Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1919-10-24
Y. M. c. A. ACTIVITIES

| NShSiNl' VI IilC w. 4h' W. n. "
multiply its activities in NORTH
| Carolina and the South has crea
| ted a marked degree of interest
in ROSEMARY and Roanoke Rapids.
There is interest of course in the
enlarged work in industrial COM
munities, and in Colleges, in the
extension of the work into the
severaf hundred High Schools
and the enlargement of the boys
summer camping program. The
greatest interest, however, CEN
tiers in the proposed extension of
"Y" work to rural communities.
No class of people has received
the recent announcement with
greater satisfaction and pleasure
than have the service" men
who have seen the "Y" worker
under trying conditions in army
and elsewhere, and have had op-
porunlty to observe the real
value of ~" activities, recrea-
tional, religious, and others.
Particularly the service men
who enlisted from rural COM
munities have akeen appreciation
on of what the new Y. M. C. A.
program holds in store for the
more or less lonely country dis
tricts.
The Y. M. C. A. does not pro-
pose to establish buildins in small
towns and in the country. Its
plans are more in the nature of a
movement for the more rapid
and normal development of the
social, recreational, educational,
anu physical life of the commune
ties in which it shall work. In
each County in which the work
is organized, a group of citizens
will constitute a board of direc-
tors who shall have authority to
engage the services of a trained
Secretary who will have charge
Of the program of activities and
will be the organizer and promo
ter of the movement throughout
his County. Local units will in
turn be formed in towns and
communities, so that the ~" in
fluences will extend into each
neighborhood.
The work of the "Y" rural
communities will naturally be CO.
ordinated with that of the rural
schools, churches, boys clubs, ru-
raj Libraries, lecture courses and
other organizations or movements
with similar purposes.
Sergeant Battle Williams of
Raleigh, upon seeing the an
nouncement, wrote to his home
paper strongly endorsing the
movement. The Country "Y"
movement is a growing move
ment and deserves undivided sup
port from everyone. Ex-service
men particularly should be the
organizers and leaders of the
movement in their respective
communities.
Another returned soldier, Ser.
geant B. W. Seay, jr is enthusi-
astic over the proposed extern
sion of "Y" activities. Having
come under the influence of the
Y. M. C. A. in the training camps
and in the army, in France |
feel that can speak authoritati.
vely as to its benefits in recrea-
tional way, socially and spiritual
ly, he wrote to the State Secre.
tary of the Y. M. c. A. upon
learning of the new program,
The young people of the coun-
try, like the younger people of
the cities, crave and deserve am
usements which will in a measure
distrub the monotony of every
day life. The fact that the coun-
try districts lack the means of
amusing their young people in
the proper way is in a large mea-
sure responsible for their migra-
ton to the cities. The ~" if
established in sufficient num-
Der of centers, will prove a po-
tent factor in solving this prob
lem of keeping the young peo-
pie in the country,
Il hope the time is not far
distant when these Y. M. c. A.
outfits will be scattered through
ont the length and breadth of