;r/
 
 N
 
 LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 ROBERT R. McBURNEY
 
 t&r&t
 
 LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 ROBERT R. McBURNEY 
 
 BY 
 
 L. L. DOGGETT, Ph. D. 
 
 PRESIDENT INTERNATIONAL YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN 
 
 ASSOCIATION TRAINING SCHOOL 
 
 SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 
 
 I 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 F. M. BARTON, CLEVELAND, O.
 
 Copyrighted, 1902 
 By F. M. BARTON
 
 TO 
 
 MY HONORED FATHER AND MOTHER 
 
 SIMEON LOCKE DOGGETT AND 
 MARY WHITE DOGGETT
 
 CONTENTS 
 PART I 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I. Introduction The Aim of the Work Per- 
 sonal Sketch, by Geo. A. Warburton - i 
 
 II. McBurney's Early Years The McBurney Fam- 
 ily Castle-Blayney Early Religious Influ- 
 ences and Education Arrival in America io 
 
 III. The Young Men's Christian Association in New 
 York City from 1852 to 1862 The City Move- 
 ment New York City in 1850 The Founding 
 
 of the New York Association - - 23 
 
 IV. McBurney's First Years as Secretary, 1862 to 
 1865 Revival of the New York Work Mc- 
 Burney's Appointment as Secretary The One 
 Hundred Seventy-sixth Volunteers Return 
 
 of Old Members Resignation and Return - 52 
 
 V. McBurney as Secretary During the Building 
 Period, from 1865 to 1870 ... 71 
 
 VI. McBurney as Secretary of the Twenty-third 
 Street Building, 1870 to 1887 The Develop- 
 ment of the Fourfold Work The Campaign 
 Against Vice The Moody Meetings The Or- 
 ganization of Branches - - - - 90 
 
 VII. McBurney as Metropolitan Secretary of New 
 York, 1887 to 1898 The Metropolitan Organ- 
 izationWork for Students Some Internal 
 Developments The West Side Building The 
 New York Work In 1898 - - - 124 
 
 VIII. McBurney's Views on Association Work - 139
 
 Contents 
 PART II 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I. The Location of the International Commit- 
 tee in New York City, from 1865 to 1867 - 157 
 
 II. The Evangelical and Evangelistic Contro- 
 versiesThe Securing of Robert Weidensall 
 and Richard C. Morse - - - - 174 
 
 III. McBurney's Relation to the Young Men's 
 Christian Association in Other Lands In Eu- 
 rope In Foreign Mission Lands - - 211 
 
 IV. The Secretaryship McBurney's Contribution 
 The Secretaries' Conference The Training 
 School at Springfield - - - 236 
 
 V. McBurney's Last Days - - - - 249 
 
 Appendix ------ 272 
 
 Index , - 275
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 i. Robert Ross McBurney - - {Frontispiece) 
 
 2. McBurney at Eighteen - 8 
 
 3. William E. Dodge - - - - - 68 
 
 4. Twenty-third Street Building - - - 82 
 
 5. Diagram of Reception-Room - - - 86 
 
 6. Reception-Room During a Social - - 88 
 
 7. McBurney in 1870 92 
 
 8. Building for Railroad Branch - - 116 
 
 9. West Side Branch - - - - - 128 
 
 10. The West Side Men's Meeting - - 130 
 
 11. The Library - - - - - 132 
 
 12. Boys' Department, West Side - - - 134 
 
 13. West Side Gymnasium - - - 136 
 
 14. New York Branches (Map) - - - 138 
 
 15. McBurney at His Desk - - - - 142 
 
 16. Cephas Brainerd - 158 
 
 17. H. Thane Miller ..... 166 
 
 18. Richard C. Morse ----- 188 
 
 19. The Tower Room - 260
 
 PREFACE 
 
 The American Young Men's Christian Association 
 has completed fifty years of history. The Jubilee 
 Convention at Boston, and the widespread accounts of 
 the association in the public press have given greater 
 prominence than ever to this phase of Christian work." 
 This year celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the 
 founding of the association in New York City. It 
 seems opportune, therefore, to present a biography of 
 one who is looked upon by many as the leading factor 
 in developing the Young Men's Christian Associations 
 of America. 
 
