PRELIMINARY DRAFT Discussion Outlines to Help Prepare for The World’s YMCA Conference to be held at Helsingfors, Finland August, 1926 Aids to an Inquiry into the attitude of youth toward life as a means to the discovery of a more Christian Way of Life in Personal, So- : cial and International Relations a7 ane .- ed a in ‘s PRELIMINARY DRAFT Discussion Outlines to Help Prepare for The World’s YMCA Conference to be held at Helsingfors, Finland August, 1926 Aids to an Inquiry into the attitude of youth toward life as a means to the discovery of a more Christian Way of Life in Personal, So- cial and International Relations Copyright, 1925, by Frederick M. Harris Printed in the United States of America TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE PE pemVVOrid s4 Conference... gtee oe a: aoe 3 Se MOIcceaLeLclegates scm senate ery meee 5 Neomeuelacma thes VWorldeee cea acai em ee 6 Suggestions for the Use of These Outlines...... ih Procedure for an Introductory Discussion. ..... 12 Discussion Outlines : pikes H1 Omics, Ol; DOYS sats. ee Seen en Ne 14 Young Men and Their Work............. pels inten @ Ghats A NOMONIE, o Ge nemo bee Oe 23 The Government and Young Men.......... 30 SrUnInAticsma na LC DOLts ae eer. ee an me eee 38 Digitized by the Internet Archive In 2022 with funding from Columbia University Libraries httos://archive.org/details/preliminarydraft0Ounse_1 THE WORLD’S CONFERENCE The first World’s Conference of the YMCA since 1913 is to be held at Helsingfors, Finland, August 1-6, 1926. The Committee of Arrangements has decided upon a type of con- ference somewhat unlike the previous gatherings of the World’s Alliance. Instead of the more formal program devoted largely to addresses and papers, the effort is being made to insure that the Helsingfors program, while including a few prophetic and inspiring messages by outstanding leaders of youth, be a real conferring together, both of the fifteen hundred delegates, and equally a real conferring together of hundreds of Association members throughout the world who will not be able to go to Finland. Helsingfors is to be one event in a search beginning imme- diately and continuing through the conference into the follow- ing years. This search has been defined as “fan inquiry as to the Christian way of life in personal, social and international affairs.” Two commissions of the World’s Committee will en- deavor to evaluate the work of the inquiry but the main process will be valid only in so far as it is carried out by groups of boys and young men inside (and outside) of the Association through- out the world. The following outlines have been prepared through a process of experimentation to serve as preliminary tools for groups to be formed under Y MC A auspices. They are based on the assumption that sometimes boys and young men can not give in ready and offhand fashion a clear answer to questions about their attitudes or interests or problems but that out of the give and take of group discussion and under the guidance of a leader, they can come to see these more clearly. The basis of the whole inquiry must be a nation-wide and eventually a world-wide study in local groups of the question “VYoutrH Facinc tHE Wor.up” A picture of the problems and perplexities which boys and young men everywhere are actually facing can only be accurate if hundreds of groups cooperate in making a first-hand study. Some of the outlines are adapted for both boys and young men; others will be more suitable for one group or the other. >. o Local experiment will be most helpful in determining this. Each person receiving these outlines is asked to experiment with one or more of them with a group either of boys or young men and to report the results. Such reports, together with suggestions as to the revision and completion of these outlines, should be addressed—“The Helsingfors Inquiry” and sent, as is most convenient, to 8 Rue General Dufour, Geneva, Switzerland, to 347 Madison Avenue, New York, to 86 Adelaide Street, East, Toronto, to 5 Russell Street, Calcutta, or, if desired, to the National Y MCA headquarters of the country in which the recipient of these outlines is living. Preparation for Helsingfors must eventually involve studies according to some such plan as the following: 1. What problems are actually perplexing boys and young men (a) in the Association, and (b) outside the Associa- tion, in the following relations? Home Government School The Press Work Women Play The Church Sex The Inner Life 2. Who makes up their minds for boys and young men? The press, the parents, the church, the government, the gang or they themselves? How? 3. What is being done by organizations appealing to youth? What is the nature of their peculiar appeal? . What are the gaps? 5. What should be done through the Association and inde- pendently of the Association in this situation? 