FORTY YEARS' SERVICE.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18397, 2 June 1925, Page 9

FORTY YEARS' SERVICE.

_ MR J. J. VIRGO'S RETIREMENT. (FBOM OU& OWX COBMSFONBEHT.) ; LONDON, April 21. After 40 years' service with the Young Men's Christian Association in many parts of the world, Mr John J. Virgo, who is known to many New Zealanders, is .about to retire from abtive work. A complimentary luncheon was given to him by Mr Howard Williams, chairman of the Y.M.C.A. British Empire Union. Mr F. J. Chamberlain, associate secretary of . the English National Council of Y.M;C.A.'s, spoke of Mr Virgo's 32 years' work for the Association in Australia, and of hi j connexion with the London Central Association as general secretary for the past 10 years. Mr Virgo, he said, had also undertaken seven world tours, and wbereever he went he was first and foremost a Christian evangelist. He was a great Association promoter, and his best work had been done in days and circumstances when severe criticism had been levelled against the Association. He was also something of a cricketer, and in his 50th year he scored 110 runs for the Y.M.C.A. against the City of London, with the veteran W. G. Grace looking on. W. G. Grace came up a week later to see Mr Virgo make another century, but h© mad© a "duck" (laughter)—and it was said that "W.G." was rather hurt by the nettled way in which Mr Virgo spoke to him on being chaffed about the performance. Mr Virgo, in reply, recalled that he attended the Association's jubilee celebrations in England in 1894, when h® had the privilege of meeting the Grand Old Man of the movement, Mr George Williams. (Cheers.) The Association appealed to him for the contribution it had made to the world at large, to the churches, and to civic and national life. Its greatest need at present was money, and the business men of the community had no right to make it difficult for those who had given their lives to the work by refusing to make contributions of money, and so leave the officials free to do the work to which they had set their hearts, and hands.