The Hattiesburg news., 1915-11-04
FORUM OF THE
PEOPLE
THE Y. M. c. A.

The editorial in Tuesday evenings
News on ."The Y. M. C. A. Movement
kindly offers the public an opportunity
of expression. The writer accepts
and respectfully submits an honest
opinion which is at variance with that
of the editor The latter has ex-
pressed the sincere and frank view of
The News, and is supported in it by a
number of people. 1t seems to others,
however, that this view is mistaken
one, and the following reasons are
made in support of the opposite belief.
By no means is the Y. NJ c. A. on
fair way to suecumb. The building,
when a certain stage in its construc-
tion was reached, and according to a
prearranged plan, was closed. This
was done that financial rest might
be had before another effort was made,
and that time of uncertainty. and
stringency might be permitted to pass.
That nothing was accomplished during
deliberate vacation should not be
matter of surprise. The time spoken
of is now practically gone and we are
ready to take up where work was left
off. Because it does not start again
with feverish rush of enthusiasm is
no reason why we should despair. A
large thing must gather momentum
gradually. Already as result of Mon
day nights meeting $715.OO have been
paid in, more is promised, and some
have expressed the willingness to dlou-
BILE subscriptions or add to them, while
still others are now ready to make
new subscriptions. These are indica-
tons of health and rising strength, not
symptoms of disease.
The idea of legal coercion of delin-
quents-as discouraging as the non
payment of subscriptions might Sc
in the eyes of many, is not the wisest
one. Put into practice it would delay
matters indefinitely The mills of the
courts, like the mills of the gods, grind
slowly, and Of the courts there is no
end Necessarily the Y. M. c. A. when
once legal procedure is instituted
must halt still longer until decisions
op han - l.. -
there would be good lawyers on the
other side employing their talent to
lessen our chances of success, and in
cidentally crippling to certain extent
the work of the Y. M. C. A.
The arguments in favor of taking
action against non=payers are good
from business viewpoint, but certain
ly the arguments against it predomi-
nate in weight. The fighting spirit OF
some men who have what they be-
lieve to be valid reasons for not hav.
ing as yet paid would be aroused and
there could be no good in this opposi
tion to the movement. Yesterday a
prominent citizen stated that on q
certain date he would begin payment
on his subscription but that he would
never be forced to pay cent. The
future, when campaigns for support
must be made, is to be considered.
Will it not be better then to have
the good will of everybody? Better
a loss now-which, when the assur
ance is general that the work viii
start forward again to completion, will
not be-and friendly, united public
for the coming days.
But this would not be the end Of
the difficulty. Others who will ant
are going to subscribe when given the
opportunity, would view the lega
scraps with disfavor and become preju
diced against the whole Y. NJ. c. A
movement. The support of a goot
many able men whose support is ant
will be valuable would be lost, The
entire public now needs to be educat
ed and informed in favor of the Y. M
G. A. Such fight would only serv,
to miseducate against the work.
The Y. NJ. C. A. is not busines
corporation. 1t is quite different
having higher aim and a purely ur
selfish purpose. 1t seeks the highes
welfare. physically, mentally, spiritual
| ly, of young men, and inculcates tn
idea of peace and good will among peo
pie. Strictly speaking there are n
stockholders other than the genera
public. Merely subscriptions wer