Recent Trends and Present Outlook of the North American Association Brotherhood John r. Mott A Triennial Review, Presented at the Conterence of Employed Officers of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, Blue Ridge, North Carolina, May 27, 1924 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/recenttrendspresOOmott Recent Trends and Present Outlook of the North American Association Brotherhood John R. Mott Since the time three years ago when I reviewed with you at Lake Geneva the progress and state of our common work at home and abroad, it has been my opportunity, in the pathway of the discharge of my duties as your representative and colleague, to have contacts with our work and workers on four Continents — America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, both in the Far East and the Near East. This has afforded me a most intimate and compre- hensive exposure to all phases of this vast and varied ministry. Again you have called upon me to present a triennial review, and to share with you impressions of present conditions in the Broth- erhood and the outlook for the coming day. Owing to time limits it will be impossible to do more than afford brief glimpses of different phases of our Movement. Countless developments of real significance must pass wholly unmentioned, although they lie in the back of one’s mind and necessarily influence one’s opinions. Most Difficult Corner Turned During these years the North American Associations have fast been finding themselves, both locally and nationally. We seem to have turned our most difficult corner. On every hand one finds a revived spirit, an improved morale, a more buoyant hope and a more triumphant faith. Without doubt, the most trying period in our history has been that of the last few years. In com- mon with all Christian and other altruistic organizations, the Young Men’s Christian Association has continued to feel the ef- fects of prevailing unfavorable economic conditions, and of the bafffingly difficult post-war psychology. In the economic realm it has been a period of unrest, uncertainty, and contraction. In the mental sphere it has been one of much questioning, of penetrating criticism of the existing order, and of much pessimism. All this had its influence on Association leaders, members, and supporters ; and much dissatisfaction has been expressed at one time or another regarding almost every aspect of our work. Reverently we may thank God that these days are over. If the Association had but held its own, it would have meant much ; but it has done vastly more than this. It would be difficult to name another organization which has passed through this ex- acting period with greater steadiness. The attitude of many who were once swayed by the War criticisms, has been completely changed. If we may judge from the results in current financial campaigns in every part of the Continent, the Association prob- ably has ten friends today where it had one before the War. To our dying day we cannot forget the marvellous loyalty of literally multitudes of our members and friends in the darkest and most difficult days. What Movement has a more loyal body of ad- herents? Yes, the Brotherhood has done much more than hold its own. It has moved forward in the face of unfriendly criticism, of difficult competition in new quarters, and of other adverse in- fluences. The explanation lies in the momentum of the past, in the soundness of our guiding principles, in the unfulfilled provi- dential mission of the Association, and above all, in the spiritual solidarity of the Brotherhood. Working together unitedly we can accomplish any task we undertake. Young Men of Canada The Canadian Associations, in common with our own, and owing to the operation of similar causes, have faced the greatest concentration of difficulties in all their history. As in the life of their nation, this has but served to demonstrate the loyalty of Association members and supporters to their principles and, like- wise, to call out their latent strength. During the three years they have gone through the trying process of curtailment of work and staff. It is the belief of their leaders that they have now passed the dead center. The able Canadian National Council have shown their capacity to bear successfully heavy responsibility. The Associations themselves have shown their belief iia the plan for the nationalization of the work, and have loyally backed the 4 Council. They have begun to replace men who were given up in the days of contraction. There has been an increase in financial support. On the whole, the local Associations are in better condi- tion than they have been since the beginning of the War, and this notwithstanding the fact that the financial situation in Canada has not greatly improved. New Associations have been established in a few centers. The interest and cooperation in the foreign out- reach of the work have improved. The State Work We are glad to report a much more favorable showing in con- nection with the State Work throughout the country than was possible three years ago. It has been my opportunity to have personal contacts with certain aspects of the State Work through visits to nearly forty states during the past two or three years. A careful, comparative study of the recent reports has led to the conclusion that the work .of at least thirty of the state or inter- state areas is stronger, and in only three states does it seem to be weaker than it was three years ago. In the remaining few states the impression is that the State Work has at least held its own, and that, when all difficulties are considered, is saying a great deal. The three weakest points in the State Work throughout the coun- try as a whole are the County Work, the Student Work, and the continued high costs involved in the securing of the needed funds for the conduct of the work. Over against these points are many more points of strength and decided encouragement. The state organizations have been reorganizing their work, adopting constitutions on modern lines, and are beginning to adapt them to the requirements of the new national Constitution. There is a movement toward a truer democracy in the reorganization of the State Associations. There has been a healthy contraction from the post-war inflation which had obtained in several states. Debts have been considerably re- duced and in certain cases the property interests have been strengthened. For example, in the Eastern Region, the property holdings of State Committees have increased from $800,000 to a round $1,000,000. Possibly the strongest and most hopeful feature of the state organizations across the continent — a work which in itself would justify the entire expenditure devoted to State Work — is that on behalf of boys. There is no more fascinating chapter in current Association history than that telling of the spiritual triumphs in connection with the Boys’ Camps and Older Boys’ Conferences. The Physical Work in a number of the states has been greatly strengthened. Improved financial support is being given by local Associations to the State Committees. Above all, there are, on the whole, gratifying co- operative relations between the State and International Com- mittees. The Home Work of the International Committee Coming now to the Home Work of the International Commit- tee, recognition should first be made of the great contribution of Mr. Alfred E. Marling during his Chairmanship of the Interna- tional Committee. The twelve years of his incumbency of this im- portant office witnessed an unprecedented expansion of the North American Association Movement not only in the United States and Canada, but also throughout Latin America and Asia. This period in the life of the Association has also been charac- terized by a high specialization and remarkable intensive develop- ment. The call upon the International Committee, as the servant of the Associations, for wise leadership in all this vast and ceaseless activity, greatly increased the tasks of deliberation and adminis- tration. Mr. Marling’s wisdom and resourcefulness were ever at the service of the Associations, and the contribution he made was of inestimable value. The North American Associations were most fortunate in the choice of Mr. James M. Speers as the one to administer the great trust laid down by Mr. Marling. He brought to the task a rich and unique experience in great denomi- national and interdenominational enterprises, and an intimate knowledge of the work at home and abroad. The International Convention held at Atlantic City is regarded by many as the best of the long series of the assemblies of the North American Brotherhood. The reason for this was not so 6 much the large and representative attendance, as the thorough, preparatory processes of the democratic Convention Committee and the various special Commissions. It is even more due to the scope and character of the Convention legislation as influenced by the unselfish and forward-looking spirit and the constructive ability of the delegates. The presence and initiative of the younger generation blending with more experienced and maturer leader- ship gave promise for the future. The outstanding act of the Convention, which in itself would have given it distinction, was the authorization of and preparation for the Constitutional Con- vention. The Atlantic City meeting, like its predecessor the Detroit Convention, gave many important and timely mandates to the International Committee as its agent, and to certain special Commissions which were set up for much needed pieces of con- structive corporate service. These instructions have necessarily occupied not a little of the thought and time of the Committee and its executive officers during the subsequent months. More- over, the Committee has given much attention to the improvement of its organization and methods in the pathway of a special, im- partial study instituted at its own initiative. Service to City Associations The many departments and bureaus of the Committee have continued to render service to the local Associations within their respective spheres of responsibility. Contrary to the impression that obtains in certain quarters, the larger part, possibly as much as 70%, of this service, is that given to the general or city Asso- ciations which constitute the main body of the Association Broth- erhood. It needs to be borne in mind constantly that this large volume of service by the International Committee is a specialized and distributed service, not a service concentrated under one department or leadership. It would be most inadequate to think of the services rendered the city Associations by the so-called City Department as the main service rendered this important field, although the character and quality of that part of the service is of the utmost value and has met with the highest praise. 