6. To what extent is the Association an effective agency in the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth? Nore. In this preliminary edition outlines are included only on The Home, Work, The Church, and The Government. CHOICE OF DELEGATES As Helsingfors is to be something more than an ordinary convention, the Conference Committee is asking all National Councils to choose the delegates with unusual care. It is hoped that as far as possible delegates may be selected by the autumn or winter of 1925 so that each may prepare for the conference by actually leading discussion groups of boys or young men, using such outlines as these. Delegates who have not had this preliminary preparation will be at such a disadvantage that it is recommended that the National Councils give preference to those who have participated actively in these discussions and the studies for which the Conference calls. The Committee has also decided to ask the National Councils to insure that a pro- portion of each delegation should be under twenty years of age. It is, of course, expected that such also would be selected on the basis of their participation in local group studies prepar- atory to the Conference. OO YOUTH FACING THE WORLD Clearly those who planned for the Helsingfors Conference had in mind that there should be presented in that gathering an authentic picture of the attitudes of boys and young men over the world as they face the concrete problems of this gen- eration. ‘Youth Facing the World” is in itself a thrilling title which calls up in the mind as by magic the great issues that are bewildering and acutely troubling mankind. It is hard to con- ceive of a more appropriate quest for the Young Men’s Chris- tian Association than this search for the real soul struggles of youth. Pursued with open mind, scientific precision, and true moral passion, this quest should lead us to results upon which a much more intelligent and effective program may be safely erected. Such results should be of great service not only to local Associations in the conduct of their daily enterprises but also to national movements dominated by a desire to serve each other, a desire to make all Association experience available for use In every part of the world. Such a survey will be not only unserviceable but perhaps actually harmful if it be but a digest of traditional opinions. The danger that it will sink to this level is probably more threatening in highly-developed movements than in those whose habits are in process of formation; because the specialized and prosperous organization through its very success is lable to regard some things as “settled.” The conditions of life every- where are changing under the influence of new forces or old forces whose strength has been renewed. Under such circum- stances it is not the part of wisdom to assume that any signi- ficant attitude remains unchanged. It is time, indeed, that there should be applied to all who have elected to devote their best energies to the highest interests of youth some such stimulus as preparation for Helsingfors. It demands a restudy of the needs of men and boys and of the program to mect those needs. Expert Opinion Insufficient. Something more is required than a mere collection of expert opinion. If our survey begins and ends with secretaries and iezuing laymen, the result will represent less the attitude of 6 boys and young men than the hopes and fears for youth that dominate the hearts of mature leaders. In the production of such a composite opinion, it is fairly certain that individuals possessed of the gift of facile expression and those whose inter- ests are primarily intellectual would carry undue weight. Men of action would be meagerly represented and the rank and file would hardly appear at all. The attitude of non-Christian groups, particularly those which are hostile, would be unlikely to secure a fair presentation. All indirect interpretation is reflected through prejudices of which it is well-nigh impossible to divest ourselves; and personal purposes, in exact proportion as they are vital and sincere, tend inevitably to deflect the re- porting of facts subjected to a casual investigation. There would be much of interest and real value in an analysis of the collected opinions of our leaders, of the impressions made upon professionals by the life of youth; but this would not serve the high purpose of Helsingfors. There seem to be at least three courses which appear to lead toward the truth: 1. We must discover the particular movements that are today attracting the loyalty of boys and men. 2. We must study those formal pronouncements which youth through self-conscious Youth Movements is making in its own behalf. . 3. We must ask boys and young men themselves. The first two tasks are research enterprises and probably serviceable mainly to check the direct data otherwise secured. The third is the course, difficult though it be, which should yield the most solid results. Search at the Source. We must ask the boys and young men themselves. That is, we must study the attitudes of enough of them to secure suffi- cient data on which to base at least tentative generalizations. It is desirable that such a study should be conducted during a definite and not too extended period and by methods which are sufficiently akin over the whole area of study to permit of rea- sonably accurate comparison. The choice of methods to be pursued in such an investigation is a very delicate matter. Little argument is needed to convince any thoughtful man that