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"When I was a young man I counted the years that I 
 might live and what I might accomplish in those years 
 for my fellowmen. I decided that through the Young 
 Men's Christian Association I might do the most for 
 the Church of Christ and through it I might find the 
 largest opportunity for service. With Paul I said, 
 'This one thing I do,' and I have devoted myself to the 
 young men of Europe. Uniting on the Paris Basis 
 adopted in 1855, the young men of the world got to- 
 gether and together have done great things. Anything 
 ivhich will pull them apart will wrong the work and 
 the cause of Christ." 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029336934 
 
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JAMES STOKES 
 
 Pioneer of Young Men's 
 Christian Associations 
 
 By 
 
 HIS ASSOCIATES 
 
 In More Than Half a Centuey of 
 
 World Service to Young Men 
 
 FRANK W. OBER, Editor 
 
 "My specialty has been rather that of a 
 pioneer . . . When the work was estab- 
 lished I have handed it over to others." 
 
 ASSOCIATION PRESS 
 
 New^ York: 347 Madison Avbnub 
 1921 
 
Copyright, 1921, by 
 
 Thb International Committee of 
 
 Young Men's Christian Associations 
 
 X 
 
 Printed in the United Slates of America. 
 
To THE Memort or 
 MRS. JAMES STOKES 
 
 WHO FOR FIFTEEN TEARS, WITH UNFALTERING FAITH, 
 SUSTAINED HER HUSBAND IN HIS PURPOSE TO FULFILL TO 
 THE UTMOST A LIFE CONSECRATED TO HIS LoRD AND THE 
 SERVICE OP YOUNG MEN OF AMERICA AND EuHOPE, THIS 
 
 STORY OF A Christian pioneer layman is, with sincere 
 
 APPRECIATION, DEDICATED. 
 
 With him she circled the world, meeting Association leaders 
 and sharing in their counsels. 
 
 The soldier in prison camp, the struggling youth, and 
 distressed secretary commanded her sympathy and aid. 
 
 From their home, relays of secretaries went out strengthened 
 for service. 
 
 In his perplexities her intuitions brought clear solutions. 
 
 In his discouragements her confidence found reason for 
 hope. 
 
 To his days of sickness and pain her presence lent comfort. 
 
 To his loneliness her sympathetic voice brought peace and 
 solace. 
 
 No partnership was ever more complete nor enterprise 
 more mutual. 
 
 And until her death she made his wish her will and his 
 life work her devotion. 
 
FOREWOED 
 
 This is the story of a young man's life nobly lived, 
 worthily devoted, persistently held to one dominating 
 plan and purpose, ripened to the full. It is told by 
 those who had been colaborers with him in enterprises 
 which engaged all his wealth of resources, of friendship, 
 social position, and finance. They shared with Mm 
 the privilege of working during his long life covering 
 a period of more than half a wonderful century which 
 saw the Young Men's Christian Association determine 
 its course, expand and extend its field of influence 
 throughout the world. 
 
 His life is interwoven with the lives and labors of 
 good and great men of faith and Christian leadership 
 of two generations in many lands. He worked in asso- 
 ciation with other men. His constant purpose was to 
 discover in close and constant consultation what he 
 could do and where he could serve. He was ready for 
 anything and to cooperate to the limit. His life is 
 woven into the fabric of Christian faith. 
 
 This is the story of a pioneer — of a simple and de- 
 voted servant of his Lord who caught a vision of the un- 
 conquerable power in the organized forces of young 
 Christian laymen and of the use by them of influence 
 and of money. 
 
 This is not merely the story of one man, but of a 
 constantly adapting and growing organization of men. 
 No claim of unusual greatness or originality is ad- 
 vanced, but as the movement grew the men who were 
 in position of privileged responsibility grew up to 
 
 vii 
 
viii FOREWOKD 
 
 meet the demands of the day in unusual measure. In 
 these pages will be found the names of many men, 
 though of but few of the many thousands, who linked 
 their lives into the swelling army of a volunteer or- 
 ganization increasing with the years and gaining in 
 experience, equipment, and eager enterprise for Chris- 
 tianizing the young men and boys of the world. 
 
 The expanding service of that group of young men in 
 New York City, with which Mr. Stokes had the privi- 
 lege of allying himself in the years following the Civil 
 War, is paralleled in measure in city after city. This 
 story will suggest the names and service of scores of 
 early leaders who labored with conspicuous devotion 
 and ability throughout their lifetime as pioneers, offt- 
 cers, and champions of local Associations — the Sir 
 George Williams of their cities, such as John V. Far- 
 well in Chicago, John Wanamaker in Philadelphia, 
 Henry M. Moore in Boston, John S. Maclean in Hali- 
 fax, T. James Claxton in Montreal, John Macdonald in 
 Toronto, Joseph Hardie in Selma, Charles W. Lovelace 
 in Marion, Ala., Joshua Levering in Baltimore, Elijah 
 W. Halford in Indianapolis, Oscar Cobb in Buffalo, 
 William Fleming in Omaha, William Ladd in Portland, 
 Oregon — men whose names and character and labors 
 should be immortalized in the Association Hall of Fame 
 — men who sought no recognition for themselves but 
 led the Association to a recognized position of worthy 
 service. 
 
 These chapters should be a challenge to young men 
 to align themselves for life with a worthy cause and 
 build their efforts into the character of the young men 
 of a city and into the Christian fabric of a nation. It 
 will reflect the genius of an organization which can 
 employ any ability and all the ability of any man knit 
 
FOREWORD ix 
 
 into a directed and constructive agency of the Chris- 
 tian Church. 
 
 There were other thousands of the rank and file who 
 were a part of this brotherhood, participating in the 
 "blessing and being blest" of the organization which 
 resulted from the labors of this young man — fully 
 30,000 in Russia alone. Clerks, bookkeepers, students, 
 miners, soldiers, artisans, waiters — they found in the 
 Association the one opportunity for personal develop- 
 ment and Christian fellowship. They studied in its 
 classes, played in its gymnasium, read in its library, 
 grew in character and faith in its Bible classes and 
 meetings, found the touch and grace of a home away 
 from home, and gained the joy and inspiration of, and 
 development in, directed Christian service. In the 
 heart of Paris a new Christian center rose, to attract 
 into its safe and wholesome fellowship, from a weak, 
 unknown band of some thirty young men, to a vital 
 and vigorous organization exceeding 1,000. The Eter- 
 nal City saw the rise of a Christian fellowship of hun- 
 dreds with full equipment. Mr. Stokes's enterprise 
 engaged the youth of Tokyo, Calcutta, and Peking, of 
 Germany and the countries of the old world, as well as 
 the foreigner in America, the railroad man, the com- 
 mercial traveler, the colored man, and the prisoners 
 in the late war. Follow the trail of this pioneer and 
 we find it leading into humble homes, into lonely rooms 
 and classic halls, to the workshop and the barracks, to 
 huts and to palaces. 
 
 Mr. Stokes challenged men of position and nobility — 
 merchant princes, statesmen, and educators — to join 
 with him and with his Lord to raise the life standards 
 of young men. He sought the friendship and coopera- 
 tion of men who could lift. Every man of soul was kin 
 
X POREWOED 
 
 to him. Numbered among his friends and colaborers 
 were men like D. L. Moody, Sir George Williams, Wil- 
 liam E. Dodge, H. Thane Miller, Bishop Henry C. Pot- 
 ter, Richard C. Morse, and John R. Mott. 
 
 He might have "lived unto himself" and surfeited in 
 luxury. His life was spent in incessant care and anx- 
 iety, toil, perplexity, and intercessory prayer. His re- 
 peated query was, "How can I help?" He knew that 
 the world was out of joint and its only salvation was in 
 the Saviour of the world, who shed His blood for its 
 redemption. Therefore he withheld not himself — up 
 to his dying day. 
 
 F. W. O. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Foreword vii 
 
 I. James Stokes — A Man op Vision 1 
 
 John E. Mott 
 
 II. "My Specialty Has Been Rather That OF A Pioneer" 5 
 Frank W. Ober 
 
 III. His FiFTT-FotTB Years in the New York City Asso- 
 
 ciation Fellowship 26 
 
 Mornay Williams 
 
 IV. James Stokes and the Association Work among 
 
 Eailboad Men 41 
 
 George A. Warburton 
 
 V. The Most International Member of the Inter- 
 national Committee 56 
 
 Richard C. Morse 
 
 VI. Mr. Standfast op the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation 66 
 
 Luther D. Wishard 
 
 VII. The Paris Association and the Extension of the 
 
 Movement Abroad 82 
 
 Thomas K. Cree 
 
 VIII. Italy's Call Answered by James Stokes 99 
 
 Hale P. Benton 
 
 IX. Breaking into Russia 107 
 
 Franklin A. Gaylord 
 
 X. The Attempt to Introduce Association Work into 
 
 the German Army and Navy 123 
 
 William B. Millar 
 
 XI. The Knightly Counselor op the Young Women's 
 
 Christian Association 135 
 
 Mrs. Thomas S. Gladding 
 
 XII. Guiding Principles 146 
 
 Charles K. Ober 
 
 XIII. A Passion fob Helping Folks 155 
 
 XIV. Messages, Letters, and Reports 175 
 
 XV. "The Happiest Day of My Life" 207 
 
 Appendix: The James Stokes Society, Incorporated 228 
 
I 
 
 JAMES STOKES— A MAN OF VISION 
 John E. Mott 
 
 James Stokes was a man of vision. All through his 
 life he seemed to be gifted to see what the crowd did 
 not see, and to see wider and further than most of those 
 of his own day. This enabled him to discern the possi- 
 bilities wrapped up in young men and boys and gave 
 him faith to initiate many beneficent activities on their 
 behalf. For over half a century he was a world figure 
 in the Young Men's Christian Association and in all 
 that concerned the welfare and betterment of young 
 men. His power of vision led him to comprehend the 
 needs and claims of the young men of all classes and 
 of different nations and races, and made him fertile and 
 inventive in devising plans and means for reaching 
 them for Christ and for His Kingdom. 
 
 As a result of his ability to look beyond the present, 
 he was never daunted or dismayed by the dififlculties 
 and discouragements which lay in the long pathway of 
 the realization of his hopes. Having chosen a certain 
 course for helping a group of men or a nation he held 
 on his way of helpfulness with dogged perseverance. 
 He asked only one question. Ought this thing to be 
 done? If so, then no matter how many might oppose 
 nor how few might favor, and no matter how long it 
 might take to accomplish the desired end, he would 
 work on with unhasting and unresting diligence. As 
 a result, few of the undertakings with which he identi- 
 fied himself, even those in most difficult fields like Rus- 
 
 1 
 
2 JAMES STOKES— PIOKEER 
 
 sia and the Latin countries, or under the most discour- 
 aging circumstances, ever ended in failure but rather 
 in notable success. If a true test of the greatness of 
 an achievement is not so much the number of things 
 done but the extent of the diflQcuIties overcome in 
 achieving the results, then he was truly great in his 
 achieving power. 
 
 Even more than of his power of vision do we think of 
 our friend as one with a great heart. In fact it is 
 large-heartedness and sympathy which generate an at- 
 mosphere making possible true vision of the needs and 
 unbounded possibilities in the lives of men and peoples. 
 What man ever came in contact with James Stokes for 
 any length of time who did not become conscious of his 
 great, sympathetic heart? He seemed to have realized 
 what Zinzendorf had in mind when he prayed for him- 
 self that he might be baptized into a sense of all con- 
 ditions that so he might have fellowship with the suf- 
 ferings of all. The outreach of his sympathetic inter- 
 est extended to rich and poor alike, to men in humble 
 and obscure station as well as to those prominent in 
 social and public life, to the various classes and races 
 in his own country and to the peoples of foreign lands. 
 He was especially tender with little children. 
 
 He gave every encouragement to the adaptation of 
 the work of the Young Men's Christian Association to 
 various bodies of young men, first of all to those massed 
 in our great cities. Later he manifested interest in 
 helping to plant this agency among railroad men. He 
 backed those who were active in the spreading of the 
 Christian Association Movement in the colleges and 
 universities. Toward the end of his life he was one of 
 a few discerning laymen who called attention to the 
 need of doing far more for young men in rural com- 
 
JAMES STOKES— A MAN OP VISION 3 
 
 munities. His chief interest, however, was to befriend 
 and help in every way possible the youth of other lands 
 and races. This led him to plant the French-speaking 
 Branch of the Association in New York City and to 
 further the fruitful work of the Association in our 
 cities on behalf of German-American young men. 
 
 The range of his heart interest and practical help- 
 fulness widened to embrace successively the young men 
 of France, of Italy, of Eussia, of Latin America, and 
 of the Orient. He was not only one of the foundation 
 members of the International Committee — ^well called 
 its most international member — but also of the World's 
 Committee of the Associations. Seldom did a year pass 
 that he did not attend a meeting of the World's Com- 
 mittee and visit groups of the European Associations. 
 Time will show that one of the most significant and 
 productive actions of his life was that of establishing 
 the Young Men's Christian Association in Eussia. He 
 accomplished this almost impossible task in the dark 
 and reactionary days of the autocracy and bureaucracy. 
 His work was done with such genuine heart under- 
 standing that from the beginning he commanded the 
 confidence of the ruling classes of State and Church 
 and the following of all classes and conditions of young 
 men. There could be no better evidence of his greatness 
 of heart, for the Eussians more than any other people 
 are moved through their hearts. Eoosevelt pointed out 
 in those days that no land more than Eussia holds the 
 fate of the coming years. It is highly significant, there- 
 fore, that the Association Movement was thus early 
 planted among the men of this land of great destiny. 
 
 That which we most highly value in the life of our 
 friend was his loyalty. And Is not this trait which our 
 Lord most commended the one which we should chiefly 
 
4 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 prize? It need not be said to those who knew him 
 that he was loyal to his friends. His loyalty man- 
 ifested itself in his faithfulness and downright frank- 
 ness. He was most direct and free from hypocrisy in 
 all his dealings. He was relentless in exposing all sham 
 and double-facedness. His presence and methods pro- 
 moted reality. His loyalty also showed itself every 
 day of his life in acts of thoughtful kindness to old and 
 new friends in the midst of sorrow, suffering, adversity, 
 or severe strain. He might have devoted his time, 
 thought, and fortune to selfish ends but he rather filled 
 his days and nights with discovering and helping to 
 meet the needs of his fellows. 
 
 He was loyal to his guiding principles. All who 
 knew him know that he had such principles by which he 
 ruled his life and made his decisions. He did not put 
 these off or let them relax their hold upon him when he 
 journeyed or sojourned in foreign lands or when thrown 
 with people whose social ideals and practices and reli- 
 gious convictions differed widely from his own. With 
 great courage day by day he attacked personal and na- 
 tional sins and false or unworthy conventions. Thus 
 in season and out of season, at home and abroad, among 
 friends or absolute strangers, he bore faithful witness 
 to his religious faith and standards. He was supremely 
 loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ. Seldom have I spent a 
 half hour in his company, in the unnumbered occasions 
 when I have been with him in America, Europe, or Asia 
 under all kinds of conditions, when he did not speak 
 with evident conviction and emotion of Christ and His 
 mission to men. He was a true witness. He preached 
 Christ in more than one Caesar's household as well as 
 to men in humblest station within the sphere of his 
 daily calling. 
 
James Stokes When a Young Man 
 
II 
 
 "MY SPECIALTY HAS BEEN RATHER THAT 
 OF A PIONEER" 
 
 Frank W. Ober 
 
 "Of course, my labor has not compared with that of 
 some of the regular agents, or with those of our hon- 
 ored chairman" (Cephas Brainerd), wrote Mr. Stokes 
 in presenting his resignation as a member of the Inter- 
 national Committee in middle life, at a period when 
 he felt that his work was completed and that he should 
 make way for younger men. Interpolated in the type- 
 written letter, as if an afterthought, is this personal 
 sentence in his clear handwriting, in which he mod- 
 estly and accurately "places himself" in Association 
 history : 
 
 "My specialty has teen rather that of a pioneer. . . . 
 When the work was established, I have handed it over 
 to others." 
 
 Fortunately this was not his valedictory. His resig- 
 nation was not accepted and he continued for more 
 than twenty-five years to discover and break into new 
 fields, to secure, train, and sustain the ablest leader- 
 ship that persistent search could obtain, and to seek 
 eagerly new and unoccupied fields lying beyond the 
 ever extending and challenging horizon. 
 
 When a boy of eighteen or nineteen, before entering 
 upon his university course, his first and only acquaint- 
 ance with the Young Men's Christian Association was 
 attendance upon the monthly meetings of the members. 
 This was just before the Civil War. Eloquent and fiery 
 
 5 
 
6 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 speakers were urging the Association to solve the polit- 
 ical problems of the day by vehement resolutions fired 
 at the Government. Young Stokes enjoyed these meet- 
 ings because of the "fight that was sure to come off" 
 and that was all. He was merely a side-line spectator. 
 These were the days when the library, the lecture 
 course, city missionary work, and any needy cause— 
 anything but organized work for young men — was the 
 general program of a Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion. No personal challenge to the latent spirit of the 
 pioneer in the boy, came to him from the Association of 
 that period. In writing of it later Mr. Stokes said, 
 "The Associations of that day had but a vague idea of 
 what they could practically do to save and serve the 
 thousands of young men about them." He was impa- 
 tient then as always of indirection and inaction. 
 
 The movement had not found itself. Men were feel- 
 ing their way. Vigorous work was done in Montreal, 
 Boston, Chicago, Buffalo, and at a few other points, 
 but it was irregular, undefined, sincere, and sporadic. 
 The profession of the general secretary was unknown. 
 There were no state organizations, no localized Inter- 
 national Committee, no literature, no publication, no 
 buildings or gymnasiums. Many had reading rooms and 
 libraries and conducted evangelistic meetings, missions, 
 or Sunday schools, and undertook any good work that 
 offered. New York City had but a handful of members 
 and no property ; today its membership overtops 30,000 
 and there are 32 branches. It has buildings and endow- 
 ments worth 15,600,000, fully 4,000 men are on its com- 
 mittee forces, and 160 secretaries and assistants are 
 employed. The time was ripe and the movement was 
 ready for pioneers to lead to city-wide, national, and 
 world service. 
 
"MY SPECIALTY— A PIONEER" 7 
 
 Young Stokes had finished his university course; 
 possessing an ample fortune well invested in business 
 which demanded only a small portion of his time, with 
 social position which gave him a place of commanding 
 influence, and with bubbling energy and consecrated 
 Christian faith, he was unconsciously waiting the call 
 to a part and place in Christian service. How grateful 
 he was for this call and this opportunity to devote 
 himself, his fortune, and all his energies for all the 
 years of his life, in service with the ever increasing and 
 expanding brotherhood of men of like mind, is told in 
 the chapters of this book written by those who labored 
 with him. 
 
 In reviewing the volume of letters and reports cov- 
 ering the period of fifty-four years which saw the shap- 
 ing of a great movement, we ran across these words 
 written in a passion of anxious devotion : "How can I 
 help ?" — not how can I direct or dominate or dictate — 
 a question asked with the sincerity and humility shown 
 in the first words of this chapter. Concerning his in- 
 duction and introduction into this fellowship of serv- 
 ice let us quote from the meager memoranda he left 
 recalling those first days of pioneering : 
 
 "At the close of the Civil War what remained of the 
 Association in New York was presided over by a good 
 man. I remember that he was a dear Christian saint, 
 some would call him a very sisterly saint, perhaps. He 
 came to me one day and asked if he could have a meet- 
 ing on behalf of the revival of the Christian Association 
 in my father's house. I spoke to my father about this, 
 but he was an old-fashioned Whig in his politics, and 
 said 'No.' The Association had gone into politics on 
 the colored question and he felt it had unnecessarily 
 brought on the Civil War, and so the meeting could not 
 be held at his house. It is only fair to my parents and 
 
8 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 grandparents to say that my grandfather, Anson G. 
 Phelps, had worked for the colored race for years. Up 
 to this time I think that the Association had but a 
 vague idea of what they could practically do to save 
 the thousands of young men ; certainly they are doing 
 it now in the present world war. 
 
 "The meeting was not held at our house, but at the 
 Fifth Avenue Hotel in April, 1864, and thereafter an- 
 other meeting was called of the leading young men of 
 the city at the house of my cousin, William E. Dodge, 
 Jr., on West 31st Street. Mr. Dodge naturally brought 
 together some of the best elements of our society in 
 New York. I thought then I was too young to go to 
 the meeting, but providentially I went. There were 
 addresses by various ones and from the old crowd who 
 left the Association when it went into politics. Among 
 other speakers was William Walter Phelps, afterwards 
 a distinguished minister to Austria and Berlin, and a 
 member of Congress. I remember he said that the 
 foundation of the Association was too narrow, that it 
 ought to be enlarged so that all young men could come 
 in and take part, even in the direction of it, and I 
 think he said that even in the running of the organiza- 
 tion it was narrow. That is the same cry we have had 
 repeated lately — that we ought to give up what is 
 embodied in the Portland test and the teachings of 
 Christ, and share more open and broader views. Owing 
 to this speech, his opinion prevailed in the new con- 
 stitution drawn up by a committee appointed at this 
 meeting. 
 
 "My impression is that I was so troubled that there 
 was nothing definite done, that I went around and 
 almost called the meeting at Mr. Brick's myself. This 
 meeting was concluded without a supper, and there 
 were fewer people there than at Mr. Dodge's. However, 
 we talked over things and I was appointed secretary 
 and directed to proceed and get matters into shape if 
 I could. 
 
 "Then I called a meeting at my father's house where 
 
"MY SPECIALTY— A PIONEER" 9 
 
 Mr. Dodge, Mr. John Crosby Brown and a few others 
 came, mostly men in the Church Association, the Mad- 
 ison Square Presbyterian Church, and other personal 
 acquaintances. Mr. Dodge took matters in hand and 
 put down the names of everyone who was present in 
 the house, excepting, I believe, my father, and we got 
 up a kind of petition or announcement and followed 
 that up with a meeting with the existing Association, 
 which had small rooms then at the Bible House. Then 
 followed the amalgamation of that Association and 
 those who had been at these special meetings. 
 
 "I met at this first gathering two wonderful men. 
 The first was Eobert Eoss McBurney, who is acknowl- 
 edged to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, 
 of our Young Men's Christian Association secretaries 
 up to within a recent date. So many fine men have 
 developed such splendid work since, I do not like to 
 carry my comparison further. The other was Cephas 
 Brainerd, who afterwards served as chairman of the 
 International Committee for twenty-five years, but 
 whom I regarded at that time with some suspicion, be- 
 cause he had been one of the workers in the original 
 Association. We afterwards became very intimate 
 friends and remained thus for many, many years. On 
 this occasion Mr. McBurney said to me, 'We want you 
 on our board.' But I said 'No,' thinking I was too 
 young to do anything of that kind. He said, 'We want 
 you and must have you.' This was the time in my life, 
 and all my future history centers around dear, dear 
 McBurney, my dear friend and associate. McBurney 
 was a wonderful man. He had a happy but rather ex- 
 citable disposition. More than that, he had such a win- 
 some smile and such a winning way in approaching 
 young men. He would grasp their hands and speak to 
 them in such a manner they could not resist him. I 
 think he must have brought hundreds if not thousands 
 to Christ and salvation." 
 
 The Association moved into new and larger rooms at 
 22nd Street and Fifth Avenue, Its work expanded but 
 
10 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 McBurney who then served in the position of librarian, 
 janitor, and general factotiim (at a stipend of fo a 
 week), galling under the limitations of the position, 
 resigned to accept a clerkship in a Philadelphia cigar 
 store. Even he did not see any future prospects for an 
 Association secretary. Young Stokes, ready to do any- 
 thing and everything, acted as volunteer secretary in 
 the interim. "One day," he wrote, "who should come 
 in but McBurney with the words, 'I could stand it no 
 longer, I have left my place and come back to New 
 York.' " Stokes said with the eagerness of sure and 
 effective conviction, "You have done the right thing," 
 and immediately took him to see his cousin, the great- 
 hearted citizen Christian. From that day Mr. Dodge 
 and McBurney began a lifelong friendship and Chris- 
 tian partnership. 
 
 Mr. Dodge had felt that he had done his full duty by 
 the Association in calling the meeting for reorganiza- 
 tion. With William F. Lee, Mr. Stokes helped to 
 secure Mr. Dodge's active interest and with McBurney 
 back in the secretaryship with no further doubts about 
 the future, a new day began. In that interview with 
 Mr. Dodge at his home his wife's word settled the deci- 
 sion which committed him to the movement: "I told 
 you, William, that if you invited those young men to 
 your house you would have to go into the work." He 
 did. Of that decision Mr. Stokes wrote : "Anyone who 
 knows his history knows what it meant for Mr. Dodge, 
 with his own and his father's influence, to go into the 
 work, and what it means for us to have his son and his 
 son's son to continue their interests with us. May 
 there never be a time when we shall fail to have one 
 of his name and one with his liberal spirit as one of 
 our active and guiding directors." 
 
D. L. Moody 
 
 Evangelist, early secretary 
 
 Chicago Association 
 
 Cephas Bbainerd 
 For twenty-five years chairman 
 International Committee 
 
 Thane Miller William E. Dodge, Sr. 
 
 President of early "Christian philanthropist of 
 
 conventions his day" 
 
 Four Great Lay Leaders of Pioneer Days 
 
"MY SPECIALTY— A PIONEER" 11 
 
 These were pioneering days. The Association was 
 without property and scraping the bottom of the till 
 monthly to pay the landlord the modest rent for rooms 
 on the second floor at 22nd Street and Fifth Avenue. 
 But with William E. Dodge thoroughly committed to 
 the Association and Robert McBurney now having 
 found himself and regained courage, the need of a 
 permanent building soon became felt. The scheme he 
 proposed was audacious for those days. McBurney's 
 faith and vision had grasped it. Stokes had not. No 
 wonder that he faltered when McBurney suggested 
 that he take the initial step. 
 
 This is the account Mr. Stokes left of that momen- 
 tous beginning of the building which was to cost nearly 
 1500,000 and set the type for 841 which have followed 
 in the course of fifty years and cost close to |81,000,- 
 000. This is the memorandum we find of that meeting : 
 
 "Mr. McBurney called me to him one evening just 
 before a board meeting and said, 'We ought to have a 
 building for our work, and I want to bring up a resolu- 
 tion this evening on that subject. Will you offer the 
 resolution?' I hesitated, and Mr. McBurney as usual 
 said, 'Let us kneel down and pray about this,' and when 
 we got upstairs to the board meeting, my friend made 
 the resolution, and I am grateful to say I seconded it, 
 and under the guidance of Mr. Dodge, preparations 
 were begun for a big canvass. A little pamphlet was 
 gotten up with letters from different young men who 
 told of the good the Association had been to them. One 
 or more of them stated that if it had not been for the 
 Association they would have committed suicide. There 
 were also many more touching stories told in the let- 
 ters which made us understand the life of a young man 
 as it is in the city, and what temptations he is subject 
 to. It was not long before we had |100,000 and I was 
 put on the committee to select a site for the building. 
 I got the refusal from Messrs. E. H. Ludlow, real estate 
 
12 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 agents, for the lots on the southwest corner of 23rd 
 Street and Fourth Avenue. We looked at them and 
 those on the southeast corner of 6th Avenue, then oc- 
 cupied, I think, by Booth's Theatre. They finally de- 
 cided on the lots I had selected. 
 
 "One of our directors, Mr. Hatch, drew a plan of the 
 first modern style building, namely a building with 
 heavy columns and large windows between, and we 
 afterwards regretted that his building was not selected, 
 especially as our stair entrance had been made so steep. 
 Nevertheless, that was the model for all our buildings 
 throughout the country and I might say throughout 
 the world, wherever the American idea was carried out, 
 namely to have one entrance room where everybody 
 who came in had to pass through before the eyes of 
 the secretary so he could greet every man and keep a 
 watch over everything that was going on." 
 
 This was the beginning of the new Young Men's 
 Christian Association in New York City that was des- 
 tined to pioneer the way to the new Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association in America and throughout the world. 
 The youth who was thought too young even to be in- 
 vited to the first reorganization conference, was sorely 
 "troubled that nothing definite was done" at the sec- 
 ond meeting, and was an active force in securing the 
 third and decisive conference, found himself invited to 
 become a director at the third — ^"too young" he thought 
 for responsible leadership. McBurney, with the dis- 
 cernment which won for him the characterization of 
 the "master secretary" in after years, saw possibilities 
 in him. Stokes, with the warmheartedness of eager 
 youth, had set and gripped to his soul "two wonder- 
 ful men" — the first to him of that vast fraternity in- 
 creasing with years, in which he was to delight and 
 with which he was to throw his life for half a century. 
 
"MY SPECIALTY— A PIONEER" 13 
 
 The three men were to form a mighty working part- 
 nership — McBurney, the great personality of the Asso- 
 ciation movement and Nestor of general secretaries; 
 Brainerd, the statesman who was to define its course 
 and write its platform ; Stokes, who was to pioneer and 
 project the organization they conceived and conserved. 
 His heart was knit to theirs. He had found his place 
 and would play his part. He was irrevocably commit- 
 ted to the enterprise. 
 
 This was Mr. Stokes's introductory training for his 
 life work as a pioneer. He had made fast friends of 
 men who were to be dominating personalities in the 
 Association movement. He had caught their spirit, 
 he had been through a training course which grounded 
 him in Association principles and practice, and he had 
 proved his stuff in the growing enterprise in his home 
 city. Now he was ready to meet the call the dawning 
 day presented. The Civil War had ended, and the scat- 
 tered and shattered Associations were reorganizing 
 and rallying. Men of force were challenging the un- 
 known future. When the Associations of North Amer- 
 ica were called to meet in Boston in 1864, Mr. Stokes, 
 then twenty-three years of age, was one of New York's 
 delegates. How much his first convention meant to his 
 life is told in his own words. 
 
 "I got my first great Association impulse from this 
 notable gathering. There I had the pleasure of making 
 the acquaintance of national leaders and hearing their 
 noble and now historical speeches, in which they laid 
 down the foundation for all good Association work 
 that has been accomplished since then, and gave true 
 Association ideals which have been our guide ever 
 since. It was there I met the eloquent and earnest 
 Henry C. Potter, who later became Bishop of New York, 
 and we became life-long friends. 
 
U JAMES STOKES— PIONEEE 
 
 "Here I was given a resolution to read, my first part 
 in a national meeting, one of the acts of my life." 
 
 In later years it devolved upon him to present the 
 International Committee reports at most of the con- 
 ventions held for many years. 
 
 At the next national meeting at Albany in 1866 
 known as "the convention of new departures" the Inter- 
 national Committee was appointed with headquarters 
 fixed at New York. Mr. Stokes was one of the five mem- 
 bers appointed. He continued as a member and trustee 
 for fifty-one years, up to the time of his death — a rec- 
 ord of continuous and able service such as no other man 
 has made. 
 
 The president of the Albany Convention was H. 
 Thane Miller, an educator from Cincinnati. This pic- 
 ture of the man and the spirit of the meeting of that 
 day could not be better reflected than through this 
 memoranda written by Mr. Stokes nearly fifty years 
 later : 
 
 "He made a marked impression, and although blind 
 he had a most winning way and manner. I shall never 
 forget as he walked down the aisle escorted by two 
 members that he began his speech and drew everybody's 
 attention. He was indeed a remarkable man, so re- 
 markable that he was chosen, convention after conven- 
 tion, as our best and leading chairman. He had such 
 a way of quieting people when there was any excite- 
 ment and such a touching way of drawing people to 
 Christ. I shall never forget to my dying day the mov- 
 ing address he made at the Montreal Convention in 
 1867. After calling the brethren together, he said that 
 we ought to remember we came there in the name of 
 Christ and that our Association which bore that Sacred 
 Name should live up to His teachings. We should all 
 bear the image of Christ at the convention and should 
 carry it away with us. He said he would venture to 
 
"MY SrEClALTY— A PIONEER" 15 
 
 tell us of his own personal experience when he found 
 that darkness was coming over his eyes. He said he 
 took his little boy on his lap and with all the sight he 
 had left he put his hands over the boy's face and head 
 so that he might remember him as long as he could. 
 He said in doing this he wanted to get his image im- 
 pressed upon himself and that is the way we must get 
 Christ's image impressed on ourselves. We must live 
 with Him, we must know Him. My cousin, Wm. E. 
 Dodge, was at this convention, and though I had never 
 noticed that he was one given to any great emotion, 
 I remember that he leaned forward and putting his 
 head on the seat before him, sobbed like a child. No one 
 can ever forget this good man, and though it is many 
 years since he went to Heaven, his work lives after him, 
 and I am sure there are many left whom he drew to 
 Christ and salvation. I want to speak of this because 
 in those times our work was done with the sacred 
 Spirit of Him whose name our Association bears and 
 our conventions were conducted with the same sacred 
 Spirit. 
 
 "I have not been to conventions of late years, but I 
 want to say that if we lose that Spirit and turn our 
 work into mere helpful or humanitarian work, we lose 
 the spirit of our founder. Sir George Williams, whose 
 work always began with a prayer meeting intended to 
 bring young men, his fellow-clerks, to Christ. If as 
 I say, we lose this Spirit, our fine buildings will not 
 save us, our gymnasiums will not save us, our classes 
 and all the other attractions which time has brought in 
 will not save us, and all the work of our Associations 
 will go down just as much as if we turned our work 
 over to fashionable directors, or to men who have 
 money, or to popular men who have not the right spirit 
 of the work. We must have men with the Spirit of 
 Christ and only those must be chosen to do the work 
 who sympathize with it, and with the sacred Name for 
 which it stands." 
 
 Dwight L. Moody, president of the Chicago Associa- 
 
16 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 tion at that time, who was then finding himself and his 
 message as the greatest evangelist the world has seen, 
 was a glowing personality and fervid force at these 
 conventions. With him Mr. Stokes formed a friendship 
 which was lifelong. 
 
 State Committees soon came into being and many of 
 their early secretaries, such as George A. Hall, Wm. E. 
 Lewis, "Charlie" Morton, L. W. Munhall, and S. M. 
 Sayford, were primarily evangelists. McBurney, Thos. 
 K. Cree, D. A. Budge, and Thos. J. Wilkie were no less 
 evangelists as city secretaries but they worked quietly 
 on the line of personal approach, and as promoters of 
 organized friendship rather than "platform pleaders." 
 These men made the Portland Test, adopted at the 
 convention in 1869, the national and fundamental ex- 
 pression of Association principle. 
 
 Trust and zeal characterized the work of the decade 
 following the appointment of the International Com- 
 mittee at Albany. Its first secretary to be appointed 
 was the ruggedly religious Robert Weidensall, inducted 
 from the railroad shops of Omaha to project a work 
 among the men building the Union Pacific railroad 
 across the plains. Richard 0. Morse was the next sec- 
 retary of the Committee, appointed to edit its maga- 
 zine, who soon developed such masterful organizing 
 genius that he rose to leadership as its general secre- 
 tary. Mr. Stokes was appointed recording secretary 
 and was its first volunteer foreign corresponding and 
 visiting secretary. 
 
 The Railroad Association took shape and Cornelius 
 Vanderbilt was secured as its chairman. In all this 
 Mr. Stokes helped to pioneer with tremendous enthusi- 
 asm. At his home rough engineers met oflQcials. "The 
 old Commodore" Vanderbilt was so impressed with the 
 
George A. Hall 
 State Secretary, New York 
 
 Thomas K. Cree 
 International Leader 
 
 Richard C. Morfe Robert R. McBurney 
 
 General Secretary, International General Secretary, New York 
 
 Committee City 
 
 Four Dominant Secretaries of Pioneer Days 
 
"MY SPECIALTY— A PIONEER" 17 
 
 account of the interest of the men that he said to his 
 grandson Cornelius, "It is a good thing, Nealy ; better 
 go into it," and his going into it made the department 
 now enrolling 140,000 men possible on the leading roads 
 of North America. 
 
 From the success of one department projected with 
 a single group of men the idea gained that other groups 
 and classes could be reached, and he joined in efforts 
 to form branches for German and French young men. 
 The French Branch in New York projected by him 
 chiefly, and for which he with his family and friends 
 erected a building, still stands. The German Associa- 
 tions rose to strength, served their day, and some, as in 
 Buffalo and St. Louis, proved the pioneers of what are 
 now strong city departments. 
 
 There were but two Associations existing in the 
 South after the war. With George A. Hall, Thomas K. 
 Cree, and others, Mr. Stokes made up a team to reor- 
 ganize the movement south of the Mason and Dixon 
 line. Thomas Hardie of Selma and other leading south- 
 erners joined in the pioneering movement. Associa- 
 tions rapidly arose in the chief cities and became a 
 factor in bringing about good fellowship. Colored 
 Associations followed. In this Mr. Stokes had an 
 active part. A visit to California led to the reorganiz- 
 ing and rebuilding of the Association at the Golden 
 Gate. 
 
 The International Committee soon reached out to 
 other large groups of men — to students, soldiers and 
 sailors and colored men and men of the East. Into 
 the launching of this work he threw himself and his 
 influence, and gave generously. With Wishard, Hun- 
 ton Millar, and Mott, secretaries for their departments, 
 he labored, always holding consistently to the policy 
 
18 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 of "handing the work over to others as rapidly as 
 possible." 
 
 The thoroughness with which he entered upon a proj- 
 ect is revealed in his statement, written later, of his 
 attempt to promote the army work abroad. 
 
 "Two or three years ago, Mr. Millar told me that he 
 had a scheme to visit among the armies and navies of 
 Europe and especially among those working for the 
 morale of the men and that he planned to organize an 
 international organization or league of such workers 
 and to get government approval as far as possible. I 
 saw instantly that this scheme had great possibilities 
 as a great moral force among the immense body of 
 young men who are exposed to special temptations of 
 the army and navy, and knowing that these were picked 
 young men of the continent, it seemed to me that if 
 such an organization as Mr. Millar designed could be 
 started, it would have a healthful political effect, at 
 least so far as it would encourage international amity 
 and peace, as it would bring together men prominent 
 in the armies and navies of all nations into conference 
 in behalf of the best effort to discover the most useful 
 ways of raising the morale of the young men under 
 their charge. 
 
 "After the Paris Conference, I took Mr. Millar to 
 Italy and through introductions of our American Em- 
 bassy, we were able to call among the marine, the army, 
 and the railroad, all of whom were government 
 employes. 
 
 "Mr. Millar returned to Paris, where he came in con- 
 tact with some of the French oflScers and others who 
 would be interested in such a work in behalf of the 
 French Army and Navy. But there are positive objec- 
 tions in France to anything religious, though we were 
 given to understand that if the work was begun with- 
 out seeking permission, it would not be interfered with. 
 Since that time I have had to do with several receptions 
 to French ships, especially to the French squadron at 
 
"MY SPECIALTY— A PIONEER" 19 
 
 Bar Harbor in Maine. We had quite a notable re- 
 ception for the sailors at the Young Men's Christian As- 
 sociation in Bar Harbor, about four years ago, and the 
 other receptions I think have been in the French branch 
 of the Association in New York. 
 
 "While Mr. Millar was waiting in Germany he came 
 in contact with many of those interested in army and 
 navy work. He always visited the various military cen- 
 ters and came in contact with military men. So now 
 the way is open, I believe." 
 
 Frequent visits to Great Britain brought him into 
 contact with its Association leaders. Whenever he went 
 to London, he met with Sir George Williams in the 
 historic little back office and knelt in prayer with him 
 in the upper chamber, still sacredly preserved as the 
 birthplace of the Association movement. 
 
 Mr. Stokes's greatest work was in France. From his 
 earliest visits to Paris as a young man with his parents 
 he hunted out the little Association. The littleness of 
 its work worried him. Could he aid in pioneering an 
 Association movement which would measure up to the 
 greatness of the French capital ? He could and he did, 
 but it required a siege of years. He could not be dis- 
 couraged. He demanded that Mr. Morse should spend 
 a year there if need be, and at his expense, to establish 
 a broad and vigorous Association on the right basis and 
 adapted to the French people and to conditions exist- 
 ing in France. Mr. Morse could not go, but the Inter- 
 national Committee loaned his associate, Thos. K. Cree, 
 for the mission. The story of Mr. Cree's work as Mr. 
 Stokes's representative in establishing Associations in 
 the capital cities of Europe and broadening and back- 
 ing the World's Committee is one of the most signifi- 
 cant chapters in Association history, and is incorpor- 
 ated in the story of this Association pioneer. 
 
20 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 Pioneering Associations in conservative Europe was 
 a vastly different task than in America. It required 
 astute diplomatic work. It took time, patience, money, 
 and above all a faith that would not be defeated. This 
 became Mr. Stokes's life work. At the same time he 
 followed every development of the home Association 
 with jealous care. He did not relinquish his place on 
 the New York City Board of Directors or the Interna- 
 tional Committee — on both of which he served longer 
 than any other man — yet his work, "my work" he called 
 it, was in Europe. He followed the rise of the Paris 
 Association from a tolerated place in the consideration 
 of the French people as a back door beggar, to be put 
 off with a couple of francs, to a welcomed front door 
 caller and valued social force which received attention, 
 checks for 10,000 francs, and equipment of a stately 
 home on the Eue de Trevise to which Mr. Stokes gave 
 over |100,000. The Association was also established in 
 a strong position in Rome and Berlin and last of all 
 and crowning victory of all was his persistent pioneer- 
 ing of a really great Association in Petrograd. 
 
 No investment of money, travel, or labor was too 
 great for him. All his time and thought were given for 
 twenty-flve years to Association work in Europe. His 
 incessant inquiry was, "Where can I find the best pos- 
 sible man?" for secretary or physical director in Petro- 
 grad or Paris or Rome. He followed down every sug- 
 gested man of possibilities, and had men come to New 
 York to spend days with him at his home for conference 
 with himself and his equally interested wife. When he 
 found a young man with the right qualities and charac- 
 ter, that young man thereafter became as a son and a 
 partner in service. No expense of training or equip- 
 ment was too great. Fully twenty he sent for one or 
 
"MY SPECIALTY— A I'lONEER" 21 
 
 two years' preparation in training schools. He stood 
 by a faithful man to the limit, but he dropped with 
 decision a man who proved false to a trust or false to 
 the faith. Some men have called Mr. Stokes narrow. He 
 narrowed his choice down to men who believed in Jesus 
 Christ as divine and the Bible as the word of God, 
 knowing full well that no man who was not grounded in 
 godliness and established in faith could permanently 
 and effectively serve as a leader in a Christian Asso- 
 ciation. Mr. Stokes sought the best man for the posi- 
 tion of responsibility. He pioneered. He opened the 
 way. He continued support. He knew his own limita- 
 tions. He had learned to organize, to find the right 
 men and then to turn the work over to them. He made 
 his gifts do double work by offering "to do his share" 
 and insisting that others share the privilege of giving. 
 His gifts to Associations were conditioned on securing 
 other gifts to match his own and a local constituency 
 to direct and support the work. 
 Mr. Stokes wrote in about 1900 : 
 
 "To the Portland Convention in 1869 I made report 
 of visits which I had then recently made as a represen- 
 tative of the Committee to leading cities of Germany, 
 Great Britain, France, Switzerland, and Italy. Our 
 work for young men was then only in the beginning of 
 its development on both sides of the Atlantic. Very 
 few Associations had secured the indispensable exec- 
 utive offlcer we now know as the general secretary. No 
 Association had erected what we are now equally fa- 
 miliar with, a genuine Association building. The four- 
 fold work had not been fully wrought out by any Asso- 
 ciation. The state organizations were feeble and not 
 one had secured a state secretary. The International 
 Committee had only just put into the field its senior 
 secretary, Robert Weidensall. But the American As- 
 sociations were known to our brethren in Europe, 
 
22 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 American delegates had from the beginning attended 
 the World's Conferences, with our brethren in many 
 cities I had myself corresponded on behalf of our own 
 Committee, and I received a very hearty welcome and 
 became deeply interested in the work of our brethren 
 in the leading European cities I visited, an interest 
 which I have ever since maintained. Of late years this 
 interest has increased and I have sought to promote, as 
 far as I was able, a better knowledge by our European 
 brethren of the approved methods and most useful 
 agencies of our American Association work. I have 
 been enabled to help them somewhat, specially in the 
 city of Paris, in their work, by correspondence and 
 through promoting the visits of experienced American 
 workers, in this way bringing to them helpful knowl- 
 edge of the methods and agencies which had been suc- 
 cessfully employed in our own work. 
 
 "Having occasion last year to visit many of the points 
 I had visited more than twenty years ago, I was led to 
 realize vividly how greatly the American Associations 
 had been blessed in developing their work for young 
 men since these early days. The story I had to tell of 
 this development into a band of 1,300 Associations with 
 200,000 members, over 1,000 secretaries and other help- 
 ers, 205 buildings worth f8,000,000 and multiplying 
 Bible classes, prayer meetings, and religious results — 
 this story of God's gracious answer to prayer and effort 
 by the Christian young men of America was listened to 
 with deep interest." 
 
 To open doors wide into new fields and new countries 
 and to place the Association in a firm position Mr. 
 Stokes personally presented his case before many of 
 the reigning monarchs of Europe, including the kings 
 of Italy and Sweden, the Czar, and the Kaiser. In 
 speaking before the New York Eailroad Association, 
 he said: 
 
 "I had an audience this past summer with the Em- 
 peror of Germany. I went to him, not as an individual, 
 
"MY SPECIALTY— A PIONEER" 23 
 
 but I went in behalf of this magnificent work that 
 appeals to all men, from the highest to the lowest. One 
 cannot give it up after once getting into it. 
 
 "I told His Majesty that I wanted to have him know 
 that the Russian Government had sent over a commis- 
 sion to look into work for railroad employes in Amer- 
 ica a year or two ago; that they thought very much 
 of our railroad work, and I wanted him to know that 
 the Young Men's Christian Association work had been 
 started in St. Petersburg under the protection of the 
 Empress there and under the patronage of the Prince 
 of Oldenburg, one of the most benevolent men of that 
 country, who has given millions of dollars for the ben- 
 efit of his fellow-countrymen. 
 
 "I suggested that we would like to know more of 
 what was being done by the German Government for its 
 railroad employes and that possibly he might be inter- 
 ested in what we were doing over here. He met my 
 suggestion in the most cordial and kindly way and said 
 he would give orders to his ministers to cooperate in 
 the study of these questions. 
 
 "I spoke to His Majesty of the work the Association 
 was doing among the Army and Navy, and of what that 
 good woman. Miss Gould, had done in Brooklyn, and 
 he was most interested. 
 
 "Then I had the pleasure of being presented to Pres- 
 ident Loubet of the French Eepublic. He was impressed 
 by the work and particularly by what he called the 
 mutuality of the young men in Paris, even down to the 
 refreshments which are furnished at the Paris Associa- 
 tion building restaurant." 
 
 Public recognition was given of his service in Prance, 
 in Italy, and in Russia. The French Eepublic conferred 
 upon him the order of OflQcier of the Legion of Honor, 
 the King of Italy made him Cavaliere of the Order of 
 SS. Maurice and Lazara, and the Czar decorated him 
 with the Order of St. Stanislas of the First Class. 
 
24 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 Mr. Stokes, in discussing the future of the Associa- 
 tion movement, wrote in 1905 : 
 
 "I think the time has fully come when the Committee 
 should comprehend the complete import of its name. 
 Of course, the International Committee was intended 
 to apply chiefly to Canada and the United States, but 
 the work has grown to China, India, Japan, and South 
 America. 
 
 "I believe it was a most fortunate thing that we 
 stretched out our hands toward the young men in the 
 Orient. But more than these, there are those who are 
 bound to us by every tie of diplomacy, politics, and 
 absolute nearness — namely, the young men in South 
 America. We know well the instability of some of these 
 governments. A suflflcient number of Christian Asso- 
 ciations would produce a peaceful revolution in all of 
 these lands, which would make them republics indeed. 
 
 "In any event, I want to feel that I can be laying my 
 plans for relief and for turning over this work (as I 
 have always expected it would be turned, at my death 
 at least) to our International Committee. America has 
 become the dumping ground of all the nations of Europe 
 and the Mecca for the great steamship companies. The 
 way to improve this immigration thoroughly is to reach 
 the emigrants at their homes." 
 
 This chapter on the Pioneer of Associations could 
 not be more fittingly closed than by quoting from an 
 address made by Mr. Stokes at a convention of the 
 Associations of the Empire State : 
 
 "Now about the work abroad: God seems to have 
 called me over there by a strange providence, and I 
 am thankful that He has given me to see something 
 of this work before I die, and I thank God for all the 
 blessing that it has brought to my heart, and also, I 
 hope, to the work in general. It has also been my pleas- 
 ure to go around the world. At Shanghai I met my 
 dear brother Mott. We talked over the work there and 
 
Prince Bernadottb 
 President Swedish Association 
 
 Count Podrtales 
 President Paris Association 
 
 Baron von Rothkirche Count Andres von Bernstorfp 
 
 President Berlin Association A World Conference I^eader 
 
 Four European Association Leaders 
 
"MY SPECIALTY— A PIONEER" 25 
 
 went together into the Chinese Convention. I went also 
 to Japan. In Calcutta, I had a chance to speak to stu- 
 dents on the friends they had, and the better Friend — 
 Jesus Christ, and the fellows all responded to that, and 
 when I got through, one of these young men came up and 
 talked about one of their gods. If he had been in a 
 church, he would have been going to a temple, you see, 
 and his family would have cut him off, and he could not 
 have come back except through terrible experience ; but 
 coming to the Young Men's Christian Association, he 
 could hear all this. He could come to the reading room, 
 the gymnasium, the concerts and lectures, and nothing 
 would be done to him at all, but his heart could be 
 touched. 
 