7 All the program Departments of the Committee — Physical, Educational, Religious, Community, as well as the Industrial and Boys’ Work — concern themselves chiefly with the city Associations. Moreover, a much larger proportion of the time of the workers of the Transportation, Student, Colored, and Army and Navy Departments is spent in service in these fields than is generally realized. Even the Town and Country Department, owing to significant and encouraging recent developments, is concerning itself now as never before with the city Associations. Admittedly, also, the principal demands for the highly appreciated services of the Bureaus of the Committee, such as Personnel, Building, Financial Service, Records, Information, Association Press, and Association Men — come from the city Associations, and to them the main response is made. It is interesting to note in this con- nection that the regional organization in recent years has helped to bring these varied and needed services of the International Committee closer to the local Associations. The Regional Execu- tive Secretaries have unquestionably made possible wider, more prompt, and more intelligent distribution of such services, and have done so in closer and more effective cooperation with the State Committees. The Regional Plan The Regional Plan, which at first was regarded with not a little questioning, has within the past three years met with ever- growing favor and acceptance. The arguments advanced for it have, in the pathway of experience, been found to be valid. For example, it has helped to develop and strengthen State Work. It has placed at the disposal of leading Associations, and other situa- tions which in the judgment of the State secretaries concerned, presented extraordinary claims, the special services of these gen- eral executives of the International Committee and of their specialist colleagues. It has made known to the international headquarters and organization, as never before, the needs and de- sires of the Associations and State Committees of the various regions. Moreover, it has helped to make known to these Com- mittees and Associations the services which the International 8 Committee is prepared to render to the regions. It has coordinated most helpfully the approaches of the staff of International Com- mittee experts within the regions. It has facilitated desirable decentralization, and has relieved headquarters of many of the details of negotiation, so that the workers there are able to devote themselves more fully to research, to program making, and to the rendering of specific services requested by the Brotherhood. Thus both specialists and general workers have been able to spend much more time during the past year rendering services on the field at the request of local and State Associations than in any preceding year. The City Field Only the briefest reference can be made to conditions and de- velopments of specific groups of Associations or in connection with special departments and phases of the Association. As one fixes attention on the city field and the developments of the past three years, there is much to give encouragement and reassur- ance. A number of important cities, where the Association work has been more or less backward, neglected, and seriously handi- capped, have "been most successfully dealt with. This includes some of the key cities of America such as New Orleans and St. Louis. In almost every important city field where the Associa- tion was already well-established and influential, the Association has expanded its service to the young men and boys of the community. More and more the idea of studying and planning for the work on a community-wide scale is spreading, in fact it is becoming a controlling principle in the policy-shaping of pro- gressive Associations. We cannot recall a period in which city Associations have made more adequate surveys of fields and areas of responsibility. It is not surprising, now that economic conditions have improved, that there has been a remarkable re- newal of building activity with a striking increase and improve- ment of material equipment and facilities. Expert studies and constructive reports on business administration and methods are being made. What O. T. Johnston alone has achieved has called forth highest commendation, and it is evident that the services 9 of two additional men could be utilized to the limit in meeting insistent demands. The promotion plans of the membership sec- retaries have been greatly improved, and are attracting increas- ingly wide recognition and acceptance. Many city Associations are establishing closer relations with outstanding business men and Church leaders. The initiative taken by the city Associa- tion leaders in the interest of the whole Brotherhood, with refer- ence to improving the program and increasing the fruitage of religious work, not to mention similar vital services affecting other aspects of our work, has been a contribution of the greatest timeliness and value. The Conference of Employed Officers from Small Cities, to meet following our present gathering, re- veals an encouraging community of concern and interest which will tend to fix the attention of the Brotherhood on a relatively neglected part of the city field. No survey of conditions and developments in the city Associa- tion field would be complete without reference to what is so vividly conscious in the memory and in the heart of all members of our great fellowship, the homegoing after his triumphant and most useful career of our colleague and friend, Wilbur Messer. We are able today, even better than last summer, to realize our irreparable loss. We are living in a moment when this leader is missed beyond all expression. Coupled with our consciousness of the great gap which has been created are emotions of grati- tude to God for all that He accomplished through His servant. By concentrating his splendid powers upon Chicago, Mr. Messer made a unique contribution toward fashioning the manhood and boyhood of our great mid-continent city. By his strong grasp of sound, guiding principles, he exerted a large, formative influ- ence on the Association Movement of his own country. He iden- tified himself with vigilant earnestness and helpfulness with the great patriotic ministry of the Association to the American Army and Navy in the World War. By his power of vision and by his inspiring advocacy he greatly helped the North American Associations to see and seize their opportunity to serve the young men of other continents. What do the Association Brotherhood, 10 the Churches, and the nation not owe to his able and devoted leadership through well-nigh half a century of abounding service? Work in Town and Country The Town and Country Work of the Association Movement, like that of the rural work of our various Churches, has been seriously affected in recent years by the agricultural depression and other economic factors bearing on this field. Certain perma- nent conditions inhering in parts of the rural field help to explain the lack of progress. Without doubt, moreover, the claims and problems of rural communities have not received adequate atten- tion and financial support from the Brotherhood. It should not be an occasion for surprise, therefore, that, notwithstanding suc- cessful experiences here and there in the use of different pro- grams and methods, larger results have not been achieved. The most encouraging fact to report is that this situation is so much more widely recognized among us, and that our leaders have become so genuinely concerned, that comprehensive studies are being made, and constructive measures are being recommended, calculated to bring us gradually into a better day. Other organ- izations and agencies which are sympathetic with our own, and to which we are in a position to sustain helpful relations, are also giving thorough attention to similar problems. This fact will help us on the way to our goal. The home missionary proposal of the Atlantic City Conven- tion is commanding increasingly favorable consideration and will have a vital bearing on meeting the needs of some parts of the vast rural field which otherwise apparently would not be served. While research, discussion, and experimentation continue, it is encouraging to note the determination of all Association work- ers, now in any way related to the Town and Country work, to continue to adapt their work and to stress the methods and prin- ciples which have unquestionably manifested their value and fruitfulness from that memorable day at the Employed Officers’ Conference at Orange, N. J., when our prophet, Robert Weiden- sall, brought before an incredulous but responsive company the 11 claims of the Town and Country field. Referring to Robert Weidensall brings to the memory of all that man of vision, that creative mind, that loving exemplar of our Lord, our colleague whose life spanned the life of the Employed Officers’ Association, and who was spared to the Brotherhood to serve more than his own generation by the will of God. May we honor his memory by pledging ourselves anew to all those loyalties which crowned his life, and may it be said of us, as could be said of him with such truth, “He shall be full of sap ; he shall bring forth fruit in old age.” The Student Field The student field has enormously expanded during the last three years. The Associations in their local, state and interna- tional planning and action have not commensurately expanded their program and ministry. The policies and activities of other organizations and agencies have introduced some serious compli- cations. This and other facts accentuate the importance of the Five Year Advance Program projected at the Atlantic City Con- vention. Along with the difficulties, mention should be made of the ripeness and responsiveness of the student field. Never was this more true, and never was this part of the work of the Broth- erhood more fruitful in spiritual results. The growing interest and concern for Student Work shown by leaders of other Depart- ments of the Association Movement is likewise a ground for encouragement. In the Transportation Industry The past three years have been a difficult period in the realm of the transportation industry. The railroad companies have been subjected to great stress and strain. Nevertheless, under these trying circumstances the Railroad Associations have accom- plished some of their finest work. The very difficulties have em- phasized, as nothing else could, the stabilizing, equalizing, and unifying influence of our organization. Although the railroads have been hard hit financially, there seldom has been a time when they have so generously supported the Association. Dur- 12 ing the last year alone, not less than $960,000 was expended on new buildings or on substantial additions to old buildings of the Association. There could be no better evidence of the hold which the Association has on the discerning managers of railway corporations. The St. Louis Convention of the Railroad Associa- tions, generally regarded as the most potent of the entire series, struck more clearly and sympathetically than ever the note that the greatest service the Associations can render is in the realm of human relationships, right attitudes, and good will among rail- road men and the railroad management. That gathering was also notable as being- the occasion for holding the first Younger Men’s Conference of the Railroad Associations. The Army and Navy The permanent armed forces of the United States Army and Navy now number approximately 250,000 men. The Association is still the recognized voluntary agency for serving this field. In the light of the vast experience