one cannot trust simply to direct questioning as in a questionnaire. Men’s memories play queer tricks, their powers of observation and description are generally faulty; they are prone to be misled by peculiar interests or deflected by the very form of the questions themselves; and, especially in the case of youth, pure mischief has upset some promising investigations. The errors due to these and other ‘sauses cannot be eliminated entirely on any known plan, but some devices have been employed which partly overcome the difficulties. Certain forms of questionnaire have been devised making use of the “true-false’”? method. Others have mitigated the error by a system of questions which break up larger issues into their component parts and thus narrow the range of pos- sible answers. Still others employ questions which are intended less to secure the information sought than to discover the man- ner of approach to the issue. There is no need to go through the whole list. A special method lately employed in various parts of the world involves the submission of questions to a group for group discussion. The results so far achieved by this means give promise of large possibilities. In this case, individuals check each other and the group moves toward gen- eral conclusions that are more trustworthy than any single un- supported assertion. An alert leader acting as an intelligent observer gathers much from the trend of the discussion and the side-lghts are frequently of the greatest value. Tools for Group Investigation. The need for very precise tools for these types of investiga- tion is most apparent. Particularly is this true of the group investigation ; because where the survey covers a wide field, it is inevitable that the work will fall many times into the hands of inexpert group leaders. It is, therefore, advisable that the out- lines for discussion should have a very thorough try-out in groups before they are put in final form. The end to be achieved is a workable tool, not one which fulfills the require- ments of some a priori theory. Leaders cannot be trained per- sonally in every part of the field, so it will be necessary to have 8 clear and concise instructions prepared for their guidance. Certainly also arrangements must be made to make it easy for them to record their findings in a systematic manner. Possibly the hardest part of this whole task will be the furnishing of adequate supervision of the activities of these various groups. It would seem to be very desirable that among the many who will be enlisted in this study, all or at least the majority of the delegates to Helsingfors should participate actively in some phase of the program of investigation. The best preparation for final discussions is certainly to bear a share in the processes which lead up to such discussions. By this means a real con- tinuity would be secured not only before and through the con- ference but on into the realization in the local Associations throughout the world of the conceptions that will undoubtedly take shape at Helsingfors. For surely it will never be forgotten that the real purpose of any survey is to prepare ourselves the better to discharge the homely tasks of our regular work. The Opportunity for Revaluation. The assembly and evaluation of the material collected by investigation, questionnaires, and group discussion is an impor- tant step in the process; but it does not present any serious difficulty. Here expert assistance is welcome, and there is here a wide field for the effort of those of long experience in Asso- ciation work. At this point it becomes plain how great a ser- vice this preparation for Helsingfors may be to the Associations which participate. They will have a superb opportunity for surveying the needs of their local fields under conditions that will make possible useful comparisons with other situations. The processes which will culminate in Helsingfors may all be carried out on a smaller scale locally, within a group of local Associations, and nationally. As long as the data are trans- mitted without alterations, every intelligent preliminary evalua- tion will very materially assist those who must make up each national report. In each Movement, it is hoped, will be inaugurated the meth- ods suggested here and such others as may come from experience around the world. It is quite possible that as a result there will be established a systematic examination of the field of ser- 9 vice of the Young Men’s Christian Association available for purposes of program building, for testing results, and for intel- ligently exploring new areas of endeavor. Such methods, devel- oped under conditions of scientific experimentation, will be ready to hand whenever required by the necessities of any situa- tion. Viewed from this angle, Helsingfors may well mark a turning-point in Association history, the inauguration of a new working alliance between scientific investigation and the assur- ances of Christian faith which, through a new experience, may lead us into a profounder philosophy of our peculiar task and a deeper commitment to enduring Christian service. 