Y.M.C.A.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10192, 20 March 1911, Page 4

Y.M.C.A.

STRANGERS'

The re-opening of the "Strangers' v Tea" took place at the Y.M.C.A. in' Masterton yesterday afternoon, when Mr P. L. Hollings presided over a large crowd of young men, quite a representation of the athlet- ] ic,clubs being{ present. After tea was over the President welcomed the strangers, of whom there was a: large contingent, and then called on Mr Jas. McGregor- senr., the speaker. He took as" his • subject, "A Manly Man," and showed , that it, ( was for this that' the •Y.M.C.A? I stood.; First of all the Y.M.C.A. • estimate of a manly man was that [ , of a- man with a vigorous In.j ' many ways much good was,;: done along these Knes. In the~eec-« ond place the Y.M.C.A: and. catered for 'the intellectual. This,- however,: was; hot;>the all m/allvof;,. .a;man's manliness or tand in' this respect; showed from" the excellent quotation of Sir Walter' Scott, the absolute necessity of putting first things first. The greater work of the Y.M.C.A. was the developing of character, of the soul .of man. The speaker gayea intere'sting'account of the famous. Bernard Palissy, the: French.; artist and philosopher, * who,' after. sixtieenlyears'; of tremendous - struggle and obtained that-, beautiful; .white enamel which gives the;perfect ground' for pottery work, and which has resulted in the famous j < 'Palissy-ware"as. applied to pottery., i His wretchedness, his' condemnation to death as a heretic, and his noble stand before his kin, ing his readiness to die, his marvellous courage and manliness gave the speaker'many opportunities of illustration. His ;, illustration was a German, Martin' Luther, and .Qiis,.third"a Jew;;JElijah the Tishbite, ,all oisW ;,to -illustrate ;plaee' :an&; He wound up a yery. fine and inspiring address by relating the wonderful power in

man's life, that came by the possession of a strong faith as seen in the incident of the entombed miner of

Western Australia, who, whenl asked what his thoughts and feelings were during his long period of waiting those-'dreadful seven days in the mine, replied, in effect, that had it not been for the realization of God's presence with Mm, he should either have gone mad or committed suicide. This was a complete answer to the qtiery as to whether I Christianity bad the power to ref strict that its adherents declared it to have.

After the strangers had responded to the invitation. «f the chair to <speak, the secretary gave a brief report, speaking of the needs of the Association work. An effort'was to be made to set apart Monday evenings as the religious work night, whilst there was also to be an attempt to commence a Bible Study class on Sunday afternoons, to be really a class where all men could gather, men from all churches or men from no church. The education work was also spoken for. Votes of thanks to the speaker, and to the ladies of Knox Church, for supplying the tea, closed a splendid meeting.