THE y-.M'.C.A,

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13356, 21 December 1906, Page 4

THE y-.M'.C.A,

, Lart(terly a g£<aa ; t /deal cti interest ihaa I been .taken in the lYoung Men's Christian' Association movement, partly due to v the recent death of its fbwnd'er, Sir | Georg© .Williams, a-nld partly to -the '- advertisement it has received fromv-.tho successful efforts of the Wellington and Sydney brancWs .of the . Association, to raiste large sums' oi money for the ".-'» .purpose q£ 'building. Hjew for their needs. The Association ?vaa fowniclecl - ); in- 1844, ' a/nd lias 1 therefore stood is£& test ol iimeaa an ; institution of marked usefulness in *our

sooia! fabric^ 1 bvfo < it' $<a& mot y»ti

nearly attained the summit of its possible •irsafuln-ess. * JAs tho secretary of the Auckland branch, Mr J. G. ' Mitqhell, remarked .to a Now I Zjealamd Herald representative the otUer. da/, the work of the Association has , entered uj on aii-entirely new phase. It aim* now at developing the whole tnan, not his spiritual and mental side only, but has physical side also. A V.'M.C.A. ihem'ber nowisntrt regarded as a " goody-goody," whose recreation is Sunday school teaching . and attending lectures. ( , Th 6 leptur^hall, as a matter- of fact, is feeing abolished in modem YJI.C.A. build; ings, in Aimerica, and a gymtoakium substituted, which can be used if necessary for lectures, but wflrose principal use is for physical trainiing. In Aucl-land the Association) pays great attention to the gymnasium equipment/ for it is found tfoat the physical department is a great inducement to young men to join." A billiard table is also talked .of, for billiards are not tabooed by -the Association. Music is also a feature; in fact every effort is made to render the > Association's rooms attractive, while the evangelistic w o rk •. is »ot 'given too 'much prominence, as it is felt that if it werei forced upon anexnbers it would be tilse in'eaTfs; of ive^jiingJy^unig^mendmvdy. In os word - the V.M.C. A. is being populaTdsob", and -although' some, of the new features introduced may Scarcely meet with.'" the full approval" of,- some of thwse w ho have been connected with the movement,- there is little dpubt Hhati thq i-nndvati'ons,- will, increase the Association's ns_t>fuln less1 ess and enable., its good work to be carried on .in a m-udK jvfder ifielfd. w ©fi(?rts - BaveV > been made team tto tb'time 4 p o s2xew Plymouth to'estoiblfsK societies oif clubs with somewhat similar objects t<x those o* the V.M.C.A., to provide innocent amusemrenl and recreatioinj for lads and young men who have often no place of i>escirt but the- streets. There have bctn Boys' Institutes and Young Men's Mutual Improvement and Literary Societies, but most of them have i languished aad died of inanition. A branch of the- Y.MJD^A. seems calculated to meet the case«* Liberally established and properly conducted in suitiaWle promises an Association would provide its members With '. a club wh^eTOoongenflaKcQinp'any Mould .bt met and g/opd social ufeefulniess brbught to beary/fWe offer' the sue--gestion • ,to .whose who are interested in the j^oungf .taen> - .