accumulated in the war work at home and abroad, these Associations are now rendering pos- sibly the most efficient service ever accomplished on the peace time basis. The magnificent provision made by the Trustees of the War Fund, in the light of the mandate given by the War Work Council before it dissolved, has made possible a really adequate building program for all the more important, permanent Army and Navy stations and posts. This means that within a few years up and down our Atlantic and Pacific coasts, on our Southern border, on the Canal Zone and at the insular and Far Eastern stations, there will be modern, permanent buildings with maintenance funds sufficient to prevent these institutions becom- ing too serious a charge upon the communities most concerned, or upon the Brotherhood in general. With a wide basis of selec- tion it has been possible to raise the general level or standard of leadership of this group of Associations. The interest in the religious work has been broadened and deepened. With the withdrawal of the American forces from the Rhine there came to a close possibly the most nearly perfect piece of Army service 13 which the Brotherhood has ever rendered. With diminishing de- mands the larger part of the work in the Eastern Mediterranean has also been withdrawn. In this connection we might report on behalf of the Trustees of the War Fund. They have continued to administer with vigilance, thoroughness, and conscientiousness the great trust committed to them. With the actions taken at their last annual meeting, all of the funds in their care have been appropriated with the exception of small reserves set apart to meet definite commitments and also contingencies incident to negotiations with Governments about certain unsettled claims. This record should include refcicnce to the history of the war work of the American Associations issued a little over a year ago. Chief Justice Taft served as Chairman of the Editorial Board. The two volumes entitled “Service with Fighting Men” constitute an impartial and impressive record of an unparalleled service. This history has met with a notable response on the part of national rulers, of military and naval commanders of different nations, of editors and educators, as well as of Associa- tion workers and financial supporters. This work is most fit- tingly dedicated to the memory of Mr. William Sloane, whose untimely death a few months ago came as a heavy blow to the many thousands of war workers, as well as to the entire Asso- ciation Movement, to whom he had endeared himself by his genuine and attractive Christian character and by his devoted service. From the time he left Yale to the time of his death he was the head of the American Association’s activities on behalf of soldiers and sailors — first as Chairman of the Army and Navy Department of the International Committee, then as Chairman of the National War Work Council and also of the Committee on Work for Allied Armies and Prisoners-of-War. Colored Young Men With inadequate local, state and international staffs and com- mittee organization, the Colored Associations have done the best work within their power. The placing of colored men on the 14 International Committee has been a deserved recognition of their place and leadership, and has set a much appreciated precedent. The favorable attitude and action of certain State Committees is also to be commended and may well be followed by others. The National Conference of colored men held in Cincinnati under the auspices of the Colored Department conveyed a strik- ing impression of the vitality and power of the Colored Associa- tions, and constituted a challenge to the Brotherhood to afford a more generous and worthy cooperation. The steadily growing financial support on the part of the Colored Associations them- selves holds large promise for future progress. Their sending forth Max Yergan to plant Association work among the more progressive elements of the Negro race in South Africa is an evidence of their sense of missionary obligation to the peoples of a vast Continent who must look increasingly to the colored Christians of America for leadership. The Inter-Racial Problem Seldom has it been permmitted an organization to launch a movement fraught with larger possibilities for mankind than was accorded to the War Work Council of the American Associa- tions in the inauguration of what is now known as the Inter- Racial Work. The Brotherhood properly showed its apprecia- tion and true foresight at the Atlantic City Convention in making this a permanent part of the Association program by incorporat- ing it as a department of the service of the International Com- mittee. Up to the present time, barring the overhead item of expense, the large financial requirements of this expanding ser- vice have been met by a special fund provided by interested friends without cutting across any other financial plans of the Associations. It is an impressive fact that there have already been established 800 joint (that is, white and colored) local and county Inter-Racial Committees in the Southern Region alone. Their work and plans have gained the Intelligent and hearty sup- port of the prominent educators, editors, and denominational leaders of different parts of the country. This activity, accom- 15 plished in a truly Christlike spirit, has led to unmistakable im- provements in race relationships. The fact that this year frater- nal delegates from the southern white students’ conference will attend the corresponding gathering of the colored student Asso- ciations tells in epitome a great volume. This inter-racial move- ment has not only great meaning for our national life, but also has world significance. It is being studied increasingly by lead- ing minds of foreign nations whose governments and Churches are vitally concerned with race relationships. Industrial Work Turning to the Industrial Work it is interesting to notice that in the city field which constitutes the larger of the two phases of our industrial activity, when industrial leadership was dropped after the War, much of the work was promptly taken over and is now being conducted as a fruitful part of the regular city Associa- tion activity. Some fifty of over 200 Associations reporting, esti- mate that fully 50% of their membership are industrial workers. In the field of special industrial Associations, that is, those apart from the general city Associations, there has been an increase of one-third in the number of points at which industrial work has been established. Moreover, within this period the property valuation has approximately doubled. The Association plants which are now being operated are valued at over $8,000,000. Possibly the development of most far-reaching significance has been the summer conferences dealing primarily with human rela- tions in industry. Work with Boys The triennium has been characterized by the growing inter- est and concern of our leaders in the boy life of the nation. This is seen in the constant emphasis by Associations in cities and communities of all sizes, as well as by our State and National Agencies, on work with boys. Admittedly in this field, wherever well planned and earnest efforts are put forth, we have our largest returns. In the pathway of experience confidence in the Christian Citizenship Program continues to grow. The outstand- 16 ing event of the period was tne World Conference of Workers Among Boys, held at Portschach, Austria, a year ago. The North American Associations were largely and ably represented, and made a rich contribution. This gathering of over 1,000 delegates from fifty nations, and the forward-looking work of its repre- sentative Commissions, has exerted both an extensive and pro- found influence on boys’ work throughout the world. A perma- nent deposit has been left in the establishment of a Boys’ Work Department of the World’s Committee, under which has already been assembled a notable group of specialists. Physical Work We are able to report signs of progress in the Physical Work of the Brotherhood. There has been a growing sense of solidar- ity and spiritual fellowship among its leaders, and evidences of greater stability in the physical directorship. The thirty or more State Physical Directors’ Societies have, on the whole, functioned with efficiency, likewise the state sub-committees of laymen. The number of State Committees employing physical directors to de- vote all or the larger part of their time to the supervision of this part of the work has multiplied. There has been a gratifying upward standardization in the Physical Work program due to these developments and to the increased attendance and improve- ment of courses of instruction at Summer Schools. The recogni- tion of the need of our Movement, as a Movement, evolving an adequate policy is best illustrated by the good work accomplished on the part of the Commission on Physical Work of the Em- ployed Officers’ Conference, the report of which at this gathering points the way. Educational Work Attention is also called to advances in the Educational Work. There has been an encouraging growth of schools with curricula of three to four years of progressive work. Among the best examples are those of Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Youngstown, Columbus, Louisville and Portland. There have been more enquiries and requests for programs and field service 17 than ever before. It would take the full time of two men to respond to these appeals. The most thorough and instructive surveys in this field have been the New York City Educational Survey conducted by the Institute of Educational Research of Teachers’ College, and that of the Cleveland Association School of Technology. Even more important than the matter of enrol- ments has been the steady development of the qualitative aspects of the Educational Work. Gradually we are evolving a system of Christian education especially adapted to the needs of em- ployed young men and boys, offering opportunities not only of liberal culture, but also of vocational education. At its best this system is achieving results which compare favorably with that of the best colleges. An enormous field for service is today wide open to the Associations, but other agencies are rising up to help cultivate it. It should be pointed out that changed conditions, due to the increased periods of leisure in the lives of working men, challenge the Association to enlist their interest and activity on a larger scale. If our work is to have the distinction of leader- ship in its chosen field, it must excel in educational efficiency and, above all, must render its most distinctive contribution which we all recognize to be in the realm of Christian character building. Our Publication Interests Within the past three years the International Committee, with the help of many Association leaders, has made a thorough study of the publication interests of the Brotherhood. This has re- sulted in the formation of the Board of Publication, uniting the former four separate bureaus — Association Press, Association Men, the Bureau of Information, and the Bureau of Records. Association Press, in common with virtually every other Church publishing house and of many of the general publishing concerns, has been passing