 It is my hope that this volume will give to be- 
 lievers at large a clearer idea of Robert R. McBurney 
 and the great work of the Young Men's Christian 
 Association. I believe it will also be of much value 
 to the employed officers of the association in setting 
 forth the possibilities of the secretaryship. 
 
 I have also had in mind young men who are fitting 
 themselves for this office, and it is my earnest hope 
 that many will be inspired to follow in the footsteps of 
 one who has done so much for his feliowmen. 
 
 It has been very difficult in giving an account of 
 the work of one man who has been intimately asso- 
 ciated with others, not to seem to overstate his share 
 in the work of which he was only a part. I have 
 not attempted to give a history of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association, but a biography of one of its
 
 Preface 
 
 characters. Mr. George A. Warburton, who was for 
 fifteen years associated with McBurney, has kindly 
 contributed a personal sketch for this volume. 
 
 I wish to acknowledge obligations to Hon. Cephas 
 Brainerd, Hon. Benjamin F. Manierre, Richard C. 
 Morse, Henry M. Orne, and Dr. M. W. Stryker, for 
 the many courtesies extended to me in the preparation 
 of this volume. 
 
 The sources consulted have been the Bowne His- 
 torical Library, which contains all the published reports 
 of the Young Men's Christian Associations ; " Robert 
 R. McBurney A Memorial," prepared by Richard C. 
 Morse ; McBurney's private letters and papers ; and 
 his reminiscences of the early international conven- 
 tions, written about 1885. Mr. Russell Thompson 
 rendered assistance in gathering material. 
 
 It is my hope that the biography of this noble life 
 may prove an inspiration to others to associate their 
 lives in the extension of Christ's Kingdom among 
 young men. 
 
 L. L. Doggett, 
 International Young Men's Christian Association Training School, 
 
 Springfield, Mass., February 15, 1902. 
 
 12
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Love as an organizing force seems to be the 
 great truth which the life of Robert R. McBurney 
 presents. He was the leading general secretary 
 of the Young Men's Christian Association. His 
 personality expressed itself through the associa- 
 tion, and through it he has left his most precious 
 legacy to men. To him more than to any other 
 the association owes its present development 
 and individuality. He dominated. His influence 
 displayed itself not only in his own field of New 
 York City, but in the American and European 
 associations, and even reached young men in 
 unevangelized lands. But pre-eminence in his 
 case was something greater than an insistent 
 will: by loving men he made them love him and 
 serve with energy the cause to which he had 
 given his life. He loved men because he loved 
 his Leader. 
 
 Another thing as pre-eminent in this man's 
 life as his dominating love was the ever-present, 
 ever-ready, concern he had for men's salvation. 
 It was hardly possible to come into personal con- 
 tact with McBurney without feeling his interest 
 in one's eternal welfare. On every hand he 
 made it his business in an engaging and tactful 
 way to establish such relationships as would im- 
 press men with this interest. He took advantage 
 of every slight occasion to this end, and in a di-
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 rect and really loving way he made a personal 
 impress upon thousands of young men. His 
 cordial, earnest greeting, his hand, his look, the 
 few words he spoke, however brief or inconse- 
 quential otherwise the interview, lifted the life 
 he touched. Multitudes of young men owe to 
 his efforts their personal salvation, and hundreds 
 of others have been led by him to devote them- 
 selves to the ministry or the secretaryship of the 
 Young Men's Christian Association. His chief 
 failing, an occasional brusque, overdominant 
 way, native to his Scotch-Irish character, was 
 often turned to account for the deepening of at- 
 tachments between himself and his friends, for 
 even out of brief misunderstandings grew recon- 
 ciliations which more clearly showed the fervor 
 of his love, and which more strongly welded 
 others to himself. 
 
