The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1915-12-09
WHAT THE Y. n. C. A. STANDS FOR
IN BEREA COLLEGE

IN BEREA COLLEGE
This past summer II was my priv
ilege TO represent your paper TO my
friends and neighbors in Owsley
County, and while visiting from
home 10 home I was asked many
questions about the Young Mems
Christian Association, Berea College,
the Union Church and on school life
in general.
Well, I feel that every person
ought TO know what Y. M. C. A.
membership means and something
OF the great work that Is being done
by this inter-denominational Chris
tan organization and IL is also very
important that the people Of east
ern Kentucky know about Berea
College and the unequalled oppor-
tunity IL offers TO every mountain
boy and girl, but time would not al
ways permit me TO satisfactorily
answer these questions. SO I am
asking you to publish in your paper
the following remarks concerning
the Young Mems Christian Associa-
ton and the work IL is doing in Be-
req College.
History
In 1853 chosen Representatives Of
the Y. M. C. AS at that time organ
lied, met in Paris, France, to decide
what Y. M. C. A. membership should
mean. During that conference 1t
was agreed THE Young Mems Chris
tian Associations shall seek to unite
those young men who, regarding Je-
sus Christ as their Lord and Savior,
according 10 the Holy Scriptures, de-
sire To be His disciples in their life
and in their doctrine and TO asso-
ciate their efforts together for the
extension of His kingdom among
young men,"
Y. II. C. A. At Berea
We have a large Y. M. C. A. at Be-
rea. IL has been the third biggest
college Y. M. G. A. in the United
States. Our Y. NJ. C. A. has been
seeking TO do that work which
would go undone il we had no Y. M.
C. A. It's first work is that Of ad-
iustment. We boys who have been
brought up on farm know but lit
tie about a well regulated school life
in a town or city. But when we
come away from home for the first
time il is the Y. M. C. A. men who
meet us at the train, greet us as a
brother, show us TO our new homes,
encourage and counsel the homesick
and get all started in school. Nor
do they stop then, but they endeav-
or TO live such lives before us that
we new boys, following in their
footsteps, will please our teachers.
consciously develop an aim in life
and gradually begin living on a high
er plane.
Secondly. the Y. NJ. C. A. men OF
Berea try TO guard the ideals and
conduct of students. mean by this
that they so live that we new stud
ents may get the right conception
of social relations, men with men and
men with women. They form such
habits as will help us in life and
they disapprove such habits as tend
TO weaken, demoralize or in any way
hinder a man from being his best.
They also make their lives an ex-
ample of honesty and integrity.
Berea has other associations that
stand for these principles afOre men,
toned but our Y. M. C. A. does more
than this. II attempts to feed the
spiritual man. Its members dignity
scripture reading, emphasize the
value of life Of prayer, by telling
what it has meant to them and
world-famous men; and also tell OF
the peace that rests upon those who
walk daily with Jesus.
And finally, they endeavor TO train
for Christian service. Please und-
erstand, we do not endeavOr TO take
just any kind of ruffian and teach
him a little Bible so that he can do
a form OF church or Sunday school
work. Many people have at this
point in our work misunderstood the
work altogether. We do not take
the unconverted man as teacher
but we do take that person whom
the Lord has already chosen and
this young man we endeavor to help
get started in Christian service. He
may be given a Sunday school class
or a Bible class 10 teach each week.
To these classes he teaches the Holy
Bible as God reveals TO him the
truth, an older teacher often giving
suggestions as how to best present a
lesson TO a class.
Then when these young men get
ready TO return home ii is our pleas
ure TO write and tell their pastor or
Sunday school superintendent, John
is coming home Saturday. He has
become an efficient Christian leader