10 SUGGESTIONS FOR THE USE OF THESE DISCUSSION OUTLINES HOW TO BEGIN Each Association sending a delegate to Helsingfors should ask some of its staff and board members to have not less than eight or ten unhurried sessions with a group of six or a dozen boys or young men. In addition, each Association which has not yet decided to send a delegate to Helsingfors should form one or more similar groups. These sessions should be in a quiet place, preferably around a table with the leader as one of the group. The most helpful plan is for the leader to propose questions and more or less rigidly hold the members to the discussion. If he desires to learn fully from them he will not intrude his own viewpoint but will be more interested in watching the play oi mind upon mind in the give and take of the evolving process. He will realize that points of view will be modified as the dis- cussion proceeds. If he is alert he will note the aspects of life about which the members do not express themselves and also those on which they do talk. During the discussion he will summarize frequently, seeking to be fair to the points made. He will proceed from question to question or from section to section of these outlines only as the interests of the group may lead. At the close of the session it is highly desirable that he make notes of the trend of the discussion. Certain of his observations and findings will be of value to the two Commissions which are preparing for the Helsingfors program. (See page 3.) FIRST SESSION The following is suggested as a procedure for the first ses- sion. place in which to worship or as an organization through which to work for the Kingdom of God? h. What would you call the person who thought the church was both a place for worship and an organization through which to work, a church member or a Christian? Why? i. Some Christian people who believe the church should be an organization for work in the Kingdom and that worship should be a part of and connected with actual work, believe also that older boys must accept the re- sponsibility of extending the Kingdom of God among boys of their own age through the use of the various organizations within the church such as their organized classes, departments, etc. What do you believe to be the duty of a Christian older boy church member in this regard? 28 j. If older boys accept this responsibility, what would be the relationship between their church membership and Christianity ? k. To what extent can you justify your church mem- bership if it does not cause you to assume responsibility for bringing fellows of your own age into a better way of living? l. What relation do you think there is between being a Christian and being a church member? Next Steps. m. If the older boys of your church should decide that church membership meant a truly Christian way of life, what would you suggest they might do to interest other boys? n. To what extent could you use athletics, social activi- ties, inter-class and inter-Sunday school activities in reaching others? o. What plan would you suggest whereby the boys in the Sunday school classes of all the churches in your community might cooperate in winning the interest of the boys of the community to a more Christian way of life? 99 THE GOVERNMENT AND YOUNG MEN I. INTRODUCTORY DISCUSSION. it At what points do young men come into contact with the government? Make a list of these as they are men- tioned. In what indirect and often unrealized ways does the existence of the government and its varied activities affect young men? List these. What attitudes do young men take toward the gov- ernment in all these relationships? (The following may help in getting a more adequate re- sponse to the foregomg question.) a. In what activities of government do your friends heartily participate? In which do they take part grudgingly? In which, if any, do they refuse to take part? b. What catch phrases and generalizations do your friends utter regarding such questions as temperance or prohibition, military service, voting at elections, taxes, tariff, war, trade following the flag, unemploy- ment, League of Nations, bonus and dole, mandates, imperialism, reparations, the Dawes Plan, housing, the yellow peril, white supremacy, the scramble for raw materials (e. g. “prohibition does not prohibit’). c. What do young men say about such officials oi government as directly or indirectly come within their acquaintance—e. g. police, sanitary officers, school in- spectors, school board, the mayor, the president or prime minister, cabinet officers responsible respectively for labor, war and foreign affairs? d. What specific activities of your own government and of other governments do your friends question? List these. List also those governmental activities which are questioned by groups of young men whom you do not know or whom you dislike or distrust. 30 II. In the light of the discussion thus far, what (if any) activi- iies of your government seem to call for change or adjust- ment? What attitudes and practices on the part of your friends appear to require alteration? Why are these changes recommended? Which of these would you most like to discuss further? Choose two or three for further consideration. (The leader can now select from the following outlines any which bear on the problems chosen by the group for further discussion. In case other problems seemed more pertinent, the method followed in these will suggest a way of attacking them.) PROBLEM A. Military Service. 