 He was a strong, vigorous, creative figure. 
 He found the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion plastic and unformed. He gave to it direc- 
 tion and virility. For thirty-six years he lived 
 into it his own rugged and masterful personality, 
 and made it a dominant social and religious force 
 among young men. Without wife or child, the 
 association became love and family to him, and 
 there is nothing distinctive to his life which is 
 not association history. He created the general 
 secretaryship, and thus constituted a new office 
 in the modern church. He discovered the power 
 of Christian young manhood, and trained and 
 organized it for service. He wrought out a 
 fourfold ministration to young men for the de- 
 velopment of the physical, intellectual, social, 
 and religious life, and so became one of the pio-
 
 Introduction 
 
 neers of modern applied Christianity. He was 
 one of a group of association leaders who inau- 
 gurated the building movement among the Amer- 
 ican associations. He was influential in placing 
 the American movement upon an evangelical 
 basis, thus identifying it with the evangelical 
 church. He had a prominent part in shaping 
 the history of the American International Com- 
 mittee, and was a leader in the world's conven- 
 tions of the Young Men's Christian Association. 
 At a time when industrial changes were making 
 the city the controlling factor in modern life, 
 and when young men were becoming the chief 
 element in the city's population, McBurney was 
 placed in the strategic position of leadership. 
 He became secretary of the chief religious 
 agency among young men in the largest city of 
 the New World. 
 
 Of a retiring but positive disposition, he 
 brought to the task before him the qualities of 
 a great executive. Other departments of Chris- 
 tian effort have produced great orators or great 
 writers: the qualities of the leading figure in 
 the Young Men's Christian Association are those 
 of a great executive and administrator. 
 
 The ambition of this volume is to make 
 McBurney a living man, a familiar friend, and 
 an inspiration to nobler service, even to those 
 who otherwise have not known of him. 
 
 He will be presented, first, in his relation to 
 the New York City Association as its general 
 secretary. To understand his life and its con- 
 tribution to modern social and religious develop- 
 ment, it is necessary to make a careful study of 
 the association of New York City, both in the
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 ten years before McBurney took charge of it 
 and in its later development when it became the 
 expression of his ideals. 
 
 He will next be presented in his broader ser- 
 vice to the associations at large in relation to 
 the state, international, and world work. The 
 ideals which he wrought into a working force in 
 New York City, McBurney impressed upon the 
 whole association movement. His statesmanlike 
 qualities of comprehensiveness and practicality 
 here shine unrivaled. Even his close friends 
 are hardly aware of how vitally and how widely 
 he touched the association at large. 
 
 Lastly, McBurney will be presented in his 
 personal relations to men. 
 
 He was a delightful companion and friend, 
 as will be seen from the testimonials of a group 
 of his friends upon the secretarial force, who 
 gathered, after everything public had been said, 
 quietly to recount his influences upon their own 
 individual lives. The following personal sketch, 
 prepared by George A. Warburton, presents to 
 us McBurney as he appeared to one of his 
 friends. 
 
 PEN-PICTURE OF ROBERT R. McBURNEY 
 
 BY GEORGE A. WARBURTON 
 
 "The world will be beggared, indeed, when 
 it has lost all sense of hero-worship. The poets 
 will sing no more, and art, in all its many forms, 
 wanting ideals, will die, killed by a prosaic age. 
 For one, I deem not the ancient dead to have 
 been more truly saintly than the most modern, 
 over whose graves the grass has hardly had
 
 Introduction 
 
 time to root. More men walk with Christ now 
 in New York than did in Jerusalem in the days 
 of His flesh. Yet it is easier to see the halo 
 around the head of Peter, through the shadows 
 of centuries by which he is separated from us, 
 than to recognize the right of any man to wear 
 it whose eye looked into ours but a day or two 
 ago. 
 