 "The future of the young men in India, China, and 
 Japan depends upon the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation. You can see how the work in Europe has been 
 vitalized within the last twenty-five years. We are 
 going to have a magnificent gathering soon in Boston. 
 If we get one hundred men from the other side, we shall 
 have a fine body of men, picked men from all over 
 Europe, and I believe from Australia, Japan, and 
 China as well. 
 
 "O young men who are going to live twenty, thirty, 
 forty, and fifty years, I envy you for what you will see. 
 Think, dear friends, of the men we have had here — of 
 Brainerd, of McBurney, of Morse, of See, of Cree, of 
 Hall, and of a host of others. Do not forget that the 
 responsibility lies with you, and if you will meet it 
 like men, you will see fifty years from now a work 
 which is today beyond our imagination." 
 
Ill 
 
 HIS FIFTY-FOUE YEARS IN THE NEW 
 YORK CITY ASSOCIATION FELLOWSHIP 
 
 Morn AT Williams 
 
 To one at all familiar with the life and history of 
 New York City, it is a strange and yet a fascinating 
 picture that is brought to mind as one attempts to con- 
 jure up the New York of the period when Mr. Stokes, 
 as a boy of some nineteen years of age, began his work 
 in connection with the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion, and for such a one it would be difficult to deter- 
 mine whether, in contrast with the present, the city, 
 the country, or the Association, had changed the most. 
 
 The Association came into being— and it is with its 
 very beginning that Mr. Stokes was first associated- 
 while the irrepressible conflict was fermenting, but 
 had not yet reached the state of open schism between 
 North and South. Farseeing men throughout the land 
 had premonitions of the coming strife but no clear 
 vision, and New York City, already the chief commer- 
 cial metropolis of the western world, though not a tithe 
 of its present size either in area or in population, was 
 perhaps as little committed to one side or the other 
 as any city in the country. In trade it was closely 
 allied with the southern states and many of its leading 
 merchants were by social and family ties even more in- 
 timately bound to the leaders of what later became the 
 Southern Confederacy. On the other hand, the aboli- 
 tion movement, so strong in the New England states, 
 
 26 
 
IN THE NEW YORK PELLOWSHir 27 
 
 had very numerous and very ardent supporters in New 
 York City and these largely among the churchgoing 
 folk. It is not surprising, therefore, to find, as Mr. 
 Stokes has pointed out in the all too brief notes which 
 he left of the early days, that one of the earliest obsta- 
 cles which the Association, newly transplanted from 
 England, had to meet was the divergence of view on the 
 slavery question, as to which good citizens and Chris- 
 tian men were so widely separated. 
 
 Nor was this the only problem which New York City 
 presented to the new organization. Even at that day 
 New York was becoming both as a port of entry and as 
 a trade center one of the most cosmopolitan of cities. 
 From the southern states it received not only the influ- 
 ences which allied it with the southern whites and their 
 cause, but also thousands of Negroes, free blacks and 
 refugee slaves, and from across the Atlantic an ever- 
 increasing tide of immigration. But a few years be- 
 fore, the potato famine in Ireland, as to which Anthony 
 TroUope has left such interesting reminiscences, had 
 caused the emigration from the Emerald Isle to reach 
 its height, and a very large number of these Irish im- 
 migrants made their home in the port city they first 
 entered, while a considerable though less fluctuating 
 number of immigrants from England, Scotland, Prance, 
 and Germany also found in New York City a home. In 
 this Corinth of the New World there was gathered, 
 therefore, a great heterogeneous multitude of people, 
 white and black, English and foreign speaking, of many 
 faiths and of none, among whom the newly born Asso- 
 ciation was to find its work and its workers. 
 
 Por its founders and directors, however, it looked nat- 
 urally to the leaders in the business world of that day. 
 The English Association, which was its inspiration 
 
28 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 and prototype, was, as is well known, the offspring of 
 the genius and devotion of Mr., afterwards Sir, George 
 Williams, originally a clerk in the London house of 
 Hitchcock, Williams & Co., and it found its work at 
 first almost exclusively among young men in commer- 
 cial pursuits. It was most natural, then, that the 
 New York Association should seek, not unsuccessfully, 
 for its organizers and supporters among the same class 
 in New York City, and it was a great list of names upon 
 which it drew. The names of Phelps, Dodge, Stokes, 
 Jesup, and others were already well known in business 
 life, but it is to their credit and that of the Association 
 that today they are remembered chiefly for their phi- 
 lanthropies and their religious activities. To them 
 were added from time to time men from other lines of 
 business, Frank W. Ballard, a young insurance man, 
 Cephas Brainerd, a lawyer, and others too many to 
 set forth by name. It was with this company that 
 James Stokes, at that time a very young man, allied 
 himself and he soon became one of the most active men 
 in the movement. 
 
 In the history as in the life of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association it is one of the witnesses to its 
 essential reality and vitality that the figure of no one 
 man can be made to stand single and alone dominating 
 the entire field, for it is of the very genius of the or- 
 ganization that it is an Association, not the work of 
 one for all but the work of all for each. No man would 
 more gladly have acknowledged this than James Stokes 
 and no true friend and admirer of his would endeavor 
 to claim for him exclusive credit for his large share in 
 shaping the New York Association in its early days. 
 Rather is it both wise and right to point out how from 
 the very first it was his power of cooperating with 
 
IN THE NEW YORK FELLOWSHIP 29 
 
 others that enabled him to accomplish the great things 
 that he did for the organization. 
 
 Now, while as has been intimated, the directorate of 
 the Association was drawn largely if not almost ex- 
 clusively from leading business men of the city, the 
 work was among young men of all classes, many of them 
 not at all native to the place, but new arrivals in both 
 city and country. Among the very first to become inter- 
 ested in the work was a young Scotch-Irishman, Robert 
 R. McBurney, and though by fortune, circumstances, 
 and early training widely separated from James Stokes, 
 perhaps no man exercised a stronger influence on him 
 than did Robert McBurney. Yet, strangely enough, at 
 the beginning it was rather Stokes who held McBurney 
 to the Association than McBurney Stokes. For a time 
 Mr. McBurney acted as secretary, then, because he had 
 his way to make and his living to earn, he accepted a 
 business position offered to him in Philadelphia. Later, 
 dissatisfied with the work in the Quaker City, he re- 
 turned to New York and at the solicitation of Mr. 
 Stokes accepted the position of secretary of the New 
 York Association as his life work, and what a work 
 it was! 
 
 It was not the writer's privilege to know him in the 
 very earliest years as did Mr. Stokes, but memory trav- 
 els back over more than half a century to the rooms 
 in the second story of the building on 22nd Street and 
 Fifth Avenue, before the building at 23rd Street and 
 Fourth Avenue was erected, and the picture of McBur- 
 ney comes back to me across the years. Those were 
 pleasant rooms, homelike and attractive, with some of 
 the pictures hanging on the walls that later were trans- 
 ferred to 23rd Street; and if the portraits of the old 
 New York merchants and the huge canvases of Cole's 
 
30 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 Voyage of Life were not the masterpieces that they 
 seemed to my boyish eyes, there was a genuine and mas- 
 terful presence in the rooms in the personality of the 
 secretary. In those days I knew Mr. McBurney only as 
 a boy knows an older man, and my acquaintance with 
 the rooms was chiefly because the church of which my 
 father was pastor used them for a time as a meeting 
 place; but later, in college days and when the Associa- 
 tion had removed to its then new building on 23rd 
 Street, I came to know both McBurney and Stokes bet- 
 ter and it was an interesting study to note, on the one 
 hand, the wide divergence, and, on the other, the almost 
 unconscious assimilation of the two men, so unlike in 
 native character and early training, so really one in 
 purpose and main interest in life. What was the bond 
 that could unite three such diverse personalities as 
 those of Robert McBurney, Association secretary on a 
 modest salary and confirmed bachelor as he was; Ce- 
 phas Brainerd, a man with a growing family and a 
 large law practice, a bookish man and something of an 
 eccentric ; and James Stokes, scion of a well-known and 
 wealthy family, a man of affairs and of society? Not 
 uniformity of environment certainly; not identity, or 
 even similarity, of opinion, for to the casual observer 
 like myself they seemed to differ frequently and sharply. 
 It was the constant consciousness that they were all 
 servants of one Master and that the supreme business 
 of each was His business, that in Him and with Him 
 they were co-workers with one another, losing none of 
 their individuality, but merging in a common task their 
 several wills. 
 
 Nothing in the history of the beginnings of the New 
 York Association is more remarkable and more en- 
 couraging than the way in which character interplayed 
 
IN THE NEW YORK FELLOWSHIP 31 
 
 upon character and the fellowship of service brought 
 out the salient features of each individual in the com- 
 mon work. Indeed that was the chief contribution 
 which the Association made to the Christian life of the 
 community in those early days. The spiritual life of 
 the churches, rich and deep as it often was, was the 
 life of a family or a tribe ; the Association overstepped 
 these local boundary walls and reemphasized the dis- 
 cipleship of service in cooperation. It was in many 
 respects a new sending forth of the seventy, not an 
 apostolate but a mission of service, and it reached all 
 classes and conditions. In the case of James Stokes, 
 it was as if the rich young ruler, whom the Master 
 looking upon loved, instead of turning away because 
 he had great possessions, had joined himself to the 
 seventy and gone forth on the allied ministry. The 
 three men above named, Stokes, McBurney, and Brain- 
 erd, all contributed greatly to the organization, each 
 in his own way, and yet none of them could have made 
 his contribution without the others. Both their dis- 
 similarities and their sympathies enhanced their con- 
 tributions, for in the constant association of men in a 
 common work both the power generated by friction and 
 the results produced by refraction and reflection have 
 their place: "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharp- 
 eneth the countenance of his friend. ... As in water 
 face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man." 
 Even so it was with the band of beginners : their very 
 divergencies of view as to social matters, politics, and 
 church government conduced to their strength in their 
 united work. The city was cosmopolitan, the churches 
 conservative. If the Association was to make its way it 
 must recognize both states of existence. It must take 
 what was true but isolated in the churches and bring 
 
32 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 it to those who were needy but estranged in the city, 
 and these men did it. 
 
 The original conception of Association work was, as 
 stated before, work for the clerk class, but New York 
 City was something more than a department store. The 
 Civil War had forced the race issue to the front and 
 naturally the question arose. What shall we do for the 
 Negro? The city was the great port of entry for the 
 world, and every nation formed a little colony of its 
 own in the rapidly increasing metropolis, which with 
 its polyglot dialects threatened to become a new Babel ; 
 should the New York Association as it was English in 
 origin remain English-speaking only? The churches 
 provided places for worship and prayer but they did 
 not provide, nor at that day did they det ti it any part 
 of their duty to provide, places of amusement and social 
 intercourse or even for technical instruction for young 
 men; was there any call for service here? Such were 
 some of the questions which almost immediately pre- 
 sented themselves to the little band of men to whom 
 was committed the direction of the Association, and it 
 is interesting to note how intimate and vital was the 
 connection of Mr. Stokes with the working answer 
 which the Association attempted to give to each. In 
 the establishment of the Colored Branch, the German 
 Branch, and the French Branch, and in the erection of 
 the great building at 23rd Street and Fourth Avenue, 
 which provided facilities both for amusement and for 
 study, he was among the foremost in inspiration, in con- 
 tributions of time, of money, and of services. But not 
 less marked than his own interest was the way in which, 
 as is clearly indicated in the notes he has left, he in- 
 stinctively turned at the beginning of each new eflfort 
 to seek the cooperation of others, and in almost each 
 
IN THE NEW YORK FELLOWSHIP 33 
 
 instance he was successful in interesting some man in 
 the new phase of work. One instance may suffice as an 
 illustration. At a convention held in Cleveland, Mr. 
 Stokes came in contact with Mr. Henry Stager, who 
 was actively engaged in work for railroad men and 
 communicated his interest in that work to Mr. Stokes. 
 With the latter interest meant action ; and he at once 
 began to lay plans to interest Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt 
 in work for the railroad men connected with the New 
 York Central Eailroad. His plans were successful and 
 as an outcome of them not only was the Railroad 
 Branch established but Mr. Vanderbilt's own long and 
 valued service to the Association was secured. 
 
 In the building of the home for the Association at 
 23rd Street and Fourth Avenue Mr. Stokes took great 
 interest, contributing not only time and money but 
 wise forethought. The problems to be met were many 
 and perplexing, since the building was to be new in 
 design as well as in construction, and so it proved to 
 be a model for similar buildings elsewhere. In those 
 days the construction of a building which was to be 
 under distinctly religious auspices and was yet to par- 
 take in some respects at least of the nature of a club 
 was not only a novel project, but one which to the 
 superheated imagination of some zealots seemed to sug- 
 gest an alliance between Jehovah and Belial, between 
 the stern simplicity of the Ten Commandments and the 
 lax morality of an Assyrian code. Well does the writer 
 recall the elaborate defense in the nature of an Apo- 
 logia, offered by Mr. Cephas Brainerd at an early meet- 
 ing in Association Hall, for the gymnasium, with its 
 lockers, and above all a bowling alley ! Truly the New 
 York of those days was not the city of today. But 
 to the beginners of the New York Association there was 
 
34 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 committed in the providence of God the problem of the 
 leisure hours of the strange lad in a great city: how 
 was he to be attracted, how received, how entertained, 
 how employed, how taught? It was not merely a choice 
 between the Church on the one hand and the saloon 
 and the brothel on the other, but the more diflflcult 
 problems of reconciling the hall bedroom with the de- 
 velopment of spiritual and intellectual life. The 
 square building on the southwest corner of 23rd Street 
 and Fourth Avenue was a concrete attempt at the solu- 
 tion of the problem. It was not a thing of architec- 
 tural beauty, and measured by many standards would 
 be found wanting, but it was a meeting place for men, 
 and its long and weary flight of stone steps to reception 
 room and lecture hall was transformed by the magic 
 of the Gospel into a ladder set upon earth to heaven to 
 many a homeless lad just as truly as were Jacob's 
 stones at Bethel. Of course that which made the old 23rd 
 Street rooms the power they were in the lives of many 
 men was the personality of men like McBurney and his 
 associates, but the opportunity for the exercise of their 
 influence was provided by the equipment and environ- 
 ment, and both equipment and environment were the 
 result of the tact, foresight, and brotherly sympathy 
 not only of McBurney himself but of his co-workers, 
 not the least of whom was James Stokes. The theory 
 embodied in the old 23rd Street building and repro- 
 duced in many others since, was that the secretariat, 
 the ofiicial and volunteer force that met the men when 
 they first entered the building, should not only be by 
 location of necessity the first to welcome the stranger, 
 but should also be the center from which all the activi- 
 ties, recreative and educational, should radiate. Per- 
 sonality, working out through various agencies and in a 
 
IN THE NEW YORK Pl^LLOWSHIP 35 
 
 multiplicity of forms, was the power that was to win 
 and to develop personality, life was to propagate life, 
 and was itself to be informed and vivified by the Light 
 of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence all the rooms of 
 the Association, lecture hall, parlors, gymnasium, 
 library, and classrooms, led off from the reception 
 room, which was the secretary's offlce ; like the ancient 
 temple, the plan of the building was a type of its work. 
 To attempt further to enumerate in detail the work 
 accomplished by Mr. Stokes in his almost lifelong serv- 
 ice with the New York Association would transcend 
 both the abilities of the writer and the modest limits 
 of this chapter, but it would be neither just to him nor 
 to the Master whom he so long and faithfully served 
 were not the attention of the reader directed to what 
 may be termed the negative as well as the positive 
 achievements of his life — 
 
 "Not on the mass called work 
 Must sentence pass." 
 
 It was in what he did not do, quite as much as in what 
 he did that James Stokes accomplished a life. Born 
 to wealth and to an assured position it would have been 
 a natural course — some would have us believe an inev- 
 itable course — to have used both wealth and position 
 to gratify his personal tastes and ambitions. A rich 
 man's son, if not like many another a prodigal, he 
 might at least have imitated the elder son in the par- 
 able and refused to interest himself in those who were 
 in want, but like his Master, he pleased not himself 
 and for the Master's reason. Conceiving himself to be 
 by the grace of that Master a son of God, he took as his 
 rule of life his Lord's "Not to do mine own will but the 
 will of Him that sent me," and therefore his life was a 
 
36 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 devoted life. More than this, he realized that his life 
 was a communicated life, that its motive power lay 
 without and beyond himself; that the corn of wheat 
 except it fall into the ground and die abideth alone, 
 and only truly lives when others live through it. Hence 
 he sought not only to serve others, but to serve with 
 others and through others, for this is the communion of 
 saints, the sharing of the Bread of Life, and for James 
 Stokes the work of the New York Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association was one form of that high communion. 
 When the Mfere Angelique during the persecution of 
 the Jansenists was asked in mockery to what order 
 she belonged she replied in words which have become 
 immortal, "I belong to the order of all the saints, and 
 all the saints are of my order." It was the simple but 
 confident belief in the truth thus asserted which en- 
 abled James Stokes and his associates to transform that 
 ancient aflSrmation into a new and vital organization. 
 
 A Teibtitb by a Fellow-Director 
 
 At the services in memory of Mr. Stokes held in the 
 French Branch Y. M. C. A. building November 24, 
 1918, Mr. William H. Sage, one of the Board of Direc- 
 tors of the Young Men's Christian Association of the 
 City of New York, who had known Mr. Stokes for over 
 forty years, and was in intimate association with him 
 in his work as a member of that Board, and thus was 
 possessed of a very complete knowledge of Mr. Stokes's 
 services in the constructive development of the New 
 York City Association, gave the following striking 
 appreciation and tribute : 
 
 "I do not know when Mr. Stokes became a member of 
 the Association, but he became a member of the Board 
 of Directors fifty-four years ago. Think of it, over 
 
IN THE NEW YORK FELLOWSHIP 37 
 
 half a century ago ! In 1866, two years afterwards, he 
 was associated with eighteen men who incorporated the 
 Young Men's Christian Association of the City of New 
 York, and he was the last survivor of that group of 
 illustrious men. They were all young men at that time 
 —very young — but from the character of the men their 
 careers could have been foretold. Listen to the names : 
 John S. Kennedy, L. Bolton Bangs, J. Pierpont Mor- 
 gan, Morris K. Jesup, William E. Dodge, Eobert E. 
 McBurney, Cephas Brainerd, and I might go on through 
 the entire list and you would recognize them as house- 
 hold names in New York City. The character and 
 broad views of the men who organized the Young Men's 
 Christian Association as a corporation fifty-two years 
 ago molded the history of our Association at its 
 inception. 
 
 "Mr. Stokes was a member of our Board continu- 
 ously for that long time, constant in his attendance, 
 constant in the performance of his duties. He was also 
 a member and trustee of the International Committee 
 from its inception. 
 
 "As a member of the Board of Directors Mr. Stokes 
 exhibited one trait that I think endeared him to the 
 older members of the Board more than any other, and 
 that was this : He stood inflexibly for the fundamental 
 creed of the Young Men's Christian Association as laid 
 down in the Paris convention, 1855, which was, in brief, 
 'Taking the Lord Jesus Christ for our Saviour and ex- 
 ample we associate ourselves together for the spread 
 of His kingdom among young men.' He never deviated 
 one jot from that standard, and whatever function of 
 the Association was proposed in order to attract young 
 men he always applied this test: Is it something that 
 will spread Christ's Kingdom among young men? 
 
38 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 Therefore Mr. Stokes was very often alarmed at the 
 different activities developed in the branches of the 
 Association, and often expressed, in the Board of Direc- 
 tors, his fear that these activities, although they were 
 excellent in their way, were not directly conducive to 
 the conversion of young men to the religion of Christ. 
 He always insisted upon the supreme importance of 
 the religious mission of the Association. We all re- 
 member his long controversy about Springfield Col- 
 lege, for he feared that that school, which graduates 
 men who are expected to be the secretaries of the Asso- 
 ciations, was drawing away from the true doctrine of 
 Christ, notably the atonement. The last matter that 
 attracted his attention was the movement to link the 
 Young Men's and the Young Women's Christian Asso- 
 ciations together in their recreations, and the sugges- 
 tion made that we might have some building where 
 dancing could be had. Mr. Stokes took very strong 
 ground against the suggestion and came to me after- 
 wards and said, 'I don't want to stand in the way of 
 any innocent enjoyment of young men and young 
 women, but as trustee of an organization that was 
 founded for the sole purpose of enlarging Christ's King- 
 dom among young men, I do not see that any such thing 
 as dancing is a proper activity for us to indulge in.' 
 
 "You have heard about his distinguished services 
 abroad. It was through Mr. Stokes that the German 
 Branch was founded in this city on Second Avenue; 
 it was largely through Mr. Stokes's work with Mr. Cor- 
 nelius Vanderbilt that the Railroad Branch was started 
 for railroad employes. The French Branch was or- 
 ganized by him. His life was made up of ceaseless labor 
 in spreading the work of the Young Men's Christian 
 Association. This was his service to his Master and 
 
IN THE NEW YORK FELLOWSHIP 39 
 
 for such particular labor he was preeminently fitted. 
 "But it seems to me that all our tribute to Mr. Stokes 
 for his distinguished services of this character is cold 
 and inadequate, for on this memorial occasion we 
 want to express what is in all our hearts — the love we 
 bore to him individually. No one could come in con- 
 tact with Mr. Stokes without seeing that his person- 
 ality was permeated with a love of his fellowmen. He 
 had, beyond his intellectual accomplishments, a loving 
 heart, and, although he was a member of the Board of 
 Directors whose function is to advise and to direct, 
 his ever-present thought was, 'Let me shake the young 
 men by the hand, and let me have a quiet talk with each 
 individual to find out what his trouble is, and how 1 
 can help him.' No one will know the many, many 
 deeds of individual kindness that Mr. Stokes did for 
 distressed young men. I have heard that a distin- 
 guished philanthropist of New York hired a room in 
 the tenement house district on the East Side and went 
 there incognito to get acquainted with the people in 
 order to know their wants and to render personal serv- 
 ice to each according to his need. Mr. James Colgate 
 once told me that the thing that counted as the best 
 charitable work was the personal work that a man did 
 for individuals, to help physical and spiritual distress. 
 Mr. Stokes profoundly so believed, and his loving heart 
 led him into that kind of work. Bead his will. That 
 shows it. See what provisions he made for poor young 
 men, and it was this that shone out through his per- 
 sonality as we of the Board of Directors came in con- 
 tact with him. Love for his fellowmen was never ended 
 with Mr. Stokes, and it was this pure light shining 
 within that made him such an attractive person to 
 us all. 
 
40 JAMES STOKES— PIOXEER 
 
 "I do not believe any Association man was better or 
 more widely known or led a more distinguished life; 
 and Ms name will go down in the history of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association as one of our most useful 
 and forceful men. To most of us, however, it is given 
 to lead humdrum, commonplace lives. We go to our 
 daily tasks, we do our little work for the Master, and 
 we rest at night; but let us not forget this — and it is 
 the one thing, my friends, that Mr. Stokes found out 
 and that made his daily task an inspiration — that the 
 love of Christ in the heart illumines the daily life of 
 His followers and that no man's life is common or com- 
 monplace which is illumined with the love of Christ." 
 
French Branch, New York City 
 Distiiviuished men were present at its opening, including dllicial 
 re]ire.sc'nlat ives of Russia, Italy, Finance, Belgium, Peru, Cuba, the 
 AintMilinc Republic, Department of State, the Navy and the Army 
 of the Uiiiled States, and Bishop Potter of the Episcopal Church, 
 Ivcv. ]liil(i\itzky of the Russian Cathedral, and Rabbi Silvcrniaii. 
 
IV 
 
 JAMES STOKES AND THE ASSOCIATION WORK 
 AMONG RAILROAD MEN 
 
 George A. Warbueton 
 
 There is always an element of romance in whatever 
 is connected with the railway. However prosaic other 
 realms of life may be, rapid transportation will always 
 awaken wonder and excite general interest. Time and 
 space are reduced and contracted and with this, nov- 
 elty and danger go hand in hand. The human element 
 in railway life and operation is always the attractive 
 thing. The traditional locomotive engineer, peering 
 into the night with his hand on the throttle, while his 
 train "burns a hole in the darkness" with the speed of 
 a mile a minute, is hardly more compelling to the inter- 
 est of men than is the financial genius, or the capable 
 executive officer, who guides the corporation or man- 
 ages the army of employes. The railway enterprise is 
 so colossal and its ramifications so vast that people all 
 regard it with wonder and are interested in whatever 
 has to do with it. 
 
 It is not strange, therefore, that a man of Mr. 
 Stokes's vision should have been attracted by the Rail- 
 road Association movement as soon as it began to ap- 
 pear on the Association horizon. As a member of the 
 Executive Committee of the International Committee 
 he was aware of the beginnings of this new and strange 
 type of religious work amongst the employes of the 
 
 41 
 
42 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 railways centering in Cleveland, Ohio, and he knew how 
 difficult it seemed to persuade the Association authori- 
 ties to give the new enterprise any place upon the pro- 
 gram of the International Convention. The peculiarly 
 aggressive, evangelistic type of the early Eailroad As- 
 sociation movement appealed strongly to Mr. Stokes. 
 The movement originated in the conversion of a rail- 
 road man whose life had been dissipated and who had 
 been led to trust in and follow Christ. Victory having 
 come into his own experience, he was anxious that his 
 fellow-railroad men should enter into the enjoyment 
 of a similar triumph. 
 
 The typical railroad man of the early seventies was 
 picturesque, daring, clannish, and peculiarly suscep- 
 tible to those influences of moral degeneration which 
 spring up in new communities, and are most potent in 
 the life of men who spend much of their time away 
 from home. Eailways were being rapidly extended. 
 The elements of danger which are in war, in life on the 
 sea, and on the frontiers of new countries, were to be 
 found on the road. The engineer handling the throttle, 
 the conductor controlling the movements of the train, 
 the baggageman, muscular and secluded in the midst 
 of his trunks, the brakeman calling out the stations, the 
 switchman in the terminal yard, the telegraph operator 
 ticking out the superintendent's orders, the dispatcher 
 watching the operation of his division, even the news- 
 boy with his baskets of goodies and his uniform, caught 
 the imagination of youths of daring and, combined with 
 the sense of novelty and freedom, led them into rail- 
 road life. 
 
 The men were a rollicking, boisterous lot, higher in 
 type than miners or lumberjacks, but with many traits 
 in common. Their life tended to develop their disposi- 
 
AMONG RAILROAD MEN 43 
 
 tion to abandon and reckless daring. Home restraints 
 were withdrawn and irregular habits resulted from ir- 
 regular hours. The excitement of their calling kept 
 them keyed up during long hours of labor, drained their 
 vitality, and was followed by abnormal lassitude and 
 weariness. It is no wonder that stimulants made a 
 special appeal to such men, or that the grosser forms 
 of sin became too often their common habit. The loca- 
 tion of a new town which was to be a railway terminal 
 was not welcome to the people of the vicinity, because 
 of the reputation of railroad men for drunkenness and 
 immorality. In fact, the three vices of intemperance, 
 impurity, and gambling were common, and were not 
 subject to modern restraints. Railroad discipline and 
 the strength of the labor unions, both of which are 
 now effectively potent, had not yet been brought to 
 bear upon the conduct of railroad employes. 
 
 At that time railroad schedules were not lived up to 
 as they are now, even by passenger trains. A freight 
 crew starting out with a train never knew when their 
 work would be finished, or what hardships would be 
 met before the run was ended. The brakeman did the 
 work implied by his name, for air brakes had not been 
 invented and all trains were controlled by hand. In 
 summer heat and winter cold, on the platform of the 
 coach, on top of the freight car, or clinging to the end 
 of a coal jimmy, the husky knight of the rail tugged and 
 twisted at the brake wheel until the train finally jerked 
 itself to a stop. Most of the roads had but single tracks 
 and there were no block signals, the safety of passen- 
 gers and freight depending wholly upon the alertness 
 and resourcefulness of the men who operated the rail- 
 roads. These conditions all tended to their insularity 
 and to the weakening of the hold which all restraining 
 
44 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 influences, exerted in ordinary life upon other men, 
 could have upon them. 
 
 It was a man of this type whose conversion from a 
 life of sin resulted in the holding of the religious meet- 
 ing for railroad men in the Cleveland passenger sta- 
 tion in 1872. One of the Cleveland ministers, the Rev. 
 Dr. Chauncey W. Goodrich, was invited to preach to a 
 railroad congregation. Knowing that the habit of 
 churchgoing had been broken by the irregularity of 
 their hours, Henry W. Stager, recently converted, whose 
 idea the meeting was, hoped that by holding a service 
 on railroad property and for railroad men exclusively 
 they and their families might be reached. From the 
 beginning the experiment was successful. The work 
 spread to Erie and other near-by railroad centers. The 
 meetings were frequently held in roundhouses, which 
 were cleared out for the purpose and seated with 
 rough boards. The pastors of all the cities cooperated 
 heartily, but the work itself was carried on chiefly 
 by laymen. 
 
 The period was peculiarly suited to the spread of 
 such work. The evangelistic efforts of Moody and 
 others of his type were just beginning to impress the 
 world, and especially the Middle West. Services of an 
 unconventional character led by laymen, consisting 
 chiefly of simple exhortations and Bible expositions, 
 with plenty of informal singing, were attracting wide- 
 spread interest and attention. Revival singing under 
 the leadership of Sankey and Bliss was popular, and 
 the informal character of it fitted into the railroad 
 meetings and appealed strongly to railroad men. The 
 Young Men's Christian Association was growing in pop- 
 ular favor and winning strong and influential friends. 
 In many cities the Association stood as the one great 
 
AMONG RAILROAD MEN 45 
 
 unifying religious force in the midst of numerous de- 
 nominations and sects. It became the agency for all 
 sorts of good efforts, varying from the establishment of 
 Sunday schools to the relief of the poor. So it came 
 to pass that when the new Christian movement among 
 railroad men became somewhat unwieldy by its very 
 success, those in charge turned to the Young Men's 
 Christian Association as the agency best suited to take 
 it up and carry it on. How wonderfully the providence 
 of God is now seen in the events of those early days ! 
 
 The first railroad branch organization was effected 
 in Cleveland in 1872, and General J. H. Devereaux, 
 President of the C. 0. C. & St. L. Railway, a prominent 
 Anglican layman, provided the headquarters in the 
 Union Station. The first secretary was Mr. George 
 W. Cobb. The new movement was reported to the In- 
 ternational Convention at Poughkeepsie, New York, in 
 1873, but received only scant attention, no one imagin- 
 ing that they were witnessing the genesis of one of the 
 most remarkable adaptations of Christianity to the 
 needs of men that the world has seen. 
 
 The Cleveland organization was proving so effective 
 that its reproduction elsewhere seemed very desirable. 
 Mr. Lang Sheaff, the Cleveland City Secretary, was 
 sent to tell the Cleveland story to other railroad cen- 
 ters. New York among the rest. James Stokes was now 
 a very active member of the New York Board and also 
 of the Executive Committee of the International Com- 
 mittee. Largely through Mr. Stokes's influence, Mr. 
 Cornelius Vanderbilt had become a member of the 
 Board of Directors of the New York Association, and 
 from the beginning of Mr. Vanderbilt's Association 
 experience Mr. Stokes cultivated his interest and sought 
 to increase and extend it. Here we come upon what is 
 
46 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 really the most outstanding contribution which Mr. 
 Stokes made to the Railroad Association movement, the 
 identification with it of Mr. Vanderbilt, the first rail- 
 road ofiQcer of outstanding financial position to take it 
 up and promote it. 
 
 Students of Association history will discover upon 
 every page the outstanding place which influential and 
 consecrated Christian laymen have occupied in its de- 
 velopment. Clergymen have rendered conspicuous serv- 
 ice in certain crises, as when Bishop Potter defined the 
 work as "for young men by young men," and James M. 
 Buckley and Howard Crosby spoke strongly for its 
 evangelical character. But laymen have always shaped 
 its policies, urged and supported its new phases of de- 
 velopment, and given to it the spirit of daring and cour- 
 age with which, one after another, its new and untried 
 tasks have been faced. 
 
 Mr. Stokes was well fitted to influence a man of Mr. 
 Vanderbilt's type. He belonged to a good family. His 
 connections were with the nobility of New York — a 
 nobility not of wealth merely but of Christian charac- 
 ter and public service. Possessing ample means and 
 high social standing, he consecrated them all to the 
 service of Jesus Christ. There was a note of sincerity 
 and deep devotion to Christ in his life. He belonged 
 to the intensely evangelical school, but he knew how to 
 enlist the cooperation of others who were not prepared 
 to follow him in his distinctive way of expressing his 
 devotion and belief. Cornelius Vanderbilt was then 
 (1875) a youth beginning his career as a railroad offi- 
 cer. The "Commodore," his grandfather, was still pres- 
 ident, and his father, William H., was vice-president of 
 the New York Central, the most important Vanderbilt 
 line. Cornelius was the treasurer of the New York and 
 
AMONG RAILROAD MEN 47 
 
 Harlem Railroad. He was a member of Saint Barthol- 
 omew's Protestant Episcopal Church, interested in the 
 Sunday school and in other church work. The Vander- 
 bilt family had never been actively and closely identi- 
 fied with religious effort, though the Commodore was 
 friendly with and assisted Dr. Deems of the Church of 
 the Strangers, and William H. was a supporter of Saint 
 Bartholomew's. Cornelius, who inherited from his 
 mother, a queenly woman, the daughter of a clergyman, 
 a deeper sympathy with Christian work, was responsive 
 to the appeal of the practical program of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association, and he accepted the invita- 
 tion to become a member of the Board of Directors 
 because he was already desirous of taking his proper 
 place as a Christian man in the life of the city. As one 
 looks back upon the history of Mr. Vanderbilt's con- 
 nection with the Association and realizes how invalu- 
 able that connection was, and remembers that James 
 Stokes was the point of contact between the Association 
 movement generally and the Railroad Association work 
 particularly, and this youth of such great potentiality, 
 one feels justified in regarding the contribution made 
 by Mr. Stokes in this particular as among the most 
 important of his useful and effective life. 
 
 It is strange that we so often forget that the value 
 of a man to mankind is never to be measured by the 
 service which he is able to render alone, but rather by 
 the influences which his life and actions set moving in 
 the vital currents of the world. Behind every great 
 occasion, such as Peter's sermon at Pentecost, is the 
 figure of some brother or friend who exerts his personal 
 influence naturally and simply, often unaware that he 
 is God's prophet delivering God's message to one that 
 He has chosen. It is doubtful if any direct service ren- 
 
48 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 dered by Mr. Stokes in any of the numerous enterprises 
 for Association promotion which he fostered by his 
 means or labor was more important than his large part 
 in laying hold of young Vanderbilt for the Kailroad As- 
 sociation work in New York City. 
 
 Stager and Sheaff, when they visited New York in 
 1875 in the interest of the railroad work they were pro- 
 moting, were men in whom the romance of the railroad 
 was embodied. Stager was a train dispatcher and knew 
 how to make vivid the life experiences of the men among 
 whom his life was spent. Sheaff, as the secretary of the 
 Cleveland Association, was able to tell of daily experi- 
 ences in the rooms, at the hospitals, visiting the sick 
 and injured, and in the homes of the men. His work 
 was truly missionary, but it lacked all of the undesir- 
 able elements of a mission. In this respect the Associa- 
 tion movement differs from the Railway Mission of 
 England, for that is conducted chiefly by friends of 
 railway men on their behalf, while the Association 
 movement here from the early days belonged to the rail- 
 roads and the railroad men themselves. In this is to 
 be seen one of the chief elements of its strength. It 
 enlisted the sympathy and cooperation of the men them- 
 selves and they felt a proprietorship in it. James 
 Stokes was one of the promoters and supporters of the 
 work and in New York labored with McBurney and 
 Morse to make it successful. 
 
 It is difficult now to realize with what indifference 
 and suspicion a proposal to organize religious work 
 among railroad men was met on the part of many offi- 
 cials and the vast majority of the employes. There was 
 no precedent to follow. The few reading rooms, libra- 
 ries, and bunk rooms which had been opened on certain 
 railway lines had not been successful. The idea of a 
 
AMO^S'G KAILROAD MEN 49 
 
 corporation using the funds of the stockholders for 
 any such purpose was novel and, to many, ridiculous. 
 Even when the approval of oflicials had been secured 
 and their consent to corporate support obtained, the 
 pay of the secretaries was frequently provided suh rosa, 
 and their names appeared upon the pay roll as brake- 
 men, firemen, clerks, or conductors — a method which 
 perhaps might be thought by some to be altogether 
 questionable. It was not until many years later that 
 the appropriation of money by any railway company 
 was made openly, and then it never exceeded fifty 
 dollars a month ! And nowhere was prejudice deeper 
 than in New York Central circles. The problem was 
 large, involving precedents that might i^rove embarrass- 
 ing, and could not be entered into lightly. The men 
 looked askance at the proposal, fearing some infringe- 
 ment of their rights or some ulterior motive on the part 
 of the company. The first public meeting for railroad 
 men held in the vicinity was at Jersey City, and it was 
 there that Cornelius Vanderbilt at the invitation of 
 Mr. Morse heard Stager and Sheaff tell their story. 
 
 Mr. Stokes arranged for meetings between the depu- 
 tation from Cleveland and a few influential New York- 
 ers, and he was fond of telling how the dramatic way 
 in which Stager described a railway accident fright- 
 ened members of his family and led to an outcry of 
 alarm from his mother. 
 
 After the meeting in Jersey City, Mr. Stokes joined 
 other Association leaders in bringing together Stager, 
 Sheafl:, and Mr. Vanderbilt. Morse, McBurney, and 
 Stokes were the three whose influence was most im- 
 portant. McBumey, the great General Secretary of the 
 New York Associations, by his spirit and enthusiasm, 
 his glowing religious fervor, his warm-hearted devotion 
 
50 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 and unselfishness, had won Mr. Stokes's afiEection and 
 confidence. Mr. Vanderbilt had also been attracted by 
 McBurney's compelling personality. Morse, as Gen- 
 eral Secretary of the International Committee, was a 
 big factor in influencing Mr. Vanderbilt, and these two 
 outstanding Association leaders joined Mr. Stokes in 
 persuading Mr. Vanderbilt to become sponsor for this 
 new and important undertaking. 
 
 Nowhere can young men who desire to be useful in 
 the work of the Young Men's Christian Association find 
 a better illustration of how the technical knowledge of 
 the employed oflQcer, and the peculiar gifts of laymen of 
 large affairs and extensive influence, can be combined 
 for the best and most permanent results, than in the 
 genesis of the railroad work in New York. McBurney 
 and Morse gave their leadership, sympathy, and sound 
 wisdom — all that they had — and Stokes consecrated his 
 powers to the service of the infant enterprise. Stager 
 and SheafiE brought the glow and freshness of a success- 
 ful effort, with all of the romance, novelty, and pic- 
 turesqueness of the railroad. Vanderbilt's surrender 
 of his will to assist carried with it the devotion of his 
 name, his influence, and his means. If either of these 
 human elements had been lacking, how different the 
 results might have been ! The first fruit of this happy 
 combination of forces was when he found a room in 
 the basement of the Grand Central Station in which 
 gospel meetings for railroad people were begun and a 
 modest reading room opened. The room was a long, 
 poorly-lighted affair, with a series of vaults behind it. 
 These were used as store rooms and a small closet-like 
 apartment was fitted up with a couple of zinc bath tubs, 
 supplied only with cold water which was brought to 
 the requisite temperature by the injection of live steam 
 
AMONG RAILROAD MEN 51 
 
 after the tub had been filled. The platform was at one 
 side, and over it was painted the motto : 
 
 "We live ... in thoughts, not breaths ; 
 In feelings, not in figures on a dial. 
 . . . He most lives 
 Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best." 
 
 In those days there were no club features in any 
 Railroad Association. It was in one of the vaults con- 
 nected with the basement room of the New York Rail- 
 road Branch that the first attempt was made to provide 
 the railroad men with facilities for warming their 
 meals. A gas stove was installed and dishes provided 
 and the services of a woman, the widow of a railroad 
 employe, secured to keep the place tidy. Out of such 
 beginnings have grown all of the restaurants, not only 
 of the Railroad Associations, but of the City Associa- 
 tions as well. 
 
 Mr. Morse has told how Mr. Vanderbilt had been 
 favorably impressed with the presentation of the Cleve- 
 land work at the meeting in Jersey City, and the fact 
 that Mr. J. H. Devereaux, the president of the Big Four 
 System, had befriended the Association at Cleveland was 
 also an influence in inducing Mr. Vanderbilt to become 
 identified with the railroad work in New York. Mr. 
 Stokes's name appears as a member of the committee 
 appointed to conduct the Railroad Reading Room, for 
 this was the early designation of the Association, as it 
 was not thought wise at first to use the Association 
 name, and not until the early 80's was the full title, 
 "Railroad Branch of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation," employed. Indeed, we are now told that not 
 a few of those then in authority felt that it was a tem- 
 porary undertaking which would soon disappear. 
 
52 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 As soon as entertainments became a factor of the 
 Grand Central work Mr. Stokes entered actively into 
 that department, securing the best known amateurs of 
 Xew York to entertain the railroad men. In this way 
 scores of New York's best people came into contact with 
 the railroad work. He also invited many prominent 
 railroad owners to attend these entertainments and the 
 various meetings and lectures, and so sought to awaken 
 their interest. Russell Sage, Jay Gould and the 
 younger members of his family, and Cyrus W. Field, 
 who at one time controlled the Elevated Railway Sys- 
 tem, were among those who first saw a Railroad Young 
 Men's Christian Association at work in the rooms in 
 the Grand Central Station. 
 
 In influencing Mr. Vanderbilt, Mr. Stokes was influ- 
 encing not only the first conspicuous railroad owner in 
 New York or elsewhere who had identified himself with 
 the Railroad Department, but one without whose influ- 
 ence a favorable beginning would have been impossible. 
 The Railroad Committee in New York was made up 
 entirely of business men, with Mr. Vanderbilt as the 
 chairman, and he was for a time the only railroad offi- 
 cial of the group. Gradually the work itself developed, 
 and as it did so it found new friends among the officials 
 and among the men. Succeeding the first two genera- 
 tions of the Vanderbilt family, Cornelius became the 
 head of the Vanderbilt System. He was soon (1879) 
 elected a member of the International Committee and 
 made chairman of its subcommittee on railroad work. 
 As the Association enlarged its operations his interest 
 in it deepened and his personal and official support was 
 given freely. One after another Railroad Associations 
 were formed at the various terminals of the Vanderbilt 
 lines, and in the early days the support of Mr. Vander- 
 
New York City Railroad Association Buildikg 
 
 This beautiful building, later 
 supplanted by the Park Avenue 
 structure many times its size, 
 was erected at the personal ex- 
 pense of Cornelius Vanderbilt 
 in 1887. It was the first ade- 
 quate building designed and 
 erected for a Railroad Associa- 
 tion. Following Mr. Vander- 
 bilt's action and advocacy, rail- 
 road companies and individuals 
 have since devoted nearly 
 $8,000,000 to the erection o"f 
 such buildings on nearly every 
 road in the country and appro- 
 priate some $500,000 each j'ear 
 to their maintenance. 
 
 Mr. Stokes was a member of 
 the Committee of Management 
 of this Department from its in- 
 CoRNELius Vanderbilt ception to his death. 
 
AMONG EAILEOAD MEN 53 
 
 bilt and the companies controlled by him was much 
 more general and generous than on other lines. 
 
 The work of the New York Branch was very influen- 
 tial in the early days, chiefly because of Mr. Vander- 
 bilt's connection with it. Chauncey M. Depew, then 
 popular and afterwards by far the most popular after- 
 dinner speaker of his time, gave his constant coopera- 
 tion, and was one of those influenced by Mr. Stokes's 
 spirit and example. The New York Branch blazed the 
 way for new forms of work. The Railroad Men's Build- 
 ing, Mr. Vanderbilt's personal gift, opened in 1887, was 
 the first modern Railroad Association building to be 
 erected containing dormitories and lunch rooms. It set 
 the standard for all that have followed, and will prob- 
 ably never be equaled In the simple yet elegant beauty 
 of its design and furnishings. The anniversary meet- 
 ings were notable occasions. At them Mr. Vanderbilt 
 read his annual report and invariably Mr. Depew was 
 the principal speaker. Men of prominence in railroad 
 and business life were invited and became interested in 
 the Association work. At these anniversary meetings 
 Mr. Stokes was always present, and their influence in 
 extending the work to other railway centers was widely 
 felt. With practical railroad officers an example of 
 what can be done is always more convincing than the 
 most eloquent appeal — and the presidents of many of the 
 large railway companies came to speak at the anniver- 
 saries and to see what had been done. 
 
 During all this time, and indeed until his death, Mr. 
 Stokes continued as a member of the Committee of Man- 
 agement in New York, attending its meetings and coop- 
 erating as far as he could in all of its labors. As the 
 work developed and the railroad community under Mr. 
 Vanderbilt's patient, consecrated leadership became 
 
54 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 fully convinced of its value, Mr. Stokes became less 
 prominent, but for many years he had the distinction 
 of being the only business man in the New York Com- 
 mittee of Management except the president of the City 
 Association who held his place ex officio. He succeeded 
 in securing from the Fields, who were at the time in 
 control of the elevated railroad, an appropriation for 
 the employment of a secretary, and E. L. Hamilton, now 
 head of the International Railroad Department, actu- 
 ally took up his duties in that capacity. A change in 
 control of the company led to the abandonment of 
 the scheme. 
 
 Mr. Stokes's interest in the railroad work led him to 
 seek to bring its influences to bear upon those countries 
 of Europe in which he aided in the development of the 
 Association. He supported Mr. C. J. Hicks in his visit 
 to the Russian Empire at the invitation of the Minister 
 of Railways, and he assisted in bringing two delegates 
 from Russia to attend the Railroad Association Con- 
 ference at Philadelphia in 1900. These delegates were 
 the oiHcial representatives of the Russian Government 
 and they paid visits to the principal railroad centers 
 where branches of the Association existed. At the same 
 conference Mr. Geisendorf represented the German 
 Railways. Representatives of the Railway Mission of 
 Great Britain were also invited to visit America and 
 to attend the railroad conference at Detroit, Mich. 
 Those who were present at a farewell breakfast given 
 by Mr. Stokes will recall his delight when the Scotch 
 delegate, in thanking Mr. Stokes for his kindness, said 
 in the broadest Scotch : "Afther we ha' gone please 
 think o' us as twa men determined to do the devil def- 
 inite damage." 
 
 In Association circles James Stokes will be remem- 
 
AMONG RAILROAD MEN 55 
 
 bered for many acts of generosity. Buildings of good 
 design stand as his monument in many cities — in Ber- 
 lin, Petrograd, Paris, Rome, and New York — and young 
 men speaking a variety of tongues will repeat his name 
 to one another as they pass in and out of their doors. 
 These things are sure to happen. But those who know 
 what it was that gave the Railroad Associations their 
 strongest impulse when they were feeble and without 
 influence will pay tribute to Mr. Stokes for his fore- 
 sight and prophetic vision in helping those who 
 launched the movement, and especially in seeing that 
 Cornelius Vanderbilt had qualities and position which 
 would enable him to lead the enterprise to large and 
 lasting success. 
 
 The trouble with many men is that when they think 
 of a business venture — some enterprise in finance, com- 
 merce, or industry — they lay hold of the strongest men 
 and seek to make their powers tributary to the scheme ; 
 but when religion, philanthropy, or public service needs 
 leadership or support, their minds turn to men of medi- 
 ocrity rather than to those whose personalities are out- 
 standing or those whose cooperation would insure a 
 large and growing triumph. James Stokes, having 
 given himself to the service of his Lord, helped princes 
 to pay tribute and men of wealth to consecrate them- 
 selves and their means to Christ's work for men. And 
 it is always God's way that such service multiplies 
 influence in an altogether disproportionate manner. 
 "One shall chase a thousand and two put ten thousand 
 to flight." 
 
THE MOST INTERNATIONAL MEMBER OF 
 THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE 
 
 Richard C. Morse 
 
 We were boy sclioolmates, James Stokes and the 
 writer, in a private school on Irving Place in New York 
 City before the year 1850, when neither of us had at- 
 tained the age of ten years. Our parents and families 
 were connected with the Madison Square Presbyterian 
 Church. In our boyhood during the pastorate of Dr. 
 William Adams, we were fellow-members of this church, 
 and when in 1869, at the age of twenty-eight, I accepted 
 the call of the International Committee to become its 
 "General Secretary and Editor," Mr. Stokes was the 
 member of that Committee longest and best known to 
 me. For nearly fifty years, to the end of his life, we 
 continued together in this international fellowship. 
 