through an impossible period owing to well understood reasons relating to war service and abnormal post- war conditions. Notwithstanding the handicaps and resulting deficits, the reorganization and new policies have improved the situation and further necessary modifications of plans are now 18 being made. The Press has continued to render a large and ap- preciated service, the discontinuance of which would be a calamity to the cause of Christ among young men. The new policy regarding Association Men seems to have commended itself. The management of the paper crave the de- velopment of the partnership interest of the Brotherhood to the end that Association Men may in reality be recognized as ex- pressing the mind and leadership ,of the Association. The Information Bureau has already won a unique place and is being developed and recognized as the Information Service of the whole Brotherhood. Enquiry and Research Let me now enlarge upon several aspects of the progress of the Associations during the triennium. One of the best evi- dences of progress in the life of our Movement during the period under review has been the exercise of the spirit and method of enquiry and research. Never before has there been so much in- dividual and corporate thinking among us with reference to our problems, principles, and programs. In almost every phase of our work the leaders have been reexamining foundations and processes. There has been a healthy dissatisfaction with our achievements and present conditions and constructive efforts to bring about improvements. There has been a commendable de- sire to face the facts even though they might be found disagree- able. While we are far from overtaking our ideal it is unmis- takably true that the Association ic being put on a more scien- tific basis, and standards are being determined and applied. Steady progress is observable in the development of unified, tom- fold program^ for different age groups and for different types 0 f young men and boys. When have we had better pieces of com- mission work than in recent years ; for example, the advance program commission of the Student Department, the one on rela- tions with the Churches, the one on physical education, the one on the program for smaller cities? When have we had more thorough surveys of different fields and phases of activity ; for 19 example, the educational surveys in New York and Cleveland? The most exhaustive and thorough-going undertaking of this kind has been the recently completed Rockefeller Study of the organ- ization and methods of the Home Work of the International Committee. The Constitutional Convention This triennium is historic as it will be forever associated with the developments culminating in the Cleveland Constitutional Con- vention, and in the reorganization of the Movement. The Asso- ciations recognized that the world itself had come out into a new day and that all agencies of service which would meet the vast and growing demands upon them must not only relentlessly examine themselves, but likewise reorganize their life, increase their working efficiency, and augment their power. Such initia- tive, reorganization, and adaptation are always a sign ,of genuine vitality. The Cleveland Convention was unmistakably one of the most significant events in our history. It was indeed a truly cre- ative hour. It marked a great stride forward in the democratiza- tion of the Movement. It has provided for a National Council elected directly by the Associations and as such quickly respon- sive to their will, carrying with it also the responsibility of the Associations to provide adequate support. By its Constitution and plan it makes possible a genuinely modern and efficient legis- lative body. It effects a distribution or decentralization of re- sponsibility while at the same time maintaining a desirable co- ordination of all the work of the Council. A genuine unity was achieved. This woo accomplished not so much by compromise by the taking up into a larger synthesis the autonomous and independent national and state agencies. A new atmosphere has been generated as a result of which our leaders now see a land of infinitely larger dimensions, and experience the thrill of a new life. The new Constitution conserves the past, deals in a large, constructive way with the present, and opens the doors for greater progress in the future. It enables the Associations to meet the requirements of the modern age and of the coming day. 20 Augmenting Material Resources The last three years have witnessed a large accession to the material resources of the Brotherhood. Notwithstanding the fact that part of this period has been one of economic strain and financial difficulty, the progress achieved has been remarkable. We have entered on a new building era in which many of the Associations are replacing old with more modern structures. It is estimated that the permanent property and funds of the Asso- ciations have been augmented by fully $10,000,000. The Finan- cial Service Bureau of the International Committee has reported recent achievements which seem wonderful indeed. They report campaigns for funds for new buildings and for clearing off building indebtedness, aggregating over $14,000,000. Among the most outstanding are those of Jersey City $550,000 Aberdeen 350,000 Fort Worth 350,000 San Antonio 350,000 Columbus 900,000 Pittsburgh 750,000 Green Bay 350,000 Ansonia 185,000 Laurel 100,000 Massilon 325,000 Breckenridge 185,000 Portland 350,000 Montclair 400,000 Worcester 410,000 Selma 150^000 Cumberland 350,000 and, last of all, the marvellous achievement of the past few days in St. Louis where the very great sum of $3,000,000 was sub- scribed in a campaign which in some respects is the most out- standing in our history. It is a striking fact that in spite of all criticisms and other handicaps, the Associations today are rais- ing sums which before the War would have seemed absolutely 21 impossible. It should be pointed out that while there are possibly fewer large gifts than formerly, owing to well understood causes, we are securing a remarkable response in medium-sized gifts and the total number of givers in almost every part of the country is vastly greater than it was a decade ago. As one has recently pointed out, our constituency are giving both more generally and more generously. It is gratifying to observe that the financial campaigns are still among the most fruitful means for generating the spirit of faith and sacrifice and of increasing the volume of unselfish service. The Building Bureau The testimony of the Building Bureau, the invaluable ser- vice of which is so widely and deeply appreciated, confirms all that has been said with reference to the gathering momentum of the building movement. At the present time the members of this Bureau are retained on some seventy-five building projects, the total cost of which is not less than $22,000,000. This is far in excess of the operations of the Bureau at any preceding time. Attention should be called to the multiplication of branch build- ings both in the large and middle-sized cities, and also to the evolving of building plans and projects for cities or isolated com- munities of under 15,000 inhabitants. Special attention in mod- ern planning is being paid to the inclusion of proper revenue- producing features so that in neither large or small communi- ties will the maintenance of these structures become too great a financial burden. Such facts as these concerning the modern building movement, not to mention the wonderful giving toward local, state, and international budgets and special projects, dem- onstrate convincingly that the Association never had a larger or more secure place in the confidence and sacrificial devotion of the American people. Retirement Plan Another achievement of the Brotherhood since we met at Geneva in 1921, and toward which, as many here will recall, we were then beginning to feel our way, has been the securing 22 of the $4,000,000 Accrued Liability Fund and the successful launching of the Retirement Plan. Approximately one-half of this large amount came from eleven sources, including a group of the most discerning, loyal, and generous friends which any organization ever had. The remaining half represents the heart response of the Associations themselves with their multitude of devoted supporters. Already $1,904,525 has been paid, or 47.5%. This is just a little short of 50%, the proportion called for by our schedule of payments. The present number of active par- ticipating secretaries is 3,209, and the number of participating Associations today stands at 1,029. These same Associations have a total of 4,611 employed officers. It is interesting to note that already 129 secretaries have retired and that payments on their account have been $172,377. The timeliness of God’s own working in leading the Brotherhood to establish this fund just when we did is most apparent. It has already justified our expecta- tions as to its good, stabilizing effect. We would pay a grateful tribute to Mr. Ayer, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, in whose death we have suffered so great a loss, and to whose saga- city, generosity, courageous faith, and conviction the entire Broth- erhood will ever be indebted. The same period that witnessed the inauguration of the Re- tirement Plan which has ensured such just provision for men at the end of their official service in the Association, has likewise seen the adoption of the Certification Plan which, when its im- plications are fully understood and seriously accepted, will do more than possibly any other one thing to elevate and maintain high standards in the case of entrants into the Association pro- fession. It means that at the very intake of our work the men who come over the threshold will, .on the whole, be of a higher type because more carefully investigated, sifted, and tested than in the past. Trained Leadership While there are not as many men of outstanding ability and most thorough training entering the ranks of the secre- tarial Brotherhood as we would like to see, it is gratifying 23 to observe that greater stress is being placed on trained leadership. The emphasis on able workmanship in the pro- cesses of our work promises much for the future. The same can be said of the growing appreciation of the value of the best possible professional training. Under the guidance of the Conference on the Association Profession, and with the help of the Permanent Committee on Vocational Training and the Per- sonnel Bureau of the International Committee, a sound personnel policy is being gradually evolved. The good work of the train- ing centers has continued. Attention should be called to the improved methods of training at the Summer Schools. The record of the three Association Colleges affords ground for encouragement. The College at Springfield has recently added three able men to its staff. Apart from its summer courses it now has 430 students, or an increase of 35% during the three years. Particular attention should be called to its international service department in connection with which candidates from twenty-one foreign lands are now being trained. A little over $1,500,000 has been subscribed toward the $2,500,000 building and endowment fund. In connection