sted in
the colored men of the South. Shortly after graduation at Oberlin
College, Ohio, he founded, and was for two years president of, a college
for colored men in Alabama. He is now secretary for the committee among
this class at the South, and speaks most encouragingly of the future of
this work.
In 1877, there was graduated a young man named L.D. Wishard, from
Princeton College. To him seems to have been given a great desire for an
inter-collegiate religious work. He, with his companions, issued a call
to collegians to meet at the general convention of Young Men's Christian
Associations at Louisville. Twenty-two colleges responded and sent
delegates. Mr. Wishard was appointed international secretary. One
hundred and seventy-five associations have now been formed, with nearly
ten thousand members. These colleges report about ninety Bible-classes
during the past year. Fifteen hundred students have professed conversion
through the association; of these forty have decided to enter the
ministry, and two of these are going to the foreign fields.
The work is among the men most likely to occupy the highest position in
the country, hence its importance is very great. Mr. Wishard is quite
overtaxed and help has been given him at times, but he needs, and so
also does the railroad work, an assistant secretary.
There is a class of men in our community who are almost constantly
traveling. Rarely at home, they go from city to city. The temptations to
these men are peculiar and very great. In 1879, Mr. E.W. Watkins,
himself one of this class of commercial travelers, was appointed
secretary in their behalf. He has since visited all the principal
associations, and has created an interest in these neglected men. Among
the appliances which are productive of the most good is the traveler's
ticket, which entitles him to all the privileges of membership in any
place where an association may be. A second most valuable work is the
hotel-visiting done by more than fifty associations each week. The
hotel-registers are consulted on Saturday afternoon, and a personal note
is sent to each young man, giving him the times of service at the
several churches and inviting him to the rooms. Is it necessary to call
the attention of business men to the importance to themselves of this
work? Is it not patent? You cannot follow the young man whose honesty
and clear-headedness is of such consequence to you. God has put it into
the heart of this asso
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