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THE CLEANER,SATURDAY, NUVEM HER15,1919.i rriISLANDS.■ inmrnm'Object of Mr, Lewin,Who is at PresenttiinIIITheolony.Hut lotIE! I 6JChfor the ' noblestcnll* fortheofmoUPLIFT OF THE FEOrLEu*Ultimate Goal is to get a Colonial Y.M,C.A, Run byXT!nilgo firstshall woat lost?wer that:an, yo-11 a •. k .. ■Wo must lot ha rgicWest Indiansinitiation toThe 1 Ira -a \at onai i uu Young Men’s lt;hriMlan Associateis plann.a g to ext* nd its overs*work 11 the West indies, and in t eoanection \lr. U. .1. M. of theheadquarters stall, who nerved wahthe orgauiat^Sh in KngJajfid* 1 f aand Africa during the vatI toI.Mr(tinaU‘ds pint u ally, physically,411 our in*wiml our private into the1 tnaira.j Thejeci has c* Le winlt;\ Kltsi% it\nnfi-lT :-W:AI) \m Iii ft lai\WOHK OfM.lt; \A.rii ?;The Young Men’s Christian Asso i, i ti on is e o ire e med with t h e spar etime of young men and adolescentho/s. in its work it recognises the necessity of developing the social* and phsi»alhe more‘omplisha rtlyu ch■arr mgi of 1 de as wei* us j religious. ri o ac- jveloumcnt we aim 1out:( l i Religious Programme.— The Associu ion, he ng interdenominational, will provide a common meeting ground for men of all denominations churchtton and rotrogre^sm remember that to esc condition of thiiu ; {'lt;-i■ c of the high#* • ■ andthe corporate It1*; i f sacrifice and fij '/cni exacting nature.TH1J \YI \- T IV DMNaturally, one’s . the \\m Indieshow for the past \ i he Slate cannot I nest ion. If is fo: and child to • of victoryfrom our c Hon-—it is ;? with the In vine be*■ ntcr into a full, r intellectually, son ‘on-mercially, po’ifuianiy mubl ft# cmtp iroehialfsni musterest must he su!general good. W *sard wi*h indiffe ■ *nce a community .u w hi. h one s'-c'ia: i prosperous and at ease, while the other is in muo-ty and ignorant* and the cursee , jfhich follow from When we |; ::d such a state of things something js wrong somewhere and we must lot rest until the cans** is discovered ch I rooted out. The call to vigorous action is urge’ll, anti this i« thepsychological moment for the initiating of some constructive policy. In this i believe that the Young Men’s C hristian Association ha contribution, to make to us.i a 1 ii on r re 1 i gi ons 1 i fe. Ad ve rsecriticism of the church* can do very little, if any, good. The Christian community has a long, long way to go ye»t, but thank Hod the church is fitill with us. The world cries outsoldier who ace anxious to have the Y.AM .A. estabUfdiOd in their island homes. A few days ago, 1 met. an American Secretary who told me that West Indian students in his country hud been asking him to go and open up work in the British West Indie*. I do not like this spirit,—-it will not help us to advance much. Siif-respecCng persons do not sit by and call in other people to perform what is preeminently their job. I am glad the proper answer was civ* n to this request and that oursoldiers are prepared to show suchstudents a more excellent wav.’will — i These soldiers do not ask to have an* Alonger re-iihM , 1 ■; ‘ : 1 ,;V ;; V‘ to-day for a peon’- that will consist-,aml Fob.* tl*e hand-nanl lt;U tbe| nt]^]ho ,y a peoIlo in(lie; - a .... - ‘ • | PVerv s.-nse “workers together with'neat place will be g:v* uto Bib!*Classes, aju! to Study Circles mainly for a comprehensive study of the mis si unary aspect of the church. It must be clearly understood that religious controversy will not be allowi ed in the Y M c \.(2) Social and^i Educational Hro-| rramme.—Th s must necessarily be i adapted to the pe mllar needs of i each centre, but in any case we shall 'peek to cultivate a wider outlook on j the world; and in the West IndiesThis is nofl' at i l ;0the mu:ealaan fiii01the people willbe largely used in our social work. Wherever possible a*Y.M,C.A* building iv th a resuiontial chib fl'rr voting men xill he rr ‘•■aal and maintained.j The following a must b»* spc*I eiallv emphas; ij f a Work for persons engage i at I docks and farms \ I ii factories.fb Work for sailors and. as far as pos-ible, soldiers. AYe are not un mindful of the splendid work being done in the various sailors’ honjes; our aim here is to co-operate and extend work of this kind.