 " McBurney was a saint; not a weak and 
 passive one, but cast in a big mold, and of the 
 finest and best metal; he won his eminence by 
 holy deeds. To know the secrets of any man's 
 success in the accomplishment of his life work, 
 we must dig down beneath the surface. The 
 things he does, the work he performs, the words 
 he speaks, the sum of his social, religious, physi- 
 cal, and intellectual activities, are but the 
 outflow of the man himself. We may see and 
 measure all these, and yet we may not know 
 the man. 
 
 " McBurney was a man of distinguished 
 appearance. He was well built his body strong 
 and large enough to give good support to his 
 massive head. His pictures show him in his 
 youth with a gentle face and wavy hair; in 
 his manhood, his firm jaw was prominent not 
 offensively so, but enough to make any man 
 cautious in opposing his will. His eyes were 
 keen, his glance penetrating, his forehead high 
 and intellectual, his features as a whole singu- 
 larly refined, indicating the sensitiveness which 
 belongs to the poet, and at the same time, 
 showing signs of that virile manliness that 
 constituted one leading element of his strength. 
 Physiognomists say that a prominent nose in a 
 
 5
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 woman indicates masculinity, and that one 
 delicately chiseled in a man shows the possession 
 of the most attractive and tender qualities of the 
 great feminine nature. McBurney's face told 
 the story of his large sympathy a sympathy 
 more marked, considering the character of the 
 drains made upon it, and its long continued 
 exercise, than any I have ever known. His 
 voice, too, was an almost perfect instrument for 
 the communication of his affection. There was 
 always harmony between his real feelings and 
 the media of their expression. From a great 
 fountain the manly tear rose spontaneously, the 
 voice grew soft, persuasive, affectionate. The 
 manner and pose all corresponded to the thrill 
 of the soul which had been awakened by the 
 story of some young man's sorrow, temptation, 
 or pain. I remember to have introduced him to 
 a young man, in a perfectly casual fashion. 
 Instantly his gaze was intent, a glow of interest 
 and solicitude came into his face, his manner 
 was that of an affectionate father towards his 
 son. All the yearning desire of his life for the 
 salvation of young men seemed to be focused 
 upon that young stranger. To see him thus 
 was to catch new meaning from the text, ' The 
 love of Christ constraineth me.' It was not 
 merely that he took an interest in the young 
 fellow, but that his body, in every part, told the 
 story of his holy, passionate desire for his 
 salvation. 
 
 " The sensitiveness of his spiritual nature was 
 the most marked of all of his many character- 
 istics. His great soul was an instrument answer- 
 ing to the touch of every influence that came 
 
 6
 
 Introduction 
 
 into contact with it. The fire of his anger was 
 quickly set in a blaze. Wrong roused him as it 
 did few men. Meanness was so foreign to him 
 that its appearance set him burning. It was the 
 penalty which he, in common with all delicately 
 constructed spirits, had to pay for the fineness 
 of his organism. Passion and power live in the 
 same house. It was this fineness of grain, this 
 quality in him, that made him such a lover of 
 the Scriptures. Others may have excelled him 
 in knowledge of the words of the Bible, but he 
 felt and absorbed its vital element. While he 
 mused the fire burned. For this reason his Bible 
 classes were inspirational, and not merely in- 
 structive. ' I do not believe in feeding young 
 converts husks,' he cried out in one of our con- 
 ferences. He never could do that, for the liv- 
 ing, germinating truth was always seized by his 
 vital and growing spiritual nature, and what was 
 food to him was eagerly shared with others. 
 