 But long before I joined the New York City Asso- 
 ciation, in 1867, his name had appeared among its mem- 
 bers in 1862. In the strong and happy reorganization 
 of that Association after the Civil War he took an ac- 
 tive part. Though in age as yet but a young man in 
 his early twenties, he had enlisted with that group of 
 remarkable young men, a little older than he, who built 
 up, for New York City and the whole world Brother- 
 hood, the fourfold work. Among these we find William 
 E. Dodge, President ; Morris K. Jesup, Vice President ; 
 J. Pierpont Morgan, Treasurer; Cephas Brainerd, and 
 
 56 
 
THE MOST INTERNATIONAL MEMBER 57 
 
 John Crosby Brown, with Robert R. McBurney, who, 
 as employed officer, was beginning to make the work his 
 vocation and life work. Over and over again I have 
 heard them say — as do all greatest builders: "We 
 builded better than we knew," for they were in fel- 
 lowship and cooperation with the supreme Master 
 Builder of time and eternity. They were at work upon 
 His program. This young associate continued in the 
 work and its leadership until the end of a long life, 
 serving with a growing vision unmatched by any other 
 layman. He tarried with us long enough to see this 
 fourfold work planted in practically all the capital and 
 principal cities round the world. To his other inter- 
 continental tours he added late in life a leisurely round- 
 the-world visitation, in company with his devoted wife, 
 of these cities, in some of which he himself had done 
 the planning and the planting. It was the distinction 
 of Mr. Stokes in his contribution to this half-century 
 continent-wide extension in North America and world- 
 wide expansion on other continents, that he continued 
 throughout and to the end in close and intimate fel- 
 lowship and consultation with the most elect of these 
 leaders and with the growing band of their associates 
 lay and secretarial. To every sound new departure 
 from this original connection with the membership and 
 directorship of the New York Association, even though 
 tested before he committed himself to it, once com- 
 mitted he was there to stay. 
 
 After he had been for three years a director, in 1866 
 the International Committee began to be experiment- 
 ally located in New York City and some of the direc- 
 tors were needed to man the Committee. He was one 
 of those enlisted. With both directorate and Commit- 
 tee he continued more than half a century, to the end of 
 
58 JAMES STOKES— PIONEEE 
 
 his life. In each he was one of the most active mem- 
 bers, faithfully present at the meetings in the city and 
 the sessions of the International Conventions, deeply 
 interested in every phase of the work, sympathetically 
 and promotingly identified with each forward step 
 taken in the steady development of the whole growing 
 work. This gave vitality and force to his leadership in 
 the International Committee and to his promotion of 
 its continental and world work. He carried the best 
 traditions and spirit of the local work into the over- 
 head administration of Association supervision around 
 the world. 
 
 Equally, in 1876, when the Committee's first secre- 
 tary for work among colored young men, and in 1877, 
 when the first International railroad and student sec- 
 retaries were secured — in all three of these early new 
 departures it was from him that the first movers ob- 
 tained generous sympathy and cooperation. 
 
 In the eighties, in response to urgent demand and 
 prayerful appeal for divine help, began to appear voca- 
 tional men for each feature or department of the four- 
 fold work, beginning with the Physical Department. 
 A secretary for the physical work was followed by an 
 International Educational Secretary in 1893, and by 
 the religious work specialist some years later. These 
 years also were marked by the beginnings of the work 
 for boys. To each call from the beginners Mr. Stokes 
 was responsive with a practical sympathy and coop- 
 eration. 
 
 During all these thirty years (1870-1900) the central 
 solicitude of the Committee, as of the Brotherhood, 
 related to the pervasive spiritual work needed for the 
 ultimate efficiency of every part and agency. Dwight 
 L. Moody's vital lifelong influence and sympathy wer^ 
 
THE MOST INTERNATIONAL MEMBER 59 
 
 felt throughout the movement most helpfully. No mem- 
 ber of the Committee valued and welcomed this help 
 more earnestly than Mr. Stokes. It was in this most 
 vital part of the work he was most deeply interested 
 and tried to make his influence felt. His personal 
 friendship with Mr. Moody deepened his own spiritual 
 life and also the intensity of his own convictions con- 
 cerning the primacy of the Association's spiritual and 
 character-making objective. 
 
 From this brief glance at the development of the 
 Association movement it is evident that it was in these 
 thirty years of new departures that the foundations 
 were laid for building that great expansion of the move- 
 ment on this continent and throughout the world which 
 so promisingly has begun in the first two decades of 
 this century. It is an expansion which in its turn gives 
 evidence of the wisdom of those who planned and car- 
 ried forward these wise departures. 
 
 While in this nascent period Mr. Stokes made his 
 great contribution to the work on this continent, he 
 also in these years laid the foundation for that special 
 distinctive achievement in which he was most promi- 
 nent as an Association leader. 
 
 The Jubilee International Convention of the North 
 American Associations was held in June, 1901, in the 
 city of Boston where fifty years before the first Asso- 
 ciation was organized in the United States. To this 
 convention — much larger than any one of its thirty- 
 three predecessors — ^2,500 representatives came from 
 over 500 Associations. Two of the most impressive 
 features of this historic memorial meeting were con- 
 tributed by Mr. Stokes. One of these was the program 
 of the praise and thanksgiving service of the opening 
 session of the convention in Trinity Church, conducted 
 
60 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 by President Charles Cutlibert Hall. It was owing to 
 the solicitude of Mr. Stokes in making the arrange- 
 ments that this most solemn and impressive service 
 of prayer and praise was planned and most happily and 
 devoutly carried out. 
 
 It was also owing to his generous provision that a 
 group of delegates from eight countries of Europe 
 crossed the Atlantic and gave to the convention one of 
 its most interesting and stirring sessions. Both 
 achievements indicated how vigilant, incessant, and 
 generous was his solicitude to render service to the 
 whole brotherhood at home and abroad in every way in 
 his power. Impressive evidence of this world outreach 
 of the Association Movement was given at the farewell 
 meeting when, in rapid succession in nineteen lan- 
 guages, the foreign delegates one by one each in his 
 own language uttered the words : "One is your Master 
 even the Christ and all ye are brethren" and the whole 
 convention followed in singing, "Blest be the tie that 
 binds our hearts in Christian love." 
 
 Above every other member of the International Com- 
 mittee he was identified throughout his life with the 
 international influence of the North American Asso- 
 ciations and their work. Before the Committee had 
 any employed ofQcer, he was its secretary in charge of 
 foreign correspondence and visitation. To the early 
 convention of 1869 he reported an extended, unprece- 
 dented tour of visitation among the Associations then 
 existing in Europe and in Mediterranean lands. It 
 was a tour including London, Liverpool, Edinburgh, 
 Glasgow, Dublin, Paris, Nice, Strasbourg, Naples, 
 Venice, Florence, Alexandria, Smyrna, Athens, Geneva, 
 and Lausanne. 
 
 These visits became for him and the Committee the 
 
THE MOST INTERNATIONAL MEMBER 61 
 
 basis of an extensive correspondence in tliese early 
 years of our World Association Movement. In his own 
 life work they laid the foundation for the intelligent, 
 progressive interest which he took during the following 
 decades in promoting the extension of the methods of 
 the American Associations to the young men of France, 
 Italy, Russia, and other countries. This interest of 
 his, especially in Prance, had an ancestral, patriotic 
 origin. When Lafayette visited the United States in 
 1824, the father of Mr. Stokes was a boy and was taken 
 to one of the receptions given to this honored guest of 
 the American people. The child so attracted the atten- 
 tion of the distinguished Frenchman that he saluted 
 him with a kiss — a greeting which remained vividly 
 in the recollection of the boy during his life. Indeed, 
 both the mother and father of Mr. Stokes were promi- 
 nent among the American friends who took a generous 
 interest in the support of the American Chapel in Paris 
 and other similar international endeavors. 
 
 For several years, during the zenith of the German 
 emigration to our country, when more emigrants were 
 coming to us from there than from any other nation, 
 German-speaking branches were formed for two dec- 
 ades (1874-1894) in the German centers of our prin- 
 cipal cities by a German-American pastor and evan- 
 gelist of remarkable ability, Reverend Frederick Von 
 Schluembach. During the Civil War (1861-5) he 
 served efficiently as an officer in the Union Army. The 
 excellent branches he established as a secretary of the 
 International Committee in our cities accomplished a 
 good work for a time as German-speaking centers, until 
 they became, by the action and preference of their 
 leaders and membership, English-speaking centers, 
 making use as occasion called for, of the German Ian- 
 
62 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 guage. But at the close of his Association service in 
 his adopted country, Secretary Von Schluembach re- 
 turned to Germany for a period long enough (1882-3) 
 to establish at Berlin and at Stuttgart, the capital of 
 his native Wiirtemburg, the Christlicher Verein Junger 
 Manner, an organization following in principle and 
 method the German-American Young Men's Christian 
 Association he had established in our own cities. In 
 all this work of Secretary Von Schluembach, Mr. 
 Stokes took a generous and practical interest, espe- 
 cially in the successful effort to secure the fund needed 
 for the building of the German-American Branch in his 
 own city of New York, now the East Side Branch. 
 
 In later years the French Branch with its excellent 
 building was even more indebted to him for the gen- 
 erous, indispensable cooperation which enabled its 
 leaders to organize and carry on their efficient work 
 among our French visitors and fellow-citizens. 
 
 The earlier international endeavors of the most inter- 
 national member of the International Committee were 
 preliminary to his latest and far greater achievements, 
 for they led Mr. Stokes, when he came into possession 
 of the fortune received from his father, wisely to plan 
 and generously and patiently to carry out a program 
 of remarkable service, especially to the young men of 
 France and Russia. 
 
 His plan for France matured in the summer of 1886 
 when I was setting out for Geneva to attend in that 
 city a special meeting of the World's Committee. To 
 the work of the Committee, ever since its first appoint- 
 ment, he had been a generous annual contributor. 
 Later, in 1888, he was chosen the American member of 
 that Committee and continued in office to the end of 
 his life. He authorized me on this journey of 1886 to 
 
THE MOST INTERNATIONAL MEMBER 63 
 
 make inquiry in Paris concerning the Association, and 
 its secretary, Mr. Vander Beken, who was also a worker 
 in the McAll Mission. I was to arrange for this sec- 
 retary to come as Mr. Stokes's guest to the American 
 Associations for a six months' visit, including a term 
 of study at the Training School in Springfield. As a 
 result of my visit to Paris, Vander Beken accepted the 
 invitation extended to him. Additional help now came 
 from Mr. Stokes. 
 
 Owing wholly to his own faith and persevering 
 search, he found in New York City, at our very doors, 
 a person who had not been discovered by the Secre- 
 tarial Bureau — Franklin Gaylord. He was a graduate 
 of Yale in 1877, and a Christian worker, with theolog- 
 ical seminary training. But his essential qualifica- 
 tion, not possessed by any Association secretary of rank 
 on our roll, and giving distinction to Mr. Stokes's dis- 
 covery of him, was his excellent command of the French 
 language. This he had acquired by a residence in Paris, 
 during which he had been active in the management 
 and work of the American Chapel in that city. In that 
 church, for many years, members of the Stokes family 
 had been interested, and from one of its former pastors 
 had come to Mr. Stokes the timely suggestion of Mr. 
 Gaylord as a candidate of promise for the work in 
 Paris. Vander Beken during his stay in America met 
 Gaylord and became eager for his help. Through the 
 generous provision of Mr. Stokes, Mr. Gaylord was 
 willing, for the time at least, to become the helper 
 needed in the work of the Association in Paris. A bet- 
 ter location for rooms was essential to success and to- 
 ward this Mr. Stokes was willing to give additional 
 help. Gaylord began work in Paris in 1887, and it 
 was soon seen by Mr. Stokes that temporary help from 
 
64 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 one who had had longer experience in Association work 
 would be of great value to both Gaylord and Vander 
 Beken. 
 
 This help he urged me to give, asking me to go to 
 Paris for that purpose. To such an absence abroad on 
 my part the Committee would not consent, so the appeal 
 was transferred to my associate, Mr. Thomas K. Cree. 
 The Committee yielded to this second choice, but Cree 
 seriously hesitated. Without any knowledge of the 
 French language, a stranger and a foreigner, he was 
 naturally distrustful of his ability to justify the ex- 
 pense involved. It certainly seemed venturesome to 
 himself and his counselors ; but again Mr. Stokes's wise 
 persistency prevailed, and Cree joined Gaylord in Paris. 
 The two American workers proved to be a rarely ef- 
 fective combination. The rest of this story can be more 
 fittingly told by Mr. Gaylord in his contribution to the 
 composite sketch of the life and work of the friend with 
 whom we both were intimately associated. 
 
 What most deeply impressed me in my relation to 
 these two leaders and in my intimate contact with Mr. 
 Stokes and with his leadership in work for young men 
 in Christ's name, both at home and abroad, was his 
 wise choice and generous support of the men he asso- 
 ciated with himself — both laymen and employed offl- 
 cers — in the widely planned undertakings upon which 
 he entered. Once having made these choices, he per- 
 severingly and generously continued his essential coop- 
 eration — often in the face of obstacles that were dis- 
 couraging and, seemingly to his advisers, prohibitive 
 of success. The results achieved justified the wisdom 
 of his many choices in these and other undertakings. 
 
 The discerning solicitude of Mr. Stokes reached out 
 posthumously beyond the bound and limit of his mortal 
 
Original German Branch Building, St. Louis, of 1889 v 
 
 "North Side" Outgrowth op the St. Louis German Branch 
 In the decade between 1880 and 1890 many German branches 
 sprang up in leading cities with gi'eat German-speaking popula- 
 tions. These were a direct outgrowth of the German Branch in 
 New York City and promoted by the International Committee 
 for foreign-speaking men in America. 
 
THE MOST INTERNATIONAL MEMBEE 65 
 
 life, and in the final disposition of his property substan- 
 tially his whole fortune was, with wise forecast, de- 
 voted to the continuance after his death of the benefi- 
 cent work and the efficient workers it had been the 
 principal effort of his life to sustain. 
 
VI 
 
 MB. STANDFAST OF THE YOUNG MEN'S 
 CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION 
 
 Luther D. Wishard 
 
 "So they (Bunyan's pilgrims) went on, and looked 
 before them : and behold they saw, as they thought, a 
 man upon his knees, with hands and eyes lift up, and 
 speaking, as they thought, earnestly to one that was 
 above. They drew nigh, but could not tell what he 
 said; so they went softly till he had done. When he 
 had done he got up, and began to run towards the Celes- 
 tial City. Then Mr. Great-heart called after him, say- 
 ing, 'Soho, friend ! let us have your company if you go, 
 as I suppose you do, to the Celestial City.' So the man 
 stopped, and they came up to him. But so soon as Mr. 
 Honest saw him he said, 'I know this man.' Then said 
 Mr. Valiant-for-truth, 'Prithee, who is it?' "Tis one,' 
 said he, 'that comes from whereabouts I dwelt. His 
 name is Standfast; he is certainly a right good 
 pilgrim.' " 
 
 On my return from South Africa in the autumn of 
 1896, I received a letter from one of the leaders of the 
 Student Christian Movement which I had organized 
 there during that year, containing the following sen- 
 tence in appreciation of the International Committee 
 of Young Men's Christian Associations: '^New York 
 City is surely located at the highest altitude on our 
 planet because your horizon is so wide and command- 
 ing that you apparently cover the entire world." 
 
 The writer is not seriously open to the charge of 
 hyperbole. The young Africander's opinion has been 
 variously expressed by more than one subject of the 
 
 66 
 
MR. STANDFAST OF THE Y. M. C. A. 67 
 
 International Committee's oversight throughout the 
 world. He is not alone in his recognition of the Asso- 
 ciation Watch Tower, which figuratively overtops our 
 Metropolitan and Woolworth buildings. It may be 
 confidently asserted that nowhere on earth is there a 
 group of men more alert to the conditions and needs of 
 the whole wide world. One meeting these men only on 
 the Board of Trade, in their law chambers and consult- 
 ing rooms, in the counting rooms of the great mercan- 
 tile houses, in the ofiSces of the great trunk railway 
 lines, may detect nothing in their expression, manner, 
 or conversation indicative of their fundamental mo- 
 tives and life aims. They cannot be identified, as Mi- 
 chael Angelo is said to have been by his upward look 
 contracted from his lifelong work of artistic ceiling 
 decoration. Their eyes are not, like Dickens's Bunsby, 
 fixed upon the coast of Greenland ; and yet, if we could 
 glimpse their inward eye and follow its sweep of vision, 
 we would often visualize scenes scattered all the way 
 between Greenland's icy mountains and India's coral 
 strand. The feet of these men are planted firmly on the 
 earth, but their heads brush the stars. Surely their 
 citizenship is in Heaven, whose chief Personality so 
 loved the world that time's calendar today divides his- 
 tory at Bethlehem by the mystic letters B. C. and A. D. 
 There is nothing greater in our quarter of the solar 
 system than our world. No one of my business ac- 
 quaintances more truly believed this and more fully 
 made this belief the salient fact of his life than James 
 Stokes. Others, associated with him on the Interna- 
 tional Committee, often scanned the world field from 
 the Watch Tower; but, as I seat myself this afternoon 
 of a November day, as I pause at my mid-afternoon of 
 a somewhat strenuous life to live over again and pen- 
 
68 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 sketch a few of the outlines of the rather composite per- 
 sonalitj^ of my friend, I am sure I am not giving way 
 to a passion which too often blurs post mortem appre- 
 ciations, when I firmly declare that no member of the 
 Committee — the Committee which I knew and served 
 from the late seventies to the late evening of the old 
 century — is more justly entitled to the name with which 
 I have been pleased to introduce him in the text of this 
 appreciation. I wonder whether the seer of Bedford 
 jail had any specific personality in mind when he chris- 
 tened one of his pilgrims Standfast. If he never found 
 anyone on earth who fully merited that name, and has 
 not yet fixed it upon anyone in Paradise, I may, and 
 that before very long, take the liberty of introducing 
 my clear friend Stokes to Bunyan under this cognomen. 
 And, if Bunyan chooses to listen, I can reenforce my 
 characterization along some such lines as the following. 
 In indicating, with a stroke of the pen, the crowning 
 quality of his personality, I do not in the least ignore 
 or minimize the degree in which the quality of stead- 
 fastness marked more than one of the now historic 
 group which made up the Committee three and four 
 decades ago. Cephas Brainerd, Eobert E. McBurney, 
 William E. Dodge, Benjamin C. Wetmore, Cleveland 
 H. Dodge, Henry H. Webster, Richard M. Colgate, Rich- 
 ard C. Morse, Cornelius Vanderbilt, James Stokes! 
 Was ever a great world movement led by ten braver, 
 more faithful men? Steadfastness of a high order en- 
 tered into the moral fiber of each of that vanguard of 
 leaders; but, as I recall a thousand and one incidents 
 in contact with them, and seek to characterize and in- 
 terpret each one of them by one outstanding, dominat- 
 ing quality, Bunyan's allegorical spirit seizes and con- 
 trols my hand and the letters of Stokes's short, terse. 
 
MR. STANDFAST OF THE Y. M. C. A. 09 
 
 strong, monosyllabic name, dissolve into Standfast. 
 It was this quality which Brainerd had in mind, when 
 he said to me at the close of one of our many midnight 
 parleys, "Jim Stokes has taken hold of the work in 
 France with his bulldog grip and he'll never let go; 
 an Association movement in France is now assured." 
 It was this sort of tenacity which I had in mind when 
 I wrote one of our leading merchants, whom I was try- 
 ing to enlist in generous support of the Association 
 movement in Asia, Africa, and South America, that my 
 greatest need or rather the greatest need of the Inter- 
 national Committee's foreign work was a James Stokes. 
 
 Ordinarily such a tribute should be somewhat or- 
 derly, after the fashion of a well-tended garden; and 
 yet, I am strongly drawn to the old-fashioned garden. 
 Mr. Stokes's life was not laid out in rows. His big 
 heart, his impulsive addresses, his hearty letters, his 
 earnest deeds, were not characterized by over much 
 system. Spontaneity and informality were dominat- 
 ing features of his life work. I am reminded, however, 
 as I glance at the wording of the special phases of 
 his unique life which I am asked to discuss, that I 
 must not give free rein to memory, but must rather 
 concentrate upon his place in the history of the Ameri- 
 can Association in the universities of America and the 
 world, and of the adaptation and transplantation of 
 the American Association idea to the cities of non- 
 Christian and semi-Christian lands. 
 
 His relation to the Association in American univer- 
 sities consisted chiefly in his steady participation in the 
 discussions and decisions of the International Commit- 
 tee, relative to its program of extension and develop- 
 ment, which program was fairly launched in the slim- 
 mer and autumn of 1877. Inasmuch as the field secre- 
 
70 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 taries were never present at the Committee's regular 
 meetings, I am unable to recall and record the part 
 taken by any member of the Committee, excepting those 
 members who composed the special departmental com- 
 mittee, namely the college subcommittee, with which 
 I very frequently conferred. Now and then questions 
 and policies of very strategic importance, discussed and 
 decided by the general Committee, were reported to the 
 departmental secretaries. It is impossible that a col- 
 lege alumnus, like Mr. Stokes, should not have taken 
 a very active hand in all discussions and actions relat- 
 ing to the student work. 
 
 No one could have been more interested than he in 
 the negotiations which led to the union of the religious 
 society in Princeton with the American Young Men's 
 Christian Associations. He would also have entered 
 most heartily into the discussion of all questions lead- 
 ing up to the student conference at the International 
 Convention in Louisville in June, 1877. 
 
 It was at the Louisville Convention that I first met 
 him. It was my second convention. Practically all of 
 the delegates were strangers to me. It is impossible 
 that I should at this date recall the faces and voices of 
 many of them. The members of the old guard whose 
 presence I most vividly recall included J. V. Farwell, 
 Charlie Morton, W. W. Van Arsdale, and Robert Wei- 
 densall of Chicago, L. W. Munhall of Indianapolis, 
 Thane Miller of Cincinnati, S. A. Taggart of Pennsyl- 
 vania, George A. Hall of New York, John Hill of New 
 Jersey, and the New York City delegates, McBurney 
 and Morse (whose names always flow together and will 
 probably continue to be connected in Jerusalem the 
 Golden), Anthony Comstock, and James Stokes. Noth- 
 ing less than a striking personality could have chal- 
 
ME. STANDFAST OF THE Y. M. C. A. 71 
 
 lenged the attention of a Princeton student who was 
 cautiously feeling his way into the Brotherhood. Mr. 
 Stokes had such a personality. I recall forty-two years 
 later, his face, his dress, his voice, his very pose on the 
 platform. He was a handsome young man, and, as 
 George Adam Smith wrote, in his imperishable biog- 
 raphy of Henry Drummond, "he considered it worth 
 while to dress well." Stokes always liked to see a man 
 well groomed and quite startled me at least twice by 
 his frank and favorable comment upon my improved 
 upholstery, which confirmed the opinion that careless 
 disregard of the conventionalities of dress is not a nec- 
 essary mark and accompaniment of greatness. Dead 
 in earnest conviction and sincerity characterized 
 his participation in the convention's discussions. No 
 one entered, and no one could have entered, more intel- 
 ligently and more sympathetically than he into the con- 
 vention's action inaugurating the Intercollegiate 
 Movement. 
 
 I met him not infrequently that autumn and winter. 
 I retain one very distinct and pleasing impression of 
 him, taking a free and very effective hand in an ani- 
 mated tilt on the occasion of an Association conference 
 at Poughkeepsie during the early spring of 1878. A 
 representative gathering of gentlemen was assembled 
 in a leading home of the city to hear of its field, serv- 
 ice, and financial needs. The Eailroad and College De- 
 partments of the Committee were both of recent origin 
 and were duly presented. My somewhat eager emphasis 
 of the superior effectiveness of the Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association as contrasted with the work of the old 
 religious societies in the colleges, awakened some jeal- 
 ousy in a venerable college alumnus who was appar- 
 ently temperamentally prejudiced against innovations. 
 
72 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 He accordingly opened upon me a barrage of critical 
 innuendos designed to weaken any favorable impression 
 my advocacy bad evidently made. I was at consider- 
 able disadvantage in a passage-at-arms with tbe 
 doughty old pulpiteer. Bliicher was not more eagerly 
 welcomed by Wellington than Stokes was hailed by the 
 novus alumnus, when he came suddenly to my rescue 
 and amused and entertained the audience and put to 
 rout the critical doubter. What Stokes ably began 
 was signally completed by a lithe, black-haired, snap- 
 ping-eyed Yalensian, who ever fought his best when the 
 tiring was hottest. We called him Dick. To the Asso- 
 ciation men of those olden golden days, Richard C. 
 Morse will always be remembered as Dick Morse, and 
 Chevalier James Stokes will always be Jim Stokes — • 
 the name we lovingly gave him in those days of famil- 
 iar militant comradeship. 
 
 This is not a biography; it is only a sheaf of mem- 
 ories gleaned at random from the harvest field of his 
 fruitful life. I must hasten, therefore, to touch upon 
 the beginning of Mr. Stokes's greatest achievement. I 
 refer to his championship and promotion of up-to-date 
 Association work in Europe, beginning with Paris. I 
 was first brought into actual touch with this work in 
 the spring of 1888. I was completing my arrangements 
 for my long contemplated inspection tour of the leading 
 colleges and cities of Asia. It was considered wise to 
 preface the Oriental tour with a brief study of the 
 Associations of Great Britain and also a tour of the 
 university centers of Great Britain, France, Switzer- 
 land, and Germany for the express purpose of inviting 
 students to attend the Northfield Student Conference. 
 Mr. Stokes, knowing of my intended tour, conferred 
 with me frequently and fully concerning his program 
 
MR. STANDFAST OF THE Y. M. C. A. 73 
 
 and proposals for the Paris Association, where he had 
 already sent a competent representative in the person 
 of Mr. Gaylord. 
 
 He was deeply concerned over the conditions then 
 existing in Paris. His fears, as I found on my arrival, 
 were only too well grounded. The Association in Paris 
 had been conducted on lines not calculated to enlist the 
 young men of the city. The Association had depended 
 largely upon funds and supervision from London. Its 
 membership was accordingly largely composed of young 
 Englishmen temporarily residing in the Parisian cap- 
 ital. Their longer acquaintance with Association meth- 
 ods, growing out of their former connection with the 
 British brotherhood, naturally brought them to the 
 front in local management. This tended to relegate the 
 Parisian young men to a secondary place in the organi- 
 zation. Mr. Stokes was strongly convinced that what 
 Paris needed was an Association composed exclusively 
 of young Frenchmen. He believed that foreign young 
 men should be provided for in a branch Association, or 
 possibly in a departmental work in the French Associa- 
 tion. This readjustment he clearly saw involved deli- 
 cate tactful negotiation. British sympathy and coop- 
 eration must be maintained in behalf of foreign young 
 men residing in Paris; but even at the risk of slightly 
 alienating British financial support, the French must 
 have an Association composed of themselves, managed 
 by themselves, and adapted to themselves. I had rarely 
 been charged with a more complicated task. I had been 
 partially fitted for it by two years' strenuous work of 
 separating the young men and young women who had 
 drifted together in the membership of the college Asso- 
 ciations in the middle west. It was in connection with 
 my Parisian mission that I had my first deep insight 
 
74 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 into the hard common sense, steadfastness, and broad 
 vision of James Stokes. He was too generous to take 
 any undue advantage in the controversy, which his 
 financial strength gave him. He insisted that I base my 
 chief appeal upon the real merits of the case per se, 
 viz : the advantages attaching to separate membership. 
 I am not expected in this place to elaborate the details 
 of this mission, but simply to touch its high points and 
 remark that his plans prevailed and Paris has had for 
 many years one of the foremost Young Men's Christian 
 Associations of Europe. 
 
 Neither Mr. Stokes nor I clearly anticipated the 
 eventful effect of my European tour of 1888 upon the 
 university life of Europe. I was, however, able to sub- 
 mit to him and his associates a proposal, on my return 
 from Europe, which resulted in sending to Paris, Mr. 
 James B. Reynolds of Yale, whose three years' study 
 and preliminary work paved the way in the most real 
 sense for the strong student Christian movements 
 which have for nearly a generation influenced the reli- 
 gious life of the universities of Great Britain and the 
 Continent. Mr. Stokes followed Mr. Reynolds's pre- 
 paratory work with the keenest interest. It has been 
 refreshing to me to go over their correspondence re- 
 cently and confirm the deep interest with which he fol- 
 lowed the seed planting of the Christian Movement in 
 the universities, whose vital relationship to the Associ- 
 ation among young business men no one foresaw more 
 clearly than he. The prescribed limits of this chapter 
 prevent lengthy discussion of his relationship to the 
 European student Christian uprising; but his sympa- 
 thy in the beginning, his cooperation financially, and 
 his uninterrupted interest, up to the very end of his life, 
 cannot be overstated. 
 
MR. STANDFAST OF THE Y. M. C. A. 75 
 
 I now pass to the very close connection which he 
 maintained with me from the very beginning to the 
 close of my tour of the student and city centers of Asia. 
 This tour depended financially upon a small and select 
 group of eight business men residing in Boston, Brook- 
 lyn, Cohoes, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Milwaukee, all 
 of whom, except Mr. Stokes, were definitely solicited 
 for annual contributions to cover the expenses. Mr. 
 Stokes did not wait for an appeal. His keen sympa- 
 thetic eye, ever on the alert, from the Watch Tower, 
 quickly sensed the situation and the need, and just 
 previous to my departure for San Francisco he asked 
 me in his gracious, modest, and oflf-hand manner how 
 the campaign fund stood. When I named the figure 
 he playfully remarked that I was understating the 
 amount, as he knew of an additional annual subscrip- 
 tion which substantially increased the fund. Dear old 
 Stokes ! He was literally, as the word "cheerful" should 
 be translated, an "hilarious giver." If God's love for 
 such hilarity is measured by its degree and continuity. 
 He surely loves James Stokes. 
 
 The only condition which he exacted of me, aside 
 from wise use of the fund, was an occasional letter. It 
 was a pleasure to write to him. I knew he would read 
 and answer. Not all of my financial supporters replied 
 regularly to my dispatches hurled from the firing line, 
 but Stokes wrote not infrequently. I well remember 
 writing into the "wee sma' hours," one bleak December 
 night in San Francisco, to a chosen few of my closest 
 friends, including Stokes. It was a pleasure to turn up 
 the letter and his reply a few days ago. He gripped 
 my heart that winter night. Was a telepathic wireless 
 flashed from his Park Avenue home to my room in the 
 Occidental at the Golden Gate? I knew that few of 
 
76 JAMES STOKES— PIO:s"EER 
 
 iny old associates were following our outgoing steamer 
 more prayerfully than he. Not even the great sorrow 
 that overshadowed his home at that Christmas-tide so 
 absorbed his thoughts as to prevent their overflow of 
 sympathy to us who were going down to the sea in 
 ships. If I had never realized it fully before, I knew 
 that last night in my "ain countree" the big place that 
 James Stokes filled in my heart as I wrote him 
 good-bye. 
 
 It is not possible in this brief chapter even lightly to 
 touch upon our relations by correspondence during the 
 next four years. I must, however, allude to an incident 
 which occurred just prior to our sailing from England 
 on our return home. I had written him a few weeks 
 before in Constantinople at a time when my heart was 
 very sore because of the fear that if I remained in 
 Europe long enough to finish my work I would probably 
 not reach home in time to bid good-bye to my dying 
 mother. My fears were sadly realized. At that par- 
 ticular time my traveling fund was running low and 
 my intimacy with Mr. Stokes fully justified an allusion 
 to the fact. I shall never forget the time and place 
 when and where I received his reply, which was for- 
 warded to Dumfries. It was not the generous check 
 which the letter contained as much as the hearty words 
 of sympathy and cheer which refreshed our spirits like 
 a draught of cold water from one's native spring. 
 "Words fitly spoken are like apples of gold in baskets 
 of silver." James Stokes scattered golden apples from 
 his ever full basket all around the world. 
 
 Literally around the world ; for he was one of the first 
 three Association men actually to circumnavigate the 
 world in a thorough tour of investigation and propaga- 
 tion of tested Association principles and programs. He 
 
ME. STANDFAST OF THE Y. M. C. A. 77 
 
 was preceded in such a mission only by the writer who 
 made the pioneer tour during the years 1888 to 1892 
 and by John R. Mott in 1895-97. His tour, like that of 
 his two predecessors, was fully considered in advance 
 and carefully planned. 
 
 It is a matter worthy of special emphasis that Mr. 
 Stokes was the first lay member of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association who made such a journey, and 
 that he made it, of course, at his own expense. The 
 writer once playfully saluted him as a "self -supporting 
 native worker.'' He acknowledged the sally with his 
 characteristic, old time, hearty laugh. This was strictly 
 true. Christianity was his business, and, unlike Wil- 
 liam Carey, he didn't have to "make shoes to pay ex- 
 penses." A considerable number of business men have, 
 in recent years, visited strategic points in the Associa- 
 tion world; a few have probably encircled the world; 
 but it should not be forgotten that James Stokes was 
 the first lay member of the world Brotherhood to make 
 the journey and make it thoroughly and studiously and 
 at his own charges. The Order of Self-Supporting Na- 
 tive Workers contains a goodly fellowship, including 
 Theodore Eoosevelt, Henry Drummond, and the Earl 
 of Shaftesbury. May their tribe increase. They shall 
 shine as the stars forever. 
 
 It was in the summer of 1896 that Mr. Stokes em- 
 barked from San Francisco upon a two years' tour. 
 This brief monograph can touch only the high points of 
 his journey. In referring to his letters and reports, 
 one is impressed with the fact that the maze of bewil- 
 dering natural scenery. Oriental architecture, ancient 
 civilization, customs, costumes, venerable religions, and 
 the thousand and one characteristics which differenti- 
 ate Asia from the West, never for a moment obscured 
 
78 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 his vision, which was ever fixed upon the young men of 
 the East. Hawaii's volcanoes, Japan's Fujiyama and 
 Inland Sea, China's overflowing cities, lacework of 
 canals, and towering pagodas, India's Himalayas and 
 Taj Mahal, Egypt's Pyramids, Palestine's memories, 
 filled and thrilled his sympathetic nature, but the young 
 men of Asia and their redemption absorbed him almost 
 to the exclusion of everything else; their needs, their 
 part in Asia's uplift, their fraternization with the young 
 men of the West constituted the crown of his inquiries, 
 his proposals, his counsel, his beneficence. 
 
 His old comrades in arms may be surprised, but all 
 will be profoundly interested, especially at this time 
 when the world's council chambers are echoing and 
 reechoing with the discussion of a Peace League, to 
 know that, during the closing months of his tour, Mr. 
 Stokes conversed and corresponded with British states- 
 men concerning Anglo-American political relations. 
 He saw from afar what the world's greatest Armaged- 
 don has brought nigh to us, the good time coming, when 
 
 "Man to Man the warld o'er, 
 Shall brothers be for a' that!" 
 
 when a Parliament of Mankind, the Federation of the 
 World, shall consign war to the limbo of medieval bru- 
 tality ; when the old and the present systems of feudal- 
 ism, with their multitudinous conflicting and contend- 
 ing divisions, shall have been conciliated, harmonized, 
 and united; when the principalities, the powers, the 
 rulers of the darkness of this world shall be confronted 
 by an all-conquering host, mobilized from all nations 
 and peoples and tongues, from whose vanguard a nail- 
 marked hand waves a flag. 
 
 It was my rare privilege to witness personally one of 
 
MR. STANDFAST OF THE Y. M. C. A. 79 
 
 the most impressive incidents of Mr. Stokes's excep- 
 tional career. He so highly appraised and magnified 
 the Young Men's Christian Association that he believed 
 the best memento he could bestow upon the sovereigns 
 of Great Britain and Europe, whom he personally vis- 
 ited, was a handsomely bound copy of the Report of the 
 International Convention in 1901, which commemo- 
 rated the completion of the first fifty years of the work 
 of the Association in America. He had given copies to 
 the Czar of Russia, the German Kaiser, and King Ed- 
 ward. He determined to signalize the occasion of the 
 jubilee anniversary of the Washington City Association 
 by presenting a copy to President Roosevelt. He was 
 accompanied by a small group of Association men. 
 Nothing could have been more appropriate than his 
 presentation address, in the course of which he referred 
 feelingly to his membership as a child in the Sunday 
 school superintended by Mr. Roosevelt's father. In that 
 address James Stokes arose to the very height of his 
 public utterances. The President was visibly affected, 
 so much so that he enjoined secrecy upon the reporters 
 present while he poured forth for twenty minutes a per- 
 fect torrent of such appreciation of the Association as 
 I have never heard equaled ; and I have heard from sev- 
 eral crowned heads of Europe very impressive expres- 
 sions of appreciation of the great Brotherhood. Among 
 other things Mr. Roosevelt said, "Don't hurry away; 
 I want to have a real heart-to-heart talk with you men. 
 I am continually called upon to review all sorts of dele- 
 gations representing all kinds of enterprises. Too 
 often, I am sorry to say, these representatives seem 
 only intent upon benefiting their own poor little souls. 
 You men, however, are only aiming to help. the other 
 fellow ; and by George ! it's a privilege to greet you and 
 
80 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 linger here with you and tell you how much I believe 
 in you." 
 
 An appreciation of James Stokes would be utterly 
 incomplete which did not take account of his old- 
 fashioned, childlike, unswerving confidence in and de- 
 pendence upon the Holy Scriptures as an infallible rule 
 of faith and practice, as the all-sufficient manual of the 
 Christian workman, fully inspired and adapted to all 
 sorts and conditions of men in all the world throughout 
 all time. I am not aware that he ever took much time 
 out of his busy life to consider and refute destructive 
 criticism. My impression is that when he was con- 
 verted he became as a little child in his attitude toward 
 God's revelation. Our greatest American humorist, if 
 not indeed the world's greatest, who was a true philos- 
 opher, once remarked, "It isn't the things in the Bible 
 I don't understand that worry me; it's the things I do 
 understand." Moody once said abruptly to George 
 Adam Smith, "What's the use of talking about two 
 Isaiahs when most people don't even know there's one ?" 
 I believe that James Stokes quickly tabled a good many 
 hard religious propositions to be taken up as Unfin- 
 ished Business when the Parliament of Mankind con- 
 venes in the Throne Room in Paradise. The writers of 
 Revelation will be there and will do their own interpret- 
 ing. Even if they wrote at times what they did not fully 
 understand and what angels themselves desire to look 
 into and do not fully grasp, 
 
 "God is His own interpreter, 
 And He will make it plain." 
 
 The last time I met him was at the dinner of the 
 International Committee held at the Waldorf in the 
 autumn of 1909. It was then and there that he intro- 
 
ME. STANDFAST OF THE Y. M. C. A. 81 
 
 duced me to the elect lady who entered so intelligently, 
 zealously, and faithfully into, the work of the last dec- 
 ade of his life on earth. His voice and hand grasp and 
 old time heartiness were unchanged. It proved to be 
 our last good-by — no, not our last; the Germans can- 
 not even by their recent behavior blot out the bright- 
 ness of their proverb, "Christians never say good-by 
 for the last time." Since then our duties have led us 
 far apart, but not so far as to interrupt my acquaint- 
 ance with his career, which was crowded to the end 
 with loving service. 
 
 The startling announcement of his death was couched 
 in the conventional phraseology, but in place of the 
 formal stilted cold type I read with the inward eye : 
 
 "Then there came forth a summons for Mr. Stand- 
 fast . . . the contents whereof were, that he must pre- 
 pare for a change of life, for his Master was not willing 
 that he should be so far from Him any longer. . . . When 
 Mr. Standfast had thus set things in order, and the time 
 being come to haste him away, he also went down to 
 the river. . . . And he said, 'This river has been a terror 
 to many; yea, the thoughts of it also have often 
 frightened me. . . . The waters indeed, are to the palate 
 bitter and to the stomach cold: yet the thoughts of 
 what I am going to, and of the conduct that waits for 
 me on the other side, doth lie as a glowing coal at 
 my heart.' . . . 
 
 "Now while he was thus in discourse, his countenance 
 changed; his strong men bowed under him: and after 
 he had said, 'Take me, for I come unto Thee,' he ceased 
 to be seen of them. 
 
 "But glorious it was to see how the open region was 
 filled with horses and chariots, with trumpeters and 
 pipers, with singers and players on stringed instru- 
 ments, to welcome the pilgrims as they went up, and 
 followed one another in at the beautiful gate of the 
 city." 
 
VII 
 
 THE PARIS ASSOCIATION AND THE EXTEN- 
 SION OF THE MOVEMENT ABROAD" 
 
 Thomas K. Creb 
 
 It is a repetition of a well-known story to say that 
 the first Young Men's Christian Association was or- 
 ganized June 6, 1844, in London by G-eorge Williams, 
 and that it was not till 1851 that the Association idea 
 crossed the Atlantic, and the first American Associa- 
 tions were organized almost simultaneously during 
 that year in Boston and Montreal. The same year it 
 crossed the British Channel, with its founder, and the 
 Paris Young Men's Christian Association was organ- 
 ized, Mr. Williams being present at the meeting. In 
 the earlier years the Association was chiefly a religious 
 work for young men, and on the continent — ^where it 
 existed at all — ^it was almost exclusively so. At the 
 same time there was in Great Britain a limited min- 
 istry to the social and educational needs of young men, 
 embodied in reading-rooms, lectures, and later educa- 
 tional classes. 
 
 This was for many years the limit of the work in 
 
 'The late Thomas K. Cree, one of the earliest and ablest 
 International secretaries, was loaned by the International 
 Committee at Mr. Stokes's request for a year's service in pio- 
 neering the Association in Paris and in Europe. He left this 
 most valuable historical statement. At the risk of some dupli- 
 cation in other chapters it is incorporated, as it presents the 
 story not only of the development of the Paris Association 
 but of the expansion of the movement throughout all Europe, 
 as a result of the vision and persistent effort of Mr. Stokes. 
 
 82 
 
PAEIS AND EXTENSION ABROAD 83 
 
 Great Britain, and features other than religious were 
 very few. In America, the Associations developed at 
 first into a general work, very largely religious, and for 
 all classes of people, the workers being young men, but 
 who did not confine their activity to their own class. 
 This condition continued until the war of 1861-65, when 
 the Young Men's Christian Associations were largely 
 merged into the Christian Commission or died out from 
 lack of interest. On the continent, the Association 
 largely took the form of an organization in a particular 
 church for its own young men, tlie pastor being the 
 self-appointed president and the only office holder, and 
 the work a prayer meeting or Bible class for a select 
 number of young men, or more often of older boys. 
 This largely continued to be the continental Young 
 Men's Christian Association, until what the continen- 
 tals call the "American Associations" began to be or- 
 ganized, the first being the one in Berlin, which was 
 organized in 1882 by a secretary of the American Inter- 
 national Committee. 
 
 The Paris Association was a broader one in its idea, 
 in that it was not attached to any one church or denom- 
 ination, and its officers and members were laymen. It 
 was a very small affair, with but about thirty members, 
 having no rooms, and doing very little except holding 
 an occasional open-air meeting and stimulating the 
 religious life of its membership. 
 
 The American Associations decided as early as 1854 
 that some general bond of union was necessary to 
 unify and strengthen the work. The first Association 
 convention was held in Buffalo in 1854, at which there 
 were nineteen Associations represented by thirty-seven 
 delegates. In the following year (1855) by a concert 
 of action in which the leaders of the American move- 
 
84 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 ment took part, a conference of the Associations of all 
 lands was held in Paris. In this conference thirty- 
 eight Associations from seven countries were repre- 
 sented by thirty-five delegates and sixty-three corre- 
 sponding members, fifty -two of whom were from France, 
 largely from Paris. This conference did two important 
 things : it provided for a conference of the Associations 
 of all lands to meet every three or four years, and 
 agreed upon a basis of membership for the Associations 
 recognized by the union. This is known as "The Paris 
 Basis," and has remained unchanged, being reaflSrmed 
 in the Jubilee World's Conference held at Paris in 1905. 
 Subsequent conferences were held every three or four 
 years, the arrangements for them having been made by 
 London brethren until 1878, when the conference met 
 in Geneva. At each of these conferences America was 
 represented. 
 
 In 1862 Mr. Stokes, then quite a young man, visited 
 Paris with his father and mother, both of whom were, 
 and had been for years, much interested in the French 
 people. Mr. Stokes tells of the second visit of La Fay- 
 ette to America, and the fact that La Fayette, ac- 
 cording to French custom, kissed his father, then a 
 boy, on both cheeks made a deep impression on the 
 youth's mind. This visit of Mr. Stokes with his parents 
 to Paris, coupled with previous and later visits of the 
 parents, had not a little to do with the organization of 
 the American chapel on Rue de Berri and the erection 
 of its church, which has been a source of pleasure and 
 spiritual profit to American tourists and residents in 
 Paris for forty years or more. 
 
 Mr. Stokes, as an Association man, took the trouble 
 to hunt up the Paris Association. At that time it was a 
 rather difficult quantity to locate. Up to this time the 
 
PARIS AND EXTENSION ABROAD 85 
 
 expenditure of the Paris Association had been but a few 
 hundred francs a year, most of which was received from 
 the modest dues of its limited membership. Mr. Stokes 
 had been actively identified with the New York Asso- 
 ciation, and, with the broader ideas engendered by it, 
 he suggested the desirability of rooms and a larger 
 work. He found little response from the French mem- 
 bership, with its conservative ideas. Believing it was 
 not only desirable but feasible, Mr. Stokes, under the 
 guidance of his father and mother, undertook to secure 
 the money necessary to open and furnish the rooms and 
 inaugurate a larger work. With contributions from 
 his family, and by an appeal to American bankers and 
 others in Paris, he was able to secure the money nec- 
 essary to begin this larger work. In frequent sub- 
 sequent visits and by correspondence, Mr. Stokes main- 
 tained his interest in the work of the Paris Association, 
 which for a number of years, in common with the Anglo- 
 American Association, occupied modest quarters on the 
 third floor of a building situated in a court off Rue 
 Montmartre. 
 
 After the close of the American war in 1866, at the 
 Albany convention, representing flfty-two Associations, 
 the International Committee was appointed witb five 
 members, all resident in New York. Mr. Stokes was 
 one of the five original members of this Committee and 
 the only one that continued a member for his life time. 
 The appointment of this Committee marked a new era 
 in the work of the American Associations and for the 
 movement throughout the world. In 1868 Mr. Stokes 
 again visited Europe, this time as a member of the In- 
 ternational Committee, and was its first representative 
 to carry the greeting of the American brotherhood to 
 the European Associations. He again visited the Paris 
 
86 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 Association and a number of other continental Associa- 
 tions, and on his return made a report of their work, 
 which was the first official report of the work abroad re- 
 ceived by the International Committee, and led to fra- 
 ternal and helpful intercourse. 
 
 The seventh conference of the Associations of all 
 lands was held in Hamburg in 1875. For the first time 
 in one of these conferences a paper was presented on 
 the work of the American group. This was printed in 
 English, French, German, and Dutch, and reported the 
 organization and work of the International Commit- 
 tee; the organization, growth, and extent of the Amer- 
 ican Associations ; their fourfold work for young men ; 
 the buildings owned ; the secretaries employed ; and a 
 general outline of the work done. The average conti- 
 nental Association worker gained a new idea of the 
 scope of such a work. The paper made a deep impres- 
 sion, and copies in the four languages were carried to 
 the home Associations by the delegates. 
 
 The eighth conference was held in Geneva in 1878. 
 There were forty-four Americans in attendance, double 
 as many as there had been in all the seven previous 
 conferences. The American paper read and distributed 
 at Hamburg, giving the facts relating to the American 
 work, had borne fruit in a paper brought to Geneva by 
 the French delegates, translated and printed in Eng- 
 lish and German, and advocating the appointment of 
 an Executive Committee for the World's Conference 
 to be modeled after the American International Com- 
 mittee. Such a committee was appointed by the con- 
 ference of 1878, and located at Geneva, a quorum of 
 its members being resident there, and with one repre- 
 sentative from each country taking part in the confer- 
 ence. The American delegates suggested the need of a 
 
PARIS AND EXTENSION ABEOAD 87 
 
 Greneral Secretary for the new committee, and before 
 the conference adjourned a secretary was invited, who 
 proved a man well suited to the time and place. Ar- 
 rangements were made for him to visit the American 
 Associations, his expenses being provided for by Amer- 
 ican friends, prominent among whom was Mr. Stokes. 
 Later similar arrangements were made for leading 
 European secretaries to visit America, always with 
 sympathy and encouragement from Mr. Stokes. 
 
 The next conference was held in London in 1881. 
 Seventy-flve American delegates were in attendance, 
 and again the American work, which had grown very 
 considerably, was well presented. At the Berlin con- 
 vention in 1884 there were forty-six American dele- 
 gates, and at Stockholm in 1888 there were fifty-five. 
 At this conference Mr. Stokes was chosen as an Amer- 
 ican member of the World's Committee. 
 