with the Chicago College six men have been added to the faculty within three years, or an increase of about 50%. The number of students within that time, has increased from 148 to 253. This is apart from the large summer school of over 350 men. Nearly $300,000 has been added to the endowment. In this institution there has been a steady increase in the number of college graduates. It is gratify- ing also to note the closer coordination of the work of the col- lege with the two neighboring universities — the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University, and also the close rela- tion sustained to the Association supporting constituency. The Southern College at Nashville has, within the three years, doubled its number of students, there now being in attendance seventy- five. The teaching staff has increased from five to seven, and plans are on foot for adding four men in the near future. This college has an enviable record in its high professional training requirements, no student being permitted to graduate until he 24 holds a college degree in addition to having received the pro- fessional training. It should be commended also for its close and effective integration with Vanderbilt University, Peabody Normal, and Scarritt College. The Religious Emphasis The deeper satisfaction of those who have most at heart the vital and conquering power of the Association lies in the renewed religious emphasis which has come with the last two or three years. Beginning with the heart-searching conference of the City General Secretaries at Atlantic City late in 1921, in collaboration with the representatives of the Religious Work Department of the International Committee, deepening with the creative gather- ing held at Lakehurst a few months later, and taking an organ- ized expression in the two subsequent winter seasons, a quiet and truly vital spiritual movement has increasingly permeated the North American Associations. It has been under the direc- tion of a representative commission under the devoted leadership of Dr. Studer. Increasingly it has blended the efforts of the local, state and international leaders, both secretaries and laymen. Almost from the beginning intimate touch has been maintained with the recognized leaders of the Churches. In the season of 1922-23 the continent-wide campaign embraced typical and influ- ential cities in thirty-seven American states and Canadian prov- inces. Associated with this effort was much inter-Association visitation. The following season a number of deputations con- ducted extensive and fruitful visits, notably in Michigan, In- diana, and Iowa. In both years the response to the evangelistic appeals, to the calls for men to enlist for service, and to the chal- lenges to apply the principles of Jesus to modern life were among the most heartening in the religious history of the Brotherhood. Seldom, if ever, has such thorough preparation been made for visits as in the case of the tours of visitation during these two seasons. On the whole, the work of conservation also has been well done. There are evidences in different parts of North America of a real awakening to the spiritual mission and values 25 of the Young Men’s Christian Association. It is a sign of hope to observe the growing solicitude among our most discerning leaders as to the religious unproductivity of so much of our work. The definite acceptance of responsibility for improving condi- tions on the part of international, state and local leaders, is also reassuring. That this is not a spasmodic movement is evidenced by the enlarged and courageous plans of the Studer Commission and the Religious Work Department. Apart from the religious emphasis campaign attention should be called to other encouragements in this most important and highly multiplying part of our work. There is a growing interest in the religious welfare of boys in every part of the land, as seen in the large and fruitful City, County, and State Boys’ Confer- ences. The Bible courses for use among young men and boys have been improved, and the wonderful results recently achieved by Professor Bruce Curry in his Bible study propaganda show clearly what might be done on a vastly larger scale if we would but increase the number of qualified leaders in this field. Tar- dily, but certainly, the Associations are addressing themselves to the fundamental matter of religious education. As a result there is an improvement in the quality of the teaching and leadership. Our men are discovering the large possibilities of the project and problem discussion group methods of work. We commend most earnestly the initiative of those leaders among us who at Summer schools, leading universities, and theological seminaries are sup- plementing their training that they may be qualified to meet the inevitably greater and more exacting demands of tomorrow if the Association is to be true to its overwhelming religious trust. It has been encouraging also to see the genuine interest mani- fested by an enlarged circle in the themes dealt with in the Asso- ciation Forum and in the Forum Bulletin. The efforts of not a few of our lay and clerical leaders to express and teach the Christian life and faith in terms which the honest-minded of the new generation can accept and follow, is a sign of reality and large promise. Men are being helped today as never before to see the religion of Christ in terms of life as well as faith. While 26 there is still much to be desired in this sphere, the Associations have established, at least nationally, decidedly improved under- standings and working relations with Church and Sunday School leaders. As a result many of the clergy and of the editors of the religious press are manifesting renewed confidence in the Asso- ciation. Social Conscience of the Brotherhood With more justification than at Geneva three years ago, we can today call attention to the education, quickening, and ex- pression of the social conscience in our Brotherhood. The forces of reaction, inertia, and excessive caution in this as in many an- other Christian organization, tend in some cases to hold back Association leaders from declaring their soul’s deepest convic- tions and from assuming larger responsibilities ; and yet pro- phetic, heroic, and devoted spirits are rising up both among the younger and older leaders, and it is noticeable that they are com- manding an ever-increasing following, especially among the on- coming generation. The sufficient proof of these statements is the unmistakable growth in interest in the study of the questions involving the bringing to bear of the principles and spirit of Jesus Christ upon human relationships. This is seen in the mul- tiplication of classes and discussion groups, in the increased cir- culation among our members of the books and periodicals bear- ing on the social problems of our day, and in the development of the open forum idea in conferences and conventions. There is a new spirit of enquiry and of purposeful daring abroad. There has been a most gratifying development of interest in human re- lations in industry shown by the many programs and discus- sions devoted to such subjects among leaders and members. The examples multiply of the spread of the spirit of good will at friction points in the social and racial contacts. Nothing short of a revolution in the thinking and expression on such subjects is in progress in the colleges of the land. This is inevitably reflected in our conferences and conventions. Much of the agitation against the causes of war, and against war itself 27 as a satisfactory means of settling international disputes, is trace- able to the well-prepared and open-minded discussions at the Peking Federation Conference two years ago, and the Volunteer Convention in Indianapolis last winter. The industrial confer- ences at Silver Bay, Estes Park, and Blue Ridge have had a valu- able influence in the development of interest in the social ques- tions in the industrial area. The addresses of Mr. Eddy and the influence of the members of his European deputations have, like- wise, exerted a kindling influence near and far. The very oppo- sition stirred up in some quarters has set many to questioning and then to reading and thinking for themselves on these vital issues. It would be difficult to exaggerate the profound influence exerted not only by the Christlike life, but also by the codicil of the published will of that key Association layman of the South, Mr. John J. Eagan. Possibly the most potent cause of the change rapidly coming over our Brotherhood, in common with other Christian circles, is the greater emphasis which has been laid since the War, the world over, on Jesus’ way of life. This culminated a few weeks ago in Europe in the so-called Copec Conference at Manchester, which reflected the social idealism and heroism of most trusted elements both in the new and the old generations of the British Isles. In America in the years right before us this gathering, with its related activities of research and agitation, is to have its counterpart, popularly known as “The In- quiry,” in which many of our most forward looking young men will be moving spirits. Foreign Outreach of North American Associations The Foreign Work has continued its healthy growth. It is well established in eighteen foreign countries where already there have been organized and developed 384 Associations with 125,000 members. These are located at nearly all of the princi- pal educational, commercial, and political capitals, and are serving the most influential groups of the population. Since the last re- port the foreign staff has actually decreased from 185 to 179. Happily the native arm of the service has continued to grow and 28 strengthen, embracing at the present time 625 secretarial leaders. Even more significant has been the enlargement of the lay forces related to the enterprise on almost every one of the foreign fields. The various local boards and also the National Committees have achieved such strength that it may truthfully be said that the early vision which commanded us when we entered upon the Foreign Work — that of developing autonomous, independent, self-supporting movements — is fast being realized. Large atten- tion has recently been given to working out up-to-date training programs, especially in Latin America and the Far East. On every field there has been real progress in the different phases of the four-fold work. Among the most notable conventions of more than national significance were the national conventions of China and India and the remarkable Federation Conference in Peking. Among recent tours of visitation of great helpfulness were those of Mr. Speers, of Mr. Murray, the Chairman of the Foreign Division, of Mr. Wiley, of Mr. Jenkins, and of Mr. McMillan. The Foreign Building program, launched late in 1916 and interrupted for sev- eral years by the War, has recently been renewed and we are able to report that approximately $5,000,000 is in sight, over $2,000,000 of which comes from the foreign field itself. Besides this, a good beginning has been made toward the $1,000,000 fund needed to reconstruct on more modern lines the twelve or more buildings destroyed in the earthquakes in Japan. The Atlantic City Convention brought in a new day for the Foreign Work in authorizing an increase in the size of the Foreign Committee from twenty to seventy-five. This has made possible a more thorough supervision. It has been most reassuring to follow the steady growth of interest in the Foreign Work and the larger resources devoted to this object. A high tribute is due to the Commission which under the fine leadership of Mr. Wiley has worked with such faithfulness and effect. The Brotherhood as a whole threw itself in a way that is beyond praise into meeting the grave crisis which recently confronted our Foreign Work and achieved a great victory. 