 " He loved those hymns best that kept most 
 closely to Scripture, and in which biblical ideas 
 were the most clearly expressed. The dignity 
 of Wesley and Watts answered to his sense of 
 fitness in the poetic treatment of religious truth. 
 He was passionately fond of and was deeply 
 moved by hymns. Looking over the manuscript 
 of a hymn-book in which many of the old stan- 
 dard hymns were used, he was constantly fired by 
 them. He would stand up and read all of the 
 verses of one that particularly struck him. ' Isn't 
 that fine!' he would exclaim, while his whole be- 
 ing seemed under the spell of the beautifully 
 expressed truth. 
 
 " His artistic sense was well developed. He
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 loved good pictures, and even the decorations of 
 his room bore witness to the possession of the 
 artist soul. 
 
 " While his reading was not particularly 
 broad, and he made no attempt to keep pace 
 with the vast output of the modern press, he 
 chose with discrimination those books that he 
 did read. No one ever saw a poor book on his 
 table or in his hand. 
 
 " His most constant and successful study was 
 the study of men. % He knew men as few men 
 have known them, and it was because of this 
 knowledge that his judgment was so sound and 
 infallible. The conclusions that he reached so 
 quickly as to lead us to say that he possessed 
 intuition, were based upon his knowledge of the 
 motives, moods, and habits of men. His whole 
 life was devoted to the study of human conduct, 
 and he knew by instinct what the result of a 
 certain course of action would be, whether in an 
 individual or in an organization composed of 
 individual units. No man can properly guide 
 his own course or direct the affairs of others who 
 has paid attention to the development of but one 
 side of his nature. He must have had a certain 
 temperamental endowment to begin with ele- 
 mental qualities capable of culture and enlarge- 
 ment. McBurney was rich in the possession of 
 his own personality. One could read the history 
 of a good ancestry in him. His features bore 
 witness to it, and all the little spontaneous ex- 
 pressions of language and demeanor confirmed 
 it. Blood and breeding always hang out their 
 signs. Body, mind, and soul were large to begin 
 with. He was not emotional enough to be weak, 
 
 8
 
 McBURNEY AT EIGHTEEN
 
 Introduction 
 
 but had the tenderness of a woman combined 
 with the judgment of a sage. The widest en- 
 trance to human hearts is through the gateway 
 of the feelings. He was his own mental master. 
 Years of study and mental discipline had ripened 
 his judgment and made it very discriminating. 
 No man can be a great leader who does not 
 have both heart and head developed. Feeling 
 and judgment must be kept in just proportion 
 and balance. The same qualities that McBurney 
 had would have made him conspicuous anywhere. 
 A bank president once said to me, ' If he had 
 entered business life he would have been a rich 
 man. In my business he would have risen to 
 the top. Such men as he are presidents of rail- 
 ways, or at the head of their professions.' 
 
 " He was a great man. He carved his own 
 way to his place of influence. You might put 
 such a man anywhere, and his natural qualities 
 would assert themselves. Patiently, indus- 
 triously, lovingly, he toiled for others. With 
 splendid self-forgetfulness, and with passionate 
 devotion to his risen Lord, he wrought and gave 
 his life. His place in our affections is secure, 
 and men will continue to honor his memory. 
 ' He that loseth his own life shall find it unto 
 life eternal.' "
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 McBURNEY'S EARLY YEARS 
 
 THE MCBURNEY FAMILY CASTLE-BLAYNEY-EARLY RE- 
 LIGIOUS INFLUENCES AND EDUCATION ARRIVAL IN 
 AMERICA 
 
 Robert Ross McBurney was born March 
 thirty-first, 1837, at Castle-Blayney, a market- 
 place in County Monaghan, in the Protestant 
 province of Ulster, in northern Ireland. He 
 sprang from the sturdy Scotch-Irish stock which 
 has contributed so largely to the commercial 
 prosperity, the moral fiber, and the hardy inde- 
 pendence of the American people. He had 
 the religious depth of feeling and the capacity 
 for loyal devotion, and in later life the touch 
 of literary refinement, which belongs to the 
 Celtic race. He had an Irish warmth of heart 
 combined with a Scottish reserve of manner. 
 He had Irish good nature and Scotch perti- 
 nacity and determination. 
 
