Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-06-06
Y.M.C.A. CELEBRATES
 ANNIVERSARY TODAY
Great Organization Enters 18th Year of Existence and Useful
 ness

The Young Mems Christian Asso- citation, whose social welfare and re- lief work among the American sol diers and sailors and their allies is second to that of no other organiza tion of its kind, today enters upon the seventy fifth year of it's eXis- tence and usefulness.
 The founder of the Y. M. c. A. was Sir George Williams, an Englishman, who died in London in 1905, in his S5th year. MT. Williams became a Christian in 1887, the year of the coronation of Queen Victoria, who knighted him in 1894. In 1841 he left his home in one of the provinci al towns and went to London, where he became a junior clerk in large dry goods establishment. Here he found about 80 fellow clerks, very few of whom were protesting Christ ians. At a conference among few of the Christian young men in the establishment, they decided to call a conference of all the Christian yo 1ng men in the house for June 6, 1S44, to consider the practicability of estab- fishing the work on firmer basis. It was decided to organize the Young Mems Christian Association y the object of which was stated to be ito improve the spiritual condition of young men engaged in the drapery and ether trades"
 Mr. Williams lived to see the move- ment he had organized spread over a large part of the world. In Europe and America, in Australia and Afri- ca, and in the cities of far-off India, China, Japan and other lands are now to be found branches of the Y. M. C.. A., actively engaged in spiritual, mis- sionary, educational and social vel fare work.
 The growth of the movement in North America has been even more marvellous than in the British Isles, where it was given birth. The inter. national committee which maintains headquarters in New York had gener- al supervision of more than 2,000 full ly organized branches throughout. the United States and Canada. When America entered the war Tn the early part of last year the Y. M. c. A. called for $3,O00,000 to launch it's program of social service work among the enlisted men. The dona- tion of $5,O00,00O was the public re- sponse to this appeal. With this funo at it's command the association inn mediately set about the building and equipping of "huts" Or association club houses for the comfort and ser vice of the men in the different army camps and cantonments and at the naval stations.
 The rapid increase in the size of the Natior's military establishment and the sending of the troops abroad called for a proportional increase in the activities of the association. The success of the Y. M. c. A. work among the American, Canadian and British troops led to an appeal to the organization to duplicate it's service among the armies of France, Italy and Russia.
 To meet the demands for it's ser vices and to carry on it's work in a systematic manner the Y. M. c. A decided upon the organization of q national war work council. The or ganization of this council was com pleted last fall. In November it is- sued an appeal to the public for 1885,; 900, ,OOO, with which to carry on its work. The response to this appea
 with $50,0OO,O00 from over 2,060,O 0,OO(
 persons was far more generous thar 1 was anticipated.