opportunity for healthful and inspiring re- creation, and that many of them, in search Of the society of their fellows resorted to the Sspubs" Williams assembled a company of those employed in the establishment in an up- per room of his warehouse, and there they stud jed the Bible and held prayer meetings The results were so good that Mr. Hitchcock, the senior member of the firm, became interested in the extension of. the movement So that it's bene- fits might be shared by other young men
 zOn June 6, d844,, Mr. Williams and twelve of the charter members of his informal society met and organized the Young Mems Christian Association Rooms were hired in a central locality, and allof the young men of the neigh borhood were invited to attend At first the r. M. @. A. had for it's only object sthe improve ment of the spiritual condition of young men engaged in the drapery and other trades. The promoters soon discovered, however, that young men have social instincts to be satisfied and bodies to be cared for as well as souls to be saved and, the scope of the association was Igrea4ly extended to meet these needs, and the membership rolls were opened to young men of all conditions and occupations.
 Tn Y M. 0. A. is now an international or ganization. The headquarters of the worlds committee are in Geneva, Switzerland, and the IcomInittee is composed of representatives from America, Australasia *Austria- Hungary, Bel Egium, Brazil, Denmark Finland, Great Britain France, Germany, Italy, Holland Norway, Por- hfugal, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden Switzerland, China, Korea, Japan3 Ceylon and India. There are nearly 10000 associations in the world of which about fourth are in North America, while considerably more than half of the total membership is in the Emitted States and Canada.
 | nearly 800 buildings, valued at about $70,O0Q,- GOO. About 1000 young men are enrolled in the evening educational classes, while the physical education departments have enlisted about 3750Oo. Nearly 4,Ooo paid officials are enployed9 by the Y. M c. A. in North America and the instructors in physical culture employ ed by the associations include some of the fore
 most authorities in this line. This physical work, now So important, was commenced by the Boston association in 1869, and R. J. Rob-
 erts was the first Y. M. o. A. physical instructor The educational work was commenced about thirty years ago.
 ! f1flAfAmSSInN GaNERNNIENTs