29 Young Men of Europe The wonderful developments in our work overseas, that is, in Europe and the Near East, should be bracketed closely in our consideration with that of the older and more established Foreign Work. All are familiar with the great service which the Asso- ciation alone among welfare organizations, was permitted to ren- der to the 6,000,000 men on both sides of the War in the lonely prisoner-of-war camps, and to approximately 20,000,000 men and boys of Allied Armies. In those absorbing days little did we think of the possible remote consequences of such an undertak- ing. It is hard even today to realize that the outcome has pre- sented to the American Associations an opportunity as remark- able as the one we considered at the Philadelphia Convention in 1889. This opportunity comes in the call for us to stand by the peoples of Europe and the Near East during the terribly critical period following the War, and to establish on a civilian basis the work which at first was confined to soldiers. The need for this was more acute than many who did not have first-hand knowl- edge of the situation have realized. It involved literally millions of men and boys — tired, discouraged, with moral fibre loosened, and with faith in God shaken by the War and its effects. And yet these are the very men and boys who are the only hope of the new Europe, and they constitute the generation with whom we must collaborate if we are to bring in a new day. We could not do otherwise than give a favorable response. Happily the Amer- ican people had placed in our hands, for this among other specific purposes, funds adequate to meet the crisis. Recognizing that these resources at the best were limited, a policy of contraction was outlined, and has been carefully fol- lowed during the recent years. The number of American secre- taries in charge of this widely extended service has decreased since the Lake Geneva Conference three years ago from over 300 to approximately seventy. The appropriations have been dimin- ishing on a corresponding scale. It has been our aim to leave in all the new countries and the reconstructed countries which we have been serving, a vital deposit of American Association ideas 30 and ideals, of principles and methods, of good will and friendship, and an example of unselfish, heroic service. It is clear that we cannot at this stage withdraw entirely from these fields. Care- fully selected groups, including some of the most experienced and able leaders of the Brotherhood, should remain in these countries until our mission has been fulfilled. The work already achieved reads like a romance. It abounds in present-day evidences of the reality and conquering power of our faith. Whether we have in mind the opportunity confronting us in Greek Catholic lands, or in Roman Catholic countries, or in the Moslem areas of West- ern Asia and Northern Africa, we stand before a challenge to which we must give most conscientious and unselfish heed. Our trusted leaders overseas have clearly defined goals. They aim to establish as quickly as possible self-governing, self-sup- porting, and self -propagating Association Movements. As soon as may be consistent with the proper discharge to the American constituency of any financial trust, the American secretaries are yielding executive responsibility to their native colleagues, and are assuming an advisory role. They are aiming to combine or blend the best experience and constructive ability of the European and the American Movements. They are encouraging in every way the assumption by the World’s Committee of larger respon- sibility. As soon as the War Fund appropriations have been exhausted the work will be taken over by the Foreign Division, in accordance with the action of the Atlantic City Convention. In fact the processes for accomplishing this in a natural and most helpful way have already been instituted. Realizing the Vision of Cleveland The intimate collaboration of the entire Brotherhood is needed to realize and give effect to the vision and findings of the Cleve- land Constitutional Convention. This means the laymen and the secretaries. It means those related to the local, the state, and the international organizations. It concerns alike the principal and its agents, that is, the Associations and their General Agencies. The organization of the National Council must be perfected. Almost the entire task of reorganizing the General Agencies ser- 31 vice remains to be accomplished. There is also the most difficult and fundamental undertaking of working out a new and ade- quate system of financing the General Agencies. This should be so well done that it will serve as an example to other religious and altruistic societies which have a nation-wide or world-wide program. The processes of democratizing the Movement should proceed without interruption. In this case we have begun at the top and have done well so far as we have proceeded. Let it not be said, however, that we have a thoroughly democratic organiza- tion of our General Agencies in that we have made them truly responsible and responsive to the Associations, but have failed to make our Movement more democratic at the base, that is, in the organization and conduct of the Associations themselves. There was a phrase frequently used in the Constitutional Convention which connotes a vitally important idea, an idea which must not be allowed to fade or lose its power. It repre- sents the honest efforts of the Brotherhood. We refer to the phrase that in Cleveland we were seeking to develop a plan by which, while retaining the independence and autonomy of both state and international organizations, we would have what, in planning, in practical working, in spirit, and in effect, would be tantamount to one agency. Only by frequent conferences, by united planning, and by constant dependence on the Spirit of the Living God can this idea be incorporated in practice and be made a reality in the consciousness of the Brotherhood. This realizing sense of oneness is essential to securing the genuine cooperation and team work so much needed and desired. The governing idea in all of our preparatory work before the Buffalo Convention, as well as during and following that initial gathering of the new National Council, she aid ever be held in prominence — the thought of rendering a larger and richer service to the young manhood and boyhood of America and of other lands. How Influence Vastly Greater Numbers Has not the time come to draw into our Association member- ship or under its influence far greater numbers of young men 32 and boys? In the matter of membership our North American Brotherhood is almost stationary. Certainly we have not made the progress since the War which circumstances and conditions seemed to warrant as we reviewed them at Detroit. When we reflect on the multitudes whom we served in the war work at home and overseas, and the countless new points of contact and influence established, there is ground for disappointment. Our lack of growth seems all the more disappointing in view of the fact that certain conditions have been favorable for a great ad- vance. For example, the continued and increasing thronging of the youth to the cities, the doing away with the saloon, the fact that the Association has so greatly augmented its resources and facilities, the ever-widening knowledge of young men and .of the most effective means of reaching them, the prevalence of the spirit of service — all these and other conditions with which we are familiar should make possible the bringing under our influ- ence of much greater numbers, and, what is far more important, the bringing to bear upon their lives of a genuinely transforming influence. It may be questioned whether we are keeping pace with secular organizations which tie the loyalties of young men and boys to other than the Church and Christian activities. More- over, we are all painfully aware of our failure to reach and hold the youth in the period eighteen to twenty-five. Why is it that we are not providing a sufficiently strong and attractive social and religious challenge or appeal ? Is it true that the local and general agencies leaders are giving a dispropor- tionate amount of time to safeguarding our material interests and also to work of a largely emergency character? Why is it that some of the buildings we visit are crowded to their utmost ca- pacity with virile and aggressive youth, and yet many others equally favorably located, so far as opportunity and need are con- cerned, give one the opposite impression ? The successful experi- ence of some Associations warrants others devoting themselves more largely than at present to the extension of equipment and a community type of work. It stirs the imagination to realize what our Brotherhood might accomplish in bringing under the 33 sway of our ideals and of the divine Personality around which our work is built, the tides of young manhood and boyhood, were we but to give ourselves to stimulate every constructive and un- selfish agency throughout the community to function on behalf of our program for young men and boys. If we lose ourselves in unselfish abandon to help every worthy agency to render the maximum service to youth, we will find ourselves tomorrow in the larger confidence of our communities and of the Church of Christ. While properly and wisely it is inevitable that we em- phasize the quantitative aspect of our responsibility, this is not to be interpreted as implying that we must not with even greater force stress the qualitative. Liberating the Lay Forces Even more important for the achieving of what has just been emphasized and the realization of our ultimate spiritual objec- tives, it is that we address ourselves to liberating or augmenting the lay forces both within and outside our Associations. The laymen of this generation have immense latent creative power. Next to the larger discovery and appropriation of our divine resources this constitutes our greatest single unworked lead. In too many Associations there is totally lacking a definite progres- sive program for calling out both the active and the associate members. With the increased size and financial security of the Association, there seems to be a diminished commitment of the membership to participation in the unselfish purposes of the or- ganization. Unquestionably the growing love of ease and luxury which has affected so seriously the life and activity of our Churches, has had its influence on our work. In any event we are called upon for the sake of the life of the Association, and for the sake of the cause of Christ for which it exists, to unite our plans and efforts to enlist in service a far greater body of laymen