Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-01-27
Makes Address at First of
Series of Meetings to IN
crease Membership.
CALLS THE ORGANIZATION ,
GREAT CLEARING HOUSE
Factor in Promoting Public Welfare.
Addresses by Characterization
Is Host at Dinner.

With President Woodrow Wilson as
The principal speaker of the evening,
the Washington Y. NJ c. A. last night
at its headquarters. started a six-day
campaign, in which 1t is aimed to en-
roll l. 600 or more members. Preside t
Wilson highly praised the work of the
Y. NJ. c \. as great factor in pro-
noting the spiritual, mental and physi-
cal welfare of men and for It's effect
n communities.
Brief addresses were made follow
ing that of the President by Judge
w. w. Warwick, general chairman of
the campaign committee; George Otis
Smith. president of the Washington
Y NJ c. A; William Knowles Cooper,
general secretary of the local organi-
yation, and Edison J. Hockenbury, cam
paign manager. Harrisburg, Pa. Maj.
Henry \ Brown said grace.
Each of the evenings while the cam
paign is in progress a supper is to be
served TO the members of the several
teams, and prominent men are expect
ed to deliver addresses. Secretary Will
liam Jennings Bryan of the State De-
partment is to speak this evening.
President Greeted With Applause.
When the President entered the hall
last night, Just prior to the serving
of supper, he was greeted with PRO-
longed applause.
He said, in part;
Il have expressed my interest IN the
Young Mems Christian Association on
A great many occasions, but every time
| express it it seems to me the feeling
crows In me that nothing is more
valua BILE to a city than an association
like this. l have said on another occa-
sion that / can almost assess the char
acter of community by the manner
in which it supports or does not sup
port it's Young Mems Christian Assoc
citation, because there is such splen-
did mixture of objects in a Young
Mems Christian Association. The SUI
preme object, of course, is to exhibit
the spirit of Christ and to show what
His example will do in u world that
needs that example so much. Then
flowing out of that naturally there
comes all the delight of association
and of comradeship and of mutual help
fitness.
Men do not often help each other
for their own individual sakes. There
has got to be some motive bigger
than the man himself to make him a
good comrade even and generous
friend. The man who serves only him
self is going to serve within very
narrow circle, indeed, and will serve
grudgingly only he sees some ma
teriaI or obvious advantage. The only
thing that can move d man to great
service of any sort is something big
ger than himself. That Is the reason
that the Christian motive, the motive
of the love of Christ, is the supreme
motive.
Theory of the Casuists.
My father used to tell me that the
old casuists, the old students of con-
science, used to maintain that all sin
was reducible to egotism, that an
egotist makes himself the center of
the universe.
IF you make yourself the center of
the universe, all your perspective is
skewed. There is only one moral CEN
ter of the universe, and that is God.
IL you get into right relations with
Him. then you have your right per-
spective and your right relation and
your right size. but if you make every
thing related to yourself. you have the
wrong size, at any rate In your own
estimation, and the whole thing is SO
out of drawing that nobody would
recognize the picture as you draw 1t
of yourself.
All the relations of life. therefore,
are dependent upon knowing the truth,
knowing where you stand and how YOU
. stand IN your responsibility. when
YOU once get that reckoning-of course,
nobody gets it perfectly-but in pro-
portion as you get that reckoning you
know where you arc and how to steer,
where you are going and where you
want to go. and how you are related
to your fellow-men.
"All Of these things are delightfully."-
Illustrated in the variety of the purposes
and life of the Young Mems Christian
Association. They are released in the
physical energies; they are released in
the social amenities: they are released
in the religious work; they are released
IN the work for others outside of the
association, as. for example. the work
in the siums and for young boys in the
hoys' clubs.