1. Thinking Into the Situation, a. To what extent has the attitude of young men to- ward military service been changed by the World War? b. How far will this generation of young men who ex- perienced the War, be able to pass on this conception of military service to the next generation who would presumably be called upon to fight the next war? 2. Locating the Problem. ce. What is it about military service that young men question? d. How far would this attitude be changed if they felt they had a larger share in deciding the issues that are fundamentally the cause of war? e. It is alleged that all governments used propaganda freely during the war, holding back facts and truth, covering up their own faults and the good points and successes of the enemy, and playing up their own vir- tues and the evil ways of their foes. Whenever this was true what effect has that procedure had upon young men in their attitude toward war? 31 f. In what countries do the young men feel that during the war and after, they have been deceived by their gov- ernments as to its fundamental issues ? g. To what extent do young men think their govern- ment is operated in the interests of all classes alike and with equal justice? h. To what extent do young men believe that war set- tles international disputes ? 1. To what extent would young men voluntarily enlist in a war of aggression? j- To what extent would young men voluntarily enlist in a war of defense? k. How can a young man decide whether a war toward which his country seems to be drifting is to be one of defense or aggression? l. What proportion of the young men you know think war to be un-Christian and would for that reason refuse to fight under any circumstances? m. What proportion of the young men you know re- gard war as un-Christian and yet feel that their patriotic duty requires military training in time of peace and com- batant service in time of war? Help on the Problem. n. What is a young man to do when he finds himself at variance with his government on a matter that for him is a matter of conscience? o. Evaluate the following procedures open to a young man who finds himself at variance with his government on an issue in which he feels the Christian way of life is at stake. (1) Follow Gandhi’s plan of non-violent non-coopera- tion. (2) Acquiesce in the decision of the government repre- senting the majority and work actively for chang- ing the minority, meantime loyally supporting the government. 32 (3) Adopt a double standard for living, the one for private affairs, the other for government relations. (4) Ignore government affairs as far as possible in the theory that it is hopeless to try to change con- ditions. Next Steps. p. What steps can a young man take in order to put his notions of military service into practice? q. If the members of this group should move out along the lines of the procedure indicated by the discussion, what difference would it make in the community? PROBLEM B. Elections. ie Thinking Into, the Situation, a. What percentage of young men (21-35) of voting age voted at the last national election? b. In what elections do young men take the keenest in- terest? Why? Locating the Problem. ce. What do young men think of the system of govern- ment by political parties ? d. How far does party loyalty determine how they vote? e. What is it about elections they do not like? (1) To what extent do the existing parties stand for real issues ? (2) What do young men think of the personal caliber of the average candidate for office? (3) How would they describe the politicians of their community ? (4) How effective do they consider the elections as a means for reform of social, industrial and racial problems? (5) What do they think about the laws governing the right to vote? Ww f. What do young men do when they are dissatisfied with their political party? g. What do young men do when all parties seem un- satisfactory. Help on the Problem. h. What is the way out of a bad political situation? ‘valuate the following procedures as means of bettering an unsatisfactory political situation. (1) Remain loyal to the party, working from within to effect reforms. (2) Leave the party and join another that seems better. (3) Give a nominal allegiance to some one party and pick and choose from all parties according to the individual merits and prospective efficiency of the various candidates. (4) Break away from all existing parties and agitate for a new party built around what seems to be the real issues of the day. (5) Consider the matter practically hopeless and seek to accomplish reform through education, the church, one’s vocation, ete. i. What difference would it make if this group set about to change the local political situation ? j. What practical steps can be taken by the group along the line of the discussion? PROBLEM C. Finding the Truth Regarding Government Action. Ae Thinking Into the Situation. a. What means does the government adopt for inform- ing the average citizen regarding its