 The next conference was held at Amsterdam in 1891, 
 with eighty-three Americans in attendance. Between 
 the Stockholm and the Amsterdam conferences, Mr. 
 Cree, as the representative of Mr. Stokes, had spent sev- 
 eral months of each of the three years in Paris. He 
 visited Geneva and London a number of times, and in 
 conference with the Central Committee, and the London 
 and some of the continental brethren, had secured their 
 approval of the rules he had prepared for the Commit- 
 tee and conferences, which were afterward adopted 
 without any dissent at the Amsterdam conference. 
 Under these rules all subsequent conferences have been 
 conducted. At the London conference and Jubilee in 
 1894, the thirteenth, there were 173 American delegates. 
 
 The American delegations to these various conferences 
 visited Paris from time to time, and were hospitably 
 received by the Paris Association. Efforts were made 
 
88 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 by them to inaugurate a national movement for France, 
 and a larger work for Paris. In 1886-7, on the invita- 
 tion of Mr. Stokes and at his expense, the secretary of 
 the Paris Association visited America. He attended a 
 state convention, visited many Asfeociations, and went 
 back with some advanced ideas of Association work. 
 As a result, the Paris Association grew from about 
 thirty to some eighty members, and its expenses in- 
 creased to some 7,500 francs per year. At this impor- 
 tant juncture Mr. Stokes came forward, and having 
 secured the services of Mr. Franklin Gaylord, of New 
 York, who had been a resident of Paris and was famil- 
 iar with the French language, sent him to that city as 
 his representative, agreeing to pay his salary and to 
 meet his traveling and other extra expenses. Mr. Gay- 
 lord went to Paris in 1887. He carefully studied the 
 situation, won the respect and esteem of the Paris 
 brethren, and spent a year in laying foundations for a 
 better work. 
 
 After Mr. Gaylord had spent a year in Paris, Mr. 
 Stokes induced Mr. Cree to go to that city, as his rep- 
 resentative and at his expense, to aid Mr. Gaylord in 
 reorganizing the work of the Association, promising 
 generous help to such a movement. After a very brief 
 study of the situation, Mr. Cree decided that a complete 
 reorganization of the Paris Association was necessary, 
 and at once prepared a constitution, modeled after 
 those in use in America, and secured a Board of Direc- 
 tors, earnest Christian men representing the different 
 churches, and active in business life. After much dis- 
 cussion he secured the adoption of a new constitution 
 by the Paris Association. In connection with Mr. Gay- 
 lord, he suggested many changes and improvements in 
 the work, which the Paris young men gradually 
 
PARIS AND EXTENSION ABROAD 89 
 
 adopted. Larger and better rooms were secured at a 
 rental of 15,000 francs per year — double the amount of 
 th.e entire expense of the Association in its old location. 
 Before the change could be made, it was necessary 
 that the money needed to carry on the enlarged work 
 should be secured on a budget of 45,000 francs per year 
 for three years. The amount necessary seemed in Paris 
 a very large sum. Mr. Stokes generously promised 
 5,000 francs annually for three years. The maximum 
 annual subscription that it seemed possible to secure 
 from one person in Paris was 1,000 francs. The plans 
 were submitted to Mr. Alfred Andre, a banker, a man 
 of wealth and influence, a leader in every religious and 
 benevolent work in Paris, who, in connection with Mr. 
 Stokes, made possible the work afterwards done there. 
 The movement commended itself to him, and he ex- 
 pressed regret that he was leaving the city to be gone 
 some months and could not help to secure the money ; 
 but, to the surprise of Mr. Cree and Mr. Gaylord, he 
 guaranteed a sum equal to that given by Mr. Stokes, 
 5,000 francs per year for three years, which sum he 
 afterward increased to 7,000 francs. Mr. Gaylord and 
 Mr. Cree then started out to secure the balance needed. 
 Fifty francs per year had been the largest regular con- 
 tribution to the Association. Twenty francs (|4.00) 
 was a generous contribution, and ten francs, five 
 francs, and even less, were more common. To ask a 
 man, who had for years been giving twenty francs an- 
 nually, to give 1,000 francs a year for three years, or to 
 promise 3,000 francs at one time, to an organization in 
 which he had no interest, about which he knew almost 
 nothing, and whose work had been seemingly most in- 
 significant, seemed rather presumptuous, and yet that 
 was just what was done. Several gave 1,000 francs per 
 
90 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 3'ear, and hardly anyone who was asked declined to give. 
 In a very short time the amount needed was pledged 
 for three years. Mr. Stokes arranged, at his own ex- 
 pense, to send Mr. Theis, one of the active members of 
 the Paris Association, to America to take a course of 
 training at the Association training school in Spring- 
 field. He then returned to Paris to take the position 
 of assistant secretary, and after Mr. Gaylord returned 
 to America he became the secretary. In addition to the 
 generous donation of $1,000 annually, Mr. Stokes con- 
 tinued, as he had been doing, to pay the salary of 
 Mr. Gaylord. 
 
 While the changes in Paris were being made, Mr. 
 Cree, at the request of Mr. Stokes, visited Lyon, where 
 there was an Association which had rooms but no sec- 
 retary. He arranged for a reorganization of the Asso- 
 ciation and the employment of a secretary, and agreed 
 to secure from American friends the money necessary 
 to supplement the amount to be raised in Lyon. 
 
 During the winter, Mr. Cree, as Mr. Stokes's repre- 
 sentative, made a hurried visit to Rome, and held a 
 meeting with all the evangelical Italian pastors, each 
 being accompanied by a layman, and laid before them 
 plans for organizing an Association for that city. But 
 not until two years later, when Mr. Cree again visited 
 Rome, was an organization effected by the adoption of 
 a constitution suggested by him and similar to the one 
 adopted by the Paris Association. He then secured by 
 solicitation the money necessary to rent rooms, agreeing 
 to secure from American friends the amount necessary 
 to supplement the contributions of the Roman people. 
 The rooms were soon opened. Dr. Robert Prochet, a 
 physician and a leader in the Roman Association, vis- 
 ited America on the invitation and at the expense of 
 
PARIS AND EXTENSION ABROAD 91 
 
 Mr. Stokes, and was a most valuable helper in the sub- 
 sequent enlargement of the work. Mr. Perazzini, a 
 young Italian, also came to America on Mr. Stokes's 
 invitation and took a two-years' course at the Spring- 
 field training school, after which he returned to Rome 
 well qualified to take charge of the work of the Asso- 
 ciation. Subsequently Mr. Campello, a member of a 
 well-known Italian evangelical family, also came to 
 America on the invitation of Mr. Stokes, and at his 
 expense took a full course at the Springfield training 
 school, with the view of leading in a national Associa- 
 tion work in Italy. Mr. Stokes also tried to find a 
 Spanish young man adapted to Association work, with 
 the intention of bringing him to America and giving 
 him a course of training for secretaryship in Spain, 
 but such a person could not be found. 
 
 In 1889 Mr. Cree again visited Paris as Mr. Stokes's 
 representative, and spent some time in connection with 
 the work of the Association, which under Mr. Gaylord 
 had become very eflScient, the membership having in- 
 creased to over five hundred. During this visit he 
 made inquiry in regard to the price of property, and 
 sounded the French friends in regard to a building. 
 Under French laws a building could not be held by 
 trustees. Neither could the Association itself hold the 
 property, although its organization had been authorized 
 by the Government. After a careful study of the situa- 
 tion, he returned home and laid the matter before 
 Mr. Stokes. 
 
 The next year he returned to Paris, authorized by 
 Mr. Stokes to confer with French friends in regard to a 
 building, and to meet, if possible, the difiSculties that 
 were in the way of securing and holding such property. 
 After a careful study of the situation, he decided that 
 
92 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 the organization of a "Societe Anonyme," which was 
 authorized by French laws, was the only solution of the 
 question of holding the property. It was arranged that 
 this society should issue stock to a fair proportionl 
 cost of the building, which it was later agreed should 
 be 125 shares of a par value of 5,000 francs ($1,000) a 
 share, and that Mr. Stokes and American stockholders, 
 selected by him, should hold sixty-three shares, and Mr. 
 Andre and French stockholders sixty-two shares, these 
 shares to elect the directors of the society. There were 
 to be nine directors, of whom five were to be French, 
 a majority as required by French laws, and four were 
 to be Americans. 
 
 Beginning the financial canvass with the members of 
 the Association, several thousands of dollars were 
 pledged by the membership. With this as a start, a few 
 larger pledges were secured from French friends. 
 
 A centrally located piece of property came into the 
 market, which was just what the Association needed. 
 Estimates as to the cost of a building were made and 
 it was found that 1,200,000 francs would be required. 
 It was finally agreed by Mr. Stokes that he and mem- 
 bers of his family would give 500,000 francs and Mr. 
 Andre, who had subscribed 150,000 francs, agreed to 
 be responsible for 500,000 francs from French friends. 
 Of the sum promised, the sisters of Mr. Stokes contrib- 
 uted 110,000, Mr. Stokes himself giving the balance, 
 190,000. Mr. Andre expected to contribute |30,000, 
 pledges for fair amounts had been made by a number 
 of French friends, and it was expected others would 
 be secured. 
 
 After the building was completed, a large delegation 
 of the French brethren, headed by Mr. Andre, attended 
 the London Jubilee Conference in 1894. After return- 
 
PARIS AND EXTENSION ABROAD 93 
 
 ing to Paris, Mr. Andre increased his already large 
 gift of 150,000 to 250,000 francs, and subsequently gave 
 the balance of the 500,000 francs that was unpro- 
 vided for. 
 
 Mr. Stokes visited Paris after the conference, and 
 the new building was dedicated while he was there. In 
 recognition of his generous interest in the young men 
 of France, the Cross of the Legion of Honor was con- 
 ferred upon him by the French Government. The con- 
 ferring of this honor was almost the last official act of 
 President Carnot before his assassination. The mem- 
 bers of the Paris Association presented Mr. Stokes 
 with a diamond cross, the insignia of the Legion of 
 Honor. Mr. Jules Seigfreid, deputy for the Seine, on 
 behalf of the Government presented the official notifica- 
 tion of the honor conferred, and Mr. Andre, in behalf 
 of the Paris Association, presented the diamond cross. 
 Mr. Stokes responded in a happy speech in French. 
 After the ceremony, Mr. Andre kissed Mr. Stokes on 
 both cheeks, in accordance with French custom, recall- 
 ing the similar incident between La Fayette and Mr. 
 Stokes's father. 
 
 During this visit, Mr. Stokes familiarized himself 
 with the details of the Societe Anonyme, the new con- 
 stitution of the Association, and its work. Up to this 
 time he had continued to pay the salary of Mr. Gaylord 
 as secretary. Much to his regret and to the regret of 
 the French brethren, Mr. Gaylord, for family reasons, 
 decided to resign and return to New York. Providen- 
 tially Mr. Theis, the assistant secretary, was ready to 
 take his place. Mr. Stokes then sent an American, 
 trained at the Springfield training school, to Paris as 
 physical director, and paid his salary as long as he 
 remained. He also gave a brother of Mr. Theis a full 
 
94 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 course of training at the Springfield school as a physi- 
 cal director. 
 
 In addition to the mortgage debt of 200,000 francs, 
 there had been accumulated a floating debt of 165,000 
 francs. This was laid before Mr. Stolies and Mr. Andre, 
 and the result was that, notwithstanding the large con- 
 tributions already made, each of them agreed to pay 
 one-half of this indebtedness, making the personal gift 
 of Mr. Stokes to the building amount to over 500,000 
 francs ($100,000). In addition, Mr. Stokes had made 
 a large annual contribution to the current expenses of 
 the Association, paid the salary of Mr. Gaylord, and 
 later that of the physical director, educated Mr. Theis 
 and his brother, paid the expense of the visit of the 
 architect to America, and the cost of the American 
 plans for the building, besides other expenses, which 
 made his gift a large and most generous one, well 
 worthy of the recognition accorded to it by the French 
 Government and the Paris Association and its friends. 
 
 The membership of the Association increased to 
 nearly 1,000, the work in every department was a most 
 efficient one, and the future of the Association, as a 
 helpful factor in the life of a large number of French 
 young men, was assured. 
 
 While the work of the Paris Association was in prog- 
 ress, efforts were made from time to time under the 
 helpful supervision of Mr. Stokes for the large number 
 of students gathered in Paris, one of the great student 
 centers of the world. Mr. James B. Reynolds, a Yale 
 graduate, representing the American college Associa- 
 tions, visited Paris twice in connection with this work, 
 as did Mr. John R. Mott, college secretary of the Amer- 
 ican International Committee. At first scarcely more 
 than a dozen students could be gathered to consider the 
 
The Paris, Fhancb, Association Building 
 During the War the building was used as a hospital and became 
 the center of a gracious work headed by Count de Pourtales. 
 
PAKIS AND EXTENSION ABEOAD 95 
 
 subject, but by patient effort extending over three years 
 an organization was effected, and nearly 300 French 
 students became members of it. 
 
 As a direct result of the Paris Association, though 
 in no way connected with it, a movement was started 
 in the interest of American young men students in 
 Paris. Another outgrowth, though it also was inde- 
 pendent, was a movement for American students of 
 both sexes, a religious work, which continued with good 
 success until its leader died. Another similar move- 
 ment for the same class followed it and did a good 
 work. All of these movements were in the Latin or 
 students' quarter of the city, and had American influ- 
 ence back of them. A boarding home for American 
 young women students can also be traced as resulting, 
 to some extent, from the Association building. 
 
 In addition to work for students, Mr. Stokes also 
 interested himself in work for French railroad men. 
 Mr. Hicks, railroad secretary of the International Com- 
 mittee, under the direction of Mr. Stokes, visited the 
 railway centers in Paris and interviewed leading rail- 
 way men. Mr. Stokes also tried to induce a representa- 
 tive French railroad man to visit America, attend an 
 annual convention of railroad men, and see the work of 
 the railroad Associations, offering to pay all the ex- 
 penses of such a person. But the right man could not 
 be induced to make the trip. 
 
 After the completion of the French Association build- 
 ing, and the thorough reorganization of the work, Mr. 
 Stokes not only continued his generous donations to it 
 annually, but maintained his interest in the details of 
 the work. During a subsequent visit to Paris recep- 
 tions were held, at his suggestion and under his per- 
 sonal direction, in the homes of influential and wealthy 
 
96 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 people, where the Association work could be presented 
 and the interest of persons secured who could not be 
 reached by the ordinary efforts of the Association. 
 
 A direct result of the building and its work was the 
 building of a Young Women's Christian Association. A 
 lady who was entirely unknown to the Association 
 people, attracted by the report of the new Association 
 building, visited it and was courteously shown over 
 the building and informed in regard to its work. At 
 once she proposed to provide a building for a similar 
 work for young women, and to meet the expense inci- 
 dent to it, on condition that the management of the 
 Young Men's Christian Association should be extended 
 to it. A building was bought and remodeled to suit the 
 work for young women, at a cost of 600,000 francs, all 
 of which was paid by the lady herself. A splendid 
 opportunity was offered for a model Young Women's 
 Christian Association, and Mr. Stokes, Mr. Cree, and 
 the leaders in the international Young Women's Chris- 
 tian Association movement made every possible effort 
 to secure it ; but the money being French, and nothing 
 being known from experience about Young Women's 
 Christian Association work, the brethren could not be 
 induced to inaugurate an American organization for 
 young women, as they had done in their work for 
 young men. 
 
 One of the first things Mr. Cree did after arranging 
 for the change in the Paris Association was to give his 
 attention to the French national Association work. 
 There was a so-called National Committee, but it con- 
 sisted of a few self-appointed members, all residents of 
 Lyon, and its duty was to call a national convention 
 annually, arrange for its meetings, and secure dele- 
 gates to the conferences of all lands. Mr. Stokes inter- 
 
PARIS AND EXTENSION ABROAD 97 
 
 ested himself in this work, and, under the direction of 
 Mr. Cree, a national secretary was placed in charge for 
 four months of each year, assuming supervision of all 
 the French Association work. It was the wish of Mr. 
 Stokes and Mr. Cree that a real representative National 
 Committee should be appointed with headquarters in 
 Paris, and a national secretary placed in charge of it. 
 After the completion of the Paris building, this change 
 was effected. Mr. Andre was elected chairman, and 
 Mr. Emmanuel Sautter secretary. Before taking up 
 the work, Mr. Sautter visited America on the invitation 
 of Mr. Stokes. Organizations were effected and sec- 
 retaries placed in a number of French cities, three new 
 Association buildings were secured, and the work was 
 greatly strengthened. 
 
 After the organization of the Berlin Christlicher 
 Verein Junger Manner by a secretary of the American 
 International Committee, Mr. Christian Phildius was 
 secured for its secretary. He inaugurated a similar 
 work in other German cities and instituted a secretarial 
 training school in Berlin, in which he trained secre- 
 taries for them and later for other continental cities. 
 Mr. Phildius was persistent, but very wise in the direc- 
 tion and extension of his work. He had back of him 
 the influence of the court and army circles, prominent 
 leaders in the national church whose influence extended 
 all over Germany, and the leading business men of Ber- 
 lin and other cities, and the marked success of his work 
 and his careful and persistent presentation of it finally 
 won the confidence of those recognized leaders in the 
 larger German cities. 
 
 The training and success of Mr. Phildius induced Mr. 
 Stokes and other friends of the World's Committee to 
 favor his becoming one of its General Secretaries. 
 
98 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 After his election to this oflfice Mr. Phildius visited 
 Russia, Scandinavia, Holland, Germany, and other con- 
 tinental countries, particularly the Teutonic lands, and 
 did a most excellent work in the line of the most ad- 
 vanced Association methods. One important result of 
 his addition to the secretarial force of the World's- Com- 
 mittee was to open the way for the addition of Count 
 Bernstorfi: to that Committee, as one of the two Ger- 
 man representatives, and with his cooperation there 
 came about the gradual advancement of the real Asso- 
 ciation movement in Germany, with the assent of the 
 German National Committee and its secretary and 
 workers. 
 
 Not only did Mr. Stokes give generously in money to 
 these and the other advanced movements on the con- 
 tinent and elsewhere, but he spared no expense in se- 
 curing the best help possible in directing them. He 
 brought to America, at large expense, for training 
 either in the training schools or by contact with the 
 work, the best obtainable men. At the same time, he 
 gave a great deal of his time, thought, and effort to 
 guiding and directing the work abroad, and enlisted 
 the cooperation and support of the most experienced 
 men in American Association work. 
 
VIII 
 
 ITALY'S CALL ANSWERED BY JAMES STOKES 
 
 Hale P. Benton 
 
 Twenty-five years ago the world-wide movement of 
 the Association had not penetrated to Italian soil. The 
 young men of Rome were the first to awaken to this 
 fact, to a realization of the immense advantages that 
 other lands were enjoying and they were missing. Small 
 groups of young Italians eager for spiritual and intel- 
 lectual development had gathered around the native 
 evangelical churches, but no attempt had been made 
 among them to join forces upon common ground. In 
 1895 several of these societies, led mainly by a literary 
 club founded by the Waldensians (Italian Presbyteri- 
 ans) and by a Students' League connected with the 
 Italian Baptist Church, met under the auspices of the 
 World's Committee at Geneva, and organized the 
 first native Young Men's Christian Association or Asso- 
 ciazione Cristiana delta Qioventu, as it has been appro- 
 priately translated into the Italian. In a short time a 
 competent Board was selected, an active secretary 
 found, subscriptions started, premises secured, equip- 
 ment installed in library, reading, class, and lecture 
 rooms, and pioneer work by Italians and for Italians 
 was started in the heart of old Rome. 
 
 Two years went by, years of struggle, but of prac- 
 tical and profitable experience and steady expansion. 
 The rented room.s, though spacious, soon became over- 
 crowded with young Italians of all classes, mainly stu- 
 
 99 
 
100 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 dents and business men, to whom the unusual privi- 
 leges, ideals, comforts, and homelike atmosphere of a 
 cheerful "Y," even though in its experimental stage, 
 were not only an innovation but a revelation. Thus 
 from a modest literary or debating society, the Roman 
 "A. C. D. G." soon developed into a popular, public in- 
 stitution with demands upon it and duties to fulfil far 
 beyond its original capacity and resources. 
 
 It was at this juncture twenty years ago, when hopes 
 were strong but hearts were weak under the weight of 
 increasing responsibilities, that a timely friend and 
 supporter was found in James Stokes. His remark- 
 able activity and success in founding and pioneering 
 the work in France and Russia were well known to the 
 early strugglers in Rome. They found inspiration in 
 the large-heartedness he had manifested toward the 
 young men of these countries, and one day they made 
 bold to send their president across the ocean to seek 
 him out and enlist his interest in Italy. 
 
 Mr. Stokes responded to the appeal in a manner char- 
 acteristic of himself. He sent no messengers to Rome, 
 but promptly journeyed there in person to see with 
 his own eyes what the Romans were doing. I chanced 
 to be presiding at a committee meeting in our Associa- 
 tion the day he arrived and, though more than twenty 
 years have elapsed, I distinctly recall my impressions 
 at that first encounter. 
 
 His keen gaze, direct speech, frankness, and rather 
 abrupt manner could not hide from me his merry 
 twinkle and the warm heart that lurked behind. Nor 
 did I experience any discomfiture under the expected 
 well-aimed criticisms of a skillful general, which he 
 fired at our early mistakes of organization. Unfortu- 
 nately, like all beginners, we had made not a few, and 
 
ITALY'S CALL ANSWEEED 101 
 
 we were glad to take advantage of the experience and 
 foresight especially of a veteran worker and pioneer in 
 other Latin countries. Such friendship and assistance 
 might not be easy to gain, we felt, but once fully given, 
 would not be withdrawn. He would back those who 
 were willing to help themselves — a wise condition, 
 which, I afterwards learned, he invariably insisted 
 upon. 
 
 The experience of after years fully confirmed these 
 early impressions. I consider it a privilege to be able 
 to look back over many years of close relationship with 
 Mr. Stokes, not only in Association work, but in per- 
 sonal matters as well, during times of sorrow or ad- 
 versity, and to be able to acknowledge to myself that I 
 have been the gainer in many ways by his friendship, 
 and by the stanch, sterling qualities I found in his 
 heart. 
 
 Loyalty, sympathy, large-heartedness, constantly ex- 
 pressed in quiet acts of thoughtful kindness to others 
 — these, truly, were the outstanding traits of his char- 
 acter. All who knew him are at one in this. Undoubt- 
 edly it was the great yearning in his heart to discover 
 and meet the needs of his fellows that endowed him 
 with a peculiar power, not only of sympathetic under- 
 standing but of vision. His discernment and his wise 
 use of the unbounded possibilities within his range for 
 helping others were remarkable. 
 
 Only such gifts could have enabled him, twenty years 
 ago, to look in faith and prophetic vision beyond what 
 then appeared to be an insurmountable barrier of diffi- 
 culties and see in Italy a rich field of promise for the 
 Young Men's Christian Association. He believed thor- 
 oughly in Italy's destiny and from the beginning freely 
 gave every encouragement to the plan of establishing 
 
102 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 a permanent home for the work already developing 
 in Rome. 
 
 Following Mr. Stokes's suggestion and in anticipa- 
 tion of his arrival, the committee had prepared a list of 
 suitable available buildings, and well do I remember 
 a certain cold, rainy day in 1897 when we wandered 
 with him up and down over the seven hills of the "Eter- 
 nal City" endeavoring to make the wisest choice, among 
 various perplexing propositions, of a suitable site for 
 headquarters. 
 
 Though only slightly acquainted, at that early day, 
 with the intricate map of old Rome, Mr. Stokes showed 
 at once a remarkable instinct and foresight in fixing 
 upon a most valuable site. Having discarded the en- 
 tire list of offers prepared for him, he promptly se- 
 lected, of his own accord, a very unattractive looking 
 house on the slope of the Quirinal Hill, facing on a mod- 
 est side street, which had entirely escaped our atten- 
 tion. He saw there what others could not see, a stra- 
 tegic site with all its possibilities, which, if incorporated 
 with a smaller building in front, would command an 
 entire block on Rome's main thoroughfare, undoubt- 
 edly, even today, the one and only position in Rome suit- 
 able for the erection of a modern Association building. 
 To those who opposed the idea of a modest beginning 
 in a quiet street, he invariably replied, "Rome was not 
 built in a day ; work on, prove your need for a larger 
 house by filling the old one." 
 
 Mr. Stokes gave still further proof of exceptional 
 prudence and foresight in immediately placing the 
 newly bought property under the protection of the 
 International Committee, for which, with characteristic 
 patience and perseverance, through endless red tape 
 formalities, he finally obtained legal recognition as a 
 
ITALY'S CALL ANSWERED 103 
 
 corporation, with full power, under the Italian law, to 
 purchase and hold real estate. Having thus provided 
 for the stability and continuity of the work, Mr. Stokes 
 turned his attention to the details of its organization 
 and development. 
 
 The newly purchased property could not be put to 
 use without extensive renovation and repair. Walls 
 had to be knocked out, doors cut through, courtyards 
 roofed over, drainage improved, and modern equipment 
 installed in the gymnasium, reading rooms, and so on. 
 The measurements, plans, and detailed instructions to 
 the Italian workmen covered endless pages and in- 
 volved months of careful thought and painstaking labor. 
 It was my privilege to help Mr. Stokes in all of this 
 preparatory work, covering a period of several months. 
 The cooperation during this period of our associate 
 and fellow-Director, Mr. Walling Clark, was particu- 
 larly effective and deeply appreciated. 
 
 In the autumn of 1897, a large number of Rome's 
 prominent citizens gathered, by invitation, in the newly 
 finished gymnasium, to greet Mr. Stokes as the founder 
 of the first Italian Young Men's Christian Association. 
 The red, white, and green of Italy's national flag, to- 
 gether with the municipal colors of Rome, were closely 
 entwined with the Stars and Stripes, forming not only 
 a tasteful decoration but an appropriate welcome to the 
 Italian officials who were present, among whom came a 
 special representative of the King of Italy, another sent 
 by the Mayor of Rome, and several from the different 
 embassies. 
 
 Unusual interest was awakened in various quarters 
 by this public inauguration and many prominent Ital- 
 ians applied for membership who doubtless would never 
 have been reached in the ordinary manner. The King 
 
104 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 also manifested a desire to learn more about the Italian 
 branch of an organization which he knew had been ac- 
 complishing so much good in other countries, and, ac- 
 cordingly, extended an invitation to Mr. Stokes for a 
 private audience at the Quirinal Palace. The meeting 
 was a cordial one, Victor Emmanuel having already 
 heard of Mr. Stokes's successful work in France and 
 Eussia and of his increasing interest in the welfare 
 of Italy. 
 
 From Mr. Stokes himself we heard little of his inter- 
 view at the Eoyal Palace nor do I recall that he ever 
 mentioned the fact, which we afterwards learned with 
 pleasure and satisfaction, that the King, on that occa- 
 sion, had conferred upon him an exceptional mark of 
 his esteem by making him a member of the Italian 
 Legion of Honor. 
 
 Shortly before, a similar distinction had been con- 
 ferred upon him by the President of the French Repub- 
 lic, but the inborn modesty which characterized all of 
 Mr. Stokes's life and actions deterred his friends from 
 publishing these events abroad. They knew that his 
 endeavors were animated solely by a deep-rooted sense 
 of duty and that any attempt to draw public attention 
 to them would have met with his unfailing disapproval. 
 The records, therefore, of his life service are inscribed 
 not in marble hallways, but simply and humbly in the 
 hearts of all those who loved him. 
 
 Through long years he held on with quiet perse- 
 verance to his chosen way of helpfulness, never failing 
 to lend a willing hand or bestow a sympathetic word of 
 encouragement wherever needed. Nor did he ever fail 
 to meet with steadfast devotion and regularity the 
 many obligations he had voluntarily assumed toward 
 the support of the various activities with which he had 
 
ITALY'S CALL ANSWERED 105 
 
 identified himself, both in Europe and America. In 
 fact, few around him realized the extent of his constant 
 personal interest in these undertakings, or the warm 
 place he kept in his great sympathetic heart for his 
 trusted friends and co-workers in the field. His let- 
 ters, though abounding in suggestions and advice on 
 practical matters relating to the progress of the work, 
 rarely, if ever, closed without some expression of af- 
 fectionate regard for the recipient. 
 
 "I was very glad to hear from you," he wrote in June 
 of 1908 to the General Secretary at Rome, Paolo Cois- 
 son, "and to receive the report of the month of April. 
 I have read with interest your explanation of the report 
 and wish you every success in the work you are doing 
 in Rome. I shall be glad to hear from you at any time 
 and be kept in constant touch with the work as car- 
 ried on by yourself." 
 
 And again in January, 1914, he wrote: "Even if I am 
 not able to answer your letters promptly, I like to hear 
 from you and always have an affectionate regard for 
 you and the good work you are doing. Let me know 
 of your joys and discouragements and what the pros- 
 pects are for the future." 
 
 And later, in November, 1915 : "I have your good let- 
 ter of September 30th and am sending a copy to Dr. 
 Mott. . . . Remember, we all sympathize with you and 
 carry you in our hearts." 
 
 In recent years his failing health, due no doubt to 
 overwork and anxiety for the young men of the world, 
 prevented Mr. Stokes from traveling abroad, but up to 
 the last moment he kept in constant touch with the 
 well chosen friends whom he trusted to succeed him in 
 the continuation and completion of his life work. 
 
 The last occasion upon which the young men of Italy 
 
106 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 had the pleasure of welcoming their generous friend 
 and benefactor, was in April, 1909, when Mr. and Mrs. 
 Stokes, accompanied by Dr. and Mrs. John R. Mott, 
 visited the Rome Association and were received by a 
 wide representation of its members and adherents, who 
 gathered in the same hall which Mr. Stokes had inau- 
 gurated twelve years before. The hearty testimonials 
 of appreciation he received on that occasion in the ex- 
 pressive Italian tongue, from all classes— students, sol- 
 diers, professional and business men — whom he had ben- 
 efited for so many years, must have brought, with the 
 realization of his hopes, a sense of very deep satisfac- 
 tion. To see lecture courses, classrooms, and gym- 
 nasium filled with many active young Romans, eager 
 to make every use of the advantages he had helped to 
 devise and establish for them, must have inspired him 
 with a feeling of successful achievement. 
 
 And toward the close of a long, brave life spent al- 
 most entirely for others, it must have been of still 
 greater comfort to him to know that, throughout the 
 World War, beneath the roof he had built, thousands of 
 young Italian soldiers gathered to find, not only sym- 
 pathy and cheer, but daily strength and courage with 
 which to face overwhelming defeat and renewed strug- 
 gles before final victory. Thus, in war as in peace, the 
 Rome Young Men's Christian Association continued to 
 serve loyally, valiantly, large-heartedly, and to honor 
 the memory of its founder by seeking to emulate in 
 some degree all that it valued in his noble, unselfish 
 life. 
 
IX 
 
 BREAKING INTO RUSSIA 
 
 Franklin A. Gatlord 
 
 The idea of founding a Christian organization of 
 young men in Russia was long though secretly cher- 
 ished by Mr. Stokes. But the Empire of the Czar was 
 forbidden ground to any democratic Protestant organ- 
 ization. To gain an entrance into that autocratic, 
 bureaucratic empire seemed as impossible as to storm 
 Gibraltar with a force of fishing boats armed with bean 
 shooters. But faith and love and persistence found a 
 way. Mr. Stokes had learned to wait and pray with 
 his eyes open. He believed that God would open a way, 
 and watched for the opening. He found it in an unex- 
 pected manner. The route lay through France, through 
 a chance acquaintance with a nephew of the then Min- 
 ister of the Court, Baron Vladimir Fredericks, who 
 happened to be present at a gymnastic exhibition given 
 in the Paris Association when Mr. Stokes was there. 
 
 The young man was greatly impressed by the work 
 being done for young Frenchmen and exclaimed, "What 
 a great thing it would be if a work of like character 
 could be started in Petrograd for Russian young men !" 
 Mr. Stokes thereupon replied, "If I could be properly 
 introduced in Russia, I should be glad to do all in my 
 power to establish such a branch of the work." 
 
 This conversation occurred in 1898, and, while still 
 in Paris, Mr. Stokes received information which led him 
 
 107 
 
108 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 to believe that it would be possible for him to present 
 his idea in Petrograd to the Empress in person. He 
 would begin at the royal palace. Shortly thereafter Mr. 
 Stokes set out for Petrograd assuredly believing that 
 God had set before him "an open door" and that no man 
 could shut it. 
 
 Almost the first persons with whom he established 
 relations, after landing in the city, were Alexander 
 Francis, a Scotch Congregational minister, then pastor 
 of the British-American Church in Petrograd, and Mr. 
 William Smith, representative of an American firm 
 doing business in Petrograd, and at that time the lead- 
 ing American in the city. Pastor Francis was a man of 
 keen intellectuality and with the capabilities of a 
 first class diplomat. Surely strategy was required in 
 his delicate and determined siege of the "impregnable 
 citadel" of closed and barred Eussia. Through his 
 efforts in locating English governesses in the homes of 
 wealthy Russian families, he became a friend of many 
 of the leading Russians and likewise widely influential 
 in Russian society. He had become acquainted, among 
 others, with Baron Fredericks, Minister of the Imperial 
 Court. Pastor Francis introduced Mr. Stokes to the 
 Baron, who was so impressed with the value of the new 
 society that he said there would be no difficulty in 
 securing an interview with the Empress. Through him, 
 therefore, a presentation was arranged. Her Majesty 
 considered the idea of Mr. Stokes of very great value, 
 and said that she would be glad to have his representa- 
 tive come and make a study of the various organized 
 charities under her personal care and patronage, with 
 the thought of securing data that might be of value in 
 the organization of the young men's society. 
 
 During this visit Mr. Stokes met neither the Em- 
 
BREAKING INTO RUSSIA 109 
 
 peror nor the Prince of Oldenburg, who later became 
 the patron of the society and its champion at coui't. 
 
 Returning to New York after having made a donation 
 of $2,600 to the Empress's charities, Mr. Stokes sent 
 Miss Reynolds as his representative to meet the Em- 
 press and to study the various charitable institutions 
 under her protection. After a brief visit to Petrograd, 
 she returned to America and made a report to Mr. 
 Stokes. Her visit, however, important as it was, 
 was quite incidental to the project for a society for 
 young men. 
 
 A new friend of the Association appeared in the 
 person of Prince Hilkofif, Russian Minister of Ways of 
 Communication. While a young man, he had been sent 
 to the United States to study American railway sys- 
 tems, and in order to do this thoroughly had started in 
 as a common workman. He spent many years in 
 working up through the various departments, and be- 
 came thoroughly acquainted with the American railway 
 administration. Returning to Russia, he received from 
 the Czar his appointment as head of the Russian rail- 
 way system. 
 
 His attention was directed by Mr. Stokes to the work 
 of the Railroad Young Men's Christian Association, 
 then in its infancy. As a result of his visit to America 
 it was decided, in 1899, at Mr. Stokes's urgent sugges- 
 tion, that Clarence J. Hicks, railroad secretary of the 
 International Committee of the Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association, should be sent to Russia to learn 
 what was being done for railway employes, and to dis- 
 cover if the work in America could make any contribu- 
 tion to what had already been accomplished in Russia. 
 The principle and procedure of Mr. Stokes, persistently 
 followed, were to secure the services of the most experi- 
 
110 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 euced man in Association organization to project and 
 pioneer any great enterprise; hence the selection of 
 Mr. Hicks for this mission. 
 
 After Mr. Stokes's return to America from his first 
 visit to Petrograd, he kept in constant communication 
 with Pastor Francis and Mr. Smith. As Mr. Hicks 
 was coming to Russia for railroad work, he urged him 
 also to see what he could do to further city work for 
 young men. Hence, upon his arrival in Petrograd, Mr. 
 Hicks was immediately introduced to Prince Hilkoff, 
 Pastor Francis, and Mr. Smith. It is probable that 
 during these conversations, the idea of submitting the 
 project to the Prince of Oldenburg must have arisen. 
 
 It was in 1899 that this distinguished nobleman 
 abandoned his military career, which had been both 
 successful and honorable, and turned his attention to 
 works of philanthropy. He was a leader in the work of 
 the Temperance Committee, an organization working 
 throughout the Russian Empire, and having the hearty 
 support of Count Witte, at that time Russian Minister 
 of Finance. The Committee built or opened houses in 
 different parts of the Empire where the people could 
 secure cheap food and amusement without the use of 
 vodka. 
 
 Through Baron Fredericks or Pastor Francis an in- 
 terview with Prince Oldenburg was arranged for Mr. 
 Hicks. From the first the Prince was favorably im- 
 pressed and asked Mr. Hicks to address the Temper- 
 ance Committee in Petrograd. As chairman of this 
 committee, the Prince had as his helpers a large and 
 influential group of business men and officials. 
 
 This committee met at the Prince's palace. Mr. 
 Hicks's address on the work of the Association in Amer- 
 ica produced a marked impression, and from this group 
 
BREAKING INTO RUSSIA 111 
 
 of men two or three were chosen later as members of 
 the Council of the future society, "Mayak." 
 
 The Prince agreed to take the movement under his 
 protection and word was sent to Mr. Stokes, who had 
 been in telegraphic communication with Mr. Hicks. 
 Mr. Stokes and Mr. Morse immediately went over the 
 situation with Mr. Gaylord who agreed to go to Russia 
 as Mr. Stokes's representative. 
 
 The underlying motive of the work being religious, 
 the Prince thought that it would be necessary to put 
 the Society under the protection of the Holy Synod. 
 However, when the matter was brought to the attention 
 of the Procurator, at that time Constantine Pobiedonos- 
 tseflf, he feared the proposed society as Protestant, and 
 refused to have anything to do with it. The Prince 
 then changed his plan and the organization was put 
 under the protection of the Minister of the Interior and 
 the special department of that Ministry, under the con- 
 trol of which the society was placed, was the Police 
 Department. The man who later became first president 
 of the society had been the Assistant Chief of Police in 
 Petrograd. 
 
 On December 31, 1899, Mr. Gaylord received a com- 
 munication saying that the draft of the constitution of 
 the new society had been submitted for approval to the 
 Minister of the Interior. March 2, 1900, Mr. Zvolian- 
 sky. Director of the Department of Police, called Pastor 
 Francis, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Gaylord for an interview 
 with regard to the temporary statutes of the society 
 and the project was approved by the Ministry. 
 
 The next step was to obtain rooms in which the soci- 
 ety might be launched. Mr. Stokes had already guar- 
 anteed 6,000 rubles, the Russians gave liberally, and it 
 was felt that so large a membership might be readily 
 
112 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 secured that the financial question would readily be 
 solved. Rooms were rented for five years at 3,500 
 rubles a year. Fear had been expressed that there 
 might not be more than sixty members the first year. 
 Some Russian friends thought that the young men who 
 came might not understand the purpose of the society 
 and would not be satisfied unless drinking and card 
 playing were permitted. But little trouble was experi- 
 enced in maintaining Association standards. The 
 young men showed respect for the aims of the society 
 and the question of discipline mainly solved itself. 
 
 On the afternoon of October 4, 1900, the official open- 
 ing of the society took place. At that hour few young 
 men could be present and the audience was made up 
 largely of the official class. A secretary of the Empress 
 brought the greetings of Her Imperial Majesty. Mr. 
 Stokes came especially from New York for the occasion. 
 The Prince of Oldenburg and the entire Russian Coun- 
 cil were present, as well as the representatives of the 
 American Embassy. The address delivered by Mr. 
 Stokes received marked attention from the Russian 
 press. Indeed, the publicity given by the Petrograd 
 newspapers was a constant great help in securing a 
 membership for the society, in addition to the fact that 
 it was fundamentally adapted to meet the needs of 
 young men. The work started with tremendous enthu- 
 siasm, and by the end of the first year, the membership 
 had grown to over 1,000. 
 
 The program of work was at first very modest. The 
 society adopted the principle of taking on new activities 
 and adopting new methods as soon and as fast as real 
 needs were discovered. The classes in German and in 
 French were, in the beginning, very large, and two 
 classes in bookkeeping enrolled 125 men. Classes in 
 
BKEAKING INTO RUSSIA 113 
 
 English and Eussian, lectures, an orchestra, a religious 
 choir, and arithmetic, and typewriting classes, were 
 added in later years. 
 
 A priest of the Orthodox Church, selected because of 
 his broadmindedness and the attractiveness of his per- 
 sonality to young men, was always invited to give a 
 religious talk to the members on Sunday evening. Gym- 
 nastic classes were held in the Anne school. Summer 
 excursions to points of interest near Petrograd were 
 organized. In 1901 lectures were begun, to which the 
 young men came in crowds, and which exerted a very 
 great influence. One of the strong leaders in this work 
 was Gregory Petroflf, a devoted and nobleminded priest. 
 Another was Dimitry Loevshine, a lecturer on history. 
 Yet another was Victor Petrovich Proteikinsky. It was 
 the priest Gregory Petrofif who, for the first time, called 
 the society "Mayak" or Lighthouse, a name by which it 
 became generally known. 
 
 At one time a serious difficulty was created by the 
 lecturers of the Mayak, because they assumed to be in- 
 dependent of the authority of the directing committee. 
 This disposition of mind was greatly stimulated by the 
 growing resistance to all authority which manifested 
 itself in Eussia in those years preceding the revolution 
 of 1905. Finally the distinguished Eussian historian, P. 
 S. Platonofif of Petrograd University, took the matter in 
 hand, and f romthat time on therewas nodiiSculty. These 
 lectures took place four times a week and, year after 
 year, continued to be well attended. A great variety 
 of subjects was treated, but the history and literature 
 of England and France were most interesting to Eus- 
 sian young men. Then came lectures on chemistry, 
 anatomy, geography, astronomy, and physics. These 
 lectures were supplemented by educational summer ex- 
 
114 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 cursions and visits to the museums in Petrograd. Vari- 
 ous picture galleries were also visited. 
 
 The Mayak always depended much upon selected 
 priests of the Orthodox Church for aid in its religious 
 work. In the early days of the society's existence, 
 Gregory Petrofif, the priest already referred to, exer- 
 cised a remarkable influence. Whenever he spoke, the 
 auditorium was crowded and his books were sold by 
 the hundred. Another popular speaker was Father 
 John Slobodskoy, of the Orthodox Church, who became 
 a member of the Council. His talks to the young men 
 were inspired with a true Christian spirit. As an or- 
 ganization, the Mayak was careful to observe the chief 
 church holidays, and on these occasions a sympathetic 
 priest of the Orthodox Church always ofiBciated, thus 
 maintaining a close relationship with the mother 
 church of Russia. 
 
 Mr. Stokes was solicitous from the very first that 
 the society should preserve its Russian character, and 
 this desire was constantly kept in view. Its develop- 
 ment was determined by the wishes and the character 
 of the young men themselves. The program in each 
 country occupied did no violence to "the mind of the 
 people." It was not an imposed foreign institution. 
 
 The love of the Russian for music, both sacred and 
 secular, instrumental as well as vocal, brought about the 
 creation of a department especially devoted to this serv- 
 ice. A beginning was made by setting apart every Sun- 
 day evening a special hour for singing the hymns of 
 the church under the direction of a priest. Then a 
 choir was organized that sang only the wonderful Rus- 
 sian religious music, and helped greatly at the time 
 of the religious meetings of the Mayak. Soon another 
 choir was formed which rendered only secular music. 
 
BREAKING INTO RUSSIA 115 
 
 Later, these two were combined and became a very 
 special feature of the musical evenings of the society. 
 Still later, special lessons in solo singing were given, 
 in order to prepare young men for the choir and to aid 
 others who wished to prepare themselves as musical 
 artists. 
 
 In the early days, instruction was given on the violin 
 and other musical instruments, and this led to the for- 
 mation of an orchestra which passed through many 
 changes until it became a body of well trained musi- 
 cians, capable of playing symphonic music and giving 
 two excellent concerts each year. From the early days 
 of the society it was possible to enlist the services of 
 the singers and musicians of the city in the presenta- 
 tion of concerts, and, finally, many of the artists of the 
 imperial theaters came quite free of charge. The mem- 
 bers of the society thus had the opportunity of hearing 
 without expense some of the best music in Petrograd, 
 and often the concert hall was packed to overflowing. 
 
 Following the plan of Association work indicated by 
 Mr. Stokes, much was done for young men in the eve- 
 ning classes in the way of instruction. As the years 
 passed, they were attended by thousands of members. 
 Many who were employed in business houses demanded 
 instruction in German, and, just before the Great War, 
 there were more than two hundred enrolled in this 
 study alone. 
 
 In accordance also with Association principles, the 
 Council of the Mayak from the first made the physical 
 development of the young men one of the chief points of 
 its program. As early as 1900 Mr. Gaylord entered 
 into relations with the director of a German school in 
 Petrograd, and secured permission for the Mayak mem- 
 bers to use its well-equipped gymnasium until 1908, 
 
116 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 when, thanks again to the generosity of Mr. Stokes, an 
 excellent gymnastic hall was buUt for the Mayak and 
 equipped by a wealthy Eussian, Mr. Emanuel Nobel, 
 nephew of the founder of the Nobel prize. 
 
 At this time there came from America a physical 
 director, Eric Moraller, who had studied both to make 
 himself an instructor in physical education and an 
 Association secretary. It was with his valuable assist- 
 ance and under the supervision of Count Suzor, an ex- 
 perienced architect, that a gymnasium was erected in 
 the courtyard of the Association building. The Mayak 
 gymnasium thus became the best equipped gymnasium 
 in Eussia, and Moraller was certainly the best all-round 
 physical director in the Empire. He inspired his pupils 
 with enthusiasm and the work of the Physical Depart- 
 ment enjoyed great popularity, enrolling an average of 
 600 men annually. 
 
 The gymnasium program was supplemented in many 
 ways. Excursions were organized to points of inter- 
 est in the neighborhood of Petrograd, such as Tsarskoe 
 Celo, Peterhoff, and Gatchina. Viborg, in Finland, be- 
 came a great favorite, and old Novgorod, and, some- 
 times, Moscow were visited. While most points were 
 reached by rail, much walking was also done. Where 
 suitable places could be found, there were generally 
 sports and games in the open air. The young men fre- 
 quently sang on these excursions, and were sometimes 
 accompanied by a small band of musicians chosen from 
 the members. The behavior of the young men on these 
 occasions was so exemplary that it constituted an ex- 
 cellent propaganda for the Mayak. 
 
 It soon became evident that an athletic field was a 
 necessity, and negotiations were begTin with Prince 
 Beloselsky, with this end in view. He owned much 
 
BREAKING INTO RUSSIA 117 
 
 land on Chrestoffsky Island and was finally induced to 
 rent to the Mayak a field for this purpose. The young 
 men themselves vigorously cooperated in fitting out the 
 field, which was inaugurated with religious ceremo- 
 nies, and became a center of great interest. The 
 Association first introduced basket ball into Russia, 
 and it was exceedingly popular from the beginning. 
 Cross country runs were undertaken and created much 
 enthusiasm. 
 
 The physical department also opened a camp on the 
 shore of the G-ulf of Finland, where the Petrograd 
 young men enjoyed immensely the fresh sea air, which 
 was in great contrast with the heavy murky atmosphere 
 of Petrograd. 
 
 This letter, sent to Mr. Stokes by Eric Moraller in 
 1906, gives a picture of the spirit that dominated the 
 Mayak. Under the conditions of strict espionage then 
 existing in Russia, this one spot of brightness and free- 
 dom shone out. 
 
 "One of the things that impressed me the most at the 
 Association was the spirit of freedom and congeniality 
 that exists among the members. A few instances will 
 set forth this idea. 
 
 "Last evening while a lecture was being held in the 
 large hall and all the evening classes were in session, 
 and the reading room was also well filled, there was a 
 group of men in the buffet that were interested in other 
 amusements. These young men conducted an im- 
 promptu drawing room concert, each man taking his 
 part in turn. The feeling that the 'Mayak' is their 
 home prompts this freedom. 
 
 "While I was attending one of the weekly concerts 
 and occupying a seat in the rear, a young man, instead 
 of listening to the musical program, spent his time in 
 reading the Acts of the Apostles. This, too, indicates 
 that the young men do not come to the Association only 
 
118 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 for the material benefits they receive, but also for the 
 spiritual uplift that accompanies it. To use our secre- 
 tary's phraseology, 'the amusements as well as the men 
 must be won for Christ.' 
 
 "The work in Petersburg is truly the most all-round 
 work I have ever seen. The unconscious wholesome 
 influence which constantly pervades the Association 
 cannot but help to bring joy and happiness to the mem- 
 bers. It is this ispirit that the Association has been 
 working for, and God has blessed it abundantly. Per- 
 mit me also to say this, Mr. Stokes: In conversation 
 when your name is mentioned the faces of the mem- 
 bers brighten and say, 'Yes, he has made this work 
 possible.' " 
 
 Reference has already been made to the coming to 
 Russia of Mr. Stokes in 1898, at which time he was 
 introduced to the Empress, and to his visit in October 
 of 1900, when the Association was inaugurated. In 
 1905, before the society had moved from its original 
 rooms on the Liteiny Prospect, he came with Mrs. 
 Stokes, shortly after their marriage. Then he looked 
 over a building at 35 Nadjezhdinskaya St., which he 
 had in view as the society's future home. 
 
