YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 162, 9 July 1907, Page 5

YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

ivisit. of a :distinch?ished, ...".. ; organisee.

At the-rooms of the. Young Men's Christian Association; last- evening, a large number of members assembled to - welcome Lieut.-Colonel .Fermaud, general, secretary- World's. Alliance, Young Men's Christian- Association: The chair was taken by the - local general secre- . tary. (Mr. J. G. Mitchell). On rising to address the assemblage, the speaker was greeted with rounds of applause. The Lieuti-Colonely; laving-■: just concluded visits to the conferences held at Shanghai and Tokio, spoke for some length on what took place. In relating § what happened at the former place, he -stated-that ever/ 'province- of China was represented -by delegates and -mandarins of- high rank, one of'the- latter being the representative of the "Viceroy of his particular province, keen interest being centred in the work of the Association . by the -young Ghinamen throughout the proceedings, which he believed would be the means of great blesing to the young •men of that nation. At the World's Conference of the Students'- Christian Federation, held-at Tokio,; there were' no less than 620 delegates, representing 64 nations, present; the- proceedings being carried out in two languages, Eng* lish and Japanese. ThaspeakeiJwent on to ; say that in all the deliberations at the conferences they continued to.put forth the claims of Christianity as-the centre power, in the work, and-he was pleased ■to say that the young" men in those Eastern lands were beginning; to realise it meant so much to them, in that it held out higher ideals for them to live "up to. The' conference was followed by a series of addresses throughout Japanby 'those who attended,- and this, together with the sympathy sliown by the Press, tended to convey enlightenment - of Association matters and Christianity generally to the. young men of that ris* ing nation.- During the course of>hia remarks 'he- mentioned that the World's Alliance comprised 7800 . associations, scattered in every even as north as the Arctic Circle. ".'. During the y,isit of the delegates -to Japan they, were the guests of such celebrities as Baron: .Goto',. "Viscount Osfiima, the, Mayor of the City,, American- Ambassador, and various -noblemen of high rank. 'In his concluding remarks stated that it - was necessary-' tha£ greats movement should be ,a work, for young men by r young men,.as";a" great dangen was liable.to" creep"in rtnrough. the fact that too'inuch dependence was placed oa paid officials, gather than on the volun* tary help of the youjig men themselves.

The Colonel expressed."'great pleasure at the manner in which, courtesies had > been shown .him since his.arrival in our Dominion, especially by the .Minister qf Education", the Hon.:: G. Fowlds, wbilsij in Wellington.' He leaves for_yancouver en route for the Canadian Association, via Fiji, ...'.:..■.:"