activities? b. In what respects, if any, do the methods adopted in peace time differ from those in war? c. List all the instances you can remember when the government voluntarily admitted having made a mis- take. 34 2: Locating the Problem. d. It is alleged in most countries that the government almost invariably defends all its acts and that even though one listens sympathetically to the attacks of the opposing political party, one is not assured of getting the whole truth. If there is a substantial measure of truth in this assertion, how could an earnest citizen who is a loyal member of the party in power be assured of getting impartial information as to the facts and the real issue in any controversial question? Help on the Problem. e. What steps are your friends actually taking in order to arrive at satisfactory conclusions? f. Make a list of such dailies, weeklies and monthlies as can be relied upon to handle political questions ade- quately and in a non-partisan spirit. (If the majority of the members of the group are of one political party, it would be well to inquire whether their opponents would agree with the classification just made. ) g. List the organizations in your community in which there are lectures, debates and discussions aimed to equip young men with a knowledge of the moral and spiritual issues involved in political questions. If the Y MC A is not included in this list, how do you account for it? If the Y M CA is included, list all of its activi- ties which are helping young men directly in fulfilling their duties as citizens and, particularly, in playing their part in finding a more Christian way of life in the local, national and international problems facing their gov- ernment. h. What gaps need to be filled in order that young men may have the assistance necessary in fulfilling their pe- culiar duties as Christian citizens? i. What are young men doing in other communities and other countries in this field? 35 4. D: ibe j. If it is possible for the church and the YMCA to assist, exactly what feasible program would you pro- pose? k. If neither the church nor the YMCA in your com- munity feels itself equipped to help, directly, what other organizations can be of assistance? Next Steps. 1. What practical steps can this group take in facing the situation? PROBLEM Church and State. Thinking Into the Situation, a. At what points in the lives of young men are church and state jointly concerned? b. What things does the church accomplish for young men with the help of the state? ce. What things does the state do for young men with the help of the church? Locating the Problem. d. In what relationships do church and state get along smoothly? e. In what relationships is there lack of cooperation or conflict ? Help on the Problem. f. What means have young men for working on the question of the relationship between church and state? g. How far may they expect sympathy and coopetfa- tion from the state? How far from the church? h. Evaluate the following methods of procedure, (1) Make the problems political issues, working for appropriate legislation. (2) Use influence to effect conference, investigation, and understanding between the leaders of church and state. 36 (3) Work in every way possible for a complete separa- tion of church and state. (4) Work for a closer official relationship between church and state. (5) Work for a minimum relationship between church and state and seek to accomplish ends by working more vigorously with each separately. Next Steps. i. What immediate problem between church and state needs attention in this community? j. What can this group do to effect a change for the better? 37 SUMMARIES AND REPORTS The committee responsible for the preparation of the con- ference program desires to have reports from those using these outlines. Such reports will guide in the development of the pro- gram by indicating the matters on which it will be most neces- sary and profitable to devote study at Helsingfors. Those using the outlines, whether or not they are to be delegates to Helsingfors, are requested to cooperate by sending in reports based on the following questions. Where more than one per- son conducts these inquiries, these leaders should compare re- sults and together draw up their report. All who plan to participate in the discussions at Helsingfors will do well to make notes in answer to these summarizing ques- tions, following each meeting with a group. Such notes will prove valuable for reference later. 1. What matters do boys and young men show the greatest interest in discussing? 2. Which of the situations (or relationships) that make up their lives do they find to be the most perplexing? 3. From their point of view, what seems to them to be the outstanding problems of life and living? 4. If you feel there are relationships or situations in which they have fundamental problems which they do not sense, note these. Why do they seem to fail to recognize them as perplexities? 5. As you used these outlines in discussion with boys or young men, what seemed to be the way they customarily followed in meeting their perplexities? By what standards, specifically, did they determine their courses of action? 38