of largest possibilities. Might there not be vital advantages in a revision of our Basis so that with membership in the Association will come a real sense of identification with the Movement and a real commitment to its fundamental purposes? Full of living con- 34 tent as our Basis is, there is imperative need of giving larger Christian significance to membership in an organization that in these days bears the name of Jesus Christ. Extensive experience along the pathway of the continent-wide religious emphasis mission demonstrated the need and advantages of a better listing and presentation of concrete service tasks. It also showed the value of special dinner meetings, state and inter- state conferences, and retreats for the purpose of widening the horizon and calling forth the sacrificial devotion of selected bodies of young men and boys. There is nothing more certain than the fact that if we are to enlist the services of the strongest personalities we must confront them with large and worth-while tasks. We must challenge the adventurous spirit and idealism of the for- ward-looking young men and men of middle age. The heroic appeal invariably brings the heroic response. We as employed officers must pour ourselves into men. Let nothing deflect us. May God help us to master the conditions which so often have permitted administrative tasks and purely material interests to keep us from this most highly multiplying part of our mission. Here we do well to remind ourselves of the example of our founders and predecessors, the most enduring work of whom, as we can verify in our communities today, was their primary absorption in the winning of individual men to their Lord and to His cause. Give Young Men Under Thirty a Larger Chance In this connection let me stress the urgent importance of our giving the young men under thirty a larger chance. What hope is there for the future of the Young Men’s Christian Associa- tion unless we soon bring to a larger place of responsibility and formative influence on policy-making and policy-achieving the wonderfully equipped youth of a new generation? The past twelve months have given me an over-mastering impression of the need of giving absolute priority to the Boys’ Work in connection with our comprehensive program. The word “priority” is used advisedly in its war-time connotation, which is still vivid in our 35 memories. In my judgment we should relate to this part of our work men not second in natural ability, in culture, in training, to those related to any other part of our work, and we should safeguard their status through adequate financial provision and other means. Of equal importance is it that we enlist the best laymen in larger numbers for tasks of leadership in work on be- half of the youth. The Boy Scouts, it is reported, have enlisted 37,000 laymen, all above average ability and influence, as scout masters and assistants. These are related to 20,700 troops with a boy membership of 448,000. While our boy membeiahip is not far from this number, how startlingly fewer are the number of laymen whom we have related to responsible tasks of serving and training them ! In all this work of augmenting and liberating lay forces among the youth, or those who are older, we do well to introduce and apply the working tests such as those set forth with such helpful suggestiveness in the Report of the Commis- sion on An All Round Program. Training Workers Collaboration with many of the leading minds of the Brother- hood and of the Churches, in all parts of our field at home and abroad, has shown me that among the matters of greatest con- cern must be placed that of raising up and training workers. Here we have in mind not simply the point just dealt with, namely, the releasing of a multitude of workers, but the securing and equipping of leaders in the secretaryship and for key positions in service by laymen. Many of our most thoughtful men insist that the largest and most critical of the present problems, and of the future as well, is that of personnel. True it is that the stream cannot rise higher than its source, and no organization or move- ment will permanently reach or stay at levels higher than those reached or occupied by its recognized leaders. There is nothing to be gained by minimizing the existence and gravity of this problem, or by allowing ourselves to become so accustomed to it that its awfully serious implications fail to move us to more earnest personal and corporate action. One does not use too 36 strong a term in saying that we should become alarmed at the slow increase in the proportion of men of broad culture, strong personality, and able professional training who are entering our ranks of leadership. It is an idle dream to expect that our Move- ment can bear the weight of the larger responsibilities which have come to it in recent years, and enter the doors of limitless opportunity at home and abroad, unless we stop admitting to posi- tions of prominence men of mediocre ability and of small capacity to grow. First and foremost, we should think out afresh what type of leaders we require for the days right ahead — that is, the kind of men who can grapple successfully with the problems of the time, from the point of view of influencing the ideals and action of the new generation. This will determine our approach and our policies as to preparation. We should then measure every agency and method with some such test as this : “Does what we do here make for satisfactory continued growth in the ability of those whom we are enlisting and training?” There is no time to lose in presenting adequate challenges to college men and to other selected groups. Possibly the time has come for a well-conceived, quiet, thorough-going nation-wide effort to reach the men we need. Arguments pro and con readily suggest themselves. At times my mind turns from this with the thought that probably what we need is not so much the launching or promotion of some new scheme of enlisting men as of putting vitality, dynamic, and per- severance into such of our present processes as have yielded us the men who have, as shown by results, an evident sense of divine mission. On my recent journeys here at home and over- seas, I have insisted that our most highly multiplying work is that of multiplying ourselves. Is each man of us a center of in- fluence for raising up men who through us, or through processes that we institute, hear the call of God ? Do they give evidence of having convictions for which they would die? Are they fired with a passion of ethical and social concern? Have they com- municative evangelistic zeal? Do they literally confront men with the Living Christ? At the end of the day a colossal respon- 37 sibility rests upon our Association Colleges. The history of the Christian religion shows that only as there have been veritable schools of prophets has the cause for which Christ died and lives forevermore made ground. Our Governing Purpose Expressed concisely, the governing purpose of our Christian Brotherhood should be to reveal Jesus Christ to men. The word governing is used advisedly, meaning that this purpose should dominate all that we do. Expressed otherwise it is our pervad- ing purpose. It should permeate every process, the whole life of our organization. Every road should lead to Christ. Every phase of the work should reveal Him. Reverently let it be said that the Red Triangle idea should connote the idea of the Incar- nation. Notwithstanding the signs of returning faith and life manifested among us in recent years, and on which an earlier part of this report dwelt, is there not still need among us of re- pentance and confession of sins of omission? Let it be reiterated that the startling development of the institutional and material aspects of our Movement has resulted in our boards and em- ployed officers devoting a disproportionate part of time and atten- tion to the administration of properties and the handling of large and increasing budgets. Who among us have not had our spir- itual vitality sapped through failure to master our conditions ? Is there not a tendency in some quarters to substitute mere activity for character building values? There is need of going into this matter more deeply until we find and demonstrate the spiritual in all our program rather than looking upon it as simply a feature to be added to the program. There is need today of fresh demonstrations that our splendid equipments and our more highly specialized institutional work can be mastered for religious productivity among our members. While this is true the secret of accomplishing it lies in more intel- ligent and faithful emphasis upon well wrought-out and abun- dantly proved processes and means. For example, the time will never come when there will not be need of vital, progressive 38 study of the original writings of our faith. Recent experiences reveal a thirst for the discovery of the sources, and a desire to drink deeply there. Moreover, the day will not come when we will not need to emphasize the personal introducing of men to Christ as a habit which in every age has characterized those who have most widened the limits of Christ’s Kingdom. Probably there never was a day when there was a greater need of wise guides and teachers for young men in their thinking processes with reference to essential religion. We must not fail them here. Ours should likewise be a place of leadership in genuine modern religious education. It is not too late today, but may be tomor- row. We have had no adequate recent tests of the boundless possibilities of evangelism, presenting an apologetic in terms which will command the intellectual confidence and following of the most alert and enquiring generation the world has ever known. To this end we must have the courage to go forth to enlist the greatest prophets of our day. We are able, as Dr. Cad- man in Brooklyn on the Bedford branch platform, as Dr. Fosdick through Association Press, and as Dr. Rice of Detroit through recent Association visits in the Middle West have discovered, to furnish the largest platform and sounding board of our day for reaching young men. Our religious work program has only begun to discover possible new forms, or new ways and means such as those related to open forums, discussion circles, and intimate fellowship groups. Summing it up in a word, let us concern our- selves chiefly with the processes and forces which spiritually create. Closer Cooperation with the Churches If one man has done so, a hundred men have emphasized the need of our bringing about more clearly defined, closer, and more sympathetic cooperation with the Churches. While this has been accomplished measurably at the top in the understandings at which we have arrived, in line with the recommendations of the Detroit and Atlantic City Convention Commissions on Ap- proach to the Churches, there is admitted need of efifecting like understandings and practical working agreements between the 39 Association and Church leaders in very many local communities. A guiding principle is that of our responsibility to serve and in- creasingly to work through the Churches. In the immediate fu- ture we should busy ourselves in collaborating with the Churches in adopting accepted standards of cooperation in local fields. Granted this, much