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Show I Work of Young Men '$ "Christian Association f I "In general terms, tho Salt Lake City Young Men's Christian association associa-tion has accomplished two things dur-. dur-. iug tho past year. Tho first and greatest great-est is lhat it has been a positive and direct help to a large number of young men and boys by assisting them to form plrongcr character aud to become larger carnerc, Tho other is that it has completed com-pleted tho delivery of a sarr.plo of. the Young Men's Christian association product, pro-duct, which three years ago it promised J to deliver to the people of Salt Lake." This w?.s tho reply of Oscar L. Cor, general secretary of the Y. M. C A -when aslccd by Tho Tribune what Js association had accomplished during lh 1 past year. Mr. Cox plainly showed his unbounded unbound-ed intorest. in the work of the 'association, 'associa-tion, aud when asked as to what ho meant by the phrase, "delivery of u pample of association work," ho said: "Just this: Four years ago our di- rectors met in tho Commercial duo . rooms to determine upon a policy as to ' the scope of tho work which should bo ! undertaken. Some of the very best pco- pie of tho city had very frankly slated ! that they wcr. pretty well disgusted ' with many of tho things which tho Association had done. The directors had j previously shown that they agreed with i this to a considerable extent, bocucHO t they had closed up the old rooms and launched a building campaign to rai-; J what money they could for a new eouip mcnt, in order to do things on an eh- i tirely new basis. Without record of I nflicinnrv. I.hev fonnrl that. even jis rren- i Icrous as tho people of Salt Lake aro inclined io be, the; could not raise as much mouoy to build a plant to economically eco-nomically handle the work which a Young "Men's Christian association ought to do in a city the size of Salt Lake. "In a strong and thorough discussion, one of the directors, who is one of the best known men in tho city, said: Gentlemen T wish to very frankly admit ad-mit that nev;r until It was accomplishes' did I bellevo that we could rnJsa tho money which wo havo raised for this purpose. As it la, we and our friends havo jdven. not because w have seen what can bo actually dono alon this lino I In Salt Lake, but because of our bollnf i ?nd promises. 1 now believo that If wo could accomplish Fiieh results In the next j five years we will prove to every man 1 and woman In Salt Iakc City that the 1 Touns Men's Christian association Is an absolute moral and economic necessity In our city. We are so far removed from other associations that to do successful work wo will have to he blp cnouph tn have a complete executive staff of our own. A staff of this sort Is not justified for membership of less than 1200. To erect a bulldlnfr lanre enough to take ( -ire of tho 3200 will tako more money than wo now have, but I bellevo that tho losulto which will be secured In this I building will be an asset upon which wo ifi raise money. Wo munt borrow money fto do this thing right, and having dono It right, T bellevo we can rely upon the people of this town for support. "This sonliinont carried the day heartily, as it was evident that to obtain ob-tain tho large and satisfactory results, tho plant must bo big enough to havo trained ofilccrs for each department, which would not bo justified in a plant of small size. Largo Attendance During Year. "Acting on this basis, wo Ptriiek out to givo tho association work a thorough mm mmmmEm OSOAB If. COS, ' General Secretary. test in this city. T say to you frankly that the results havo been better and larger than I anticipated thoy would . o. During tho last year tho total attendance at-tendance of voting mon and bo3FS"in this building has been over 125,000. They eamo to write, to read books and papers, aft ond meetings, Biblo classes, night schools, wrestling matches, to swim aud. to do. a hundred and ono things. But all of this attondanco has been in order that, something may bo achieved. Wo do not provide a loafing place. During this same period we havo had 500 different dif-ferent members in oducalional classes at night, aud had moro boys under IS whoso examination papers 'successfully passed our international board of examiners ex-aminers in New York than any other city in North America. And on that account wo aro now tho holders of the j famous McBuruoy cup, which is award- cd to tho association winning that plnco each year. I know of ono of tho best carpenters in this citj-, who hail been a higkly-respectcd carpenter for a I number of years, had a family, aud had j gotten no further along than a fore-munship. fore-munship. Ho took architectural drawing draw-ing last winter aud consequently has filled in tho lack which had heretofore kept him from figuring and estimating his own work. JIc is a man -1U years of age. but our night school, in this manner, made it -possible for him to oaru for his family twico as much money as he vas earning before I can I tell you of boys who wero playing tru-I tru-I ant, whom the' physical department took hold of. guided through activities, who arc now doing first-class work; of young men who on first coming to this city are found positions and located bv our uplifting influences: of mon aud bojs who. through a helping baud, hnvo turned a losing fight, into a .victory for! character. 