 The purchase was made for 118,500 rubles. Young 
 men never forgot a visit made one evening quite infor- 
 mally by Mr. and Mrs. Stokes, on which occasion songs 
 were sung, and the accompaniments played by the lat- 
 ter. The enthusiasm of the young men was boundless, 
 and when the little concert was over, they followed their 
 carriage for a long distance. 
 
 Two years after this, the growth of the work and of 
 imperial interest in it were signalized by an informal 
 colloquial audience accorded in the palace at Peterhof 
 by the Czar to the General Secretary of the Interna- 
 tional Committee, Mr. Richard C. Morse, accompanied 
 
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 Mayak's Members' Superbly Illuminated Testimonial to Mr. Stokes, 
 Nine Feet Lonq, Bearing More Than 500 Signatures 
 
BREAKING INTO RUSSIA 119 
 
 by the president and general secretary of the Mayak. 
 The interview had been requested for Mr. Morse on his 
 way home from Tokyo, over the Siberian Railway. To 
 facilitate his coming he received the grant of an impe- 
 rial pass over that road. This favorable attitude to- 
 ward the granting of an interview was traceable to the 
 influence of the younger brother of the Czar, the Grand 
 Duke Michael, who had taken a special interest in the 
 physical department of the work and in the outfit of 
 the gymnasium. 
 
 In the meantime opportunity was given and im- 
 proved to present to the Czar quite fully the interna- 
 tional dimensions of the Association work and the ex- 
 tension of American method and influence into the 
 Orient as well as the Occident. He was surprised to 
 learn the size of the membership of the Mayak — over 
 1,200 young men. The tangible result of the interview 
 was a substantial annual contribution (5,000 rubles) 
 from him to the work in Petrograd, and after nine 
 years of further growth, imperial permission was given 
 for the extension of the Mayak to Moscow and other 
 cities throughout Russia. On the day following this 
 interview at Peterhof, a similar reception was accorded 
 to Mr. Morse, the President, and General Secretary, at 
 the Palace in Gatchina by the Grand Duke Michael and 
 his mother, the Empress Dowager. 
 
 Mr. Stokes made another and last visit to Russia in 
 1911 — an occasion made memorable as the decennial an- 
 niversary of the founding of the Mayak. Before reach- 
 ing Petrograd, Mr. and Mrs. Stokes visited Moscow, 
 having in mind the establishment of a branch of the 
 society in that place. At the Association in the capital 
 of the Empire, extensive preparations had been made to 
 Receive worthily the founder of the society and his ac- 
 
120 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 complished wife. They were installed in the Hotel 
 d'Europe and preparations had been made for their 
 reception by the Emperor and the Empress. The former 
 had decided to welcome Mr. Stokes, Senator Mestchani- 
 nofif, and the writer at the palace at Tsarskoe Selo, 
 where, after a reception, they took luncheon. A day or 
 two previously Mr. and Mrs. Stokes and Mr. Gaylord 
 had been received at the Anichkoff Palace by the Dow- 
 ager Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. But the welcome 
 that most touched the heart of Mr. Stokes was the one 
 extended by the young men of the Mayak, who had long 
 looked forward to that day. 
 
 A splendid program had been arranged and ad- 
 dresses to Mr. Stokes were made by the Council and 
 young men. A beautiful bouquet of flowers was pre- 
 sented to Mrs. Stokes, as she passed upon the stair- 
 way between ranks of cheering young men, and dur- 
 ing the ceremony an ivory casket and scroll with an 
 illuminated address were given to Mr. Stokes. The 
 young men of the Mayak regarded its founder affec- 
 tionately, and their gifts were the real expression of 
 their hearts. In this spirit Mr. and Mrs. Stokes always 
 cherished these souvenirs. 
 
 After the return of Mr. Stokes to America in 1911, 
 his interest in the Russian work continued to increase, 
 and this interest was evidenced by his efforts to extend 
 the activity of the Association. Plans were laid for 
 the purchase of a building in Moscow, and a number of 
 capable secretaries were selected to aid in carrying on 
 the work there. 
 
 Several of these, for various reasons, were obliged 
 to return to America after short engagements, but 
 Ralph W. Hollinger, who had been an assistant secre- 
 tary in Cleveland, Ohio, and who speedily acquired a 
 
BREAKING INTO RUSSIA 121 
 
 knowledge of the Russian language, showed great apti- 
 tude for the work and became Mr. Gaylord's associate 
 in the secretaryship. Herbert Gregory proved a most 
 valuable physical director and did excellent work until 
 he was called to the colors, at which time he was suc- 
 ceeded by Harry W. Long of Charleston, S. C. In De- 
 cember, 1917, Mr. Gaylord was obliged by greatly im- 
 paired health to return to New York. Mr. Hollinger 
 and Mr. Long, however, remained some months longer, 
 until it became necessary, owing to political develop- 
 ments, to leave for Siberia. Mr. Hollinger eventually 
 became secretary for city work in Siberia; Mr. Long 
 took charge of physical work in connection with the 
 Vladivostok Association and Mr. J. J. Somerville, who 
 had served most acceptably as an assistant secretary 
 in Petrograd, became for a time secretary of the Vladi- 
 vostok Association. 
 
 A society was founded at Vladivostok in 1917, with 
 a nucleus of thirty members of the Petrograd Mayak 
 then residents in that city. At its first meeting the 
 committee and members in attendance gathered around 
 a group of framed pictures of Mr. Stokes and the Petro- 
 grad work and were photographed. Thus he was in 
 spirit present at the opening of a new Association on 
 the Pacific, 7,000 miles distant from the mother society, 
 and when the news of Mr. Stokes's death reached Vladi- 
 vostok the society there held a special service in his 
 memory and sent a letter full of sympathy to his wife. 
 As a proof of the influence of the organization founded 
 in Russia by Mr. Stokes, it may be stated without fear 
 of contradiction that fully 30,000 young men have been 
 brought into contact with the work of the Mayak. 
 
 In concluding this chapter, it would be a very 
 serious omission not to speak of the invaluable help 
 
122 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 given by his wife to the work undertaken for young 
 men by Mr. Stokes. For fourteen years he had her 
 entire sympathy in these enterprises. Her good judg- 
 ment was an invaluable asset and her unfailing gen- 
 erosity put no brake upon the execution of the generous 
 intentions of her husband. Only those can appreciate 
 what such cooperation involved who know what de- 
 mands were made upon her patience, her time, and her 
 strength. It must have been a deep satisfaction to her 
 to realize that, as a result of her unfailing devotion, 
 great blessings have been brought to thousands of Rus- 
 sian young men and that the spiritual and moral forces 
 released by the work of Mr. Stokes, in which she had so 
 large a share, will continue to operate through all the 
 future, whatever government may prevail in Russia. 
 
An Appreciation from St. Petersburg Members 
 In making the presentation of a "treasure box" (inlaid 
 with ivory and centuries old) on "this glorious day," the 
 day of the opening of the "Mayak," the above engrossed, 
 illuminated testimonial was tendered. It reads: 
 "Mr. Stokejs: Ten years ago you laid the foundation of our St. 
 Petersburg 'Mayak,' and since then the bright rays of this 'Light- 
 house' have been unceasingly illuminating the path upon which we 
 enter at the beginning of our lives. Owing to you, founder of the 
 first Russian Association for the religious, intellectual, and physi- 
 cal development of young men, we, members of your 'Mayak,' are 
 enabled to enjoy all those benefits of human progress and culture 
 which formerly were almost inaccessible to us. Owing to you, 
 thousands of us, Russian young men, not only began to believe 
 that such words as 'equality,' 'fraternity,' and 'Christian love 
 towards one's neighbor' are not mere empty sounds, but came to 
 realize their full force, since we could not help seeing that in estab- 
 lishing your 'Mayak' in a far country— a country one might con- 
 sider strange to you — you were guided exclusively by those noble 
 sentiments and motives." 
 
THE ATTEMPT TO INTRODUCE ASSOCIATION 
 
 WORK INTO THE GERMAN ARMY 
 
 AND NAVY 
 
 William B. Millar 
 
 The mighty tide which swept away the old empire of 
 William Hohenzoliern was fed by many secret springs. 
 Tracing these to their source has challenged the wisest 
 students since that fateful day when Germany's glit- 
 tering legions marched across Belgium's border. 
 
 Yesterday there was a big, wise world that knew that 
 the bloody seas of war would not, indeed could not, 
 again sweep across the nations ; there was also a wiser, 
 though smaller world that knew that the future was 
 fraught with danger of war's awful havoc. Of this 
 smaller world were those whose knowledge and experi- 
 ence were gained in close touch with the mighty mili- 
 tary machines being built by Europe's most powerful 
 peoples and in close touch also with the growing mis- 
 understanding and unfriendliness manifest in certain 
 strategic centers. The citizens of this wiser world 
 embraced a small group of men who not only appre- 
 hended perils ahead, but also sought by every means in 
 their power to avert the threatening catastrophe. 
 
 Among these clear-headed, big-hearted citizens of a 
 world empire was James Stokes. As a world trav- 
 eler Mr. Stokes had, and used, abundant opportunity 
 to observe the dangerous trend of the currents of 
 thought which were drifting through European capi- 
 
 123 
 
124 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 tals in pre-war days. As a world benefactor he sought 
 to do all he could to turn these tides into safer chan- 
 nels. Mr. Stokes perceived that certain misunder- 
 standings between nationalities must be cleared up and 
 more brotherly relationships established if the material 
 and spiritual welfare of the nations were to be safe- 
 guarded. And to aid in bringing about this tremen- 
 dously important change, Mr. Stokes placed greatest 
 value upon the young manhood of the world. "If the 
 young men of the nations can be brought to think right- 
 eously, the Kingdom that now is, is safe, and the usher- 
 ing in of the greater Kingdom that is to be, will be 
 speeded," Mr. Stokes was wont to say. 
 
 Of this strong conviction was born Mr. Stokes's deep 
 and abiding interest in the young men not only of 
 America, but also of France, Italy, and Russia — an 
 interest evinced by years of devotion to their service, 
 chiefly through the channels of the Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association, and he sought to do as much for the 
 young men of Germany. With almost prophetic in- 
 sight he saw the tremendous importance of establishing 
 a spirit of real brotherhood among the young manhood 
 of Germany, England, France, and Russia, and few 
 knew better than he the difficulties in the way. Appre- 
 ciating fully that only upon a Christian foundation 
 could such a structure of mutual understanding be 
 built, and knowing, too, the dominance of the military 
 classes in Germany, Mr. Stokes felt that first emphasis 
 should be placed upon the establishing of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association in the Army and Navy of 
 the Kaiser's domain. 
 
 Accordingly, in different ways, he sought to arouse 
 the interest of official Germany in the Young Men's 
 Christian Association and felt that the great Jubilee 
 
THE GERMAN ARMY AND NAVY 125 
 
 to be held in Boston in 1901 might be used to this end. 
 So for months preceding this gathering he endeavored 
 at great pains to have a member of the royal family 
 delegated to attend the convention, in order that he 
 might get an impression of what the Association was 
 doing in other lands, and thus carry back with him to 
 his own country an inspiration to support and develop 
 the work there. 
 
 For a time it seemed that he had been able to secure 
 the interest of the Emperor, a most voluminous corre- 
 spondence attesting this fact, and that the Crown 
 Prince himself might be present at Boston ; but in this, 
 after much patient work, Mr. Stokes was disappointed 
 — a disappointment whose poignancy was measured by 
 the earnestness of his efforts to bring about this visit 
 and his deep' conviction of its great importance. 
 
 One of the outstanding characteristics of Mr. Stokes 
 was his persistence. When once determined upon a 
 certain course he never gave up. It could well be said 
 of him as it was of a certain great general — "he never 
 knew when he was beaten." Mr. Stokes did not know 
 the meaning of the word surrender. It was not in his 
 vocabulary. If Mohammed would not go to the moun- 
 tain, the mountain must go to Mohammed. If the royal 
 family of Germany would not come to see what the 
 Association was doing in the world, then some other 
 way must be found to get them to see it. He knew that, 
 with conditions then obtaining in Germany, if the 
 Emperor could be interested the way would be quickly 
 opened for the advancement of the work for young men 
 throughout the empire. 
 
 Accordingly, Mr. Stokes determined to see the Kaiser 
 personally and endeavor to arouse his interest. In car- 
 rying out this purpose he visited Germany, and after 
 
126 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 some delay he was granted an audience with Emperor 
 William. In the light of recent history it is a matter 
 of more than ordinary regret that court courtesy pre- 
 vented a full reporting of this interview, and in the 
 same light it is a matter of far greater regret that the 
 Emperor of all the Germans was not more keenly alive 
 to even his own, not to mention his subjects' best inter- 
 ests at such a critical hour. Even now was the hand- 
 writing on the wall beginning to appear, but it was all 
 unheeded by the monarch, blinded by his colossal 
 schemes. Mr. Stokes spoke of the great achievements 
 of the Association in helping young men in many lands, 
 and enlarged upon the work in the American Army 
 and Navy. The royal listener was gracious but un- 
 moved. He did not seem to comprehend that his great 
 military machine was a thing made up of flesh and 
 blood units. It would seem that in the royal mind the 
 individual, his liberty and rights, had long since been 
 lost sight of in the larger development of the aggregate 
 — the state, the nation — an attitude of mind more read- 
 ily understood now than in pre-war days. Mr. Stokes, 
 however, felt that some progress had been made and 
 suggested that the secretary in charge of this depart- 
 ment of the work in America might later visit Germany, 
 investigate what was being done for the German sol- 
 diers and sailors, and that such a visit might be made 
 mutually beneficial, and to this His Majesty agreed. 
 
 Mr. Stokes had watched this work which he was so 
 anxious to see incorporated in the German Army and 
 Navy since its inception in 1898, and had aided in its 
 development. Three days after the President's call for 
 volunteers in the Spanish-American War, the Interna- 
 tional Committee had met in Mr. Stokes's office build- 
 ing on Cedar Street to consider the situation. Mem- 
 
THE GERMAN ARMY AND NA^^Y 127 
 
 bers of the Committee, in addition to Mr. Stokes, who 
 had seen some of the work of the Christian Commission 
 in the Civil War — work which had been inaugurated by 
 the Association but had soon swung away from it 
 because the movement was not then strong enough to 
 handle it — saw clearly that there had come to the Asso- 
 ciation another opportunity for a mighty service to 
 those young men who uphold the nation's honor on 
 land and sea. 
 
 By a unanimous vote the Committee decided to inau- 
 gurate the work immediately, and a few days later 
 the matter was placed before the Secretary of War 
 and the general commanding the Army, both of whom 
 expressed a deep interest in the proposition and prom- 
 ised hearty support. 
 
 Permission was given to open work in the army 
 camps, naval stations, and on board the ships of the 
 Navy, and very quickly the machinery of the entire As- 
 sociation movement, local, state, and international, 
 was in operation, perfecting and carrying out the plans 
 for this work. Large tents were put into commission 
 at the various centers and with the different regiments, 
 with supplies of all kinds for the use and entertain- 
 ment of the men. With the armies of invasion, to 
 Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines went the Asso- 
 ciation, until it came to be considered a necessary part 
 of the Army itself. Upon the transports and vessels 
 of the Navy, Association secretaries with their equip- 
 ment were welcomed with great cordiality by both offi- 
 cers and men. 
 
 Mr. Stokes was especially interested in the religious 
 work, upon which great emphasis was placed. Here 
 were young men facing new and untried conditions, 
 beset with temptations in a new form. They were also 
 
128 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 facing possible death and it was felt that their greatest 
 need could be met only by the presentation of the gos- 
 pel message. Thousands of men took an open stand for 
 Christ and as far as possible they were gathered into 
 Bible classes. 
 
 After the war the work was made permanent and 
 money was secured for the erection of buildings at 
 naval stations and army posts, and for their equip- 
 ment and endowment. Unspeakably vile conditions 
 were found surrounding these centers, appealing to all 
 the lower appetites of young men. Places of evil resort 
 of every kind and sort abounded; harpies and land 
 sharks were plentiful. Never had the Association found 
 a needier field. 
 
 The first building was erected near the New York 
 Navy Yard in Brooklyn. Miss Helen Miller Gould had 
 become deeply interested in the welfare of the enlisted 
 men and through her generosity this building was pro- 
 vided. It was soon overtaxed and its capacity was 
 doubled by the generous gift of Mrs. Eussell Sage, the 
 total property costing nearly a million dollars. This, 
 without question, is the best building for the sole use 
 of naval men in the world, and it has been a haven 
 of refuge to the men of the fleets, not only of our own 
 but of other lands as well. 
 
 As quickly as possible other buildings were erected 
 at other naval centers and at the leading army posts. 
 At Norfolk, Virginia, a building was given by Mr. John 
 D. Eockefeller, and Mrs. Thomas J. Emery erected an- 
 other at Newport, Ehode Island. In addition to build- 
 ings provided at other naval stations and at the lead- 
 ing army posts, rented quarters were secured at the 
 smaller stations and work was continued and developed 
 upon the vessels of the Navy, the aim of the Associa- 
 
THE GERMAN ARMY AND NAVY 129 
 
 tion being to surround the enlisted men of our Army 
 and Navy wherever they went, at home or abroad, with 
 uplifting and helpful influences. 
 
 During all this development Mr. Stokes had been 
 a careful observer and had helped whenever possible, 
 giving counsel and suggestions and material aid. And 
 frequently he raised the question whether the same 
 plans that were proving so successful could not be put 
 into operation in the armies and navies of other 
 countries. 
 
 It has been well said that Mr. Stokes was an inter- 
 nationalist, and it does not minimize that statement to 
 say that he was also a strong patriot. He was earnestly 
 devoted to America and her interests. He did not agree 
 with Tolstoy that "Patriotism is a vice and belongs to 
 the tribal period," but rather took his stand with Pres- 
 ident McKinley when he said : "Our strength rests in 
 our patriotism; anarchy falls before it. Peace and 
 order and security and liberty are safe so long as love 
 of country bums in the hearts of the people." 
 
 His intense patriotism, however, did not prevent him 
 from being a citizen of the world. He believed that 
 America had a great mission to other nations, that 
 boundless resources of men and money had been in- 
 trusted to this country to be used for the blessing of 
 other nations, especially the less favored. This is per- 
 haps one of the reasons why from its inception he took 
 such an abiding interest in the work of the Association 
 among the soldiers and sailors. He saw clearly that 
 they could be a blessing or a curse as they visited other 
 lands ; that, for example, the sailors from an American 
 warship in a single night's debauch in a foreign port ■ 
 could undo years of painstaking work of the mission- 
 aries and diplomats of our land. On the other hand. 
 
130 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 the clean, Christian conduct of these men would be a 
 constructive force in the extension of American ideals. 
 It was this that caused his vital interest in the visit 
 of the senior Army and Navy Secretary to the Par East 
 during the Japanese-Eussian War and the inauguration 
 of the work by the Japanese Associations among their 
 soldiers and sailors in that conflict — a work that com- 
 manded the attention of the country and led the Mikado 
 to give a large contribution from his private purse to- 
 ward its maintenance. 
 
 Mr. Stokes had also noted with interest the adoption 
 of the American plans by the British for their men in 
 the Boer War. All of this seemed to him a proof of 
 the adaptability of this effort to the armies and navies 
 of the world, of which he had been such an earnest advo- 
 cate. Whenever foreign warships visited our ports 
 Mr. Stokes aided the Naval Association in extending 
 every courtesy to the visiting sailors, frequently mak- 
 ing it financially possible to give them the largest hos- 
 pitality. Eepeatedly he made generous provision for 
 receptions in the Naval Association buildings to the 
 visiting sailors of France, Germany, Great Britain, 
 Japan, and other countries. Whenever it was possible 
 he would attend these receptions in person, thus giv- 
 ing of himself as well as his money to the extension of 
 the work to other lands. 
 
 It is not surprising, therefore, that the leaders of 
 the American movement found in him a cordial sup- 
 porter of the plan to call a conference of representa- 
 tives of the different nations to discuss plans for the 
 wider extension of this work and a closer aflSliation of 
 the workers. Mr. Stokes generously offered to defray 
 the expenses connected with the working up of this 
 conference, which was held in Barmen-Elberfeld, Ger- 
 
THE GERMAN ARMY AND NAVY 131 
 
 many. Prince Bernadotte of Sweden was the presiding 
 oflScer and some fourteen nations were represented. 
 
 In the light of later historical events it is interesting 
 to recall that the representatives from Germany were 
 opposed to the idea of any effective cooperation with 
 other nations in the work among soldiers and sailors. 
 Even at that time there seemed to be a strong fear that 
 any drawing together of this kind might mean an inter- 
 ference with national prerogatives or that it might 
 cause dangerous political entanglements. 
 
 The attitude of Mr. Stokes toward the general plan 
 outlined at the conference is shown by a statement 
 made by him in a personal letter written a little time 
 before the conference was held. After speaking of the 
 way the matter had been presented to him, he says: 
 "I saw instantly that this scheme had great possibili- 
 ties as a moral force among the immense body of young 
 men who are exposed to special temptations of the 
 army and navy, and knowing that these were picked 
 young men of the Continent, it seemed to me that if 
 such an organization could be started, it would have 
 a healthful political effect, at least so far as it would 
 encourage international amity and peace, as it would 
 bring together men prominent in the armies and navies 
 of all nations into conference in behalf of the best effort 
 to discover the most useful ways of raising the morale 
 of the young men under their charge." In that sen- 
 tence Mr. Stokes reveals one of the greatest longings 
 of his heart, the desire for peace and good will among 
 the nations. 
 
 The visit of the senior Army and Navy Secretary of 
 the American Associations to Germany, which Mr. 
 Stokes had suggested to the Kaiser, was made in due 
 time. Mr. Stokes requested the German Foreign Office 
 
132 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 to arrange interviews for the secretary with German 
 oflScials and an audience with the Emperor, and also 
 that the way be opened for the representative of the 
 American Associations to see what Germany was doing 
 for the welfare of her soldiers and sailors; all of which 
 the Foreign Office most kindly did. The easy readiness 
 of officials to lay bare the fact that comparatively little 
 was being done in the way of Christian or welfare work 
 for the men of the service but emphasized their point 
 of view. Such effort was not well-invested time, tal- 
 ent, or money in the German theories of building up 
 military power. To observe that even to the remotest 
 corner of the empire military power was supreme, was 
 a surprise to the secretary. While he was in Berlin 
 awaiting the august Kaiser's summons for an audience, 
 the marriage of the Crown Prince occurred. The 
 dazzling display of regal splendor as the bride and 
 groom rode through the streets of the capital was most 
 impressive. But to the democratic onlooker, specters 
 of dead men walked beside the coaches of glittering 
 gold, rode beside the plumed lords and nobles upon their 
 gaily caparisoned steeds, and followed in the wake of 
 gay heralds and noisy trumpeters. The specters of 
 dead men also mingled with the madly cheering hosts, 
 among whom, even then, were those moved by a strange 
 spirit of unrest; those who in a vague and undefined 
 way were conscious that the glittering spectacle was 
 but the outward symbol of a system that put heavy 
 burdens upon already burdened shoulders. These were 
 they whose voices did not mingle in the mad shouts and 
 whose arms hung motionless amid the loud clapping, 
 but who in these latter days have raised both voice and 
 arm to confound every exalted one in that memorable 
 procession. 
 
THE GERMAN ARMY AND NAVY 133 
 
 The further investigations were pursued, the stronger 
 grew the conviction that the big chasm between officers 
 and men in the ranks, and the strong tide setting in 
 against orthodox Protestant Christianity, as well as 
 other causes, presented grave difficulties to the pur- 
 suance of regular lines of Association effort in the 
 Army and Navy. The work that was being done was 
 carried on with many discouragements but large faith. 
 Small space in several of the city Association build- 
 ings was set aside for the use of the men of the service, 
 and to enlarge these quarters and make more vigorous 
 and appealing this effort, was the hope of those who 
 were in charge. No really adequate, separate buildings 
 had been erected for the work with one or two notable 
 exceptions. 
 
 The officers of the various departments of the Gov- 
 ernment showed every courtesy to their visitor but 
 evinced no marked interest in the welfare of the men. 
 The then unrenowned Minister of Marine graciously 
 granted an hour's interview, but left an impression 
 that later history has but too sadly proved correct. 
 Everywhere it was the same idea — build up the big 
 fighting machine, make supreme devotion of every unit 
 of strength, mental, moral, and physical, to this, and 
 your country must prove unconquerable. 
 
 Owing to the continued functions in celebration of 
 the royal marriage the secretary could not wait for 
 the audience which was granted in time, a matter of 
 deep regret. Yet there is little reason, in the light of 
 subsequent events, to assume that this interview could 
 have changed the current of thought that had always 
 possessed the Kaiser's mind. He was already irrevo- 
 cably committed- to the convictions all too well known 
 to the world of today. 
 
134 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 The giant diflflculties in the way of prosecuting As- 
 sociation work successfully in the German Army and 
 Navy on an adequate scale but made the effort to do 
 more seem necessary to Mr. Stokes as well as to those 
 more immediately responsible. As late as 1911 Mr. 
 Stokes continued his efforts to enlist the interest of 
 the Emperor and the German officials in a large exten- 
 sion of the work in their Army and Navy. He sug- 
 gested the holding in Berlin of an exhibition of what 
 was being done for the men in the diiferent armies and 
 navies of the world. But this suggestion, though very 
 tactfully presented, was not favorably received by the 
 G«rman officials to whom he presented it. Looking 
 back now over these past years of bloodshed, it would 
 seem that Mr. Stokes had some premonition of what 
 was coming and sought in every way in his power to 
 turn the attention of the leaders of Germany to a piece 
 of constructive work, in which, if they had applied their 
 great genius for organization, they might have excelled 
 anything hitherto accomplished in any nation. The 
 young manhood of that empire might have been placed 
 upon a moral and spiritual eminence and might have, 
 today, commanded the respect and admiration of the 
 world. The Kaiser and his officers lost the opportunity 
 of rendering a mighty service to humanity. Instead, 
 the world has been drenched with blood, and this gen- 
 eration and another must pass before the hatreds en- 
 gendered have been forgotten. 
 
 Mr. Stokes is gone — but he has left an undying rec- 
 ord of great devotion to the cause of Christian inter- 
 nationalism. 
 
XI 
 
 THE KNIGHTLY COUNSELOR OF THE YOUNG 
 WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION 
 
 Mrs. Thomas S. Gladding 
 
 In recalling my long acquaintance with Mr. James 
 Stokes, and in recently reading a sheaf of his illumi- 
 nating correspondence relating to the Young Women's 
 Christian Association, I am impressed anew and more 
 vividly than ever with the fact that he was for a long 
 period of years the knightly and brotherly counselor, 
 supporter, and friend of the great organization which 
 does its work for young women alongside that of the 
 Young Men's Christian Association. The letters I have 
 had the privilege of reading extend over a period of 
 thirty years. They give kindly and earnest advice, 
 they often accompany generous checks, they extend 
 warm encouragement and sometimes congratulations 
 for work accomplished, they utter warnings and frank 
 criticisms, they speak of tried Association methods, 
 they point out guiding principles of Association work. 
 
 It is very evident that Mr. Stokes consistently main- 
 tained, both in his personal and in his official relations 
 to the leaders, and to the leaders-to-be, of the Young 
 Women's Christian Association movement, that the 
 longer and therefore larger experience of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association leaders should be freely 
 shared with the Young Women's Christian Associa- 
 tion. He seemed always to feel a noble sense of obli- 
 gation to share Young Men's Christian Association ex- 
 
 135 
 
136 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 perience and Young Men's Christian Association influ- 
 ence with the Young Women's Christian Association 
 leaders. The history of the Young Women's Christian 
 Association cannot be recorded apart from the gifts, 
 the counsels, and the interest of Mr. Stokes. He was 
 really a living part of the movement itself. 
 
 The Young Women's Christian Association of the 
 City of New York, founded in 1870, owed its inception, 
 in part, to the interest and urgent initiative of Mr. 
 Stokes. In a letter written in 1916 to Mrs. Clarence E. 
 Beebe, the late president of this Association, Mr. Stokes 
 says: "I little thought, when I asked my old friend 
 Sarah Hills to go with me and urge Mrs. Marshall O. 
 Roberts to start this work, that it would grow to such 
 tremendous proportions." 
 
 He was for many years the secretary of the Advisory 
 Board of the Fifteenth Street Association, as it was 
 familiarly called, resigning when he was about to make 
 an extended world tour. His correspondence with the 
 leaders of the Fifteenth Street Association, now become 
 the Fifty-third Street Branch of the Y. W. C. A. of the 
 City of New York, covers a wide range of subjects rang- 
 ing from the main principles of Association work to 
 such details as the electric wiring of the Association 
 building. 
 
 Long before the present extensive Travelers' Aid 
 work was undertaken, one finds Mr. Stokes writing a 
 letter to Miss Doheny, Chaplain of the Fifteenth Street 
 Association, expressing to her his anxiety concerning 
 proper representation from the Association at every 
 boat and dock, to meet incoming young women. 
 
 Mr. Stokes was deeply interested in the work of the 
 International Committee of Young Women's Christian 
 Associations, which later became known ofiQcially as 
 
The Fihst Young Women's Christian Association Building, 
 Fifteenth Street, New York City 
 Of this organization Mr. Stokes \^•as an advocate and a trus- 
 tee, and he cooperated with his cousin, Miss Grace Dodge, the 
 president of the National Board of Young Women's Christian 
 Associations in its establishment. Mr. Stokes's sister was the 
 president of the first 15th Street Y.W.C.A. 
 
THE KNIGHTLY COUNSELOR 137 
 
 the American Committee. In a letter written nearly 
 twenty years ago to Mrs. John V. Farwell, Jr., of Chi- 
 cago, the president of this organization, he said : "For 
 years I have had it intimated that the International 
 Committee of Young Men's Christian Associations had 
 taken your Committee under their wing. . . . The latter 
 charge is somewhat correct. God meant that men and 
 women should work together for the redemption of the 
 world, and I should consider one of the essential fea- 
 tures in any proposed movement, that in some way you 
 should have the use and benefits of the half century of 
 experience which our young men have gotten." 
 
 He was also interested in the work of the Interna- 
 tional Board of Women's and Young Women's Chris- 
 tian Associations, and pointed out to them that they 
 would greatly gain in power and effectiveness if they 
 would bring their officers, scattered over the continent, 
 into one city where meetings could often be held. 
 
 For years Mr. Stokes watched the progress of these 
 two international bodies, including Young Women's 
 Christian Association work in the United States and 
 Canada, and urgently- pointed out to them as oppor- 
 tunity offered the advantages that would come to them 
 from a union of the two organizations and from the 
 centering of their united forces in New York City. In 
 writing to a prominent Western woman concerning 
 this hope of his, he said : "Now, I think I have proven 
 myself a sincere friend according to the Bible rule, for 
 I have pointed out the faults and difficulties of your 
 present situation, and I am glad to know for your own 
 sake that you have had these matters under considera- 
 tion, and the original suggestion of your moving East 
 did not come through me, but from your own selves. 
 . . . Was there ever a friend so faithful and outspoken, 
 
138 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 and have I not shown that I have not only the general 
 work, but your interest at heart?" 
 
 A letter written twenty years ago by a National 
 Young Women's Christian Association secretary, in 
 speaking of the interest of Mr. Stokes in the union of 
 the two Young Women's Christian Association organi- 
 zations of those days, says of him : 
 
 "He is undoubtedly one of our truest friends and is 
 intensely interested in the salvation of women, believ- 
 ing that the Young Women's Christian Association is 
 the organization to meet the needs of women. He has 
 such ideals of the possibilities of Association work and 
 is willing to help when he feels that it is thoroughly 
 established. He has talked with a great many people 
 during the summer and I am surprised to see the 
 amount of time and interest he is giving to our work." 
 
 When the union was at last effected, and the two or- 
 ganizations were merged in the National Board of 
 Young Women's Christian Associations, it was a source 
 of gratification to Mr. Stokes that his cousin. Miss 
 Grace H. Dodge, was unanimously chosen its first 
 president. 
 
 Mr. Stokes's letters would really form a by no means 
 brief compendium on Association principles and meth- 
 ods. He constantly refers to the great evangelical 
 foundation of Association work. In one letter he says, 
 "Now the Young Men's Christian Association found 
 out years ago that they could not ally themselves in 
 active Christian work with those who deny the attri- 
 butes of their Master, whose name they had taken, and 
 that it was utterly impossible to expect successful reli- 
 gious work with any such alliance." 
 
 Mr. Stokes warmly encouraged the young secretaries 
 who came East with some thought of founding a second 
 
THE KNIGHTLY COUNSELOR 139 
 
 Young Women's Christian Association in New York 
 City, and who did eventually found what is now known 
 as the Harlem Branch of that city. Referring both to 
 the names of these ladies and to their pioneering char- 
 acteristics, he wrote of them, "I call them 'Stick and 
 Pull.' " Mr. Stokes became in 1902 a life member of 
 the Harlem Branch of the Young Women's Christian 
 Association, signing himself in the letter which in- 
 closed his check, "As always, a friend of the work." 
 
 He was deeply interested in the founding of the 
 World's Committee of Young Women's Christian Asso- 
 ciations, with executive headquarters in London, and 
 he was often in correspondence with the British and 
 American members of that committee. He also gave 
 his earnest counsel and financial help in the founding 
 of the first training school for secretaries in connection 
 with the original American Committee of Chicago. 
 
 In 1896 Mr. Stokes really made a beginning for the 
 Young Women's Christian Association work in Japan 
 by writing from Yokohama a long and gracious letter 
 to Miss Tsuda, a prominent educator, calling her atten- 
 tion to the work of the Young Women's Christian Asso- 
 ciation in various countries. He speaks in this letter 
 of a friendly commission which he had received from 
 the executive body in London, representing the World's 
 Committee of Young Women's Christian Associations, 
 authorizing and indeed urging him to study the condi- 
 tions and the life of young women in various countries 
 during his long trip, with a view to reporting to the 
 London committee later. He says that he is "to find 
 out, if possible, if there is an opening for such institu- 
 tions in Japan." His letter goes into a lengthy expla- 
 nation of what Young Women's Christian Association 
 work really does for young women and means to them. 
 
140 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 Speaking of a possible Japanese Young Women's Chris- 
 tian Association, he says : 
 
 "It could have various classes for instruction, which 
 would tend to make the girls self-supporting and grad- 
 ually do away with the unfortunate idea implanted in 
 so many nations that the great — almost the only — 
 thing a woman can do in life is to be married and be- 
 come the mother of a family, however beautiful and nat- 
 ural this may be under proper circumstances." 
 
 He adds that he believes "that the Young Men's 
 and Young Women's Christian Associations have a 
 great mission in Japan," and closes by saying : 
 
 "I am delighted to think that women like yourself 
 and your friend and others who will become interested 
 in it will have the great pleasure of pioneering this 
 work. I am very sorry not to see you again to talk the 
 matter over more fully — though all partings are only 
 temporary, and I hope that some day we shall have a 
 chance to tell the stories of our lives in our Father's 
 own house on high." 
 
 Later Mr. Stokes made it financially possible to send 
 the first Young Women's Christian Association secre- 
 tary from America to Japan. Dr. John K. Mott, writ- 
 ing to Mr. Stokes in 1900, said : "In view of the fact 
 that you have really pioneered the way for the Young 
 Women's Christian Association in Japan, you will take 
 special satisfaction in inaugurating the movement 
 itself." 
 
 It was Mr. Stokes who also helped the Young Wom- 
 en's Christian Association work in early days in France 
 and in Italy. In 1897 he gave both time, deep interest, 
 and money to the work in Italy, which was then com- 
 paratively small. Madame Schalck of Turin, President 
 of the Young Women's Christian Association of Italy, 
 
THE KNIGHTLY COUNSELOE 141 
 
 sends him a letter, thanking him for his hours of con- 
 ference and for his especially encouraging words to the 
 Association secretary in Turin. Her letter also pre- 
 sents to him for his consideration and help a plan for 
 a training school for domestic servants under the aus- 
 pices of the Protestant Association, to be established 
 in Turin. It is evident that Mr. Stokes went very 
 thoroughly into the problems of the Italian Associa- 
 tions in conference with their devoted president. An- 
 other letter from Madame Schalck, written to Mr. 
 Stokes late in the year, thanks him for his "most gra- 
 cious gift," owing to which the Young Women's Chris- 
 tian Association in Eome was opened "free of all pecu- 
 niary anxieties." 
 
 It is pleasant to read in Madam Schalck's letter her 
 thanks for Mr. Stokes's interest in her young son, who 
 was so pleased to have the American gentleman talk 
 with him of sports and athletics. Madam Schalck ex- 
 plains that the Italian Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion did not then emphasize sports for its younger mem- 
 bers. Her boy was much pleased to find so keen an 
 interest on the part of the great American Young Men's 
 Christian Association leader. It gave the boy a new 
 conception of a Christianity which embraced all of 
 life's interests. 
 
 In a letter written to a French Association leader in 
 1896, Mr. Stokes says of the Young Women's Christian 
 Association work in Paris: 
 
 "Here let me say that while I have no right to take 
 any part in the work inaugurated by a French lady for 
 young women, planned and suggested from young men's 
 work, I am deeply interested in its success, as I am one 
 of the Advisory Board and one of the originators of the 
 work in this city (New York) and country. I hope that 
 the ladies who have charge of this will be guided aright 
 
142 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 and will see above all things that the spiritual life will 
 be kept up; for unless the spiritual life is kept up it 
 will be simply moral and utilitarian. For that reason 
 they should select some one who thoroughly under- 
 stands the work, has been trained in it, and is in every 
 way a devoted Christian person. They should also put 
 themselves in correspondence with the World's Commit- 
 tee of ladies located in London, so that they may have 
 all the advantages of their experience." 
 
 A little later than this Mr. Stokes met a large share 
 of the expense of the journey and sojourn of Miss Annie 
 M. Eeynolds in connection with her first visit in Rus- 
 sia, in the hope of establishing some fellowships there 
 which should lead to the founding of a Young Women's 
 Christian Association in Russia to match the organiza- 
 tion he had projected for young men. He not only made 
 generous provision for this pioneer visit, but also used 
 his influence with high officials in Russia to pave the 
 way for Miss Reynolds's visit. 
 
 Mr. Stokes made a careful study of the Young Wom- 
 en's Christian Association in its various scattered 
 branches during his stay in India, and made possible 
 the early work of the first National Secretary, Miss 
 Agnes Gale Hill. Late in 1900, Miss Hill wrote as 
 follows to Mr. Stokes : "It is now just four years since 
 you came to Madras and there began a task — the task 
 of the formation of the National Committee — which I 
 believe has proved to be one of the best tasks ever 
 begun." 
 
 In 1910, when preparations were being made for a 
 historic conference of the Associations included in the 
 federation of the World's Committee of Young Wom- 
 en's Christian Associations, it was Mr. Stokes who 
 wrote to the American Ambassador in Berlin, putting 
 before him the significance of the proposed conference 
 
THE KNIGHTLY COUNSELOR 143 
 
 and bespeaking for its delegates the help and cour- 
 tesies of the American Embassy. 
 
 I had several very interesting meetings and conver- 
 sations with Mr. Stokes not long before his death. At 
 the first of these meetings, he said to me half humor- 
 ously, and half pathetically, "I am seventy-five years 
 old," and yet he was as fastidiously groomed, as alert, 
 and as interested in affairs as in the old days. He was 
 just then planning, in spite of physical indisposition, 
 for several quiet but very impressive meetings in his 
 home, which had been the scene of so many private talks 
 and public conferences concerning the work for young 
 men and young women to which he devoted his life and 
 fortune. 
 
 These meetings brought together a company of ladies 
 and gentlemen to listen to delicate and yet bold and 
 plain-spoken presentations of the temptations of sol- 
 diers in wartime, made by men fresh from camps and 
 fighting lines. The speakers urged the Young Women's 
 Christian Association to dismiss any thought of enter- 
 taining soldiers by dances at Association centers of 
 hospitality; pointing out most solemnly that the busi- 
 ness of the Young Women's Christian Association was 
 to safeguard rather than in any possible way to imperil 
 the social life of the American soldiers. Mr. Stokes 
 expressed himself very clearly and yet very tenderly 
 as being in favor of a hospitality and social opportunity 
 which should bring young people together in all sorts of 
 happy ways, but should eliminate absolutely the un- 
 graceful and very questionable modern round dances. 
 So far as I know, the planning of these meetings, and 
 the correspondence and witness of Mr. Stokes in con- 
 nection with them to both the Young Men's and the 
 Young Women's Christian Associations was his last 
 
144 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 piece of work for the Young Women's Christian Asso- 
 ciation. 
 
 Many stories could be told of Mr. Stokes's thoughtful 
 kindness to Association secretaries and other Associa- 
 tion leaders, on many occasions — the knightly acts of 
 the kindly and chivalrous Christian gentleman he was. 
 He once sent to a committee an additional check of 
 generous proportions, saying that he noted that the 
 secretary whose special piece of work he had been sup- 
 porting had not included in her account any extras in 
 connection with her long and arduous journey. On 
 another occasion he was making a sojourn in a southern 
 town and found there a secretary who had long been 
 connected in various responsible positions with Y. W. 
 C. A. work. In calling upon her, he discovered that she 
 was in the South because of two invalid members of 
 her family, and that they were living very simply in 
 order to afford the advantages of the climate. He asked 
 his old friend if she would not name to him some special 
 way in which he could help her. She must allow him to 
 help at least a little in the general expenses of the win- 
 ter's sojourn. And then he went away, leaving in her 
 hands an envelope containing a check for $150. 
 
 Mr. Stokes was the blood brother and unfailing friend 
 of the Young Women's Christian Association. All its 
 earlier history must honor him as a constant adviser, a 
 generous supporter, a thoughtful leader. 
 
XII 
 
 GUIDING PEINCIPLES 
 Charles K. Ober 
 
 Dr. Mott has referred to the fact, recognized by all 
 who knew James Stokes, that he was loyal to certain 
 guiding principles by which he ruled his life and made 
 his decisions. The writer of this chapter knew Mr. 
 Stokes for more than thirty years as a friend and an 
 associate in the Young Men's Christian Association 
 work in North America, and is also conversant with the 
 great and varied work promoted and supported by Mr. 
 Stokes in European countries. Mr. Stokes was not 
 a diflScult man to understand. He was simple, frank, 
 open-hearted, outspoken, friendly, responsive, consist- 
 ent, persistent, and always true to his guiding prin- 
 ciples. What were the principles upon which this 
 single-minded, true-hearted Christian layman built his 
 beautiful and beneficent life and wrought for more than 
 half a century as lover and helper of the young men 
 of many nations? Mr. Stokes's dominant and guiding 
 principles, as known by his friends, grew out of his 
 religious life and his identification with the Young 
 Men's Christian Association. He was a Christian and 
 he was "an Association man." 
 
 Mr. Gaylord has spoken of him as "a man of faith." 
 T like to think of Mr. Stokes as a hoy of faith. He was 
 only a boy when he helped organize the Young Men's 
 Christian Association in New York City and only a 
 very young man when he prevailed upon Robert E. 
 McBurney to return to the secretaryship of the New 
 
 145 
 
146 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 York City Association as his life work. I like to think 
 of James Stokes as consecrating himself to this work 
 for young men just as truly as McBurney did. I think 
 that Stokes said "come" to McBurney and not "go." 
 Certain it is that they two went on together, in a great 
 and abiding work for God and men, in which neither 
 of them rested, and from which neither could be turned 
 aside. 
 
 To Mr. Stokes religion was a vital experience and 
 fellowship. It was his life, not something added to it. 
 He went about doing good, not merely because Christ 
 lived that way, but because, having drunk deep of the 
 spirit of Christ, he was filled with compassion for the 
 multitudes. Though he had abundant means and lei- 
 sure to gratify every self-indulgent wish, he filled his 
 days with deeds and his nights with cares for others 
 because he really cared. He served because he loved, 
 and his love for men was kindled and sustained by the 
 love of Christ, which to him was the greatest reality 
 of his life. 
 
 Mr. Stokes from his boyhood loved the Young Men's 
 Christian Association and did what he could to inter- 
 pret and to promote it. As "an Association man" he 
 idealized the Association and sought to build its prin- 
 ciples into his life program. The Association ideal is 
 a composite of several great ideas, such as, a working 
 brotherhood of all Christian young men, the interest 
 and program of the Association in the whole life of 
 young men, the association of the efforts of the many for 
 the accomplishing of the common tasks, character build- 
 ing on the standards of Christ, the leadership of lay- 
 men, personal evangelism, and the program of Christ 
 for the young men of the nations. 
 
 Any one of these ideas is great enough to fire the 
 
GUIDING PRINCIPLES 147 
 
 imagination and command the loyalty of the greatest 
 of men, and the whole Association ideal, given the right 
 of way in any man's life, will challenge and enlist his 
 latent forces and lift him to the highest attainable plane 
 of character and achievement. Mr. Stokes felt in his 
 own life the full impact and dynamic of all of these 
 great ideas, and helped to build the Association on 
 this pattern. In building, he was himself built up, as 
 thousands of others have been, and became great in his 
 idealism and also great in service. 
 
 One of the guiding principles in Mr. Stokes's life was 
 that of working through and with other men, and where 
 the right man was not already related to the task, of 
 selecting and training the man. As the volunteer sec- 
 retary of the New York City Association, he saw that 
 the work was beyond his powers, or the powers of any 
 man who served purely as a volunteer, and he selected, 
 persuaded, and supported Robert R. McBurney, who 
 in his career of thirty-six years as the employed Gen- 
 eral Secretary of the New York City Association, pio- 
 neered and demonstrated the profession of the Associa- 
 tion secretaryship. Mr. Stokes continued an officer 
 and volunteer worker of the New York Association 
 throughout McBurney's administration and was one of 
 the group of conspicuous Association laymen who dem- 
 onstrated the indispensability of the leadership of the 
 laymen in the Association while McBurney was dem- 
 onstrating the secretaryship. 
 
 Mr. Stokes learned of the beginnings of the Railroad 
 Association work in Cleveland and invited to his home 
 for conference and to interest the members of his own 
 family, the converted railroad man, Henry Stager, by 
 whom this work was started in Cleveland. Mr. Stokes 
 saw the possibilities of a great religious movement 
 
14:8 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 among railroad men, extending to all the great railroad 
 systems, and wanted to help in its development. But, 
 he was not a "railroad man" though he had a friend 
 who was, and he interested and enlisted Cornelius Van- 
 derbilt, who made this work possible in New York City 
 and on the New York Central Lines, and, as a member 
 of the International Committee, helped greatly in its 
 extension on the great railway systems of the United 
 States and Canada. 
 
 Mr. Stokes's selection of Thomas K. Cree for his tem- 
 porary but statesman-like and highly efficient work in 
 European capitals, and his selection and support of 
 Franklin Gaylord for his seven years of constructive 
 organization in Paris and his similar service for nearly 
 nineteen years in St. Petersburg and Moscow, are con- 
 spicuous illustrations of this principle by which Mr. 
 Stokes was so wisely guided in his work with men. 
 
 Cree and Gaylord, however, were pioneers and ad- 
 vance agents for native European young men whose dis- 
 covery, training, and leadership were essential to the 
 highest efficiency and the permanence of the work un- 
 dertaken. Mr. Stokes, therefore, aided in the selection 
 and provided for the professional training in America 
 of more than thirty promising young men of Prance, 
 Italy, and other European countries and cooperated 
 with them in their work. 
 
 Additional men from America were also needed for 
 positions in the Association work in Europe, in select- 
 ing whom Mr. Stokes required evidence not only of 
 character, ability, personality, and adaptation to the 
 task, but of genuine religious convictions and the spirit 
 of service. To satisfy himself as to the possession of 
 these qualifications, he spared no pains or expense, fre- 
 quently bringing men and their wives from long dis- 
 
GUIDING rRINCIPLES 149 
 
 tances to be guests in his home, for the purpose of per- 
 sonal interview and opportunity for acquaintance and 
 appraisal of their personality and fitness for the con- 
 templated work. When the right man was found, Mr. 
 Stokes would support him to the limit, not only in the 
 work undertaken, but in giving time and meeting the 
 expense involved in two or more years of technical 
 training, if necessary, to fit the man for his task. 
 
 The recognition of his trusteeship was a guiding 
 principle of Mr. Stokes's life. He was one that had 
 great possessions, but with these he recognized that 
 he had inherited great obligations, that he was a debtor 
 to less favored men. He did not wait for these men to 
 seek him out and solicit his help, though many did this, 
 but he went far afield to find needy men to whom he 
 might minister. Witness his mission and ministry to 
 the young men of France, Italy, Russia, Germany, and 
 other neglected and inarticulate fields. Witness also 
 his journeys oft and labors abundant in seeking to ex- 
 plore and to administer his beneficent undertakings. 
 At his death, he left his fortune as a trust to perpetu- 
 ate the Christian and philanthropic works which he had 
 begun but had not the time to finish. His will, a re- 
 markable document, is a witness to the principle of 
 stewardship by which his life was guided, probably 
 growing out of his commitment to the ideal of the 
 Association. 
 
