Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-10-12
CENTENARY OF
SIR GEO. WILLIAMS
Y. M. c.. A. FOUNDER

Chicago, Oct. 1.-THE centenary of
Sir George Williams of London, Eng
land, who founded the Young Mems
Christian Association, will be COM
memorated here today at a gathering
representative of the international Y
NJ. c. A.
country boy who came up to London
to go into business. He was but %
when he started the Y. NJ. c. A. and
at it's jubilee so years later he was
knighted. A feature of his centenary
observance here will be the dedica-
ton of 4 reproduction room in which
the first Y. Nj. c. A. meetings were
held.
This original home of the Y. NJ c.
A. was in a London business house.
Effort has been made to duplicate
exactly even to ups and downs of the
floor and ceiling and sag of the door.
Working drawings were made and
furniture and fireplace fabricated in
London under the direction of arch
fleets who knew Williams, while his
son Howard gave his help.
This memorial has been built into
the Chicago Y. M. C. A. College.
The commemoration day program in
cludes several speakers who knew
him, among them Richard c. More,
consulting general secretary of the
International Committee, and mes
sages from John Wanamaker and
other contemporaries.
DR.. Karl Fries of Geneva, Switzer-
land, general secretary of the Worlds
Committee of Young Mems Christian
Association. will direct an interna-
tional survey of Y. NJ. c. A. progress
with Henry c. Wallace, secretary of
agriculture presiding. DR.. John r.
Mott, general secretary of the North
American Y. M. C. A. will deal with
The Y. M. G. A. and the Comi:g
Day" Dedication of the memorial
room will be under the direction Of
L. Wilbur Messer, general secretary
of the Chicago Association. Repre-
Sentatives of the Y. NJ. c. A. from
England and Canada will participate.
The birth and growth of the Y. NJ.
G. A. movement along with the rise
of industrialism was pointed out
here today by DIR. Karl Fries of Cen
~
the Worlds Committee of the Young
Mems Christian Association, speak,
ing at the celebration.
When George Williams at the age
of twenty came to London to work,
from the quiet country surrounding,
where he had formed the resolution
of leading Christian life, he repre-
scented two features which together
constitute the background of the
Young Mems Christian Association,
namely the rise of industrialism and
the spiritual revival" DR.. Fries said.
THE invention of steam engines and
their application to production and
transportation about the middle of
the last century among other effects.
led to an exodus from the country to
the smaller and larger communities.
leading up to the creation of our
present day giant cities.
"The desperate conditions prevail
ing among the homeless myriads of
young men in commerce impressed
George Williams and made him an ad-
vocate of the reduction of working
hours. These sometimes extended
SNSi oi-AtSCi a tIiit tIIIle. his So
licitude for his felIowmen did not
stop there.
Bible study and other forms of
religious work were, from the be-
ginning, prominent features in the
Young Mems Christian Association
founded by him in 1874, but most of
the lines of activity nowadays in
cluded in the fourfold program were
present at the start
THE work of the Association had
attracted the attention and interest
of the whole community when, in
1851, the first international exhibition
of industry took place in London. It
also attracted the attention of many
men of industry and commerce from
all parts of the world. who visited
that exhibition, and they returned
with. a purpose Of founding similar