The YMCA’s Annual Pitch to Seattle’s Congregations
As the YMCA faced a new fiscal year, local pastors turned their Sunday sermons into fundraising drives to keep the association’s doors open.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The work of the YMCA was made the matter of special mention in nearly all the churches of the city yesterday, and offerings toward defraying the current expenses for the coming year were taken. It is thought that about $2,000 will be raised by this collection. At the association hall on Front street yesterday afternoon, James A. Dammett, traveling secretary of the YMCA for the Pacific Northwest, addressed the members and a number of visitors on 'Delegated Personal Work.' He urged upon the young men the necessity of personal work and the great privilege it gives in leading men out into a life of service. He cited the example of the Rev. Fay Mills, who, through association work, was led away from the gambling hells and saloons of San Francisco to become a blessing to young men across the country. The association seeks to keep open a resort for young men, where they might meet for social, educational, and religious fellowship.
“Many people are saying that the greatest need in Christian work is money... but with the money there is a higher need—the need of men who are willing to consecrate their time to the services of the association.”
The YMCA’s historical role as a boarding house and 'social resort' for young men seeking their footing in a new city mirrors its modern role as a critical, if under-resourced, provider of housing and community services in a rapidly changing Seattle. The 1895 struggle to fund operations through church-based appeals highlights the reliance on private philanthropy before the era of government-subsidized social infrastructure.
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