 With Mr. Stokes, prayer was also a vital and guid- 
 ing principle. He was not ostentatious in prayer, in 
 fact seldom prayed in public, but he knew the path to 
 "the secret place," and habitually walked that way. 
 He prayed about the work before and after undertaking 
 it, and he prayed for the workers, sharing their bur- 
 dens and bringing them all to the great Burden Bearer. 
 
150 JAMES STOKES— PIONEEK 
 
 Having access to "the springs in the mountains," he 
 renewed his strength and purpose to live the unselfish 
 life and he overcame the world. On rare occasions, as 
 when touched by emotion, deep and mighty rivers of 
 prayer have poured from Mr. Stokes's heart, giving evi- 
 dence of an intimate fellowship with God, a faith that 
 would not let him go without the blessing and a knowl- 
 edge of God's ways that can come only from a life of 
 prayer. 
 
 Mr. Stokes was also guided by the principle of self- 
 denial and of protest against the customs and tenden- 
 cies that undermine character in young men and 
 women. There are such customs and tendencies which 
 are considered to be good form in modern society. The 
 best qualities of the old Puritan were reincarnated in 
 Mr. Stokes. He was not an ascetic, nor a "kill-joy" but 
 he knew life, especially the social life of a great city 
 and he knew that multitudes of choice young men and 
 women went down and out with the human wreckage, 
 because they could not stand the strain of the tempta- 
 tions deliberately set before them in society, and there- 
 fore he set his face and raised his voice against such 
 customs. 
 
 Mr. Stokes was loyal to the principle of the evangel 
 and to the practice of evangelism. Philanthropy, edu- 
 cation, and the A.ssociation's broad program of social, 
 physical, and economic betterment appealed to him and 
 had his generous and continued support. But he felt that 
 all these were but an expression of the spirit of Christ 
 and a part of, not a substitute for, the direct presenta- 
 tion of Christ to men as their personal Saviour and 
 Lord. A lifetime friend of Moody and McBurney, Mr. 
 Stokes knew the power of the Gospel to win men to 
 God, in public or private presentation, to transform 
 
GUIDING PKINCIPLES 151 
 
 character, and to enlist men in the program of the 
 Kingdom of God among men. If an Association, or an 
 Association training agency, seemed to him to have 
 lost its vision of, or loyalty to, the principle of the 
 evangel, it lost automatically his interest and support. 
 
 Mr. Stokes's life was governed by the principle of 
 friendship. He became a philanthropist because he 
 was a friend. The more he gave away, the richer he 
 became — in friendship, for with his gifts of money and 
 service, he gave himself, and the interest on the invest- 
 ment of oneself can be paid only in kind. 
 
 Mr. Stokes was very approachable; in fact, he gen- 
 erally took the initiative. He was interested in young 
 men, and in all that concerned them. I think that his 
 interest in the Young Men's Christian Association was 
 chiefly because it is a friendly organization, with many 
 opportunities for personal contact. All the men who 
 represented him in Christian and philanthropic work 
 were his personal friends. It could not well be other- 
 wise for not only did he deal generously with them, but 
 his close and continued interest in their work, and in 
 the young men for whom they were working, com- 
 manded their respect, their appreciation, and their 
 loyal response to his friendship. 
 
 Doubtless some of Mr. Stokes's friends, not those, 
 however, who were associated with him in Christian 
 work, thought that he was sinking his money in unprof- 
 itable investments. But he had taken counsel with 
 the great Authority on friendship and used his money 
 to "make friends," so that when it and the things for 
 which less careful investors generally spend it, failed, 
 as fail they must, the friends whom he had made his 
 own forever might receive him "into the everlasting 
 habitations." 
 
152 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 At the unveiling of the bust of Sir George Williams, 
 on the occasion of the opening of the building of the 
 International Committee in New York City, Mr. Stokes 
 commended in the founder of the Association the prin- 
 ciples by which his own life was guided, when he said : 
 
 "When we think of the life work of our beloved 
 founder, let us remember that: (1) No increase in 
 money power, no conferring upon him of distinguished 
 titles, no growth of worldly fame, spoiled his spirit. 
 (2) He avoided all ostentation both personally and 
 in all his official relations. (3) No one has ever asso- 
 ciated with the practices and spirit of our founder any 
 underhandedness or political maneuvering. (4) With 
 the unprecedented multiplication of buildings, and 
 with the growth in the wealth of our movement, the 
 danger is that we will lean upon these materials, rather 
 than upon the living God. (5) Like him we should 
 abound with the spirit of evangelism. No man can 
 think of Sir George without thinking of him as seeking 
 to bring others to Christ. (6) Each secretary should 
 be the guide and trainer of other men, keeping himself 
 in the background. (7) Worthy was Sir George to 
 be the founder and head of our world-wide movement 
 for, through all the period of his life, he had a consum- 
 ing desire to see its helpful ministry extended to the 
 young men of every nation. (8) The Associations 
 should have their work supervised and controlled by 
 the votes of those only who are positive and aggressive 
 Christians, those who think enough of their religion to 
 be enrolled as members of the evangelical, Protestant 
 churches. (9) His ways of business were careful and 
 methodical and a pattern to us in safeguarding by all 
 modern means our funds. (10) To copy the words of 
 Mr. Farwell at the Chicago Jubilee, 'We may raise 
 many dollars, we may build many buildings, but we 
 must never fail to remember that our supreme work is 
 to touch the hearts and minds of young men, that they 
 may dedicate to God's service whatever wealth, power, 
 and ability He may give them.' It remains for the 
 
Sib John Collier's Great Painting of Sik CIeorge Williams 
 Presented in London to the "Parent" Association by Mr. Stokes 
 and unveiled by King George. In the group with the King are 
 Queen Mary, the Prince of Wales, and J. J. Virgo, then General 
 Secretary, London. 
 
GUIDING PRINCIPLES 153 
 
 younger men who come after us to maintain these 
 standards set by Sir George Williams, if they would 
 maintain the existence of the Association." 
 
 The following extracts from a few of many letters 
 of Mr. Stokes to young French and Italian secretaries 
 are revealing of the man. They are typical of a corre- 
 spondence covering years of patient cooperation, in 
 which Mr. Stokes gave freely of himself as well as of 
 his substance. 
 
 "For a long time I have feared that many members 
 of the Board did not appreciate a certain necessary 
 part of the work, that is, putting the young men to 
 work on committees, making them chairmen of the 
 various committees, and holding them responsible for 
 what was done. It is this sense of individual responsi- 
 bility which makes a good Association man love the 
 society and become an excellent self -relying citizen. 
 In this respect the Young Men's Christian Association 
 can do a great moral work for the citizenship of France, 
 though, of course, it cannot enter into politics in any 
 manner, shape, or form. I have not your statistics at 
 hand, but I shall look with interest to see how many 
 young men are on the committees, and who are their 
 chairmen, and what they perform. It will never do to 
 appoint these men chairmen of the committees and 
 then to keep them like little children with no responsi- 
 bility. They must be trusted, and kindly guided only 
 when necessary. If the Board, through its secretary, 
 refuses to trust them, then they must not be aston- 
 ished if the young men refuse to trust the Board and 
 the Secretary." 
 
 "There is still the idea existing in some places that 
 any good young man or aged minister will make a good 
 secretary. We found out nearly twenty-five years ago 
 this would not do. The secretaries must be specially 
 trained. 
 
 "There is also the idea that a secretary, being paid, 
 
154 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 should give more or less every moment of his time to 
 the Association. This will kill any man morally and 
 physically. He must. have time for physical exercise 
 and take it. He must have time to read and improve 
 his mind or his mind will decay. His mind must have 
 time to plan out his work for the Association also. 
 
 "The European secretary is sometimes considered as 
 the man who must attend to every detail and must 
 keep all the books and minutiae with his own hands. 
 This will ruin a man as a true secretary. The secretary 
 should be the leading spirit, he should lead and guide 
 every one, subject, of course, to the guidance of the 
 Board. But he must be a man of such tact that he 
 will keep himself in the background and push forward 
 all the others. If he does all the work in detail he will 
 ruin himself for his position and wear himself out. 
 
 "I do not wish to flatter you and I do not wish to 
 injure you. But I feel the destinies, under God, so far 
 as Christian Italian young men are concerned, are 
 largely in your hands; see to it that you are true to 
 your mission." 
 
 "A letter from one of your relatives expressed great 
 pleasure that you were to take up athletic work in con- 
 nection with the Young Men's Christian Association in 
 France, as he thought you were so well adapted to it. 
 . . . You see, it is one essential for this work that a 
 man should be consecrated in love for young men, also 
 in his love for Jesus Christ, who is the best friend a 
 young man can have in this world or the world to come. 
 We say in America to be an active member one must 
 be a member of a Protestant evangelical church, but 
 you and I must know that mere membership in the 
 Church does not make a Christian of a man who has 
 not consecrated his love and heart to Christ. Prayer 
 on your part and communion and conference with those 
 who are engaged in this work will aid you greatly. 
 You know that it is essential for a gymnastic instructor 
 to become a consecrated man, and this I hope and trust 
 you will become." 
 
XIII 
 A PASSION FOR HELPING FOLKS 
 
 The chief impression which the World's Conference 
 at Paris in 1905 left upon our minds resulted from the 
 overflowing expressions of three conspicuous Associa- 
 tion leaders of the day. First, the patriarchal Sir 
 George Williams, who was borne into the gathering 
 seated in a chair, pulled himself together and poured 
 out these words — his last message and the echo of the 
 torrential passion of his soul for more than sixty 
 years : "Young men, I commit unto you as my last 
 legacy — and it is a most precious one — the Young 
 Men's Christian Association. I leave it to you to carry 
 on and extend. It will be a blessed thing for your 
 own souls and for your countries." 
 
 The second impression was from the prayer of Prince 
 Bernadotte, president of the Swedish Associations, a 
 petition for the young men of the world. The third was 
 the sympathetic prayer of James Stokes at the me- 
 morial meeting for Paul Theis, late secretary of the 
 Paris Association — a man selected, educated, and 
 trained in the Springfield Training School and sup- 
 ported by Mr. Stokes for ten years in work for the 
 young men of the gay, glorious, and thoughtless capi- 
 tal. It was the spontaneous outburst, as well as the 
 revelation of the controlling passion of his life, the 
 heartbreak and burden of his soul and the echo of a 
 thousand prayers. The prayer ended with a tender 
 petition for the young wife and little family— but it 
 had been preceded by a personal visit and a liberal 
 
 155 
 
156 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 check. The concern of these organization builders was 
 more for men than for movements. These utterances 
 sprang from their souls and revealed the springs which 
 fed the outgoing floods sustaining their works. 
 
 Mr. Stokes had a passion for helping folks. One who 
 had been closest to him declared : "I never knew a man 
 who was so hungry for friendship or so eager to help 
 men in difficulty. He fairly fussed about the equipment 
 and the comfort of every secretary he sent out." If 
 one of his men was ill or broken from overwork, he 
 insisted that he should have the best medical care and 
 prolonged rest and recuperation, and made provision 
 for it in liberal fashion. 
 
 "Let me know of any men in difficulty who are sick 
 or in need of a vacation. Let me help them," he tele- 
 phoned Mr. Jenkins, the secretary who was in a posi- 
 tion to know the circumstances of the force of foreign 
 and home men. And by the first mail, or a messenger, 
 would come a check with this invariable message, 
 "Don't let them thank me." Mr. Jenkins writes : 
 
 "He was ever thoughtful of others' comfort and es- 
 pecially he foresaw what they might need. His wide 
 experience in travel gave him many sidelights on hu- 
 man nature and its needs under novel conditions. For 
 example, I well remember his insistence upon the ne- 
 cessity of a light felt hat in traveling in Palestine in 
 early spring and he pressed upon me a Turkish pound 
 to equip myself, knowing that I would not follow his 
 wise counsel unless he backed his judgment. 
 
 "On another occasion, one of our men had a very 
 sick child and the local physician was evidently not 
 diagnosing the malady accurately. Mr. Stokes had the 
 wisdom to send a specialist of metropolitan reputation 
 to the suburb to add his skill. The child got well 
 rapidly. 
 
 "When Hans Andersen was so ill, it was Mr. Stokes 
 
A PASSION FOR HELPING POLKS 157 
 
 who insisted that every modern facility be placed at 
 his disposal. He paid most of the hospital charges. 
 He saw that all was not going well and urged that Dr. 
 Allan Starr be consulted. Dr. Starr was the first to 
 diagnose Andersen's disease correctly. I had quite 
 intimate knowledge of his relations to Andersen and 
 I cannot speak too highly of his foresight and delicacy 
 of feeling, as well as of his kindness and generosity." 
 
 It was not until that "shower" of letters reached Mr. 
 Stokes on his seventy-sixth birthday — referred to in 
 another chapter — that he learned of the help that his 
 check, "like a gift from heaven," brought to this man 
 in dire distress. It was the first opportunity that the 
 secretary had had given him to voice his gratitude. 
 
 "You may not remember me, for I have never talked 
 with you except over the telephone, but I shall never 
 be able to forget your helpfulness to me, and I must 
 claim the right this once to express my thanksgiving. 
 
 "After the trip to Asia with Dr. Mott in 1912-13 I 
 came back to get acquainted with a baby girl born in 
 my absence. A few days after my return she left us 
 after a few hours' illness. Two weeks later my only 
 son came down with meningitis, involving a fight for 
 health lasting through months. Then a little later 
 came scarlet fever, involving my oldest daughter. With 
 hospital expenses for him and extra expenses at home 
 totaling much beyond my income, there was nothing 
 left to do but to pray, 'Give us this day our daily 
 bread.' This my good wife and I did — ^with genuine 
 feeling. The day came when I could leave the house 
 and I started for the office not knowing just where to 
 turn for the financial relief that must be sought. My 
 heart was heavy, and the road seemed uncertain. When 
 I reached the railroad station an acquaintance re- 
 marked to me that some burdens and some strains 
 should be distributed. And he handed me a check for 
 a substantial amount. I thanked the Good Father 
 before I looked at the check. When I reached the office 
 
158 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 Jenkins phoned me that a day or two before he had 
 seen you, you had inquired whether any of the men 
 were hard beset, he had told you of our case, and you 
 had handed him a check for |100 to be given to me — 
 with the stipulation that I was not to thank you for it. 
 
 "That check for $100 did a full hundred dollars' 
 worth of work as money. It did a far greater piece of 
 work in steadying courage and lifting faith. 
 
 "But never since I have been committed to Christian 
 work, now more than twenty-five years, has there ever 
 been an hour when the outreach of a hand of helpful- 
 ness could have been more like the outreach of the 
 hand of the Father Himself than that morning when 
 your check was waiting for me in New York. It was 
 the Father's gift to us. 
 
 "You have helped to distribute many strains — by 
 taking part of the load." 
 
 It does not appear to whom the following letter was 
 written, but helping this poor boy, sick and in dire 
 need, may have been the suggestion which led him to 
 set aside |50,000 in his will to provide vacations in the 
 country for struggling young men : 
 
 "You remember our talk about a poor woman and 
 her son. Well, we got that boy off to the country and 
 I hope saved his life with a little fresh air. I saw an- 
 other rich friend beside you and he promised to aid in 
 starting a fresh air fund for sick young men, to be 
 used specially by young men recommended by our 
 Associations. I have seen Rev. Mr. Persons who man- 
 ages so well the Evening Post Fresh Air Fund. He 
 will board at |2.25 or |2.50 per week (as members of 
 the family) in the country, young men who may be 
 sent out." 
 
 He loved to help a fellow worth helping. In sending 
 a young man needing work to Mr. Warburton, of the 
 New York Railroad Association, he wrote : 
 
A PASSION FOR HELPING FOLKS 159 
 
 "I am sending you the bearer. His father was an 
 honest and faithful workman of mine for many years 
 and served his time on the Volunteer Fire Department, 
 where he received an injury which crippled him for 
 life and has now laid him aside. He was one of the 
 old-fashioned fellows that you read about, an honest 
 man of the middle class. His boy wishes to help sup- 
 port the father and, from our Bible visitor, I hear a 
 fine report of him as being like his father. He is re- 
 ported as being a quiet, stay-at-home boy, favorably 
 known to all the neighbors. This is the kind of a young 
 man for railroad business. 
 
 "May I ask you to interest yourself in his behalf, and 
 I think anyone proposing to employ him will be able 
 to check off his record in a favorable manner." 
 
 A touch of humor as he pays "$1 a pound premium" 
 on a baby born to his friend Bichsel, secretary of the 
 French Branch, New York: 
 
 "I congratulate you and your good wife upon the 
 birth of Elizabeth. 
 
 "As I am in the habit of paying about $10 a pound 
 for nice babies, and as I imagine she weighs five pounds 
 I enclose you a check for |50, but this must not serve 
 as any encouragement to send me such cards too often. 
 
 "With best wishes for your wife and the baby, and 
 also for yourself." 
 
 In writing of a young Frenchman alone in a New 
 York hospital, who had his foot amputated, Mr. Bich- 
 sel reports: 
 
 "The money which you so kindly left for him will 
 be used in securing an artificial limb, thus enabling him 
 to go about and earn his living. Let me thank you 
 again on his behalf." 
 
 We find a letter from Mr. Orne in 1892 in which he 
 acknowledges Mr. Stokes's help in providing a nurse 
 
160 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 for their bookkeeper, a simple retiring man who had 
 just returned to the office after three months' sickness 
 and convalescence, and another from a student secre- 
 tary who writes him in gratitude, on learning acci- 
 dentally that it was Mr. Stokes who had provided 
 the funds to send him to the country for recuperation. 
 
 When an International secretary was stricken with 
 fever the first profifer of aid to his wife was not from 
 his associates, but from Mr. Stokes, together with a 
 generous check to provide for "some little extras," and 
 after a siege of sickness lasting two months he insisted 
 on paying the considerable bill of the physician — add- 
 ing the invariable word, "Don't let him thank me." 
 
 From a friendly letter written to Sir George Wil- 
 liams on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee in 1904 
 these sentences revealing his labors are taken : 
 
 "How vast is our great enterprise in its reach ! How 
 complete its accomplishments! One night I have a 
 session with one of our leading secretaries with a 
 mighty plan for reaching into China ; the next is a call 
 from one of our Japanese secretaries regarding the 
 great work in Japan; the next an appeal from South 
 America; today I am expecting the secretary from 
 Rome; next month my secretary from St. Petersburg; 
 and some time this month, a brother of Paul Theis of 
 Paris, who was educated in our secretary school, and 
 who has been doing good service in Shanghai, and so it 
 goes. Almost every moment of my time is taken up 
 by some phase of our Association problem. 
 
 "I am rebuilding a large house, which we bought 
 for the French Branch of our New York Association, 
 and as all educated young men in Europe, especially 
 on the continent, are supposed to speak French, this 
 will serve as a depot for all the vast Association work 
 which Providence has called me to undertake in 
 Europe. At the last convention of the students of the 
 Latin race, held at Rome, it was a delightful experience 
 
A PASSION FOR HELPING FOLKS 161 
 
 for the young men of Italy, France, Spain, and Portu- 
 gal to find that they all could speak a language under- 
 stood by each. You may have heard that there were 
 some two hundred delegates present on that occasion, 
 and this marks the beginning of a new and great era 
 for the Latin races. Let them but get the Gospel! 
 Let them hear it through the practical work of he 
 Young Men's Christian Association; and the results 
 will abundantly justify our expectations. 
 
 "Thank God, our large work is amongst the middle 
 class, which is always the great stronghold of a vigor- 
 ous nation. We can point to hundreds and thousands 
 of young men that have been brought to know Christ 
 by means of this organization, and so, my dear friend, 
 you have much to congratulate yourself on, as a father 
 and patron of this Association, in its tremendous ac- 
 complishments. What joy and what peace this must 
 bring to you ! 
 
 "I do not forget the last night when I bade you 'Good- 
 by,' and it is possible that, this being my year for 
 going abroad, I may meet you during the coming sea- 
 son, take you by your hand, and look into your dear 
 face again. God bless and keep you many, many years, 
 my dear friend, is my prayer, and the prayer of all 
 your children in this great and growing land." 
 
 The reply from Sir George Williams contained the 
 following : 
 
 "How can I adequately thank you for the beautiful 
 letter, just received ! 
 
 "I have been endeavoring to realize in some small 
 measure the great goodnes of our Heavenly Father in 
 permitting me to see the wonderful progress, and ex- 
 tension, of our beloved Association throughout the 
 world. But I cannot. At the same time my heart is 
 profoundly thankful to Him for all His mercies. 'Bless 
 the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless 
 his holy name.' 
 
 "The account you give me, in your letter, of the 
 
162 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 foreign work going on under your hands, in connec- 
 tion with the Young Men's Christian Associations in 
 Japan, China, etc., is deeply interesting, and indicates 
 vast possibilities of usefulness and blessing, still to 
 be realized." 
 
 A reminiscence of "Dear Moody" : 
 
 "The first extended conversation I recall with Mr. 
 Moody was after the Convention at Albany where I 
 had been engaged with others in the founding of the 
 International Committee. 
 
 "We were coming down on the day boat from Albany, 
 but almost when we first met he turned to me and 
 said : 'Stokes, my heart is drawn out toward you.' In 
 his old Yankee homespun language he expressed the 
 thought of his life and of all his life's work. That 
 was the secret of his success, his love for God and his 
 love for man. I remember how he helped our Associa- 
 tion work years afterwards. He helped the Association 
 because he came to know and love it. I think he was 
 a little suspicious of us at first, thinking we were not 
 quite as evangelistic as he wished his work to be. I 
 remember when in California I made preliminary ar- 
 rangements, through Mr. Cree I think it was, for Mr. 
 Moody's great tour of the western coast, which did so 
 much to settle the evangelistic standing, up to the pres- 
 ent time, of the Associations of that important section. 
 This was a magnificent tour of his. He not only re- 
 vived the Association, which I found was almost worse 
 than dead, and put it in a new building, but he revived 
 and comforted the hearts of many a man who dated 
 his life's happiness from Moody's visit. 
 
 "I remember the great evangelistic meetings which 
 Moody conducted at the Madison Square Garden. I 
 used to go in and play for him on the organ at various 
 sessions. Mr. Moody used frequently to take his meals 
 at our house and it was one of these times that he met 
 Mr. Henry J. McCoy and made an engagement for him 
 to go to California, where his services have been so 
 long and so fruitfully blessed. 
 
A PASSION FOR HELPING FOLKS 163 
 
 "I remember Moody's positive action about matters 
 which he considered essentiah I recall his treatment 
 of inquirers who he thought were not quite sincere. 
 He was speaking in the theater on Broadway just 
 below 22nd Street one night when I was there and 
 after the meeting a man came up to the stage to speak 
 to Mr. Moody. The man was slightly under the influ- 
 ence of liquor. Moody noticed this at once and imme- 
 diately said, 'I have no time to speak to you. You are 
 not down low enough, get down lower and when you 
 are- down low enough you may cry for mercy,' or words 
 to that effect. 
 
 "I remember he once told me he was afraid to be 
 educated for fear the Spirit would leave him. We have 
 seen in Association circles that the mind can be edu- 
 cated at some of our religious schools to such an extent 
 that it drives out the simple story of Christ and His 
 salvation." 
 
 From the days of his boyhood he was a music lover, 
 singing and playing the rich hymns of religious faith 
 with both power and feeling. He had played at the eve- 
 ning prayers in the early days with McBurney, and 
 with Moody and Sankey in their inquiry meetings in 
 New York, and was ever alert for an idea to pass along 
 for evangelizing by song. This is from a letter written 
 the Buffalo Convention : 
 
 "As to Sabbath breaking, we have already introduced 
 what is called 'Pleasant Sunday,' abroad, only we have 
 amended it somewhat. For years, you will remember, 
 I tried to introduce social singing Sunday evenings in 
 our hotels, as I used to practice it years ago. A hotel 
 chaplaincy has been started recently in New York, and 
 I think it has taken up this subject. Why could not 
 our Young Men's Christian Association in a great meas- 
 ure substitute this singing (which must be of a fine 
 character) for the so-called sacred concerts? 
 
 "The hotel where I am writing from has long been 
 
164 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 known as a fashionable resort, and I hesitated to try 
 as to introducing the service here, but last night, being 
 prompted by others, we succeeded in having a Sunday 
 service, connected with the Sunday concert. A number 
 of people came up to accord their thanks, which were 
 grateful. Now, this opens up a most interesting field." 
 
 Mr. Stokes would not be "bled." Ready to aid to 
 the limit when the appeal was right, he exercised dis- 
 crimination and judgment and the privilege of frank- 
 ness. The calls for money had come to him so thick and 
 fast while he was carrying the Paris and St. Peters- 
 burg work and buildings that he wrote, in response to 
 an appeal for |100 which he felt was "a little too 
 much" : 
 
 "You ask me for 'only one hundred dollars.' It is 
 not much, and you ask it in your usual eloquent and 
 persuasive manner. I guaranteed .|25,000 toward the 
 French Branch. My secretary tells me it is over 
 145,000 already. I am liable to be called upon to fulfil 
 my promise to the St. Petersburg Branch, from where 
 the plans of buildings are being sent me now. I am 
 called upon constantly for personal matters, and as 
 constantly for little Association matters. There are 
 
 the support and burial of poor F , whose mother 
 
 would like me to support her for life. Poor Theis is 
 broken down in health. I fear there has been some 
 bad treatment of him, and I am sending him something. 
 The Roman secretary has not been paid the proper 
 salary, and I am writing about that. 
 
 "Now I have not given money to have my name put 
 down on the list, in fact, the putting of your name on 
 a list subjects you to criticism, and further demands, 
 because you have not done more or done something for 
 what other people believe it is your duty to do. 
 
 "I must not forget P , whom you seciired for 
 
 me at considerable expense. I know the burden of 
 expense and anxiety that you have at this time ; but I 
 
A PASSION FOE HELPING FOLKS 165 
 
 know in a number of cases that when you secretaries 
 get after a person who has done something for you, 
 you are tempted to bleed him to death. I know what 
 I am talking about. 
 
 "Now, my dear friend, you see the situation, and you 
 know that no man can be expected to answer to all the 
 demands made upon him, and that I must choose what 
 I think God calls me to do. How much I should like to 
 answer the requests of all my brethren !" 
 
 To Dr. Mott he wrote with reference to the satisfac- 
 tion he had in being able to give — indeed, at one time 
 the salary list of Association secretaries paid directly 
 from his office exceeded |20,000 annually : 
 
 "By tomorrow I will have sent over five people, and 
 within a month I hope to send three more, and this is 
 only a beginning, and you know what the expenses are 
 in these times and that I must keep a fund constantly 
 on hand for any emergency that may arise for them 
 over there. And you know I am sending to the Geneva 
 Committee, or directly to France, Italy, and England 
 all in the Y. M. C. A. line or in the behalf of the sol- 
 diers and prisoners. I rejoice to feel that I have had a 
 portion in the great work." 
 
 Of the influence of a Christian physical director 
 trained for his work, consecrated to it, and "playing 
 the game" in loyal team work with his associates, he 
 had this to say: 
 
 "The demand for a director of physical exercises and 
 development in the Paris Association is very great. 
 We feel that the presence of a physical director will 
 push our work forward greatly and prove a great 
 means of attraction to Paris young men. 
 
 "Young Frenchmen are like young men in general 
 all the world over in this, that they judge of the gen- 
 uineness of one's Christianity far more by one's daily 
 conduct, by one's actions and manner, than by one's 
 
166 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 words. But if any one speaks to them of Christ and 
 his words are backed up by genuine Christian living, 
 the word then has power to touch them and to change 
 their hearts. Mr. Theis, the general secretary, is a fine 
 man every way. I have watched his development dur- 
 ing the last six years with the greatest interest and 
 find him admirably qualified for his work. You will 
 find in him a warmhearted Christian friend and helper. 
 He loves young men deeply and does not hesitate to 
 sacrifice himself to their welfare, and you will, I am 
 sure, be as deeply attached to him as I am. Consult 
 him in every way and trust him fully. 
 
 "The Paris Association was founded in 1852 and 
 has a long and honorable past although, of course, 
 nothing like its present development. Still, many men 
 prominent in French Protestantism today received 
 much of their religious development in its Bible meet- 
 ings, and look back to those times with affectionate 
 remembrance." 
 
 No man could take for granted and impose upon Mr. 
 Stokes's generosity and kindness. He expected a man 
 to work on business principles and produce results. 
 Of one of his secretaries he wrote : 
 
 "The president complains of carelessness in regard 
 to promptness and regularity in his office work; that 
 he had begged him again and again to try and improve. 
 The secretary complains that I pitched into him on my 
 last visit, and I did it pretty rough, as he seemed at 
 times utterly incapable of doing anything unless I took 
 him by the neck and shoved him. He completely ex- 
 hausted my patience again and again, so much so that 
 I gave him up as a hopeless case long before he an- 
 nounced his intention of leaving." 
 
 To a discouraged student Mr. Stokes gives a practi- 
 cal, friendly word, urging continued effort and thor- 
 ough preparation: 
 
 "You must not be discouraged, nor must the Associa- 
 
K 
 C 
 
 
 < 
 
 O 
 
A PASSION FOR HELPING FOLKS 1G7 
 
 tion be discouraged if the work goes slow, and if you 
 make a great many mistakes, and perhaps have to do 
 the work all over. It is a natural experience. No 
 man gets strong in the gymnasium without experience, 
 and no man gets wise without experience; it is the 
 same thing with the Association work. Mr. Bowne is 
 right ; one year would not do at Springfield ; you need 
 two at least." 
 
 To whom this letter is written does not appear. It 
 is addressed to "My dear old friend," and was prob- 
 ably written to McBurney, who was in a sanitarium, 
 broken by overwork. 
 
 "For, after all, the friends of our youth come near- 
 est to us as our years advance. I have just heard 
 through Mr. Cree of your sickness and am much dis- 
 tressed thereby. I hear and hope it is true that you 
 are getting better and soon will be well again. 
 
 I have hoped that you and I could decrease our fat 
 and increase our years of usefulness like Mr. Morse 
 by the use of the bicycle in a moderate way, if the doc- 
 tors approved. 
 
 I want you to know that, after the grand opening 
 of our Eoman building, I have come to France for the 
 long expected tour with Mr. Sautter. Today, at the 
 dejeuner with the board and council, your sickness was 
 mentioned and at once prayers were offered up for your 
 support and recovery, for the friend who, though per- 
 sonally unknown to them, was so well known as a 
 friend of young men and who had given his life for the 
 work of our Associations. I need not tell you, I joined 
 with the full heart in the prayers for him with whom 
 my earliest experiences began in this glorious labor 
 of love. 
 
 I have worked as hard as I have been capable, night 
 and day, and you know what that means; I have 
 broken down once or twice, but it seems as if I must 
 go on. I am working slower now. But oh ! what glori- 
 ous results accomplished and in view, how wonderfully 
 
168 JAMES STOKES— PIONEEE 
 
 has God led me, opening doors from the imperial and 
 kingly courts to the humblest worker. My heart over- 
 flows with prayers that God could have used me in 
 this way. It makes my heart sore, however, to see the 
 terrible need of the men of Europe. When hundreds 
 are volunteering for service amongst the heathen whose 
 influence can just reach us, why do not a few volun- 
 teer for the heathen in these lands who are influencing 
 our country all the time?" 
 
 To "My dear old friend Wheat," he wrote, acknowl- 
 edging a friendly letter : 
 
 "How good it was to hear a word from you! How 
 wrong it was for you to come as far as Philadelphia, 
 and not come to New York to see the old fellows! 
 Years are going by — memories are beginning to grow 
 dim — but there are some men whom we can never for- 
 get — and you are one of them ; and your name calls up 
 thoughts of McBurney, Miller, McLean, and a host of 
 others who have done their work and passed over. I 
 certainly belong to the old clan and I certainly believe in 
 the evangelical basis, but I am sometimes very anx- 
 ious as to the Young Men's Christian Association be- 
 coming too much an entertainment bureau and too 
 little a Christian effort. 
 
 "I am acting as a sort of an unpaid secretary, work- 
 ing night and day for the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation, so you see it has been near to me all these 
 years, for there are certain basic principles without 
 which our Association cannot exist. 
 
 "Now, Wheat, don't you dare to come as near to 
 New York again without getting over to see me. You 
 remember the story of the man who said, 'Don't you 
 ever come within five miles of my house without stop- 
 ping.' I ask you not to stop, but to come in." 
 
 His fond memories of the old-time prayer meetings 
 of his youth are drawn upon in this letter, urging 
 
A PASSION FOR HELPING FOLKS 169 
 
 prayer upon the members of a New York City As- 
 sociation for which he was deeply concerned, and fear- 
 ful lest it neglect the practice of prayer in its vigorous 
 program : 
 
 "I inquired of one of our Associations if they kept 
 up regular prayer meetings, and the secretary, a gen- 
 tleman whom I have reason to esteem highly, told me 
 that they did not have general prayer meetings; they 
 did not approve of emotional religion; they had fam- 
 ily prayers with the secretaries each morning. I pre- 
 sume with the small number present, they could pre- 
 vent it from being too emotional. Whilst we had the 
 meetings of the secretaries, this is not the way in which 
 the work was conducted in olden times, when we 
 thought we knew what was the primal foundation of 
 all our work — namely, an open as well as a secret invi- 
 tation to any and every young man to come to Christ. 
 
 "How well I recall dear Henry Webster, who died 
 for young men, dear McBurney, Eev. Dr. Marling, the 
 father of our present efBcient executive, whose kindly 
 face was seen so often at our prayer meetings; but 
 best of all were the family prayer meetings every night 
 for fifteen or twenty minutes, and no poor, sin-stricken 
 young man who chose to come into that room could go 
 away without an invitation to come to Christ, and to 
 come then and there and take the hand of some brother 
 who was watching for just such young men who might 
 stand up, and would help to lead him to the Saviour. 
 
 "I understand we are doing it in a much more ethical 
 and highly cultured way just now. Is it as successful, 
 my dear brethren ? Are we doing our duty ? It is not 
 the way my dear old friend George Williams went to 
 work when he founded the Associations. He tried to 
 keep the young men with whom he was associated in 
 business from drink and immorality, but he waylaid 
 them as they came out of their rooms to bring them to 
 Christ. First and foremost and all the time he must 
 bring them to Christ. He believed that the blood of 
 Christ cleanseth from all sin." 
 
170 JAMES STOKES— PIONEBE 
 
 To Mrs. Jesup, acknowledging the receipt of her 
 husband's memorial, he wrote: 
 
 "I am deeply touched by your husband's memorial 
 which you have kindly sent me. I have come to that 
 age where the old friends are the best and the dearest. 
 Your book recalls many sad, though mostly pleasant 
 memories. As I leave for Egypt tonight, I have not 
 had time to read the book through. 
 
 "My life work and I may say my greatest educator 
 has been the Young Men's Christian Association. . . . 
 I remember our consultations about your husband as 
 president of the New York Association. We wanted 
 him because we thought he was a straightforward man, 
 said what he meant, and did what he said — we could 
 depend upon him. After he came I remember our con- 
 fidential talks together and the kindly and affectionate 
 way in which he treated me. 
 
 "I have not given up my interest in Association work 
 and I go at)road now for a rest in Egypt and mean- 
 while to see about two or three new buildings in 
 Europe." 
 
 His letters of sympathy were as genuine as himself. 
 This one was written to one of the early secretaries 
 who had lost his young wife : 
 
 "I have been so shocked and pained by your great 
 and sudden sorrow that I have hardly known how or 
 what to say to you. 
 
 "When I first heard at New Haven through Mr. 
 Morse of your wife's severe illness, I asked him to let 
 me know if I could be of any service. He said she was 
 better then and it was not till I had returned from the 
 country that I got word of her alarming illness. I came 
 at once to his house to consult about physicians, etc., 
 as also thereafter. It will ever be my painful regret 
 that best wishes were all I was permitted to do for 
 you or her. Few words, even those of heartfelt sym- 
 pathy, can be of any relief. At such a time one is 
 
A PASSION FOK HELPING FOLKS 171 
 
 bi"ought right into the presence of his Maker, and it 
 seems as if men ought to be still. It may be pleasant 
 for you to remember how many are thinking of you 
 and praying for you, still better to know that a Heav- 
 enly Parent thinks of you and cares for you in your 
 loneliness and sorrow. 
 
 "With deepest sympathy from my wife and myself. 
 
 A letter to Eobert Weidensall written in 1890. He 
 knew how to say a good word to a man and say it truly : 
 
 "It is always an encouragement to know we have 
 done a good work or encouraged somebody in doing it. 
 I have just returned from the South, and among other 
 Association visits I saw Mr. Pugh of the Washington 
 Association, who said, 'Weidensall has been here and 
 he just did me good all the time he was with me ; why 
 when he shakes hands with that hand of his, you know 
 it seems to go right through you. He sat down with 
 the members and attended the committee meetings and 
 just set them all up. I never had anything do me so 
 much good, I never felt better in my work than during 
 his visit.' Now, Weidensall, this kind of thing is worth 
 living for, isn't it? From the reports that Mr. Pugh 
 gave me, I judge they are doing first rate, and if you 
 had a hand in it, what a pleasure it must have been." 
 
 Here is a characteristic letter from Eobert Weiden- 
 sall, his lifelong friend : 
 
 "The grand old men who have done so much are fast 
 passing away — am glad you are left. Take care of your- 
 self. Don't try to be responsible for too much or do 
 too much in a given time. A man can do only a man's 
 work. It takes a number of men to do an Association's 
 work. I have long ago learned that the Lord Jesus 
 Christ has a greater interest in the Associations and 
 in all other Christian work, than any and all Christians 
 put together. He is not unmindful of His work. 
 
 "There is much for both you and me to do yet. Let 
 
172 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 us do with our whole heart what we can do, and what 
 we cannot do shift to others whom we can trust, and 
 put all of it with absolute faith upon the Lord who 
 can and will attend to it. 
 
 "Am working day and night on my study and prep- 
 aration for the multiplication of volunteer workers to 
 lead men to Jesus Christ — to understand clearly what 
 the Christian faith and life are, and to set them at 
 work to win their fellows. I believe this will be by 
 far my best contribution to Christian work." 
 
 Evangelism was in his heart. He would gladly take 
 his place on the platform. He had worked with Moody 
 and Sankey. He had toured the south with Hall and 
 Cree and had been a fellow personal worker with Mc- 
 Burney all his earlier years. In a letter from France 
 he writes a friend : 
 
 "You may perhaps know that I had planned for a 
 great evangelical and Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion tour through France accompanied by Mr. Sautter, 
 the national secretary, and Pastor Thomas. Then, too, 
 I must complete the building of the gymnasium in 
 Rome. 
 
 "So you see that I have not been, and do not plan to 
 be, idle the coming winter ; but the doctor has stopped 
 all this and threatens me with a breakdown if I do 
 not desist. 
 
 "I know of no one whom God has so honored by giv- 
 ing him the opportunity to work in behalf of the 
 Master." 
 
 As a member of the Visitation Committee of the 
 Board of Directors of the New York City Association, 
 he had made the round of the many branches in 1905. 
 This suggested the following appeal to his fellow-direc- 
 tors to enter into closer relations with the members 
 
A PASSION FOR HELPING FOLKS 173 
 
 and to give as much thought to making an efifective 
 organization for service as to the business details : 
 
 "And just here, we want to say, as we have so fre- 
 quently said before, that some plan should be devised 
 by which every member of this Board should come to 
 this meeting, not only to pass resolutions and authorize 
 bills, as in a business corporation, but that each mem- 
 ber should feel a vital interest in every department of 
 the work, and that some scheme should be devised 
 whereby we could spend some hours, if need be, in dis- 
 cussing deliberately and effectively how each one of us 
 can be brought into touch with every part of the work, 
 and the leaders amongst the members and branches be 
 brought into personal sympathy and communication 
 with ourselves. Unless some such plan is devised I 
 fear for the future work of our body. It will become 
 more and more perfunctory, and the members will feel 
 that all duties are properly performed when they have 
 delegated them to the duly employed agent." 
 
 In a report of the New York City Association of the 
 early and striking work of the French Branch, Mr. 
 Stokes notes in detail its international service of 
 friendship to young Eussians, Italians, Swiss, and 
 French, notes also the changed aspect of the German 
 press and in a discriminating note urges an extension 
 of Association work for foreign-born men in America : 
 
 "Our organization can reach the foreigners coming 
 to America. Many of them know no distinction be- 
 tween a minister and a priest, confounding them all 
 as hated representatives of a church, which means in 
 their homes a state for which they are taxed. But 
 our Young Men's Christian Association comes to them 
 as an active, energetic organization of young men — 
 each man independent, but each one voluntarily giv- 
 ing some of his time to Christian work and before all 
 to Christian fellowship. Can we afford to ignore these 
 facts? Can we afford to let pass opportunities for 
 
174 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 reaching and saving these people? No thoughtful man 
 can fail to see that there is a Providence in these vari- 
 ous nations sending out their representatives to Amer- 
 ica. They are to receive in America the American idea 
 of American independence and Christian liberty, and 
 some of them are to go back and in time revolutionize, 
 so to speak, their own homes; until the great plan of 
 Providence in this great country of ours, and its rela- 
 tion to the whole world, shall be finally accomplished." 
 
XIV 
 
 MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND REPORTS 
 
 To his friend, Count Pourtales, President of the 
 Paris Association, Mr. Stokes wrote in later middle 
 life: 
 
 "Now that my children have all been taken from me, 
 your organization, in a way, stands in my heart as if 
 it were my own offspring and I am anxious before I die 
 to see how far the ideals which we had years ago when 
 the Association was begun may be carried out." 
 
 A man reveals himself in his intimate letters as in 
 no other way and declares himself in the messages 
 which come hot from his heart. Would we know the 
 real James Stokes, let us see him in his unconscious 
 self-declarations. From a voluminous correspondence 
 covering half a century in which his chief business was 
 pioneering and establishing Associations of young men, 
 these illuminating excerpts are made. 
 
 The cause he espoused as a young man held first 
 place in his life to the end. Few men grasped and mas- 
 tered the principles of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation as he did. He was intimately acquainted as 
 was no other layman with the men of the movement in 
 all lands, and he was as familiar with its methods. He 
 attended more national and world conventions in his 
 life than any other lay worker. He assimilated the 
 spirit and reflected the best thought of the organiza- 
 tion. He thought in the terms of young men, and his 
 convictions, which deepened with years, did not grow 
 away from youth. 
 
 175 
 
176 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 To the young men of Paris on the anniversary day 
 of the Pete de Jeunesse he sent this message at the 
 solicitation of their officers— a message timely for all 
 time, and truly reflecting his dominant purpose and 
 personality : 
 
 "You see the importance of right views, strong con- 
 victions, and earnest effort in whatever line of duty 
 you believe God has called you to. I have worked 
 all my life as a young man amongst young men. I 
 hope to keep my sympathies young and when I die to 
 die a young man, so I send you the cordial greetings of 
 one who, though a young man, has worked for many 
 years in the great movements that have interested the 
 Christian youth of my country. 
 
 "Should I talk to you all day, my text would be only 
 the Bible, our light and guide; study it constantly, 
 think and pray over it, learn its spirit, and follow its 
 directions. That only is a path of safety." 
 
 Appointed in 1866 foreign corresponding secretary 
 of the International Committee, he became familiar 
 with the entire movement in its expanding years in all 
 lands and was among the first to recognize that Amer- 
 ica had a responsibility to fulfil to young men of 
 other lands. In his papers are found many agenda of 
 conferences with world leaders, which are marvels of 
 comprehensiveness — outlines which reveal an astonish- 
 ing grasp of detail and knowledge of conditions of the 
 Association in all countries where it operated or to 
 which it might extend. Once committed to a project 
 he saw it through. 
 
 He was spoken of as a philanthropist ; he was rather 
 a pioneer promoter. He was regarded as a patron, but 
 he hated patronage. Some thought him an autocrat, 
 but he was thoroughly democratic. He was always 
 contending for what he thought was right, but as eager 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND REPORTS 177 
 
 to be right. To a secretary with whom he often con- 
 sulted he said, "What I like about you is that you 
 don't always agree with me, and you don't hesitate to 
 teU me so. You are honest." How he detested deceit 
 and lying! 
 
 "Let us learn from everybody without prejudice." 
 He was ever learning from young men and old and 
 welcomed a suggestion which would lead to increased 
 efficiency. He wrote to a veteran member of the 
 World's Committee: 
 
 "We are not ashamed to come to France to learn. 
 When we find the French or the Germans underselling 
 our goods, we come to their countries to discover how 
 they do it, and we are not ashamed to bring the coun- 
 trymen of these lands to our own homes that they may 
 teach us just how to conduct these enterprises. We do 
 not feel there is any disgrace in our ignorance, and we 
 cannot understand why our continental friends should 
 imagine for a moment that it is disgraceful to get the 
 needed information in any place regarding modern 
 Association work where they can find the greatest 
 experience. We are perfectly willing to be instructed 
 by Frenchmen, Italians, Swiss, Germans, or anybody 
 who can give us the best advice." 
 
 To the banquet given to the workmen who erected 
 the Association building in Paris he sent this ringing 
 message and interpretation of the Carpenter of Naz- 
 areth. Could anything be better done ? 
 
 "It is not workmen of the hand only, but also of the 
 head and heart, whose work we have come to honor 
 this night, and so, on behalf of all who may call them- 
 selves workmen, whether for their necessities or the 
 bettering of their fellowmen, I wish to say a word. 
 
 "Let me say a word about the greatest Workman who 
 ever lived, whose knowledge of the human mind and 
 heart was so profound that He became the greatest true 
 
178 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 socialist, a leader amongst men. He was born in the 
 Orient, from which, in my tour around the world, I 
 have just come. When but a boy. He was noted for 
 His wisdom and perception, and He could carry on 
 discussions with those who were learned in the law; 
 though able to surround Himself with all which could 
 delight human ambition. He preferred to take a humble 
 position. He learned a trade and He worked as a 
 carpenter. 
 
 "This Boy and Young Man was filled with truth, and 
 no man and no nation can be great which is not filled 
 with truth. If he made a box or a table, He did it with 
 a conscientious zeal which showed that His heart was 
 in His work. Wherever there was sorrow, there was 
 His sympathy ; wherever there was joy He rejoiced. In 
 all the forms of human sorrow and happiness, He was 
 alike at home. 
 
 "But this pure and good Man was denounced by the 
 leaders of the mob, and rejected by those who were sup- 
 posed to teach the tenets of truth and religion. He was 
 taken and illegally condemned to death, and He died 
 for you and me. Need I tell you that this is the Christ, 
 the Babe of Bethlehem, the Carpenter of Nazareth, and 
 the Crucified at Jerusalem? When His enemies had 
 destroyed His mortal body, they thought that the end 
 had come, but no! the Man, the God, who could say, 
 'Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, 
 and I will give you rest,' could never die. 
 
 "There is not one of us but that has labored ; that has 
 been heavily laden. It may be with sorrow, it may be 
 with pain, and when we have heard this voice echoing 
 down the ages, it has cheered our heart and lifted up 
 our head again, for He spake as never man spake when 
 He said, 'Come unto Me,' and His words are as fresh 
 today as when on the mountains of Judea, He gave that 
 welcome invitation to the family of man." 
 
 "Surely the Christian young men should be the hap- 
 piest, healthiest, and best instructed of all young men." 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND REPORTS 179 
 
 This message he wrote the members of the Paris Asso- 
 ciation on the opening of their new building, urging 
 them to add the study of the Bible to their personal 
 program : 
 
 "Why do I emphasize the study of the Bible? Be- 
 cause in the heart of every one there is something which 
 tells us when we go wrong, which points us to right, 
 and makes us desire true instruction and guidance and 
 furnishes a great living model by which we can shape 
 our lives. No book can convict us of sin like the Bible, 
 and thus turn us to the Sinner's Friend. Nowhere can 
 we find such help in sorrow, in doubts, and in trouble, 
 and such fellowship in our joy. No one has ever lived 
 like the man and God Christ Jesus, an example for all 
 time and all men. No wonder we chose Him for the 
 name of our Association. Let us do nothing to dis- 
 grace the name of our Pounder. Keep close to Him and 
 He will keep close to you. 
 
 "You are now about to enjoy the full benefit of your 
 new building. Some have thought that Christians 
 were long-faced and sour and could not enjoy the good 
 things of this life. Look at our class rooms for instruc- 
 tion and amusement, our restaurant and social rooms, 
 our library and music rooms, our reading rooms and, 
 one of our most important agencies, the gymnasium, 
 its apparatus having the best improvements for build- 
 ing up a healthy body, and its able instructor learned 
 in the modern gymnastic method. Surely the Christian 
 young man should be the happiest, healthiest, and best 
 instructed of all young men." 
 