of the misunderstanding, opposition, and com- petition will disappear ; otherwise there is grave danger of the development in the cities, in the rural communities, in the univer- sities and elsewhere of parallel inter-denominational movements with consequent friction, enormous waste in money and energy, and relatively meagre spiritual results. Jesus Christ’s Way of Life In an organization like ours which aspires to serve, to fashion, and to lead the young men and boys of this and other lands, we must be true to our difficult and responsible mission of helping them to know and to follow Jesus Christ’s Way of Life. In one sense this is the new Evangel, and yet it is as old as the time when Christ took upon Him the form of man and showed Him- self unto men as the Way as well as the Truth and the Life. We venture to say that there never has been a generation more anxious to know just what Christ’s way is with reference to the problems of personal life and human relationships. All leaders of young men, and notably those of a Movement whose very genius is to influence the ideals and practices of young men, need to be alert to discover for themselves and then to travel at any cost His way. We of all men, and those we gather around us as messengers and teachers, must qualify ourselves increasingly to be able to inter- pret to young men and boys the way of life of Christ, the Re- deemer, as the solution of all earthly ills. There is personal and, therefore, social salvation in none other name under heaven. As our Movement touches the life of men and of nations at so many points, embracing as it does in its membership and fellowship all social groups, all nationalities, and all races, we must press at every point Christ’s way of life individually, socially, nationally, internationally, racially, and likewise the mystical union of the 40 soul with God in Christ as the source of all wisdom for any truly sustained spiritual ministry. Let us lead men to regard with alarm and contrition the vast chasm which exists today between so much of the professed Christian belief and the present-day practice of those who bear Christ’s name. Where necessary, may the Living Christ Him- self cause our consciences to tremble and become afraid because of our sense of social injustice and neglect, and at the foot of His Cross may there be generated the spirit of heroism which will enable us to overcome fear of man and of possible consequences which may follow in the pathway of being true to an awakened and thoroughly informed conscience. May it not be the path of wisdom and of life expansion to turn our boards and committees, and intimate groups of leaders and members, into open forums for facing up with sincerity and true responsiveness to the social implications of our wondrous Gospel? And may this not open the way to help our members to understand and accept Christ’s claims for the burning social, racial, and international questions of our day, and thus build up a membership prepared to accom- plish His will in this new day? Then our Brotherhood will have a voice on great moral issues which will be heard and heeded. Unoccupied Fields at Home It is imperative that the occupation of the field here in North America receive more comprehensive and continuous attention. In the matter of entering new fields the Movement seems to be almost static. In the great cities where we have our largest work, we must not lose sight of the fact that the Association in the addition of branches, and in the extension of its services, is not keeping pace relatively with the increase in the population of young men. When we ponder the strategy of these great cities and of our work in them, this should be an occasion of solicitude to us all. One fact about the small cities should confront us and that is that the Association is organized today in only 340 of 1,260 communities of 5,000 to 25,000. The unoccupied cities of this 41 group alone have in them possibly 2.000,000 young men and boys largely destitute of the invaluable character-building services which we exist to render. Turn also to the Town and Country field. Again let us recog- nize that one of our great weaknesses lies right here. We have actually retreated from many counties to say nothing of continu- ing to turn our backs upon innumerable open doors. While we give united thought among ourselves, and in collaboration with the Churches, to the discovery of the most effective means of ser- ving the rural areas already occupied, let us not hesitate in a policy of reasonable and steady expansion of our service along such lines as are admittedly approved and fruitful. The regions beyond for us in the ranks of industry are simply limitless. Among the 33,000,000 wage earners nearly 13,000,000, or about 40%, are engaged in manufacturing and mechanical pur- suits. If we are needed anywhere surely it is here. Relatively we are seriously neglecting many immigrant groups. Think, for example, of the large number of Mexican youth in our southern border states, and the small but highly significant Oriental groups on the Coast. Particular attention should also be addressed to such European concentrations in our great cities as the Poles, Russians, Czechs, and Greeks. Now that recent legis- lation has called a lull in immigration, there is the possibility of our overtaking in some measure this task, the accomplishment of which will react immediately and powerfully upon our program overseas. There is still a demand for a great expansion of our service along the railway systems of North America. Moreover, the work with the Merchant Marine, which abounds in living interest and which has passed the experimental stage, should in the near future be further extended. The Student field, as already emphasized, has gotten beyond us owing to the unprecedented growth in student bodies, including likewise the high school, preparatory school, and junior high school fields. This must not be regarded with indifference by 42 our various agencies, as is too largely the case today. To this end we should give heed to the eminently wise and timely recom- mendations of the Advance Program Commission. The Atlantic City Convention gave a mandate to the Student Department to make a great advance. It is hoped that the Associations through the new National Council, will make possible the fulfillment of this instruction. Unquestionably the most neglected of all the unoccupied fields in America is that presented by the colored young men and boys of both North and South. Relatively there seems to be greater need in the South where the records show that there is only one standard building, and only seven secretaries, or an average of less than one per state. The northern migration has pressed this problem acutely upon the northern Associations also, and they can not wisely postpone grappling with it. All along the line in the Boys’ Work the challenge is to move forward with daring as well as sagacity to occupy the field, for the one convincing reason that the key to the best solution of our most emergent and obstinate problems lies in bringing the youth of the country under the sway of Christ and relating them to His program. With reference to all these and other unmentioned areas of need and opportunity well may we ask ourselves these two search- ing questions, To what other organization has the Church the right to look for the occupation of these fields as to the Young Men’s Christian Associations? and, If we do not occupy them, who will? The facing up to these questions (and we shall be thank- ful ten years from today that we did), will lend large significance to the discussions and actions on financial policy which must engross the attention of the new National Council. Any plan entered into with conviction and adhered to loyally will carry the Brotherhood and will save our Movement from missing the day of its visitation and settling back into mediocrity. If a move- ment stops growing it will inevitably suffer atrophy. 43 The Day of Our Visitation Abroad If we have such open doors as these on this North American Continent, what language shall we use to characterize that which confronts us on all other continents of the world? All the con- tinents — we make no exception. Literally the nations and races of mankind look to the North American Association Brotherhood. And what is solemnizing in the burden it imposes is the fact that they must look to us. Other lands will do their best — Scandi- navia, Holland, Australasia, the Mother Country. What other land of Christendom, save the United States and Canada, pos- sesses to any degree of adequacy the resources necessary, if the Association Movement is to meet its day of visitation. “Unto whomsoever much is given,” our Lord tells us, “of him shall much be required.” Surely much has been given to our North American Fellowship — the men, the money, the guiding principles, the program and methods, the momentum of vic- tory, the vision, the corporate sense of mission. All this implies an ever- larger and more aggressive Foreign Work program on all the other Continents. It demands in turn, therefore, a widen- ing and deepening of our home base. It makes necessary the development among our members and friends of a growing sense of world brotherhood and inter-racial solidarity, together with the commitment of the North American Associations to bring to bear on all human life and relationships the unerring principles and omnipotent spirit of Christ Himself. In Our Might and in His Might An irresistible appeal comes to our Brotherhood to rise in its own might and in the might “which He supplies through His eternal Son.” We are living in a day of tremendous issues, the like of which the young men of the United States and Canada are not likely again to witness. The world is facing many and bafflingly difficult problems. These can be met only by men who like the Christians of the Apostolic Age have first-hand experi- ence of a superhuman dynamic. Truly we must be larger men, more far-seeing men, more resourceful men. We must give our- 44 selves with conviction and abandon to a program commensurate with modern needs and requirements. We must command the cooperation of the outstanding men of our generation. None of them are too busy or too important to bring to Christlike under- takings their very best. If our cause is to move foward in triumph we must be in most intimate cooperation with the great Christian Fellowship established by Christ and His apostles. The hour has come when the Association must take larger initiative and move out on more aggressive lines. This is essential if we are to reach and hold the oncoming generation. There would be something startlingly incongruous were the Young Men’s Chris- tian Association to lose its pioneering spirit on which it has most thrived and expanded, and to cease to adventure, to set prece- dents, and to be truly creative. Before it is too late let us pray God that He may raise up from among us real seers and pro- phets. May He give unto us one and all a new and more vivid sense of mission, and may He use us as we go forth throughout the entire Brotherhood to kindle in the lives of the youth of the land fires of personal sacrifice and undying devotion to the sub- lime and world-wide program of our Divine Lord. 45