The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-05
Many Prominent Men at Jefer
son Hotel Last Night to Meet
DR.. Kent
ONLY TWO PRECEDENTS
TO GREAT GATHERING
Young Mems Christian Asso-
ei4t.on Work Is Described by
81 c,e., ries - Evening De-
IL l.u.Iy SPent

surrounded by nearly three hum
dfed OF the most prominent men in
the State of Virginia, including Lieu
/ tenant-Governor J. Taylor Ellyson,
members of the House and Senate,
! high officials of railroads entering the
/ State. bankers, lawyers, physicians
j educators from universities. heads of
4 State departments and others, the
/ Governor of Virginia last night met
these men over the banquet board at
/ the jefferson Hotel auditorium and
| presided over session the like of
| which is said to have only two pre-
cedents In the history of the nation
! One of these was during the incum-
/ benCy of MIR. Taft as President OF The
I United States, when he entertained a
! similar gathering in the White House,
and the other the Governor of the
were invited by Governor Stuart TO
attend this banquet. listened to re-
| ports from FIVE men. all of them sec
| retaries IN one capacity or another of
| the Young Mems Christian Associa-
| ton.
| Invitations sent out by the Cover
| nor simply stated that at an infor-
mai banquet, to be served at the JEFF
/ ferson Hotel, the presence Of the per-
son to whom the invitation was ex-
| tended was desired, the banquet to be
given in honor of DR.. Charles w. Kent
of the University of Virginia, con-
nected with the national and interna-
tional work of the Y. NJ. c. A.
| The response was from every part
OF the State. To mention the names
/ OF those who were present would be
to mention the best-known men in
every county in Virginia. Some OF
1.-The guests came from the extreme
Southwest the State, others from
the extremes OF north and south and
east and west They came from every
section; most of them directly in re-
Spouse to the invitation of the Chief
Executive. A large part OF the Cow
ernor's staff was also present.
Governor Opens the Discussions.
, Governor Stuart himself opened the
program OF the evening by introduce
ing DR.. Kent The Governor spoke
of the growth OF the Y. NJ. c. A. in
the nation and the State. He re-
ferred to its power over the youth
OF the land as medium for bring
ing about that which was most manly.
most moral and most uplifting in
every walk Of life. The Governor paid
the work the highest possible tribute,
and then gave the floor to DIR. Kent.
! DR.. Kent told OF what is being done
in the cities and rural sections by the
/ Y. NJ. {. A, OF the State and the ma
tlon
! In outlining what has been done by
the Y NJ. c. A. he referred to the fact
! that last night Hopewell was opening
its second Y NJ c. A. building, thus
preventing it's secretary from being
present. Danville, he said, was also
opening the largest industrial Y. M.
{, A. in the South, which would he
followed by other such institutions.
T The DanvlIle Y. NJ. c. 4. is connect
ed with it's large cotton mills and Is
in addition to the city Y. NJ. c. A. of
that municipality.
| The speaker eulogized men in every
walk of life that have gone from the
ranks of the Y NJ. c. A. to the lead
ership of great enterprises and causes,
Virginia, he said. spent over 100000
on Y. NJ, c. AS in the past five years.
and OF that amount $1s0.0o0 came in
from other States. OF the amount
brought in from other States. he said.
much of this was due to the work
of the Y. NJ. c. A. secretaries whose
combined salaries were about ST.
900. an amount he regarded as good
investment. He said that investment
in the Y. NJ. c. A. was equal to an
investment at per cent. He told
OF the EFFORT of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road to establish clubs for the bene-
At of their men and finally of the
head of that railroad recognising that
the Y. NJ c. A. with its Christian
advantages and influences, was the
only way to reach the men. That
road, he said. then turned over all
of these clubs to the Y. NJ. c. A.
Hopewell and Newport News.
DR. Kent. in reference TO Hopewell
and Newport News, gave some inter-
esting facts. He told of the organi-
zation by the Newport News Ship
building and Drydock Company. of a
Colored Boys Y. M. c. A.. to keep
! their "rivet holders" out of trouble. 1t
had, he said. solved the problem and
now the concern was asking for q COL
ored mems Y. NJ. c. A.
The Y. NJ. c. A.. said Dr. Kent is
seventy years old. and is not in COM
petition with any other organization
because it's motto liz cooperation and
help. Let us help you do it." he
said. was the greeting TO any other
organization with an uplift as it's OBJ
ject.
Particular stress was put on the
use OF the word Christian" with ref
erence TO the Y. VI. c. A. DIR. Kent
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