 Young men are the same the world over, he claimed, 
 and yet in every country he sought to adapt the Asso- 
 ciation to the national mind and to conditions as they 
 there existed. Witness the projection of the Mayak: 
 
 "Our European friends are perfectly willing to re- 
 ceive any donations of money, they do not care to have 
 us donate our advice, telling us that the countries and 
 
180 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 the people are so different, tlie American ideas will not 
 do for Europe. Now this in the main is all nonsense. 
 Young men are the same all the world over and unless 
 there are exceptional conditions as to their surround- 
 ings, they can be treated in the same general way as 
 with us, of course adopting the national coloring of 
 each situation." 
 
 Fresh from his first journey around the world he 
 makes these observations on the adaptation of the Asso- 
 ciation to serve the young men o-f the East : 
 
 "The Young Men's Christian Association work is 
 unique. It is not only adapted to the Anglo-Saxon, 
 among whom it started, but its form is so practical 
 and elastic it reaches around the world to all young 
 men of whatever nation or creed. 
 
 "I spoke to the Hindu students in Calcutta about 
 their own personal friends and asked them if they did 
 not want a better Friend than any earthly one and 
 pointed them to Jesus Christ as the best Friend of all. 
 After the meeting they came up and talked about Christ 
 and their great god Ganesh and others. It was per- 
 fectly natural for these young men to come to the 
 Young Men's Christian Association building and study 
 new forms of religion, or (what they called) philoso- 
 phy. Had they gone to a Christian Church they would 
 have been going to a new temple, which would have 
 made them liable to be turned out of their houses and 
 ostracized by their families. 
 
 "The Young Men's Christian Association is not a 
 church nor a denomination, it is a band of loving 
 Christian young men, working with practical methods. 
 Their reading rooms, libraries, and gymnasiums are 
 open to young men the world over, and at the same time 
 their work and message appeal to these same young 
 men in the strongest manner." 
 
 To the Chicago Association on its fiftieth anniversary 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND REPORTS 181 
 
 he sent this letter, which conveys a challenge, as well 
 as congratulations : 
 
 "My remembrances go back to Moody, Parwell, 
 Houghteling, McCormick, our dear friend Messer, and 
 many others. It would be a pleasure to be with you. 
 
 "There never was a time when the Young Men's 
 Christian Association needed to make more clear its 
 right to a being and its true foundation than now. 
 The influx of foreigners who believe license to be lib- 
 erty and who have no true conception of the founda- 
 tions of our government is overrunning our large 
 cities; selfishness in low as well as in high places has 
 demoralized our people; habits of luxury have in- 
 creased, and are painfully evident amongst our youth. 
 The only hope of our Association work is to maintain 
 the original standards — those laid down at Paris and 
 at Portland, confirmed at our late Washington Con- 
 vention. 
 
 "If our Associations become mere social clubs, or 
 social debating societies where exploded theories are 
 exploited in public as new-found fads, our great or- 
 ganization will lose its power and its influence. 
 
 "Let us be careful that only tried men, thoroughly 
 grounded in the faith, are put in positions of trust and 
 confidence. If all this is done, our blessed organiza- 
 tion will go on to even greater successes." 
 
 In a communication to the New York Association he 
 makes his position clear on the discussion of political 
 questions in the Association — a position which all the 
 experience of the organization fully justifies : 
 
 "Have we not enough political, civic, and religio- 
 civic organizations to which we can turn over the 
 young men who desire to be useful in any of these com- 
 mendable efforts ? Has not the Association got enough 
 to do as a training school for young men and founding 
 healthful resorts physically, mentally, and spiritually? 
 
182 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 A man thoroughly converted should be fully prepared 
 to do his civic and all other duties." 
 
 "Hon. John C. Clark, a member of this Board and 
 Chairman of Judge Whitman's Campaign Committee, 
 said that he would not speak before the Association 
 during a campaign, and the following resolution was 
 introduced : 
 
 " 'Resolved, that this Board commend this action and 
 desire to put on record their decision that in accord- 
 ance with the Constitution and custom of the Associa- 
 tion there should be no political propaganda in the 
 buildings of the Association, especially when the his- 
 tory of this Association shows that the introduction of 
 politics during the Anti-slavery Campaign many years 
 ago was the means of breaking up and nearly ruining 
 this organization, whereupon it became the settled pol- 
 icy of this Association after its reorganization after 
 the war that there should be no political discussions as 
 there was not only likely to be a divergence of political 
 views amongst our membership but also because the 
 object of the Association, as its name implied, was to 
 bring young men to Christ, being assured that this 
 would produce right living and right action as to their 
 duties as men and citizens.' " 
 
 His views on the unity of the Christian Church are 
 forcibly put in this paragraph selected from a long 
 and solicitous letter : 
 
 "There is some chance now that our Saviour's prayer 
 may be fulfilled, 'that they all may be one.' I have 
 made a tour around the world, as well as in various 
 parts of the world, and I know, as you must, the awful 
 effects of the so-called divisions in our Protestant 
 Church. The heathen and semi-heathen do not compre- 
 hend our denominational differences, which to us in 
 our free and enlightened country seem but various ex- 
 pressions of one faith, the worst effect being that from 
 a business point of view we over and underdo the work 
 necessary to be accomplished. If the Foreign Mission 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND EEPOETS 183 
 
 Boards, as well as their secretaries, can unite upon one 
 plan of operations, and carry it out in one well digested 
 plan, with the idea of the glory of the Master, and not 
 the glory of one organization, we are taking a pretty 
 good step forward towards the millennium. 
 
 "How heart sick it has made me, in some of my labors 
 abroad, to feel that the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation, which has been my life work, was the only or- 
 ganization which could bring the quarreling and jeal- 
 ous pastors of the various denominations together (I 
 am quoting recent experiences). In one great center 
 to which I refer, the city is cursed, if I remember 
 rightly, with two kinds of Baptists, three kinds of 
 Episcopalians, two kinds of Methodists, and at least 
 one kind of Presbyterian, all striving with limited 
 means and di\dded ranks to convert the populace, and 
 almost jealous least their young men should by any 
 chance wander into the fold of the others, or be drawn 
 away by the Young Men's Christian Association, and 
 the pastors announcing publicly that they expected to 
 attend to the religion of the young men, while the Asso- 
 ciation should attend to their athletic, social, and other 
 needs." 
 
 Invited to speak at the conference of the British 
 Association in 1890 he sends this letter from Paris, 
 which reveals his acquaintance with their methods and 
 expresses his conception of what an association of men 
 should be, urging unity in spirit, thorough organiza- 
 tion, and Bible training classes, and advocating ath- 
 letics and physical training: 
 
 "Were I with you, we shoiild meet as 'Christ's men' 
 and you would naturally inquire of me, 'How dwelleth 
 Christ with you?' and 'Is He your hope of glory?' 'In 
 following His example and in the Associations called 
 after His holy Name, what new methods do you find 
 to advance His Kingdom in America?' I should an- 
 swer that I believe the Associations are going through 
 the same experiences that I have had as an individual. 
 
184 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 "Many years ago I made a journey to the Holy Land 
 and visited the sacred places there, but wherever I 
 went, I found at least three 'sacred places,' one kept 
 by the Greek Church, another by the Roman Church, 
 and another by the Armenian, so as I had doubts as to 
 the verity of any particular spot, it was difficult to feel 
 a veneration for any special locality. 
 
 "I think our Associations in America have tried to 
 close their eyes, so to speak, upon all the ancient sur- 
 roundings which cluster about the history of our 
 ascended Saviour and have tried to bring Him again to 
 our own times as a Man dwelling amongst us, asking 
 ourselves just how He would act if He were in living 
 presence among us. He who, as a boy, probably worked 
 with His father in the carpenter's shop, we know as a 
 man sympathized with Mary and Martha and equally 
 rejoiced with those at the wedding feast, and He must 
 have taken a very active part in all the daily routine of 
 what, to us, would seem a very restricted life in those 
 long ago ages. So then, we feel we could expect His 
 blessing on anything in which He would presumably 
 take part were He visibly amongst us now. 
 
 "Let us apply this rule to the question I know you 
 would surely ask me, namely, do you find your athletics 
 and entertainments a means of grace or of hindrance 
 to your Christian life? In reply I would say we find 
 them a great aid. The young man who avoids the 
 clergyman and scarcely ever enters a church is invited 
 by a member to visit our bowling alley, gymnasium, 
 baths, and swimming school, takes a look at the library 
 and numerous classes, and on the way downstairs is in- 
 cidentally asked to enter the parlor and music room, 
 where he finds other members at family worship. Be- 
 fore he knows it he is sitting with them, he is listening 
 to their songs and prayers, and when the invitation is 
 given for those who desire to lead a new life to manifest 
 it by raising the hand, as is our custom, his hand is 
 seen to rise and his soul is filled with a new inspiration 
 for right living. 
 
 "I am drawing no fancy sketch; I believe we have 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND REPORTS 185 
 
 such occurrences almost daily in our rooms. Surely, 
 we can see Christ in all this. You will ask about the 
 study of the Word. Yes, we keep it up and we thank 
 you for this and all the other fundamental ideas of the 
 work which you have taught us. We have not only 
 Bible classes, but Bible training classes for Christian 
 workers who specially deal with those concerned about 
 their soul's salvation. 
 
 "Now I see that you are putting all your members, 
 associate as well as active, on sub-committees and that 
 your board, or chief committee as you call it, plans the 
 work and the members carry it out. This we have 
 found to be one of the secrets of our success. A place 
 for every man and every man in his place, from the 
 chairman down to the humblest member, a solid army 
 of Christian workers inspired with the one idea that 
 God calls each and every one of them to perform some 
 special work for Him in connection with the Associa- 
 tion. If all this be true surely we have secured some of 
 Christ's presence within us, and that means a bit of 
 heaven here below, and if that be so, then we need not 
 trouble about the future." 
 
 With the words, "The test of what I do must be, Can 
 I be useful?" Mr. Stokes concludes a thorough report 
 of his first world tour of visitation ending at Rome 
 in 1897. In writing W. H. Mills, Secretary of the Brit- 
 ish National Council, he presents his observations in 
 such a thorough and masterful manner as to make it 
 more than clear that his statement, "I have made the 
 Young Men's Christian Association my life work" was 
 not lightly said : 
 
 "I have to report my arrival in Rome and my trip 
 around the world, and as delegate from our Y. M. C. A. 
 Committee. I shall hope to be able ere long to be able 
 to present a full report of my experiences to our 
 Committee. 
 
 "Prom here I must go to Geneva, where I shall report 
 
186 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 to our World's Committee, and thence, staying for a 
 short time in Paris, I shall hasten to London, where I 
 shall hope to meet all the dear friends I should like, 
 should I be able to arrive at the time of your great 
 annual religious meetings. They would revive the 
 memories of my childhood when we had such meetings 
 in New York, and if I could be useful (which must be 
 my only test) by word or pen at that time, I shall 
 be glad. 
 
 "I want to say to you, whom I consider such a wise 
 adviser, that I propose getting before the public, if it 
 seems desirable, two thoughts, from, shall I say, an 
 American standpoint. The first relates to the manifest 
 destiny of the Anglo-Saxon race, its duty to civilize 
 and Christianize the world, and therefore, the duty of 
 all branches of this family, American and English, to 
 come together for this common object. This is a pretty 
 big subject, is it not? And to be rightly treated, it 
 wants a man with a bigger head, if not heart, than I 
 have got. 
 
 "When I left America, stripped of so much which 
 makes life desirable, I asked myself what did God mean 
 and how could I be useful ? The following topics came 
 uppermost in my mind: (1) What is the position of the 
 American people in the commerce, etc., of the world, 
 and as in cooperation with our English relatives; (2) 
 to investigate the standing condition of all mission- 
 aries, and to refute, if possible, the popular and 
 wicked fabrications which seem to have the go with 
 the globe trotters; (3) to work in behalf of women, 
 particularly through our Young Women's Christian 
 Associations, trying to organize them locally and na- 
 tionally, where possible; (4) and chiefly, as delegate, 
 to try and thoroughly investigate the condition, pros- 
 pects, and opportunities of our great organization of 
 the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 "In carrying out this plan, I purposed to put aside 
 all previous conceptions, prejudices, if any could exist, 
 and national antipathies which some people are wicked 
 enough to think should be held by nations whose gov- 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND REPORTS 187 
 
 erning forces are of the same common stock and the 
 same common faith. 
 
 "It seemed (1) that we had voluntarily made the 
 American flag a mere tradition in the ports and com- 
 merce which I visited. (2) I was able to trace down 
 with names, localities, etc., some of the falsehoods about 
 the missionaries. At the same time I hope I have 
 gained some practical information as to their methods 
 of work, which can only be secured on the spot and 
 which I trust may enable me in the future to make 
 some valuable suggestions as to their work and that of 
 our Y. M. C. A., collateral to their own and apparently 
 everywhere welcomed by their leading men. (3) As 
 to the young women, I shall be grateful if I can report 
 to them some special and providential work accom- 
 plished in their behalf, particularly in Japan and India. 
 (4) As to our Y. M. C. A. I must make this a subject 
 of especial report. I can only say in passing that the 
 opportunities and prospects of this work I believe to 
 be beyond expression. But our 'Father's business' 
 should be conducted certainly with the same zeal and 
 discretion which we give to our own business affairs. 
 And we ought not to look for good results unless our 
 work is done in that way. 
 
 "I cannot avoid referring to the grand opportunities, 
 as well as the great responsibilities laid upon our 
 English brethren of the Associations toward the Euro- 
 pean and native young men of the Orient, and more 
 particularly in India. They must more than stand by 
 their American brethren in this latter country. Let 
 there be the keenest of 'holy emulation' to seize this 
 opportunity of the centuries, to reach and save the 
 youth of these lands. When I reach England, if it 
 seems best, I shall be glad to take part, if possible, in 
 drawing-room or other meetings, generally in behalf 
 of this work, but especially in behalf of the sailors, 
 railroad men, and soldiers — the men who carry on 
 your vast commerce and the men who protect it and 
 make it possible. Surely your merchant princes and 
 others will appreciate the business claim, if no higher 
 
188 JAMES STOKES— PIONEEK 
 
 motive, that these classes have upon them, and their 
 own need of self-protection. If deemed wise, I shall be 
 glad to urge this home upon them and to give them 
 some results of my investigations. Surely a strong 
 appeal could be made in behalf of your colonies, for 
 where is the English home that does not have some son 
 representing it and the mother country, in this far- 
 away service? Now what has been the result of all 
 these investigations? Could I help but be impressed 
 by the grand work already accomplished by the British 
 people in its colonial enterprises, the magnificent op- 
 portunity which this nineteenth century opens out for 
 what seems 'the manifest destiny of the Anglo-Saxon 
 race'? Shall we seize this opportunity, given as never 
 before to the youth of the world, shall we clasp hands 
 across the sea and join this crusade for Christ and 
 humanity, a crusade of which the Knights of Malta 
 had but the faintest conception ? Or shall we allow the 
 petty politicians to divide and keep separate the vari- 
 ous branches of the great Anglo-Saxon family, to 
 retard and put back the onward march of true 
 civilization ? 
 
 "I am impressed by the opportunities and responsi- 
 bilities of those who may have been pushed to the 
 front in our great work. Is it any wonder that I wish 
 to get these ideas before the British and American 
 public, and to aid in some little way towards an era 
 of kindly feeling and mutual progress ? 
 
 "I think you will agree with me that any special 
 appeal made as in drawing-room meetings, especially 
 if coming to a new class, will tend to increase rather 
 than decrease the funds needed for your local work. 
 This is our experience in America — the more we inter- 
 est for our special work, the more we get for our gen- 
 eral work. I know that you will write me fully and 
 frankly, and the test of what I do must be. Can I 
 be useful?" 
 
 From his report of his world tour with Mrs. Stokes 
 in 1905, covering many pages, this excerpt is made. It 
 
When France Honored Mr, Stokes 
 On the occasion of the World's Conference held in the Paris 
 Association building on Rue de Trevise in 1905 the Republic of 
 France made Mr. Stokes an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 
 recognition of his notable service to the young men of the Republic. 
 By the King of Italy he was made a Cavaliere of the Order of 
 S. S. Maurice and Lozara. The Czar decorated him with the order 
 of St. Stanislas of the First Class. 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND REPORTS 189 
 
 suggests the thoroughness with which he entered upon 
 all his projects and the extent of his indefatigable 
 labors for the young men of the world : 
 
 "We arrived in Paris where we found many of the 
 delegates to the semi-centennial conference of Paris. 
 The meeting of the Central International Committee 
 had already begun. The discussion of important ques- 
 tions was on 'Modern Work.' We were responsible for, 
 or interested in a special manner, in some eight or ten 
 delegates, so that during the busy hours of this con- 
 ference it was nearly impossible for us to get much 
 sleep before midnight or thereafter. 
 
 "At the close of the conference, we went with Mr. 
 Millar for a tour of Italy, where we visited the Minis- 
 ters of the Army, Navy, Commerce, and Agriculture. 
 After these visits it became a question whether I 
 should ask for an audience with the King of Italy. I 
 thought it would be wise to tell him of the work that 
 was being done in behalf of the young men, and the 
 student classes especially; and what we hoped we 
 might accomplish in behalf of the army, navy, and rail- 
 road employes. 
 
 "I had a most interesting conversation with His 
 Majesty, who was affable and able. He took a most 
 intelligent interest in all that I had to report. I pre- 
 sented him with a copy of the photograph of the notable 
 persons on the platform at the time of the dedication 
 of the International Building of the French Branch 
 (which has just had its opening before I left New 
 York) and explained the international character of the 
 event, and who were the representatives present, includ- 
 ing the Consul General of Italy, Count Tusti. He men- 
 tioned the study of the Bible, which he understood was 
 so largely conducted among the English and American 
 bodies. Altogether, our conversation was of a most 
 satisfactory nature. The following day he had sent 
 one of the gentlemen of his suite to visit the Associa- 
 tion. I think the time is ripe for an aggressive Amer- 
 ican movement on the continent. 
 
190 JAMES STOKES— PIONEEE 
 
 "At St. Petersburg we found Mr. Gaylord had ac- 
 complished a great deal and reports a thousand mem- 
 bers, and an expectation of at least a thousand more. 
 Something must have been put in the Russian papers 
 of our coming, for we received appeals for aid, from a 
 piano to a marriage 'dot' up. One man wanted me to 
 buy some patent medicine for the cure of scarlet fever. 
 My coming gave Mr. Gaylord an opportunity of meet- 
 ing people high in authority, such as the mayor of the 
 city, and the celebrated chief of police Trepow, a man 
 who at any time is liable to be blown to pieces by a 
 bomb, and takes his life in his hand, as he does what 
 he considers his duty to his country and his emperor. 
 He received us most cordially. I told him that I said 
 to the young men at the reception given to us that I 
 thought the students in all countries were in a state of 
 chronic semi-insanity during the youthful years that 
 they spent in the university, and where they were not 
 given something good to do, the devil would find some- 
 thing for them. He agreed with me, and seemed very 
 pleased at our coming. 
 
 "I do not speak of the sums of money I have dis- 
 bursed, because I did not keep an account of the vari- 
 ous sums, and the persons whom I felt it a privilege 
 to aid." 
 
 In presenting the Jubilee Report of the American 
 Associations to President Roosevelt at the White 
 House, described elsewhere by Mr. Wishard, he said: 
 
 "The volume which we desire you to accept is a re- 
 port of our great International Jubilee Convention of 
 the Young Men's Christian Associations, held in Bos- 
 ton in 1901. 
 
 "In this book you will see that we were favored with 
 dispatches or letters from President McKinley, the 
 Emperor of Germany, King Edward, Field Marshal 
 Roberts, the Ambassador of Switzerland, and the King 
 of Italy, and also from prominent people in or the gov- 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND REPORTS 191 
 
 ernments of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and 
 Russia. 
 
 "As I had to do with the original invitations of our 
 foreign delegates, and my own Association work has 
 been largely in Europe, I was requested to deliver 
 copies of these reports to all the countries which had 
 sent us such kindly greetings. In fulfilment of this 
 pleasurable duty I have delivered similar volumes to 
 Earl Roberts, whom I met at one of our Anglo-Ameri- 
 can dinners, to King Edward, to the Crown Prince of 
 Denmark, to his Chamberlain, Count Moltke, one of our 
 prominent workers, to the King of Sweden and Nor- 
 way, whom I had previously interested in our Conven- 
 tion and whose son was the first President of Honor 
 at our Convention held last summer in Christiania. 
 We also sent one to the Empress of Russia, the pro- 
 tector of our work in St. Petersburg, who has been a 
 firm friend of the same since the first audience granted 
 by her some four years ago. A volume was also given 
 to the Empress of Austria and a similar book was sent 
 to the King of Italy, in whose capital there is a build- 
 ing devoted to the use of our organization. 
 
 "We delivered personally this report also to the 
 President of the French Republic. Our interview with 
 the President of the French Republic elicited from him 
 the same deep interest in young men which character- 
 izes the great leaders of the world. 
 
 "And now it is my pleasurable duty to hand to you 
 as the representative of our mighty nation this last 
 volume, telling of the consultations at the great council 
 of young men where they considered those potent ques- 
 tions which should elevate themselves and advance the 
 cause of their world-wide organization. It is with spe- 
 cial and personal feelings of pleasure that I as a New 
 Yorker hand this volume to you, the foremost citizen 
 of our state and country, and it is with a personal 
 pleasure that I recall when almost a boy I had a Sun- 
 day school class next to your father's class. I remem- 
 ber his faithful work with those young men, and the 
 deep personal interest he took in the career of each 
 
192 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 one. The hints and counsels that he gave me I have 
 never forgotten, and I see in one who bears his name 
 the fruition of what would have been his highest hopes 
 and ambitions. May the ancestral blessing which the 
 Bible so clearly pronounces be continued to you, and 
 may your constant efforts in behalf of the whole people, 
 and especially of that important class, the young men 
 of the nation, be blessed in abundant measure even dur- 
 ing your lifetime." 
 
 To Dr. Mott in 1916 he sends this message suggested 
 by his call for the observance of the Week of Prayer, 
 zealous that the Association should stand true to its 
 historic faith and loyalty to its Lord : 
 
 "The Bible tells us to 'beware when all men speak 
 well of you,' and you properly voiced this warning in 
 the circular, 'The Call to the Week of Prayer for Young 
 Men,' when you say: 'It is a serious fact also that in 
 some communities the Association is coming to be 
 regarded as a selfish club, in that its members seem to 
 be much more concerned with what they can get from 
 the Association than with what they can do to help 
 others. In how few places does the Association give 
 the impression that it is engaged in an aggressive, wise, 
 and successful warfare against the influences that un- 
 dermine character and disintegrate faith. Is it not 
 true that some of the leaders, both secretaries and 
 members of boards and committees, are apparently 
 more intent on winning the favor of men of worldly 
 influence and power than on seeking the blessing and 
 power of the only God'? 
 
 "There are many of us who know that this warning 
 is none too soon, that there are those who are working 
 in this and similar organizations, who would inno- 
 cently deny the deity of the One whose Name we bear, 
 while striving unsparingly for humanitarian objects 
 which have so large a part in our work. Unless we 
 maintain our standards, the whole work goes down." 
 
 He erected buildings at commanding national cen- 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND REPORTS 193 
 
 ters, that there a real work should demonstrate what 
 could be done in every city of the country. Here he 
 states basic principles of Association practice which 
 have brought universal success and made the organiza- 
 tion a force to be reckoned with by governments : 
 
 "Organized Associations have and must have a 
 building and a secretary or secretaries who will guide 
 the work. Our Associations labor for the benefit of the 
 great masses of young men. We know no denomina- 
 tions. Among these young men there may even be 
 some who are not Christians; but in the words of the 
 Paris Basis, these young men 'associate their efforts 
 for the extension of His Kingdom amongst young men.' 
 Now what has been the result? We have spread over 
 our own country like a mighty power, and our work 
 has gone into all the Orient and the islands of the sea. 
 To whom does this Government appeal when it wishes 
 to exert a moral influence amongst the laborers on the 
 great Panama Canal? To our International Commit- 
 tee. To whom does the Japanese Government turn for 
 moral influence amongst its army and navy? To our 
 International Committee. To whom do the mission- 
 aries in Japan, China, and India and the brethren in 
 Australia turn? To the members of the modern 
 Association." 
 
 His Alma Mater he held in deep affection and in 
 the message written to his classmate, Frederic Baker, 
 he urges the fellows of his student days to stand for 
 Christian principles. Mr. Stokes made a liberal be- 
 quest to New York University to provide a course of 
 annual lectures : 
 
 "The long line of distinguished names that mark 
 our record in law, theology, and the liberal arts has 
 shown what the University has been and what it has 
 done for the youth of our city and our country. What 
 we need now is that our graduates shall rise and fill 
 the places made vacant by these honored men. 
 
194 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 "When the times and manners of men have so 
 changed that our old standards of honor and honesty 
 seem almost obsolete, when solemn contract means 
 mere personal convenience, there is surely the best 
 opportunity for our graduates to step forth and show 
 manly Christian principle. It should not be forgotten 
 that when this institution was founded, it was intended 
 to be a source of Christian education, the subject of 
 unsectarian public schools having begun to be agitated 
 about that time, and that it was intended that our 
 foundation should be non-sectarian but giving to young 
 men the true standard of the highest religious 
 character." 
 
 These sentences from a long letter to an Italian stu- 
 dent preparing for physical work in Italy are illumi- 
 nating and reflect as well the exhaustiveness with which 
 he entered into the plans, preparation, and personal 
 life of each of the young men he had constantly in 
 training for the secretaryship abroad: 
 
 "You know that if Europe is to be reached, it can- 
 not be reached entirely by American secretaries, it 
 must be by native, or native born, or, like yourself, 
 American born of foreign parents. So your trip abroad 
 this summer is a most serious one — only God knows 
 what it will result in. If you are successful in this 
 difficult season of the year, when so many are away, it 
 will give hope for many others in the future, who will 
 be likely to go to different parts of Europe. The only 
 way in which you can expect success will be by con- 
 stant prayer and communion with your heavenly 
 Father. I cannot think of any greater opportunity for 
 a young man of Italian parentage, who wishes to do 
 something in this world for his Lord and Master. 
 
 "If the Association in the city that you go to can 
 be made a model one, if it is found that a man like 
 yourself, of Italian blood, can take a great part in this 
 work, there is nothing that you cannot accomplish in 
 this line. . . . The financial understanding was that I 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, ANl) REPORTS 195 
 
 should be responsible for fSOO for your trip abroad. 
 Aside from the time that you will need for outfitting 
 here in this city, which I propose to do to a certain 
 extent for you, every moment of your time until you 
 sail should be employed in talking with the chief sec- 
 retaries at the International Committee's offices, and 
 visiting such of our branches as you can. 
 
 "You know why you are going abroad and what may 
 be the great results if you make a successful trip. 
 
 "It is no use to attempt to teach and preach a reli- 
 gion headed by a good and philanthropic man. The 
 religion which we believe in in our Associations is that 
 we are all sinners needing a Saviour, and that Jesus 
 Christ is that divine Saviour, and not a mere philan- 
 thropist or good man like Gladstone, or Abraham Lin- 
 coln, or even Buddha, or Confucius. The religion of 
 service is not a religion of salvation. 
 
 "Commending you to a kind Providence and asking 
 that you will make me a report before you go." 
 
 He could hit hard when there was need of hitting and 
 say forcibly what he thought ought to be said, but the 
 blows were struck in love — the faithful "wounds of a 
 friend" — and he rounded out his arraignment in the 
 following letter with his characteristic kindness, mak- 
 ing suggestion and provision for comfort and con- 
 venience : 
 
 "I feel at liberty to say some words very plainly to 
 you. There was no necessity for you to send me a cable, 
 telling me the Board would decide in three days, and 
 you know that you did wrong, and disobeyed my direc- 
 tions, and there is no need to attempt to shift the re- 
 sponsibility on to anyone else. ... I cannot understand 
 how you ventured to do such a thing, and how you 
 could think it right to do it without any order from 
 me. As to the statistics, I send you copies of the sheets 
 gotten up by the International Committee such as I 
 supposed you were to use at Springfield, but which you 
 
196 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 have never used with me. You and the treasurer can 
 easily make up a book from these slips, and send me 
 such statistics as should properly appear. The cost 
 of your voyage I am not responsible for. I trust you 
 got your trunk all right, as I take it to be rather a 
 dangerous thing to send one through your railways. I 
 sent you the 210 francs you asked for. I believe I sent 
 you your regular salary all along. I have already 
 brought one man to America at your suggestion, and 
 have spent over |1,000 on him. You know the result. 
 I was told the other day (I do not know how truly) 
 that he has conscientiously joined the Unitarian 
 Church. 
 
 "I notice in your letter a tone of complaint and 
 dissatisfaction, and that is why I write to you so 
 plainly, and because I want to know whether you are 
 going to stand by the work until somebody else can 
 be properly educated to take your place. I do not hold 
 you responsible fully, from the fact that the Associa- 
 tion did little or nothing until I made them this offer 
 of paying half of the deficits. I remind you again of 
 what the Association can do when it is pressed to do it. 
 I need not remind you I have been the chief supporter 
 of this work which I did not go into of my own accord, 
 and of which you have been supposed to be the respon- 
 sible secretary. . . . 
 
 "I think you need someone to say just what I have 
 to you, and having said it, I will say you have been a 
 great comfort to me in many ways, because I think 
 you mean to be a true man. I do have confidence in 
 you, and do value your thoughts of me and your prayers 
 which I need very much. . . . Your oflQce and the sitting 
 room should certainly be heated. Now let us have all 
 the encouragement you can, and make the work en- 
 couraging, for I need all the encouragement possible." 
 
 For the French Branch of the New York City Asso- 
 ciation, in the organization of which he was the prime 
 mover and also donor of its building, he had large 
 
MESSAGES, LETTEES, AND RErORTS 107 
 
 expectations not only for its service in New York City 
 but as the radiating center for a work for French 
 young men in America and to furnish secretaries for 
 Associations abroad. To the president of the new 
 Association he outlines this well-thought-out and chal- 
 lenging policy : 
 
 "I have never quite understood how I got into the 
 French work or why I got into it. It does seem as if 
 Providence had some work for us to do at times for 
 which He gives us no reason at all. Will you permit 
 me to make a few suggestions as to the policy of the 
 Association ? 
 
 "When the Association was founded, it was in con- 
 nection with the starting of an Association and build- 
 ing in France, in the hope that the New York organiza- 
 tion would serve as a school for future secretaries for 
 France, Belgium, and Switzerland, or all French- 
 speaking countries, and that it might gather together 
 in some way not only the French-speaking young men 
 in New York, but that it might also reach the French- 
 speaking Canadians in New England and elsewhere 
 and eventually the Canadian provinces themselves. The 
 number of French-speaking people in New York City 
 was found to be larger than would warrant a building 
 in any American town of smaller proportions, so that 
 the work in this city alone might usefully claim our 
 attention. 
 
 "I have to suggest : 
 
 "First: That we make ourselves more known among the 
 better class of families as furnishers of employes, thereby 
 exciting the interest of these families and eventually their 
 donations. 
 
 "Second: That we resume or continue our visitation of the 
 hospitals and distribution of flowers. 
 
 "Third: That we make strenuous efforts to search out useful 
 young men for secretaries who are imbued with American 
 spirit but who have served their due time in the army and 
 must spend some time at least in our traifiing school. 
 
 "Fourth: That we make an enumeration of the French- 
 speaking people in this city and throughout the country. 
 
 "Fifth: That we put ourselves thoroughly in correspondence 
 
198 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 with all the French and Canadian centers in New England 
 and elsewhere, especially the American Associations where 
 there is a chance of a French Branch. 
 
 "Sixth: That we begin correspondence at once with Canada, 
 as it may be necessary to start an Association there. 
 
 "Seventh: That we see that the correspondence is kept up, 
 if it has not already been done, with all foreign organizations 
 with whom we should have affiliations. 
 
 "Eighth: To begin all this immediately. 
 
 "I think that the above facts are needed for our 
 work, that if our work progresses it must include the 
 above measures, and that if we all thoroughly under- 
 stand that we are working for definite results, it will 
 help our work and make it much easier. I hope to 
 meet you tomorrow at the committee meeting, and that 
 you will have thought over these things and be ready 
 to make some expression of your views. I trust that 
 I do not seem too presumptuous in all these sug- 
 gestions." 
 
 In writing of Sir George Williams and of their inti- 
 mate relations throughout his lifetime he presents a 
 picture of the Grand Old Man of the Association and 
 makes it a text against education that educates a man 
 away from Christ : 
 
 "I never, never can forget above all, his prayers, for 
 I never went to his business oflSce, but what he closed 
 the door, kneeled down with me, and talked with God 
 about it all, and took from his great pile of religious 
 books, which he kept in his office, and gave me a little 
 memento of my call. Can I ever forget him talking 
 about the work in which we were interested? 
 
 "Sir George Williams knew the secret of success, 
 just as Miller of Cincinnati, and Robert McBurney of 
 New York, and a host of able Association secretaries 
 know it. The secret of the success of these men was 
 on their knees before God, asking His guidance and 
 direction, but this they would not have done had they 
 not found it from Sir George, a true foundation of 
 successful faith, namely, that the blood of Christ 
 
MESSAGES, LETTEES, AND REPORTS 199 
 
 cleanseth from every sin. He got down on his knees 
 after he found Christ, and began rejoicing. In the 
 case of salvation we have first got to confess ourselves 
 as miserable sinners, or there is no redemption, and 
 this personal redemption is by a God Almighty, and not 
 by a mere god man. 
 
 "For myself, I express a great prejudice against theo- 
 logical schools. I have two degrees from my own uni- 
 versity, and perhaps am entitled to another. Surely 
 I am not averse to education. My grandfather was the 
 founder, or promoter of this kind of school. His son 
 saved it in a crisis. His grandson has richly endowed 
 it. I shall never forget a worthy clergyman, who came 
 down from Hartford to speak at our old church, when 
 I think the old pastor was acting as president of a 
 theological seminary, which, by the by, contained the 
 most devoted and worthy professors. I remember the 
 pulpit, just as the old clergyman stood up, a big man, 
 who, I think, had at one time been a blacksmith, and 
 he literally expounded on the great velvet cushion, 
 which covered the pulpit, what he had to say. Turn- 
 ing to the pastor, he said, 'With all respect to our dear 
 brother, I think that seven years of education is 
 enough to knock the religion out of any young man,' 
 and so it is, unless he has the religion and salvation 
 of Christ opened in his heart, his soul, and his life. 
 For this reason, I am especially in favor of the Fellow- 
 ship Plan as projected by C. K. Ober, of educating 
 secretaries, so they may have dealings with the prac- 
 tical questions of young men, and when they have 
 known how to reach these questions through experience 
 in the Association, they will go to some Bible school, 
 or possibly to a theological school (for a short time 
 only) to finish their education as secretaries." 
 
 To his old friend Robert Weidensall on his eightieth 
 birthday, he thus opens his heart, troubled about pres- 
 ent-day trends : 
 
 "You are eighty years young on the 20th of this 
 
200 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 month, but as I am your senior in the work I shall 
 adopt a paternal attitude. How well I remember the 
 Albany convention where the sainted Thane Miller 
 presided and where the present International Commit- 
 tee was constituted! I am the oldest member remain- 
 ing, and, I think, the last of those who constituted the 
 Committee. At the first meeting, I believe I was 
 elected one of the volunteer secretaries. Soon we con- 
 sulted about a good young man who had been working 
 on the railroad for the Master and the men. You have 
 been working for the Master and the men ever since, 
 dear Eobert. You have always been young with fresh 
 and new ideas for His service. No other secretary that 
 I know of has been like you in this respect. Sometimes 
 I did not agree with you in your plans, but I lived to 
 learn that you knew best. Your idea was a thought 
 from God. 
 
 "Not long ago I was asked to lead a reform move- 
 ment in our Association. What does this mean, dear 
 Eobert ? Does it mean that the work which you and I 
 helped to start, and which we believed and still believe 
 was founded of God, is threatened with destruction? 
 All work of this kind when it has become successful, 
 rich, and prosperous, becomes a shining mark for the 
 Devil. 
 
 "We know what 'modern culture' is doing for 
 Europe, and recently, when song and dance, tobacco 
 and gambling have claimed some of the so-called 'soci- 
 ety leaders,' some of the good women of at least one 
 of our Young Women's Christian Associations, have 
 opened a class to teach girls how to dance decently 
 the modern lascivious and disgusting dances. Perhaps 
 there is some need for men who are founders like you 
 and me, to lift up our voices and cry aloud ; or perhaps 
 you might be right in saying that we can only cry 
 aloud to God Almighty for His salvation. That is 
 exactly it ; the Christ whom we have loved and served 
 so many years, can alone save the Associations, which 
 bear His name. Some day (may it be long!) we shall 
 say good night, and then good morning, dear brother." 
 
MESSAGES, LETTEES, AND REPORTS 201 
 
 With the tender solicitude of a father and with the 
 sense of a patriarch having the right to speak, Mr. 
 Stokes sent a ringing and lengthy message to the Inter- 
 national Convention at Cleveland in 1916 which made 
 a deep impression upon the delegates. 
 
 The opening sentence was, "I remember that I called 
 to order the last Convention held in Cleveland, and I 
 then said, 'You are gathered here in the name of the 
 Master to carry forward one of the greatest Christian 
 enterprises started in this generation or century,' " and 
 from the message these paragraphs are taken : 
 
 "What has become of our Sabbath? My sainted 
 mother used to take me by myself and read the Prov- 
 erbs, with tender prayer and care, and night and morn- 
 ing there was family worship with my father leading. 
 Sabbath was a sacred day, not for recreation, but for 
 re-creation and quiet thought. There can be no harm 
 from physical exercises on that day, but if it is going 
 to be made a day simply for recreation and enjoyment 
 and keeping our thoughts seven days of the week on 
 this, we have let down our moral standard, so that the 
 noisy baseball, the theaters, and places of amusement 
 can thrive, and they do thrive. Those of us who have 
 studied conditions abroad, conditions of morality and 
 immorality, are not surprised at the fearful showings 
 of immorality among the troops which are brought out 
 in the present war. They also know that for years the 
 foreign schools have pushed their Kultur to such an 
 extent that they have minimized Christ to a mere indi- 
 vidual, and question His supernatural birth. Of course 
 this does away with the Saviour that we used to know, 
 but what is the use of a Saviour anyhow, when the 
 preaching of sin is superseded by moral and ethical 
 discourses? Sin is sin, and we know it in our own 
 minds and the minds of others with whom we come in 
 contact. If some means are not provided to stop and 
 denounce the desecration and defamation of the name 
 we bear, we shall be held responsible by the Almighty. 
 
202 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 "I have spoken about the seriousness of our national 
 situation. How in this world can we bring together 
 the different nationalities which recently have been 
 showing to some extent that they consider their first 
 duty to their fatherland rather than to their adopted 
 country. Only the Lord, Jesus Christ, can do it and 
 His teachings must prevail or our country will be 
 rent asunder. I am glad that the spirit of prayer is 
 invoked for our coming convention. We need it very, 
 very badly, we need it constantly, we need prevailing 
 prayer, and we need a thousand evangelists like dear 
 Moody to preach the everlasting Gospel throughout 
 the country. 
 
 "My highest wish for you is that Christ, who saved 
 and helped my dear friend, George Williams, our foun- 
 der, and the multitude of workers in this greatest 
 Christian movement the generation has known, shall 
 become your Saviour, shall lead you back — if you have 
 fallen away — to the ways of simple faith and Christ- 
 like living." 
 
 To his friend Count Pourtales on his election as 
 president of the Paris Association he sent this 
 message : 
 
 "I want to tell you how delighted I was to hear of 
 your election as president of the Association. Your 
 social position and standing in every way will be help- 
 ful to the Association. Your experience and judgment 
 will be most useful. On the other hand, I know that 
 you appreciate the high honor done you, for it is a 
 position that will grow more and more in usefulness, 
 and will give you an opportunity in time to come to 
 guide the lives and characters of the young men of 
 your native land. What a high honor God gives you, 
 . and what a vast opportunity and responsibility ! 
 
 "Apparently, for the last twenty-five years, they have 
 been encouraging the building up of denominational 
 Associations. We claim, in America, in England, and 
 
MESSAGES, LETTEKS, AND REPOETS 203 
 
 elsewhere, this is the ruination of our unsectarian 
 organization. 
 
 "As to our dear brother Sautter (the secretary), 
 how can we say enough about him? How faithful! 
 How devoted! How untiring he has been! God will 
 surely bless him, and in future years, when others speak 
 of the work of the Association, he will take a very 
 high stand amongst the founders of this great and use- 
 ful organization." 
 
 To Howard Williams, son of Sir George Williams, 
 he wrote : 
 
 "The more I consider your father's life, the more 
 I am impressed with it, and with one or two things: 
 First, a man should think great thoughts. Second, we 
 should do little actions well. I do not believe your 
 father realized what he was doing, or what it would 
 come to, when he started the Association. He was 
 simply doing the work that came to his hand as well 
 as he knew how ; but, above all, doing it with the idea 
 of the glory of God in all things. Now, that is all there 
 is in this life, and such ideals and such conduct makes 
 life worth living. 
 
 "May God give you grace and wisdom, my dear fel- 
 low, to follow worthily in your father's footsteps, so 
 that when you come to die you may feel that life has 
 been worth living." 
 
 A letter written to Mr. Alfred Brugmann, Brussels, 
 Belgium, shows how Mr. Stokes was always seeking to 
 enlist national leaders of potential character : 
 
 "I had hoped that your brother would become the 
 Alfred Andre of Belgium, as Mr. Andre had been the 
 leader in France. For many years I have known this 
 work all over the world. There is no other organiza- 
 tion so magnificent and useful. If we save and keep 
 the young men, we save the nation. 
 
 "There is no other society which reaches young men 
 
204 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 of every class, or which is so catholic that it admits all 
 young men of whatever denomination to its benefits. 
 But death has come to your brother, and has left you 
 the great opportunity of carrying out his kindly 
 thoughts and designs. That God may give you grace 
 to do all this is my sincere prayer." 
 
 He could be blunt, bold, and brotherly, but he would 
 never deny his allegiance to Jesus Christ nor cease to 
 be indignant over a denial of His divinity : 
 
 "To my mind you are catering to insidious Unitarian 
 views or modern Kultur, whichever you choose to call 
 it, which has already worked so much harm and is 
 working infinite harm in our theological seminaries 
 and churches. 
 
 "I have just been issuing an address as the oldest, 
 or one of the oldest Association workers and office 
 holders, in which I have pled for a return to Christ, 
 to the Jesus whom we used to know, whom St. John 
 knew (see John 1:1 and 1 John 5:12), whom doubt- 
 ing Peter came finally to know (Acts 10:36; 4:12), 
 and whom Paul knew (Col. 2:9). We have just been 
 reading Matthew 27, ending with Judas Iscariot's be- 
 trayal of his Lord and Master. I do not want to say 
 anything cruel or unkind, but, my dear friend, if I 
 sent you any money for the use of your committee, in 
 the face of your last report, I should feel like one of 
 those who gave those thirty pieces of silver to Judas." 
 
 To Jim Burwick, the rugged Northwestern freight 
 conductor who "rawhided" box cars summers to make 
 a living, and conducted evangelistic services winters 
 among railroad men to make life worth living, he sends 
 this message. From the first days when he met big- 
 hearted Henry Stager he held the rough and ready 
 railroad man in high esteem. He knew that the only 
 man to reach railroad men was a railroad man : 
 
MESSAGES, LETTERS, AND KEl'ORTS 205 
 
 "I appreciate your kind words and as I grow older 
 I also appreciate the great foundation on which our 
 Association is built, namely, belief in the essential 
 truths of the Bible and in the scheme of salvation, 
 which means sin, salvation, and a Saviour. Some smart 
 young fellows and others have decided that the Bible 
 is not quite what it ought to be and they spend more 
 time in finding out what it is not, than what it is. It 
 is easy to stick pins into anything, but I do not believe 
 they can injure our Bible by any of their foolish talk 
 and actions. 
 
 "But it has injured a great many young men and 
 it has crept into our Associations in some places, and 
 into one or more of our schools. I take the ground 
 that if there is no sin, then there is no need of salva- 
 tion or a Saviour; and what is the use of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association anyhow in that case? 
 There lies the foundation of all our work and all my 
 work. May God bless and keep you in it." 
 
 He wrote to T. S. McPheeters, St. Louis, Mo., on the 
 twenty-fifth anniversary of his service as chairman 
 of the Missouri State Committee : 
 
 "Now twenty-five years may not seem so long to an 
 elderly young man like myself, for I began in the work 
 as a boy, and can even remember the rise and fall, or 
 rather the fall and rise of our Association before it 
 came to its present prominence; and I also know the 
 magnificence of its conception and accomplishments; 
 so I can talk to you like a father in Israel. 
 
 "You have matched the years, or within a few years 
 of the time that Mr. Brainerd gave in honest and ear- 
 nest service as chairman of our International Commit- 
 tee. Of this Committee, I am now the oldest member 
 in continuous service, though not the oldest in age; 
 and so I feel, my dear friend, that I have a special 
 right to congratulate you upon the fine and earnest 
 service you have given to the Master. 
 
 "What a joy! What a glorious opportunity! Has 
 
206 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 it not been the happiest years of your life ? Could you 
 have spent those years in any better way, with any 
 greater return of life? Perhaps, I have known more 
 of the latter than conies to the lot of most men ; but I 
 count my work in the Association amongst my highest 
 happiness. 
 
 "It cannot be a great many years, my dear friend, 
 before you and I will be summoned before Him who 
 has presided over our life during all these years. May 
 it be ours to hear Him say : 'Well done, good and faith- 
 ful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' " 
 
 This touching letter to Thomas K. Cree, his old 
 friend and fellow-pioneer, on his retirement from the 
 International Committee, is a re-declaration of his 
 purpose and master life passion, surcharged with a 
 dominant note of thanksgiving: 
 
 "It brings the tears to my eyes to hear from you 
 that you have at last resigned from the Committee. I 
 think of the blessed memories which you recall. The 
 days are going by and I am no longer a young man. 
 When I see the blessed work and the blessed memories 
 and the sacred foundations of our dear Association 
 assailed by silly and metaphysical child's talk, then all 
 the fire of my youth comes back. 
 
 "I think of the sacred names with which you and I 
 were associated and I am determined to do what I can 
 before I die to keep the Association in the straight and 
 narrow way. I little knew what God was leading me 
 to as I gradually grew up in connection with the Inter- 
 national Committee. I see now, better than I did then, 
 what He was preparing me for, and I am thankful 
 for it." 
 
o cS-S.5 
 
XV 
 
 "THE HAPPIEST DAY OP MY LIFE" 
 
 On May 23, 1917, Mr. Stokes was seventy-six years 
 old. The weight of age, his long fight with asthma, the 
 grief over the raging war, his heartbreak for the suf- 
 fering people of his loved Europe, the strain of anx- 
 iety over his cherished Association had told upon him. 
 Few of the "Old Guard" were left; he had seen his 
 earliest associates of the first generation, and many of 
 the second, pass over. The battle was on and he was 
 not in the van with the fighters. His heart was in the 
 fight and no far-flung battle line struggled, swayed, 
 and swept on, but his eye scanned the dispatches and 
 his supplies of funds and faith sustained the fighters. 
 He had provided the first hut for the allied prisoners 
 of war in Austria and it was a comfort to him in his 
 isolation that he could be the host to 20,000 suffering 
 men in their woe and want. It was a joy to him to 
 hear that members of the Mayak in Vladivostok, 5,000 
 miles away from Petrograd, had formed a fellowship 
 and were "carrying on," and to be told that the de- 
 pendable men the American secretaries drew upon to 
 serve with them in those box-car traveling canteens at 
 tortured Russian fronts and good will centers were 
 those who had been members of and had caught the 
 spirit of the old Mayak. 
 
 He felt himself to be helping to play the host in the 
 1,400 Foyer du Soldats which were furnishing comfort 
 and cheer to the French and Italian young men and 
 he rejoiced that the American Associations were rush- 
 ing supplies and workers without stint into the war- 
 
 207 
 
208 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 torn areas. It brought him satisfaction to know that 
 the Association building at the Eue de Trevise in Paris 
 was transformed into a hospital directed by his friend, 
 Count Pourtales, President of the French Associations, 
 and that the building in Rome was taking its part in 
 national soldier ministry. 
 
 Yet the old war eagle was depressed and lonely in 
 his New York mansion. He longed for the touch and 
 thrill of that old fellowship of the brotherhood. Word 
 had been passed among friends who had known him 
 or known his name, and a sheaf of letters which had 
 been gathered was left at his home on the morning of 
 his seventy-sixth birthday, together with resolutions 
 and a bouquet of seventy-six roses from his fellow- 
 New York directors. Early in the afternoon a tele- 
 phone call came to the friend who was responsible for 
 the letters and a voice choked with emotion said, "You 
 have given me the happiest day of my life." 
 