1 "There are sixlv-nine cities in tho1 T'nited Si at en whose population is greater than that of Salt Lako City. Tn our physical work wc have ranked for the last two years about sixteenth, and in our educational work very much higher, and in our religious work havo established for tho country a method of development of boys' cliibs for Sunday-schools which lias met with erv large favor by boys" workers all over tho Tinted Slates. Wo have tried out this field thoroughly, and in so doing havo served many of tho young men and boys: but we have only 'boguu. Tho demands which are made upon us in evoiy department arc larger than wo can meet. Upon our record of tho threo years' work tho thing is done. Tho association lias proved its need for larger equipment in order that moro things may bo done, and also demonstrated demon-strated (he need for its release from uny burden of debt. Educational Department. "It is practically inipossiblo to cor- i J. GUSTAV WHITE. Educational Director. roctly ostimato tho accomplishments of tho educational department, because, as yet no apparatus has been invented to measure brain or character declop- I J. S. HOFFEE, Physical Director. rnonl. Tho educational activitios of tho association, such as classes, practical tbis, clubs, library and personal interviews, inter-views, havo helped to make moro olli-cient olli-cient men for tho community. Facts and figures aro merely witnesses of theso accomplishments. "During the threo years and a half that 1 ho Y. M. C. A. has .occupied its own building, over 1700 students, who I work by day. hat e been taught by night in (ho association hisfilutc, while the attendance in the rending room has been 3000 men per mon Hi. An employed boys' school lias been organized, which enrolls 100 boys in I lie grades each season; sea-son; ami the equally important educational edu-cational demands of employed men have been met, as salesmanship, window-card writing, automobiliiig, metallurgy, electricity, elec-tricity, drafting and the whole "list of technical and commercial classes. Bovs without a chanco for education havo been given that chanco at less than cost. Square men in round holes have been prepared for their natural voea- lion. Mediocre men have been turned into ambitious, successful citizens, while some of tho brightest, keenest young men of the community have been kept from letting their brains rust or got into a rut. For J000 men lo gain theso educationl advantages, it costs but i?H000 more than its students pay into tho association treasury. It is 'run for men not for money.' lis accomplish-I incuts are mado possible through tho combined efforts of tho educational advisory ad-visory commit tee. composed of nix business busi-ness men. tho twouty-fivo mcinbeis of the faculty, tho eighteen student councilors, coun-cilors, tho nine secretaries ou the executive ex-ecutive force, and tho boosting propensity propen-sity of the ntudent body and the public In general." Fvcligious Work. "The Young Men's Christian association asso-ciation could not exist without the ono essential element which permeates every feature of its activities, which indefinite offectivo religious work. Back ! of every gymnasium class, every night i tchool. overy social event, every bovs' club is that great religious purposo which is the real foundation of tho wholo superstructure of activities and privileges. Last year moro than seventy men and over three hundred boys were i enrolled in Y. M. ('. A. Diblc and affiliated affili-ated Sunday school classes. The total attendaneo at men's meetings, including includ-ing noon hour shop talks, exceeded five thousand. Man voung men gave valuable valu-able service us club leaders and committee com-mittee men. and Bible class teacher3. To emphasize tho importance of definite religious work and to help men decide upon tho great polie' ol living, spc-ouil spc-ouil evangelistic, meetings -were held with an attendance aggregating fifteen hundred. "During the year now in progress the following aro being planned for: Tho enroll men t of two hundred men in Biblo ELWOOD S. BROWN. Social Director. clnssoa with well organized Bible study and personal -work committees; tho organisation or-ganisation of a Sunday afternoon corps of workers tvIio will make tho association associa-tion building a pleasant and prolitablo A, Q. ADAMSON, Religious Work Director. Jdace for young men to spend their die Sunday hours, tho moro complete organization of the affiliated club movement move-ment and the starting of several new cluba, (ho enlisting of tho services of fifty young men in the promotion of delinito religious work, promotion of shop noon hour practical talks that will involve a total attendaneo of 15,000; conducting of a 'sane' cvangc- ! listic series that will prove to bo a I vital factor in tho religious life of tlie cily and tho promotion of an cIVcctive religions atiiiosphero in every feature of association work. Physical Development Work. "The association through-its physical department work seeks not only for actual physical devrlopinent of the highest type, but. also for the conservation conserva-tion and development of vitality or reserve strength. A well set up scheino of work enables (ho 'green' man to o inlo tho gymnastic and alhlelic work on an intelligent basts, with work adapted to fit his needs. ICacli member using the department privileges is required re-quired tu (nice, upon entrance, a heart nnd lung examination aud later if desired de-sired is given a complete physiesil examination, ex-amination, al which time detailed suggestions sug-gestions as to exorcise and general hygiene are made. Tho scope of Iho work is wide, inasmuch as classes aro Wi-conducted Wi-conducted both for boys and mon, tho W-fZ-lower ago limit being 10 years, while .8.. no upper limit has been sol. Adapted Li? gymnasium classes for tho little fcl- mfrhj.P lows, the high school boy, the em- K ployed boy. tho young mau and tho K older business men aro conducted wT . throughout the year. Such special lines Jmf. as boxiug, wrestling, swimming, etc., Vra are also taught where men desire toyr specialize. During the. last fiscal year 22:i:5 gymnasium classes wero conducted, . with a tolal attendance at classes nf'K 2S,0Si;S. This averaged J0:i cla-aes aB' mouth, with an average monthly ut..-Hr tendance in classes of 2-11(3. The lotalv. attendance in classes and those tuUiiicHt individual -work for the same periojR averaged 211(59 a month, with a graiirB' tolal for the year placed at :;n,02S. ThME association employs a director and twRv assistants for their oniiro time tKp' handle this work which is doing so mueMp JT" for the all around up-buildinir of SitjHp' 0 Ijaku's men and boys. KcprcsciitalijH&: teams iu basketballindoor and outdoiMfr , baseball, swimming, indoor and outdejKg nthlefics and wrestling, are considerlB among the verv top no tellers iu LW&. stale. Though "the Sail Lake workBk now. this branch of the association activities is considered above l he njP crage of many cities much larger tlMr Sail Lake. I Social Department. KC I "The social deiiartment of the Youp Men's (.'hristiaii association iucluifB. three distinct types of work. lift'1 "Kirst Tho division which furiiisBT men with normal, social surnnindin ' such as aro found iu tho gcncrnUBf elabilily of (ho aHsociutiou buildE. with its lobby, reading rooms, pool 1 iKT' . (fir billiard room, games, i-ocial occasiM- " v. and satisfying, clean, club life. 'Mm r. division includes also the numerously 1 Ij socintiou Riiniiner i-amps. H. "Second The division -which m' j u is lies men with an opportunity tqM of service (o other men. It incdup . iho, committees for reception work, "fliL visitation, special eul crl ainmeuts af I ovents. V t- "Third Thy division which iucludU fr clubs and activities, organized for til particular benefit of men. Under thi t head falls the insurance, savings, ir 1 vestment, litorary, music and studj- f .: ' clubs. Not least under (his third di ll vision comes tin.' employment burcai,3te which not only endeavors lo find posi-Hons posi-Hons for unemployed men, bill lo as- sist incu who are oijiployod, but dissatis- ' lied with their present Svork. in getting info (he business for which they feci ' themselves best qualified. In Decern-ber Decern-ber over one thousand men aud bovs , used the pool and billiard room; bun- i dreds of men used iho building for Sf. social headquarters and all tho special i Wp evenls were well attended aud success-ful. success-ful. Tho employment bureau placed on j2V an average one 'man per duv. Tun new mTi year will see a greater uso of the build- f BKl nig as a social center, (he organization i lUffi of the cliib3menl.ioned above, a wider range of service, lo both applieaut andfW" employer through the employment; r ' bureau and' u greater realization of tho fact that men nrc most easily influenced ffrr-" for progress through their social ua- I f-lures." f-lures." I h |
