Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1922-06-08
FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
OF WORK FOR
RAILROAD MEN

Sunday, June II, will be a
memorable day to the 125,000
railroad men who compose the
membership Of the 269 Rail-
road Associations and branches
of the Young Mems Christian
Associations of North America.
That date is the fftieth ami
versary Of the birth of the Rail
road Department of the Y. M.
C. A.
This semi centennial of what
has been called the greatest
; workingmens club in the world
will be celebrated by Railroad
Y. M. C. AS and branches
throughout the country. This
means that the jubilee will be
observed in many small as we'll
as in most of the large railroad
centers. The participants will
be both railroad employees and
/ executives.
The development of the Rail
road Department, which was
at the time of it's founding a
new and unique departure, is
now recognized as the base up
on which the Association has
able to reach out effectively in
ii the field of general industry
as we'll as of TRANSFORMATION on
land and sea. The railroad
work was begun early in
the history of railroad growth
itself. Not only has the work
expanded in the number of rail
road Associations and branches
as railroad mileage and number
of railroad employees have in
creased, but it has developed
organically so as to serve the
needs of the largest possible
number of men at stategic
points along the lines or rail-
road systems.
The service represents The CO
operation Of railroad employees,
railroad companies, and the AS
sociation. The relationship Of
these has been described as fol-
lows: "The employees provide
the bone and sinaW Of the Or
eanization. They ccme in not
ss recipients Of patronage bat
as stockholders. Through their
committees they manage the
organization and direct it along
the most useful channels. The
companies provide cooperative
help, and seek through the or
ganization to answer the quest
ion, What more than wages
may a railroad company reason
ably supply to its employees?
The Association provides train
ed leadership and a construc-
tive program. The material e.
quipment in the WORK, great as
it is, is an important measure of
the service which results"
t., While much Of the real ser
vice which of the Railroad De-
I partnent cannot be set forth in
statistics, the following figures
for 1921 give an indication of
the extent to which the railroad
. buildings are used by their
members: Average daily at
tendance, 63,972; dormitories,
times used, 100000; meals,
1874, 1000; baths, 2,330,000;
socials and entertainments, 81
049; in Bible classes, 10, 937.
! The Railroad Y. M. C. A.
buildings are open day and
night to railroad workers. They
seek to provide homelike com
forts and stimulating programs
for moral and metal develop
ment and physical recreation.
The effort S that those in whose
care lies the safe transportation
of travellers and goods shall
have a homelike place and cars
"at the other end of the run"
to insure proper rest, whole
some environment, and stimu-
lus to the qualities that make
for sound character.
The results of the first Rail-
road Y. M. c. A. work at Cleve-
land were such that the move
ment spread within a few years
J to New York, Detroit, Colum-
bus, O., Baltimore, Altoon, Pa,
Jersey City, Springfield, Mass,
; and Erie, Pa. In 1877 Cornell
us Vanderbilt, Jr. "a grandson
! of Commodore Vanderbilt. be-
came member of the Inetrnat-
ional Committee of the Y. M. G
, A. and Chairman of it's Rail-
road Com roittna II y,or L..