 Mr. Stokes had reveled in the messages from associ- 
 ates of the years. Appreciations came to him from 
 younger men in the ranks, as well as those of the old 
 days, recalling with full hearts the inspiration of his 
 life and appreciation of his work. In the quiet of his 
 study he had held a silent reception and review. 
 
 "Old faces look upon me, 
 Old forms go trooping past." 
 
 This was seventeen months before his death. No 
 victor could prize more highly the laurel wreath placed 
 upon his brow. He knew the praise was not fulsome, 
 nor were the letters couched in fawning flattery. They 
 were sincere and spontaneous and they carried big 
 satisfaction to the veteran who knew his days were 
 not long. He was then setting his house to rights and 
 
"THE HAPPIEST DAY OP MY LIFE" 209 
 
 forming that Society to which he would commit his 
 estate for the object dear to his life. 
 
 Quoting his friend of early days, Henry M. Moore 
 of Massachusetts, he wrote acknowledging one of the 
 letters, "Moore used to say that he did not want all 
 his flowers on his cofiSn. He was glad of a bouquet 
 along the way. Thank you, my dear friend, for your 
 kindly words. As we get on in life I think we are per- 
 haps more and more tempted to feel discouragement in 
 the day's work, as you suggest, but if we could only 
 have such kindly letters as you know how to write, they 
 would not only cover a multitude of sins, but add a lot 
 of encouragement." And to the aged leader of Brook- 
 lyn, D. W. Mc Williams, friend and associate of Moody, 
 he wrote : "Such recollections of having done something 
 that is worth while bring joy and comfort to me, for 
 that is all there is in life. The Lord be praised for the 
 work the Association is doing in this terrible conflict. 
 There is a great deal we shall have to do after the war. 
 I am far from being strong yet, so I have to take it 
 easy while I regain my strength." 
 
 One letter contained these lines of Whittier's, which 
 reflect his satisfaction from the "coupons cut from a 
 life's investment" which overwhelmed him with their 
 wealth of love to which he had referred. 
 
 ". . .who does not cast 
 On the thronged pages of his memory's book. 
 At times, a sad and half -reluctant look, 
 
 Eegretful of the past? . . . 
 
 "Yet who, thus looking backward o'er his years. 
 Feels not his eyelids wet with grateful tears. 
 
 If he hath been 
 Permitted, weak and sinful as he was. 
 To cheer and aid, in some ennobling cause. 
 
 His fellow-men? 
 
210 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 "If he hath hidden the outcast, or let in 
 A ray of sunshine to the cell of sin ; 
 
 If he hath lent 
 Strength to the weak, and, in an hour of need. 
 Over the suffering, mindless of his creed 
 
 Or home, hath bent ; 
 
 "He has not lived in vain, and while he gives 
 The praise to Him, in whom he moves and lives, 
 
 With thankful heart ; 
 He gazes backward, and with hope before. 
 Knowing that from his works he never more 
 Can henceforth part." 
 
 Could anything better summarize the life work of 
 our friend or could a better representation be given of 
 the hosts of men who held him and the work of his 
 lifetime in affectionate remembrance than is reflected 
 in the following sentences culled from the scores of 
 letters received and read on this day? 
 
 From Henry J. McCoy, the veteran "Bishop of the 
 Coast," secretary of the San Francisco Association : 
 
 "You may not recall but I shall never forget the darkest day 
 in my life — the day after the great earthquake and lire in San 
 Francisco, when I received a letter from you from Del Monte 
 inclosing a substantial check for the personal relief of myself 
 and family. We cherished the letter and gift but more the 
 Christian spirit of the dear friend that prompted it. 
 
 "You doubtless have forgotten many of the things that you 
 have done but they will live in the memory of many and many 
 a young man and while the continent separates us, I am not 
 unmindful of your friendly Christian spirit manifested in so 
 many ways." 
 
 From F. S. Brockman, National Secretary for China 
 and Associate International Secretary : 
 
 "Out of a heart full of gratitude to God for what your life 
 has meant to this nation and other parts of the world, I drop 
 
"THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE" 211 
 
 this note of congratulation. May you be spared in health and 
 strength for many more years to us. 
 
 "You have all these years stood resolutely for the things 
 that are truest in our faith. The awful state of the world at 
 the present time is an eloquent and terrible vindication of the 
 truth of your testimony." 
 
 From Rev. Claus Olandt, pioneer of the German 
 branches : 
 
 "If all of your friends in this and many nations knew what 
 day this is today they would rise up and call you blessed. 
 
 "I want to thank you most heartily for what you have been 
 to me personally." 
 
 From Richard C. Morse, his early associate, the vet- 
 eran Consulting General Secretary of the International 
 Committee : 
 
 "We began our fellowship in "Wyman's School on Irving 
 Place sixty-six years ago! How little we dreamed then of 
 what was ahead of us of lifelong fellowship and of what the 
 little city of that day was to become during our tarrying in it 
 from the beginning even unto the closing years of long life. 
 Our God and Saviour has Indeed been good and gracious to 
 us both from the beginning all through the decades, with ever 
 increasing blessing — far, far beyond any sense of desert from 
 Him on our part." 
 
 From Henry S. Mnde, long-time International Sec- 
 retary, retired and over eighty years of age : 
 
 "Your name was a familiar one to me from the date of my 
 first Convention, Washington, 1871. And those were grand 
 days, although comparatively the day of small things, in some 
 ways; but there was possibly a closer brotherhood than in 
 these days of large numbers and great material progress. You 
 have been a sort of foreign extension movement all by your- 
 self — they know James Stokes in France and Russia and Italy 
 nearly as well as they do in America. 
 
 "I have read your 'Message' with great interest; I share 
 your fears, I join in your prayers, but I am trusting that the 
 old ship will yet weather the storm and come safely into 
 port." 
 
212 JAMES STOKES— PIONEEK 
 
 From George T. Coxhead, many years General Sec- 
 retary at St. Louis : 
 
 "It is not alone upon longevity that I congratulate you, but 
 much more upon the very useful life you have led. 
 
 "In the ranks of the Young Men's Christian Association you 
 are especially loved and honored for your life-long interest in 
 the great cause of young men." 
 
 From Walter T. Diack, General Secretary of the New- 
 York City Association : 
 
 "We all appreciate you for what you are and for what you 
 have meant to the young men of the world. Your life of devo- 
 tion to the right has always been an inspiration to me. I am 
 glad to have been a co-worker with you. 
 
 "You will be interested, I am sure, in knowing that since 
 January first we have had 333 decisions for Jesus Christ here 
 at the West Side Branch. So far 60 of them have joined 
 churches and we hope to have many more." 
 
 From his old friend, John L. Wheat, many years 
 chairman of the Kentucky State Committee : 
 
 "How precious the memories of the days long past, but by 
 no means forgotten, when we were permitted to meet occa- 
 sionally as fellow-workers in the beloved Y. M. C. A. fellow- 
 ship, always rejoicing, giving praise and thanksgiving for the 
 work being accomplished. 
 
 "I beg you not to give way to the burdens of age, the in- 
 firmities of advancing years. Lean on the strong arm by 
 which you have been led and given strength and wisdom to 
 accomplish so much good for your fellow mortals in the past." 
 
 From "the Beloved Physician," Dr. John P. Munn, 
 Chairman of the Railroad Department : 
 
 "If you could have been out at Cleveland with us at the 
 recent Y. M. C. A. Convention I think you would have been 
 greatly pleased with all that took place there. You have 
 doubtless received the message which was sent you by the 
 Convention and I wish to say I appreciate as far as I am able 
 to do so all that you have done to further the usefulness of 
 ■the brotherhood ever since you became interested in it many, 
 many years ago. 
 
"THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE" 213 
 
 "Permit me to say that I can stand your friendship as long 
 as you can stand mine." 
 
 Prom John Glover, friend of years, and Secretary of 
 
 the International Committee : 
 
 "Perhaps you are familiar with the following lines by Oliver 
 Wendell Holmes. They seem to he so appropriate that I ven- 
 ture to send them to you with best wishes and grateful appre- 
 ciation of all that you have done and are doing to extend the 
 Kingdom among young men: 
 
 " ' 'Tis yet high day, thy staff resume, 
 And fight fresh battles for the truth; 
 For what is age but youth's full bloom, 
 A riper, more transcendent youth? 
 A weight of gold 
 Is never old. 
 Streams broader grow as downward rolled. 
 
 " 'At sixty-two life has begun ; 
 
 At seventy-three begins once more ; 
 Fly swifter as thou near'st the sun. 
 And brighter shine at eighty-four. 
 At ninety-five 
 Shouldst thou arrive. 
 Still wait on God and work and thrive.' " 
 
 From his relative, F. Louis Slade, a leader in the 
 War Work Council : 
 
 "I am just back from the International Convention of the 
 Y. M. C. A., a splendid gathering and a great inspiration. My 
 thought often went out to you, to your long years of service 
 in this work, to the special pioneer work you have done, to 
 your plunge into the now unlimited Russian field (where others 
 feared to go), to your high ideals for the Movement, and to 
 your splendid results achieved by your lifelong devotion to 
 this particular field. 
 
 "Your nephew sometimes speaks lightly to his Uncle, and 
 does not always agree with him; but he loves him, knows his 
 affectionate heart, and his own kindness to his young orphan 
 nephew, and wants to write to tell him so." 
 
 From John Sherman Hoyt, a volunteer worker, of 
 great devotion and ability, in the War Work Council : 
 
214 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 "It must be a real satisfaction to see the results of your 
 work in Russia, for from what Mr. Gaylord said, the results 
 are definite and very far-reaching." 
 
 From D. A. Budge, the moving genius for many 
 years of the Canadian Associations : 
 
 "With -what gratitude of heart you must look back and 
 thank and bless His name for all the way He has led you! 
 And also for the part he has permitted you to take in the exten- 
 sion of His Kingdom! 
 
 "These are surely dark days upon which this old world has 
 fallen. But they are here because men have failed to carry out 
 His program, and enshrine Him as the King of their lives! 
 
 "But amidst this world calamity and confusion, may your 
 heart be cheered as you journey by His unfailing word of 
 final authority." 
 
 From W. E. Fenno, Religious Work Secretary for 
 New York State: 
 
 "Well, Mr. Stokes, you have wrought strongly and well for 
 your city, your country, and the Kingdom of our Lord. And 
 now remain the years of quiet, fretless, cheerful acceptance of 
 whatever the will of the Father may bring. Now is the time 
 to slip off the harness, curry out the sweat wrinkles, and get 
 out into the rich pasture ground of postponed pleasure trips, 
 enjoyment of long-deferred hobbies, harmless crotchets, and 
 waiting book friends, and, not at all to be neglected, the remem- 
 brances of friends of yesterday and the love of those of today; 
 of thoughts of 'work done squarely and unwasted days.' 
 
 "In the words of the immortal Rip Van Winkle: Here's to 
 you and your family. May you live long and prosper!" 
 
 Prom William Knowles Cooper, General Secretary, 
 Washington, D. C. : 
 
 "From the very beginning of my own Association career I 
 have known of your devoted services to the cause of Christ 
 and the welfare of young men. Your singleness of purpose and 
 your generosity have been an inspiration to thousands. You 
 enjoy the affection and esteem of many whose names you will 
 never learn. You have a rich treasure that cannot be taken 
 from you." 
 
"THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE" 215 
 
 From C. K. Ober, Secretary International Com- 
 mittee : 
 
 "The testimony of a life is irresistible — especially when 
 that life has been true to high ideals, friendly, constructive, 
 consistent, progressive. Such a life is immortal, not merely 
 living in the memory of others and in the work it may have 
 accomplished, but in the fact that it is the most worth while 
 and most enduring thing in the universe, the thing that God 
 is not likely to let die. 
 
 "We are grateful to God for what He has done for you and 
 grateful to you for what you have done with what God has 
 given you. 
 
 "We are confident that your best experience and achieve- 
 ment are before you, for the Master has said, 'Let not your 
 heart be troubled . . . because I live ye shall live also.'" 
 
 From L. Wilbur Messer, General Secretary, Chicago 
 Association : 
 
 "Your sturdy consistent Christian life, generous contribu- 
 tions of time and money at home and abroad, emphasis on 
 Christian and Association fundamentals, have all together 
 given you a unique and vital place in the leadership of the 
 Association Movement. Mrs. Messer appreciates with me your 
 confidence and friendship." 
 
 From "Uncle" Eobert Weidensall : 
 
 "You were not satisfied with helping in all lines of Chris- 
 tian work in North America, but you reached out beyond to 
 the great nations that stood in wonderful need of such help 
 as you afEorded. All the leading men of France, and of Italy, 
 and of Russia, headed by their rulers, know what you have 
 done in those countries in their dire need for the things that 
 came to them from you. Nor were you merely willing to send 
 money to these nations, but you visited them personally, stud- 
 ied the situations, and afforded them the intelligent and most 
 helpful service so sorely needed. Billions of money and the 
 lives of millions of young men are now being spent to destroy 
 nations, but your contributions were made for the uplift and 
 betterment both of the young men and of the nations. You 
 will never know the unmeasured and beneficent influences of 
 your personal and material contributions to these nations until 
 it will be revealed to you in eternity." 
 
216 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 Prom William Hoge Marquess, of the Bible Teachers' 
 
 Training School: 
 
 "You have fought the good fight and kept the faith and 
 served your own generation by the will of God with a most 
 loyal and unfaltering devotion." 
 
 From John E. Mott, General Secretary, Interna- 
 tional Committee: 
 
 "I would not be true to my heart, did I not express to you 
 from Its very depths my loving greetings. What do I not owe 
 to you personally, and what does not our world-wide move- 
 ment among young men! In the hands of God you have been 
 permitted to pioneer some of the most important phases and 
 developments of the Association Brotherhood, both at home 
 and abroad. It has been given to few men to initiate more 
 beneficent and Christlike ministries." 
 
 From I. E. Brown, State Secretary for Illinois : 
 
 "I give you greeting on your seventy-sixth birthday. Re- 
 membering that in my course in Association History, I always 
 mention you as one of that little group to whom at the Albany 
 Convention the International Committee was intrusted." 
 
 From his legal adviser, Hon. John C. Clark : 
 
 "Very few men know as I do the hourly thought and anx- 
 ious care which you give to this service. There are times when 
 the conditions seem discouraging, but because there are men 
 who believe as you do and fight as you do, the old truths still 
 prevail, and will continue to be the basis of Christian civ- 
 ilization." 
 
 From the beloved Canadian leader, John Penman : 
 
 "May every day between these anniversaries be days of joy 
 and peace lived in the light of your Master's presence and in 
 the strength and wisdom and companionship with Him. 
 
 "My birthday was this month also and I know how refresh- 
 ing it is to receive renewed tokens of friendship and fellow- 
 ship from those with whom we have been associated for 
 many years." 
 
 From Edwin J. Gillies, a life-long associate director : 
 "I saw you on Tuesday, May 9th, at the City Hall, attending 
 
"THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE" 217 
 
 the Centennial Meeting of the American Bible Society. My 
 friend, who sat beside me, said, 'There's James Stokes,' and the 
 mere mention of your name recalled to my mind the large 
 amount of good which it had been your privilege to do during 
 your life time, for the benefit of your fellowmen. 
 
 "Your life is an inspiration to us all to do our best wherever 
 our field of labor Is cast." 
 
 From Charles Glats, of New York City : 
 
 "What a source of contentment springs forth to one who is 
 able to look back to a long list of 'Blenfaits' that the great 
 Rewarder has chosen him to accomplish. All your friends wish 
 that He may yet keep you here to continue the work for many 
 years, and bless your efforts." 
 
 From Edward C. Jenkins, of the Foreign Work De- 
 partment : 
 
 "It seems to me that to live seventy-five years Is a big 
 achievement in itself and you have many other causes for 
 congratulation than this or any larger number of birthdays. 
 You have started many movements which, I trust, will num- 
 ber their anniversaries by the centuries. The chain of staunch 
 friends will not be broken even in eternity." 
 
 From Hon. Henry B. F. Macfarland, Washington, 
 D. C: 
 
 "I send you most hearty congratulations on your birthday, 
 with high appreciation of all you have accomplished In your 
 life, and best wishes for all the future. 
 
 "You have done a great service In your country, to the world, 
 and to God, for which we are all grateful and which will give 
 you joy through all eternity." 
 
 From Paul D. Elsesser, Minister, formerly a member 
 of the French Branch : 
 
 "With my best wishes for a happy birthday, I take the 
 opportunity to thank you heartily for your kind Interest in 
 the Y. M. C. A. and especially in our French Y. M. C. A. of 
 New York. 
 
 "It is there, as you know, that I went, at first, when I came 
 to America December 31, 1893. Being without any friends at 
 the time In New York, how much did I appreciate the cordial 
 reception of the Y. M. C. A. It was there, too, that I came to 
 
218 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal 
 Saviour." 
 
 From D. W. Mc Williams, honored Brooklyn leader : 
 
 "You have lived in the most interesting period of this 
 world's history and it has been given to you from above to 
 apprehend that for which you have been apprehended and to 
 improve the opportunities of service for God and for men 
 which have come to you. 
 
 "You have builded well and will leave enduring monuments 
 which will stand the test of time. It has always been a great 
 joy to me to meet you, but I have missed you of late years." 
 
 From Fred S. Goodman, Secretary International 
 Committee : 
 
 "It makes no difference which year it celebrates; after a man 
 passes fifty the only question worth while is, has he made a 
 distinct and vital addition to the sum total of human welfare 
 and happiness? You have made many such additions, and I 
 am happy to have the privilege of saying this to you after 
 having known you so well for more than twenty years. 
 
 "In these days it must be a great joy to you that our dear 
 Lord gave you the privilege of helping to begin the work of 
 the International Committee, and share in and witness its 
 growth up to its fiftieth anniversary at Cleveland. 
 
 "Your service to France, Italy, and Russia has been of 
 eternal meaning. The splendid work in Petrograd, which you 
 have so generously supported, came to the minds of some of 
 the men who listened with reverent enthusiasm and pleasure 
 to the wonderful singing of the Russian Cathedral choir at the 
 Cleveland Convention." 
 
 From R. M. Armstrong, veteran secretary in New 
 
 England : 
 
 "How well I remember your visits to our Y. M. C. A. state 
 gatherings in the days of Russell Sturgis and H. M. Moore! 
 And tomorrow will be your birthday!" 
 
 From J. S. Tichenor, International Secretary, Army 
 Work: 
 
 "We are all hoping you will be entirely restored to health 
 and able to resume your large and intelligent relationship to 
 the great world work of the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 
"THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE" 219 
 
 tion. In the meantime, remember that the fact that you are 
 temporarily laid aside is not a matter of indifference to us 
 who have watched your large work at home and abroad for 
 the young men of the present generation," 
 
 From J. Edgar Leaycraft, for years a leader in the 
 New York City Association : 
 
 "Few men can look back upon a past so fraught with useful- 
 ness and helpfulness to his fellowmen and particularly young 
 men than yourself. It must be a pleasant and happy memory." 
 
 From Eaymond P. Kaighn, Secretary International 
 Committee : 
 
 "Many young men have cause to thank God for your Interest 
 in the Toung Men's Christian Association. You have also made 
 possible an enlargement of the spiritual and material life of 
 thousands of the best youth of France, Russia, and America." 
 
 From James McCormick, leader in Harrisburg, Pa. : 
 
 "Though I am ten years older than you I seem to remember 
 you, and the work you have done so well will never be forgot- 
 ten. May God bless you in your declining years and keep you 
 busy and useful." 
 
 From Ms old friend and associate in the Board of 
 Directors of the New York City Association, Samuel 
 Sloane : 
 
 "You have been a kind friend to many and you have the 
 satisfaction of knowing many are very proud to call you their 
 friend." 
 
 From his fellow-director, Hon. Chauncey M. Depew : 
 "Cordial congratulations and many happy returns." 
 
 From Cyrus H. McCormick, Chicago leader : 
 
 "As one of those who have been associated for a generation 
 with you in Young Men's Christian Association work, and who 
 has seen the wide range of your philanthropic efforts, I send 
 this word as a birthday greeting." 
 
220 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 From J. M. Main, Vice-Chairman, New York City 
 Association : 
 
 "It has been your good fortune to have a vision and so you 
 have been not only a 'hearer' hut a 'doer' in a large way and 
 as such you surely have realized the full meaning of what 
 James meant when he wrote that such a man 'shall be blessed 
 in his deed.'." 
 
 From S. P. Fenn, President Cleveland Association: 
 
 "I am sure your name is heralded to the ends of the earth 
 as a promoter, an eflScient and persistent promoter, of the 
 best interests of young men everywhere, whether of the Eng- 
 lish language or the most remote dialect of the world." 
 
 From Charles A. Coburn, Secretary New Jersey 
 State Committee : 
 
 "Your recent pamphlet strikes a note greatly needed in this 
 careless, pushing, pleasure-loving age. I want you to know 
 that I sympathize with your point of view. 
 
 "It is wonderful to be able to love one another and to pray 
 in confidence for one another, scattered as we are all over this 
 great busy world." 
 
 From Fred B. Smith: 
 
 "You ought to be a happy man in contemplation of the 
 great work you have done and of that which will go on for 
 many, many years by reason of your generosity. You have 
 cheered thousands, may God's favor bring you constant cheer. 
 I expect to share heaven's joy with you after a while." 
 
 From John J. Gartshore, Canadian National 
 Council : 
 
 "With kindest regards for another 'old fellow' in Associa- 
 tion service." 
 
 From F. Wayland Ayer, President Camden, N. J., 
 
 Association : 
 
 "I congratulate you, not alone on the anniversary of your 
 birth but on the fact that you have kept in touch with the 
 
"THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE" 221 
 
 young men of the Association Brotherhood and have, in so 
 many ways for so many years, been an inspiration to those of 
 us who have not been privileged to spend so many years as 
 yet in the service." 
 
 Prom W. M. Kingsley, Chairman West Side Branch, 
 
 New York, and Chairman New York State Comimittee : 
 
 "I send you my affectionate greetings and best wishes on 
 this anniversary day. Every Y. M. C. A. man is indebted to 
 you, even if he does not know It, for all the splendid work you 
 have done in making the Association movement so strong 
 and vigorous." 
 
 From C. M. Copeland, Secretary Canadian National 
 
 Council : 
 
 "Not only have you been enabled to do much during your 
 span of life, but what you have done will live after you and 
 bear fruit during all the years to come." 
 
 From George J. Fisher, M.D., leader in physical 
 
 work: 
 
 "In your own experience and example you have demon- 
 strated the large place which the volunteer should take in this 
 work and the splendid results which come when such leader- 
 ship is given." 
 
 From E. L. Shuey, Dayton, Ohio, for over fifty years 
 
 a national Association figure : 
 
 "One of the earliest experiences I had in the International 
 Committee was the kindly Interest you showed in a youngster 
 just learning to work as a layman. And I shall always recall 
 with pleasure your thoughtfulness on more than one occasion 
 through these years." 
 
 From E. T. Bates, Secretary Emeritus, Connecticut : 
 
 "The splendid buildings which you have caused to be 
 erected will always stand as monuments to your faith in the 
 Association movement, and upon the occasion of your birth- 
 day you can look back with much satisfaction to the great 
 work which you have done during these many years in which 
 God has spared you to serve Him." 
 
222 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 From S. M. Sayf ord, evangelist : 
 
 "You have wrought well along the pathway of your three- 
 score and fourteen years. Many Christian activities have been 
 accelerated by your wise and generous cooperation." 
 
 From A. S. Newman, a fellow-New York Director : 
 
 "You have sown precious seed, and you have seen results 
 that must make you feel there is something in life, and God 
 has been with you. You have been an inspiration to so many 
 of us." 
 
 From D. H. McAlpin, member International Com- 
 mittee : 
 
 "You are so identified with the growth and development of 
 the Association movement that your absence at Cleveland this 
 year brought forth many expressions of regret. It would have 
 done your heart good to have listened to the addresses by the 
 foreign secretaries and you would have been especially pleased 
 with the reports from Russia." 
 
 From John B. Carse, Director New York City Asso- 
 ciation : 
 
 "It has been a great pleasure to me to have been associated 
 with you for so many years on the Board of the Y. M. C. A. 
 in which work you have done so much good." 
 
 From George B. Hodge, Secretary International 
 Committee : 
 
 "We are glad to pay our humble tribute to a man who has 
 borne leading responsibilities of both national and interna- 
 tional character for these past fifty years of the Committee's 
 service. 
 
 "Your printed letter of fatherly counsel, sent to the brother- 
 hood just before the Convention, carried with it a kind of 
 benediction and sterling vigorous advice and counsel, the 
 value of which is beyond estimate." 
 
 From W. A. Patton, of the Pennsylvania Railroad : 
 
 "You have done so much good work for others in your life- 
 time, and have so long enjoyed the fellowship of those who 
 have been active in the work of the Young Men's Christian 
 
"THE HAPPIEST DAY OP MY LIFE" 223 
 
 Association, that I wish to express my appreciation of your 
 faithful service in this direction, and also to extend to you, 
 upon behalf of our Pennsylvania Railroad Department of the 
 y. M. C. A. of Philadelphia, our hearty congratulations." 
 
 From Albert E. Roberts, International Secretary, 
 County Work : 
 
 "We men who are younger cannot thank the men like your- 
 selves who laid the foundations, in any adequate way, but we 
 have consecrated our lives and the best that we have in us to 
 the service of the Great Master in this field of endeavor. 
 
 "I have often thought that the men like yourself who 
 sacrificed time and prayer in the early days must find their 
 greatest joy in seeing the influence of this work extended to 
 the uttermost parts of the earth." 
 
 From Cleveland A. Dunn, Chairman Bowery Branch, 
 
 New York: 
 
 "My contact with you during the several years I have been 
 on the New York City Board of Directors of the Association 
 has shown me that there are men who have the courage of 
 their convictions and are earnest and constant in purpose." 
 
 From Harry E. Edmonds, Secretary Student Asso- 
 ciations, New York : 
 
 "Your name was cheered, at the recent International Con- 
 vention at Cleveland, as one of the great pioneers in the Asso- 
 ciation Movement. I am one of those who rejoice in the firm 
 stand which you have always taken in reference to the essen- 
 tials to be pursued by the Association, and I think you can be 
 assured that the leaders, particularly Dr. Mott and those asso- 
 ciated with him, are very earnest in their desire to have the 
 Movement continue to lay its primary emphasis on the deity 
 of our Lord, and in putting the primary emphasis in all our 
 work on winning men everywhere to acknowledge Him as their 
 Lord and Master." 
 
 From W. H. Morriss, General Secretary, Baltimore 
 
 Association : 
 
 "I suppose there are not many men in our Association work 
 who remember those early days when you and McBurney, 
 
224 JAMBS STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 Cephas Brainerd, Richard Morse, and a number of other vet- 
 eran leaders formed a coterie, whose deliberations resulted in 
 the wonderful organization known as the Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association. Your life has been an inspiration to so many 
 men with whom you have been associated in service. 
 
 "We want you to know that none of this has been forgotten, 
 and that your work is treasured in many hearts throughout 
 the Association world." 
 
 Prom Dr. Frank K. Sanders, member International 
 
 Committee : 
 
 "You, Mr. Morse, and Mr. Weidensall are the leaders of the 
 exceedingly small number of the men who have given that 
 faithful interest, that sane leadership, and that devoted care 
 to the Association Movement, which has made it so real a 
 factor in the spiritual interests of the young manhood of 
 the world." 
 
 From John B. Adger, for many years a conspicuous 
 leader of Southern Associations: 
 
 "We are very nearly of the same age. I congratulate you 
 upon the great amount of good which you have been able to 
 accomplish, especially in the work in which we are both so 
 much interested, namely: 'The extension of Christian work 
 among the young men of the world.' It means a great thing 
 for the present, and will mean a much greater thing for the 
 future that the work of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation has been firmly established in Paris, Rome, and St. 
 Petersburg. 
 
 "Long may you be spared to the men of America, young and 
 old. Your recent letter to the Cleveland Convention was an 
 inspiration. May the Master strengthen you and walk close 
 with you as the shadows lengthen." 
 
 From his beloved French Branch Directors, New 
 York City : 
 
 "On the occasion of your anniversary the French Branch of 
 the Young Men's Christian Association of the City of New 
 York takes pleasure in recalling how many years have borne 
 proofs of your good will to them. 
 
 "It notably recalls how efficacious has been your aid in 
 transforming a small society of young men into a prosperous 
 
"THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE" 225 
 
 branch of the New York Association now established in a 
 building of its own, which the Association owes to your initi- 
 ative and generosity. And as members of the great allied 
 family, we do not forget that the Paris, Rome, and Petrograd 
 Associations owe their development to you. 
 
 "We ask God to keep you in good health for many years for 
 the work that is so dear to you and we pray you to accept the 
 assurance of our most devoted sentiments." 
 
 From E. M. Willis, International Secretary: 
 
 "I shall never forget the encouragement and words of cheer 
 that you gave me in the early days of my Association experi- 
 ence, and I am sure that it will not come amiss at this time 
 to let you know how much I appreciated them." 
 
 From Henry M. Orne, Comptroller New York City 
 Association : 
 
 "You should be a happy man on your birthday tomorrow, 
 for you have given many others happiness during the years 
 that have gone. 
 
 "If you radiate love in your life you receive love in return. 
 If you sympathize with those in sorrow or sickness and are 
 generous to those in need, their sympathy will be with you 
 when shadows cross your path. 
 
 "I well remember how touched I was by a prayer you offered 
 twenty-seven years ago, when you dropped in Mr. McBurney's 
 tower room, where a little band of men was gathered. Who 
 can measure the influence of a consecrated life? I thank God 
 for yours, and assure you that you have my love today, tomor- 
 row, and always." 
 
 From Fleming H. Kevell, Publisher : 
 
 "I am very confident that your greatest joy, as you recount 
 the record of the years that have passed, is found in the mis- 
 sion of helpfulness that you have been prompted so unselfishly 
 to devote to the good of others. The Young Men's Christian 
 Association of New York — which means in fact, the young 
 men of New York — owe you a deep debt of gratitude for your 
 devotion from the earliest days, to that great work begun in a 
 very humble way, but now so widespread and beneficent in all 
 its interests. Those who lay a foundation are more to be 
 praised than they who fit the capstone — but yours has been 
 
226 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 the privilege to be associated with both, as well as throughout 
 all the intervening years." 
 
 From E. M. Robinson, Boys' Work Leader : 
 
 "I think there are a great many more men in this country 
 
 who think kindly of you and remember with gratitude what 
 
 you have accomplished than you realize." 
 
 From his friend, G. A. Warburton, General Secre- 
 tary, Toronto Association : 
 
 "As you look back over your long and useful life, how many 
 things you have to fill your heart with joy — your friendship 
 and loyalty to McBurney and Morse; the great task that you 
 have finished in so many cities of Europe, as well as at home; 
 the great impetus you gave the railroad work when it was 
 weak and struggling, to say nothing of all the other relations 
 of the work in New York City and the International Commit- 
 tee. I suppose that now and then you, like all the rest of us 
 upon whom time is laying its hand, get a bit discouraged, but 
 I hope you may constantly find the fulfillment in your own 
 life of His gracious promise, 'At evening time it shall be 
 light.' " 
 
 From Frank W. Ober, Editor Association Men: 
 
 "On this day, when many friends are saying to you that they 
 rejoice that you have lived, rejoice that you are living, and 
 rejoice, too, that your life is going on with ever widening influ- 
 ence the world over ; thank God for James Stokes, and that you 
 in your boyhood gave your heart to Him, and in your young 
 manhood consecrated your life to His service. 
 
 "One may get discouraged in a near view of a day's work, 
 but when one sees the cumulative effect of the work of years, 
 one may indeed thank God that he has been privileged to live 
 and pray and labor and give of heart and money and brain to 
 the Kingdom of our Lord. 
 
 "Generations hence people will look upon your monuments 
 in the busy markets and great capitals and commercial cen- 
 ters, and speak of a man who loved his Lord and his fellow- 
 men and tried to serve them with all the means in his hand. 
 These monuments will be in the eye and hearts of people more 
 than those erected in a cemetery. 
 
 "May the many assurances of friendship, good will, and ap- 
 preciation which are coming to you this day be a comfort to 
 
"THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE" 227 
 
 you — it has been a joy to see with what eagerness the men 
 have written and to find on every hand marks of the deep 
 affection in which your name is held." 
 
 From "dear old" C. B. Willis : 
 
 "As one who has esteemed your friendship for many years, 
 I write to congratulate you on, not merely so many years, but 
 what you have, by the grace of God, been able to put into them 
 — for I know that you have really lived more for your fellow- 
 men (and incidentally your own happiness is involved) in the 
 seventy-five years than some men would in two hundred years. 
 
 "I am grateful to have had the honor and pleasure of your 
 friendship, for it is the kind that will grow in the eternity 
 when we meet there by and by." 
 
 How greatly Mr. Stokes cherished these letters from 
 his fellow-workers and the friendships cemented in 
 these years which comprised the period of the real rise 
 and realization of the organization, is indicated in this 
 letter to C. B. Willis acknowledging his birthday greet- 
 ing. It is characteristic and it is a benediction : 
 
 "Who could forget a Willis, with their sweet singing and 
 their happy faces, and, above all, their devotion to the founda- 
 tions of our Christian religion and our Association system. 
 If we go back on the Portland Test, if we go back on Christ 
 for whom we are named, we are lost, and you and I know it. 
 
 "The terrible exigencies through which we are passing, and 
 the magnificent work which the Association is doing (much of 
 the work you and I are new to), all indicate the necessity for 
 the greatest watchfulness, prayer, and care. 
 
 "I do thank you again, my dear friend, for your sweet letter. 
 I want your prayers, because when one has been as sick as I 
 have been and an invalid for so long with asthma, and so forth 
 (and two severe illnesses these two winters past), it is a time 
 of straining of one's faith and patience and Christian 
 character. 
 
 "You, too, will realize this when you get to be my age and 
 will appreciate such recollections as having done something 
 that is worth while, for that is all there is in life. This has 
 been God's work, and whilst I had perhaps nearly the earliest 
 hand in getting the people together, it has been young men 
 who have carried it on." 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 THE JAMES STOKES SOCIETY, INCORPORATED 
 
 To which, iy the will of Mr. Stokes, his resid- 
 uary estate exceeding $1,000,000 is committed 
 for the extension and support of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association. 
 
 The will of Mr. James Stokes was executed Decem- 
 ber 31, 1915. It contained a number of bequests to 
 educational and, charitable institutions, and to his 
 friends who were engaged with him in work for young 
 men. Under paragraph twenty-first of the will, Mr. 
 Stokes transferred his interest in the properties used 
 for his work for young men in Petrograd, Russia, 
 Rome, Italy, and Paris, France, to the James Stokes 
 Society. The provision is as follows : 
 
 I give and devise to the James Stokes Society, Incorporated, 
 a corporation existing under the laws of the State of New 
 York, if it shall be entitled to hold property in Russia at the 
 time of my death, or if it is not so entitled, then to my wife, 
 Florence Chatfield Stokes, all the property owned by me in 
 Petrograd, Russia, and particularly the property occupied by 
 the Society for the Moral, Intellectual and Physical Develoi)- 
 ment of Young Men in said City. It is possible that during 
 my lifetime, I may be able to transfer said property to the 
 James Stokes Society, Incorporated, in which case this devise 
 to my wife will be of no effect. It is my intention that the said 
 devise of real estate in Russia to my wife, shall not in any wise 
 reduce the amounts hereinbefore provided for her, but shall 
 be in addition thereto. 
 
 I give and devise to the James Stokes Society, Incorporated, 
 a corporation existing under the laws of the State of New 
 York, all my right, title and interest in and to the property 
 occupier" by the Young Men's Christian Association in Rome, 
 
 228 
 
APPENDIX 229 
 
 Italy, if I shall have any such right, title and interest at the 
 time of my death. 
 
 I have transferred to the said James Stokes Society, Incor- 
 porated, all the shares of stock owned or controlled by me in 
 the Societie Anonyme Immoblliere de L'Union, of Paris, 
 France, which, under French law, owns the building No. 14 
 Rue de Trevise, for the benefit of the Young Men's Christian 
 Association of Paris. I hereby co^ifirm said transfer of said 
 shares of stock. I have no interest in them other than that 
 which arises from my desire for the well-being and success of 
 the Paris Association and I mention them here for the pur- 
 pose of authorizing and directing my executors to execute fur- 
 ther transfers confirming the title of the James Stokes Society, 
 Incorporated, to the said shares in case any action on their 
 part is necessary for that purpose. I hope that if said shares 
 or any part thereof shall be transferred at any time to the said 
 Societie in Paris or to such trustee or trustees as said Societie 
 may designate, the said James Stokes Society, Incorporated, 
 will satisfy itself that the work of said Young Men's Christian 
 Association at Paris is being conducted in modern, approved, 
 American Young Men's Christian Association methods. Our 
 experience so far is that it is for the best interests of all con- 
 cerned to retain the shares in the name of the James Stokes 
 Society, Incorporated. 
 
 Under paragraph thirty-first of the will Mr. Stokes 
 gave his residuary estate to the James Stokes Society 
 in the following terms : 
 
 I give, devise and bequeath all the rest, residue, and re- 
 mainder of my estate, including any of the foregoing legacies, 
 bequests, or devises, which may, for any reason, lapse or fail, 
 and including any sums which may at any time fall into my 
 residuary estate under the provisions of this will, to the James 
 Stokes Society, Incorporated, a corporation existing under the 
 laws of the State of New York, to invest and reinvest the same 
 and collect the rents, issues, and profits thereof and apply the 
 income in such proportion as shall seem wise in promoting 
 and sustaining the Young Men's Christian Associations in 
 Europe and the Russian Empire, or organizations there which 
 have been founded hy me, prosecuting their work upon the 
 methods and upon the Protestant evangelical undenominational 
 basis now recognized by the International Committee of Young 
 Men's Christian Associations, or as I am prosecuting my work 
 
230 JAMES STOKES— PIONEER 
 
 there. This income is to be employed for said work in coun- 
 tries occupied by the Latin and Russian races, and for the 
 benefit and advancement of such races; but Its application is 
 not to be limited to those races, in case said Society finds that 
 it cannot justly be so employed; in such event, it may be em- 
 ployed in other European countries, and if the total income 
 of the funds passing to said Society under this will shall 
 exceed the sum of thirty thousand (30,000) dollars in any year, 
 then some portion of such excess may be employed in prose- 
 cuting the said work in the countries of South America. Some 
 part of the income of said fund may be expended, in the dis- 
 cretion of said Society, in educating Association secretaries 
 for foreign countries, at the Association Training Schools, but 
 I direct that no portion thereof be expended in educating sec- 
 retaries at the training school at Springfield, Massachusetts. 
 In this connection, I cordially approve of the fellowship plan 
 of education of secretaries, introduced by Mr. C. K. Ober, one 
 of the secretaries of said International Committee. I suggest 
 also that some part be expended through the Central Interna- 
 tional Committee of the Young Men's Christian Association, 
 now located at Geneva, Switzerland, if, in the opinion of said 
 Society, the work of said World's Committee is prosecuted 
 upon the methods and upon the Protestant evangelical unde- 
 nominational basis now recognized by said International 
 Committee. 
 
 Some of said income, in the discretion of said Society, may 
 be applied to said work through the National Committee of 
 Young Men's Christian Associations in France. Some of said 
 income may be employed, in the discretion of said Society, for 
 the prosecution of the local work of the Paris Young Men's 
 Christian Association, and some may be employed for work 
 in Spain, if said Society deems best. 
 
 Some of said income may be expended, in the discretion of 
 said Society, in employing American secretaries for the work 
 specified. In connection with all bequests under this para- 
 graph, I desire that the income shall be applied only to work 
 which is conducted in modern and approved American Young 
 Men's Christian Association methods. 
 
 Said Society may. In its discretion, use, not to exceed, the 
 sum of twenty thousand (20,000) dollars of said principal sum 
 toward the payment of the mortgage now upon the property 
 of the Societie Anonyme, of Paris, France; or to aid in the 
 construction of a new building upon the front portion of the 
 lots now occupied by it, or to secure another building else- 
 where in Paris, such payments to be made during the lives of 
 
APPENDIX 231 
 
 F. Louis Slade and Anson Phelps Stokes, Jr., or the survivor 
 of them. 
 
 I authorize said Society, in its discretion, to use, not to 
 exceed, twenty thousand (20,000) dollars of said principal 
 sum in the purchase of property or erection of a building for 
 the work of the Young Men's Christian Association in Rome, 
 Italy, or in some other part of said country, said purchase to 
 be made in connection with the present property of said Asso- 
 ciation in Rome, or its proceeds or otherwise, as said Society 
 shall deem best. Such purchase or erection shall, however, 
 be made within the lives of F. Louis Slade and Anson Phelps 
 Stokes, Jr., or the survivor of them. 
 
 I authorize said Society, in its discretion, to use annually, 
 not to exceed, five thousand (5,000) dollars of the income of 
 said fund for the relief of retired, deserving, and needy Young 
 Men's Christian Association secretaries. And it is my desire 
 that the secretaries who receive the benefit of such instruction 
 or relief shall be men sound in the faith, conforming to the 
 sentiments of our present Portland basis of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association, believing in the divine inspiration and 
 the final and ultimate authority of the Scriptures, the Trinity, 
 and the Deity of Christ, and the doctrine of the complete atone- 
 ment for sin through the blood of Jesus Christ and in His 
 immaculate conception. I require this proviso because of pres- 
 ent unfortunate conditions in the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation in certain localities. 
 
 I hope that a large fund will be established for the relief 
 of tired, deserving, and needy Association secretaries, and I 
 authorize said Society, in its discretion, to contribute to such 
 fund not more than one hundred thousand (100,000) dollars 
 out of the amount by my will bequeathed to said Society, pro- 
 vided that at least five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) 
 shall be raised for said fund within five years after my death, 
 and provided that the beneficiaries of said fund shall be men 
 whose beliefs shall conform to the above specified statement 
 of faith. 
 
 It is my desire that the sums I have bequeathed to said 
 James Stokes Society, Incorporated, or the mortgages or 
 securities in which they shall be legally invested, shall be 
 placed in the custody and charge of a standard trust company 
 in the City of New York and kept in a safe deposit vault with 
 two different combination locks, one lock controlled by said 
 trust company and the other by the trustees of said Society, 
 in such manner that it shall be necessary for the authorized 
 legal representative of such trust company and the treasurer 
 
232 JAMES STOKES— PIONEEE 
 
 or at least one of the trustees of the said Society, duly ap- 
 pointed by the Board of Trustees for the purpose, to be present 
 when the vault is opened and the securities examined, and also 
 that said trust company shall keep a record of all names of 
 visitors and dates of the visits to said safe deposit vault and 
 the changes in the contents thereof, said record to be open 
 to inspection by any of said trustees at all times. Any expense 
 of retaining such funds in the custody of such trust company 
 shall be a charge upon the income thereof. My reason for this 
 provision has already been given in reference to the bequests 
 to the New York University. 
 
 It is my desire that the James Stokes Society, Incorporated, 
 shall confer with the representatives of the International Com- 
 mittee of Young Men's Christian Associations, Foreign Depart- 
 ment, concerning matters of discretion to be exercised by said 
 Society under the terms of this will, but the final decision 
 upon such matters is to rest v/ith said Society. I also express 
 the hope that said Society will keep in close touch with the 
 work of said International Committee, and that a large portion 
 of the Income of the funds hereby bequeathed to said Society 
 may be disbursed for the purposes set forth in this will pur- 
 suant to the terms and conditions named therein, through the 
 said Foreign Department of the said International Committee 
 or through the channels used by said Foreign Department in 
 the conduct of its work. I hope said Society will bear in mind 
 that my first interest has always been In the organizations 
 which I have founded in Europe. 
 
 I desire that the work for which the fund is hereby created 
 shall be consecrated and used to and for the furtherance of 
 the Christian doctrines of the complete atonement for sin 
 through the blood of Jesus Christ once offered, and that secre- 
 taries and teachers may be selected who are sound in the faith, 
 believing in the divine inspiration and authority of the Scrip- 
 tures, the Trinity, and the Deity of Christ. 
 
 The executors appointed under the will were Mrs. 
 Stokes and The Farmers' Loan and Trust Company of 
 the City of New York, and the settlement of the estate 
 had been practically completed a few weeks before the 
 death of Mrs. Stokes on August 28, 1920. 
 
 The James Stokes Society was incorporated by a 
 special Act of the Legislature of the State of New York, 
 
APPENDIX 233 
 
 which became a law on March 19, 1915. The Act of 
 the Legislature appears as Chapter 94 of the Laws of 
 1915 of the State of New York as follows : 
 
 An Act to Incobporate the James Stokes Society 
 
 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate 
 and Assembly, do enact as follows: 
 
 Section 1. James Stokes, Florence Chatfield Stokes, Franklin 
 A. Gaylord, John C. Clark, William D. Murray, and their suc- 
 cessors, are hereby constituted a body corporate by the name 
 of James Stokes Society for the purpose of the establishment, 
 maintenance, conduct, and management of work and facilities 
 for the moral, intellectual, and physical development of young 
 men in the Empire of Russia and elsewhere, including main- 
 tenance of reading rooms, lectures, social meetings, gymnastic 
 halls, tea rooms, and such other means as shall conduce to the 
 accomplishment of these objects, and for the purpose of assist- 
 ing, as far as the Society finds it possible, such institutions as 
 the "Mayak" in Russia and similar organizations elsewhere. 
 
 Section 2. Said corporation hereby formed shall have power 
 to take and hold by wills or by deeds, by bequest, devise, gift, 
 purchase, or lease, either absolutely or in trust for any of its 
 purposes, any property, real or personal, including freehold 
 property, without limitation as to amount or value (except 
 such limitation, if any, as the legislature may hereafter 
 impose) , to lease, rent, mortgage, transfer, or convey the same, 
 and to invest and reinvest the principal and income thereof, 
 and to deal with and expend the principal and income of the 
 corporation in such manner as in the judgment of the trustees 
 will best promote its objects. The financial resources of the 
 Society may consist in (1) annual membership dues, the 
 amount of which shall be specified in the manner provided in 
 the constitution; (2) sums paid by people who profit by the 
 institutions and services of the Society; (3) revenues derived 
 from the property of the Society; (4) gifts in aid of the Soci- 
 ety, which gifts may be made by living donors or by wills. The 
 said corporation shall have all the powers, and be subject to 
 all the restrictions which now pertain by the laws of the State 
 of New York to membership corporations, in so far as the same 
 are applicable thereto and are not inconsistent with the pro- 
 visions of this act. 
 
 Section 3. The persons named in the first section of this act 
 shall constitute the organizing members of the corporation, 
 and shall be its first board of trustees. Such persons so 
 
234 JAMES STOKES— PIONEEE 
 
 named, or a majority of them, shall hold a meeting and or- 
 ganize the corporation and adopt a constitution. Such consti- 
 tution shall prescribe the qualifications and manner of election 
 of members, the number of members who shall constitute a 
 quorum for the transaction of business at meetings of the 
 corporation, the number of trustees by whom the business and 
 affairs of the corporation shall be managed, the qualifications, 
 powers, terms of office, and manner of selection of the trustees 
 and officers of the corporation, the method of amending the 
 constitution, and all other proTisions for the regulation of the 
 affairs of the corporation and the management and disposition 
 of its property, which may be deemed expedient. 
 
 Section 4. Meetings of the Society may be held at such times 
 and places as the members shall determine. In case of the 
 dissolution of said Society, the trustees shall dispose of the 
 property of the Society in conformity with the decision of a 
 general meeting of the members of the Society and pursuant 
 to the laws of the State of New York. 
 
 Section 5. The corporation hereby formed is not established 
 and shall not be maintained or conducted for pecuniary profit, 
 or for the pecuniary profit of its members, and no member of 
 the corporation shall be entitled to or shall receive any such 
 profit; provided, however, that reasonable compensation may 
 be paid to an officer or member for services actually rendered 
 to the corporation. 
 
 Section 6. This act shall take effect immediately. 
 
 Mr. James Stokes was president of the James Stokes 
 Society until he died on October 4, 1918, and thereafter 
 Mrs. Stokes was president of the Society until her 
 death. The president of the Society who succeeded 
 Mrs. Stokes is Judge John C. Clark, who was for many 
 years the intimate friend and legal adviser of Mr. 
 James Stokes. Judge Clark was a Director of the New 
 York City Young Men's Christian Association for over 
 twenty-five years and is now a trustee of that Associa- 
 tion, and also a trustee of the International Committee 
 of Young Men's Christian Associations. The other 
 trustees of the James Stokes Society at the present 
 time are Dr. John E. Mott, Mr. Franklin A. Gaylord, 
 
APPENDIX 235 
 
 who represented the work in which Mr. Stokes was in- 
 terested in Eussia, Mr. Frederick P. Woodruff, who 
 was for more than twenty-six years the friend and sec- 
 retary of Mr. Stokes, and Mr. William Gordon Mur- 
 phy, Jr., who was one of Mr. Stokes's personal counsel. 
 The oflSce of the James Stokes Society is at No. 149 
 Broadway, New York City. 
 

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