90 Civic Helpfulness 



profit or amusement as seems best. The average in 

 dividual will not spend the hours in which he is not 

 working in doing something that is unpleasant, and 

 absolutely the only way permanently to draw aver 

 age men or women from occupations and amuse 

 ments that are unhealthy for soul or body is to fur 

 nish an alternative which they will accept. To for 

 bid all amusements, or to treat innocent and vicious 

 amusements as on the same plane, simply ensures 

 recruits for the vicious amusements. The Young 

 Men's and Young Women's Christian Associations 

 would have demonstrated their value a hundredfold 

 over if they had done nothing more than furnish 

 reading-rooms, gymnasiums, and places where, es 

 pecially after nightfall, those without homes, or 

 without attractive homes, could go without receiving 

 injury. They furnish meeting-grounds for many 

 young men who otherwise would be driven, perhaps 

 to the saloon, or if not, then to some cigar-store or 

 other lounging-place, where at the best the conver 

 sation would not be elevating, and at the worst com 

 panionships might be formed which would lead to 

 future disaster. In addition to this the associa 

 tions give every opportunity for self-improvement 

 to those who care to take advantage of the opportu 

 nity, and an astonishing number do take advantage 

 of it. 



Mention was made above of some of the sources 