(r) Boys’ work.IScoversroughly from the fifteenth to thenhfr'teerjh year. Owing to the fact that school attendance opr^eo ordin-j arily at alwit the beginning of thefifteenth year, the guiding hand ofthose engaged in education is taken off the youth just when it is most needed: for above all this is a period of storm and stress, of great upheavals ami momentous re-adjustment. it is notilt; eahle, too. that * do u t tins time youths give up attending el rare h and Sunday Schoolvery largely. The Junior hepart-ment of the Y.M.C A. has already proved that the Association can he ofgreat service here.God.nr- : but a time to develop a character so big ad to regard distinctive features with respect, and work steadily towards t •* true brotherhood of ntau.When we look on lt;hu”«h life we are strm-; with the dearth of oung men. Things will vot improve un-loss we seriously consider the problem of the adolescent boy. In, many churches, we have seer women doing duty, not because of any change in thought in regard to the poeltion of women, but '^jmph because there were not sufficient men. And as everyinstitution established and run for their benefit; they ask for guidance, which is quite another ihing. We must cultivate this spirit of self-help; we must more than ever, inth(*«e days of peace and reconstruction. exert ourselves for tho commongood.Tin: tgm: of KMicitt.vnowOne very e.td problem with which we are faced is that of the. emigrat-of our young men nd young women. How shall we ke p them at homo? As long as t.hid stream continues to flow, our life is being sapped, and we shaTl never rise to till our proper place in the family of man. Our econo mic life needs revision, our education system nep-ds drastic amendment, our social life needs remodelling, valuable) No amount of theorising will satisfyour youths, and until we place be-for them an honest, prsictical programme oin which they share libet^ally in responsibility as well as priviliges; until we manfully face the tremendously important problem of the adolescent life, wo shall continue fo wring our hands in helplessness at the present, and in fear for the fuftm*The Y.V? I *. If given a fair and trial, and ii -i.n proper linlt;*s, will be a great assmtarico to us in these matters. No one suggests for a moment that the* Association will bo the Chief agent in helping us in our march of progress, but we unhesitatingly say that it has tremendous posslbfTtftwi It is to bf hoped that in those colonies where hmiches already exist further work—intensive and extensive—will be undertaken; andfor narrow-Btage oflt;U 1'hvsical Programme —Thiswiil include various forms of outdoor games (cricket, volley-ball, basket-ball, football, tennis), athletics and gymnasium work. Jt is in-terecting to note bow much the phy-suul world owes to the Y.M.C A.VI ( M UV.irKH IPLIFK Md’ST Bid I I LLY IdVld*if the succeeding one is to be sound, we see the necessity for our youths living out fully the adolescent stage of life. “The chief value of tlnej great is to fertilize the mill'd of t.hp adolescent,” and I am hoping thatthe ehnreh at home will make as much use as possible of the Y.MLC.A. in doing this. The Association has a mission of help, nnd it N, only byserving that it can best fulfil this mis sion. In proportion us it Venders true service will it effectually “extend Christ's Kingdom among young men. ’’Will the West Indian Church leaders help the Association to find Its proper place aa an Xixiliary to the church?(h) We are badly in need of a soc ial reformation. 1 see no reason why eac h v.llage or town’should not have a club run on lines which will ruakp for the building up of the nobles! manhood. Why should not every concern employing men and youths in large numbers have for them the best possible environment for the.r work; and why should notthat in those where no Association work i« being done, the organization will be established without delay. We do not desire an Association run for us hv the Rritifih National Council of Young Men's Christian Associations.In this day of democracy, we desire a West Indian Y.M.C.A. run by West Indians—and this is in thorough agreement with the overseas policy of the National Council this country. This needs men of great Vision. Childlike feebleness and narrowness will be fatal. If we will, the Young Men’s Christian Aesociar-tion will mean os much and even more for us than it has meant, up to the present, for the United Kingdom. Australia, Canada, New Zealand. India and the United States of America. But we must dream big dreams; we raiMt think big things end then rice up with failh, with energy and unconquerable determination to accomplish great deeds.There is an incomparably noblertask before us than that of the lastfive years. One is not unmindful of the fact that the Brifleh We«t Indies have much to teach evcrvwother mixed community, that increases the urgency and responsibility of establishing as perfect a communitythe employer be concerned with tho social and recreational needs uf his j as possible, employees? In Australia we find I Opportunity has uuch a state of thing** growing rapidly through the co-operation of the Y.M.C.A and the employers of labour. Already in the West Indieshair in front;lVbehind she i« bald. Seize her by the forelook and yon may hold her; but if allowed to escape, nof even Jupiter can catch her again.”
Newspaper Details
Kingston Daily Gleaner
Kingston, Kingston, JM
Sat, Nov 15, 1919
Page 18
Full Page
Clipped by
Robert B.
FL, USA 27 Jun 2021
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