 McBurney's father was a prominent physi- 
 cian and surgeon with a large practice in Cas- 
 tle-Blayney and the surrounding country, and 
 was held in high esteem by men of every class. 
 He maintained a dispensary to which the peo- 
 ple of the neighborhood were accustomed to 
 go for medicines. Dr. McBurney was an ac- 
 tive member and officer in the larger of the 
 two Presbyterian churches of the locality, and 
 was a prominent figure in the open-air reli-
 
 McBurney' s Early Tears 
 
 gious meetings then prevalent. He was zealous 
 in the distribution of religious tracts, was well 
 known for his extreme hostility to Romanism, 
 and was active in the dissemination of anti- 
 papal literature. He used to sit on the porch 
 in front of his house as the Romanist com- 
 municants passed on their way to Sunday ser- 
 vices and call out, "No popery! No popery!" 
 and from this received the by-name of " No- 
 Pope McBurney" from some of his fellow- 
 townsmen. It is related that his son Robert 
 in his boyhood shared his father's spirit in 
 this respect, and that on one occasion when 
 a young Catholic was being considered for ad- 
 mission to a literary society with which Robert 
 was connected, he so signified his hostility to 
 the proceedings by keeping up the cry of "No 
 pope! No pope!" that he was successful in pre- 
 venting his admission. But however partisan 
 Robert McBurney may have been in his early 
 youth, there is abundant evidence in later life 
 to show that in the maturity of his view he 
 was a man of liberal toleration, and was par- 
 ticularly sympathetic toward Catholic young 
 men. 
 
 He clearly distinguished between the views 
 of different religious bodies, and recognized 
 the difficulties men have with regard to mat- 
 ters of belief. In 1895, m writing to a friend 
 who had asked him as to the wisdom of invit- 
 ing a Catholic bishop to address a men's gos- 
 pel meeting, McBurney said: " The general 
 belief of Protestants is that the Roman Catholic 
 Church is in very grave error, and that the 
 influence exerted by that church upon her
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 constituents is not as beneficial as the influence 
 exerted by the Protestant Church. From an 
 association standpoint, I doubt the wisdom of 
 inviting the bishop, but from my own individual 
 standpoint, I would not hesitate an instant to 
 invite him, because I believe the Roman Catho- 
 lic Church to be sound on the deity of our Lord 
 and His atonement two of the most important 
 points of Christian faith. Personally, I welcome 
 good wherever I find it, and give thanks to God 
 for it." 
 
 McBurney's maternal grandfather was Rob- 
 ert Ross. Mr. Ross was a man highly respected 
 in his section of northern Ireland. Both he 
 and Mrs. Ross were converted and became 
 Wesleyan Methodists at the great religious 
 meetings conducted by John Wesley at the town 
 of Clones, County Monaghan, in the year 1787. 
 Their daughter, Miss Ross, was the first of Dr. 
 McBurney's three wives. She died when 
 Robert, the eldest of her children, was between 
 six and seven years old. She was a friend of 
 Lady Blayney, and a woman highly respected 
 in the community. She was an ardent Metho- 
 dist, and a member of the little Wesleyan 
 Chapel in Castle-Blayney. It was largely from 
 her that McBurney received the impetus for 
 Bible study which was a conspicuous feature of 
 his later life. His mother, although a loyal 
 Methodist, on Sunday morning attended the 
 First Presbyterian Church with her husband, 
 and Robert was a member of the Bible class in 
 the Sunday school connected with that church. 
 Mrs. McBurney also gave a portion of her time 
 to her own church, and her son used to accom-
 
 McBurneys Early Tears 
 
 pany her to both the Wesleyan Chapel and 
 Sunday school. 
 
 Two years after the death of his first wife, 
 Dr. McBurney married Miss Greer. She was 
 also a Methodist and the daughter of a class- 
 leader in the Wesleyan Chapel. She died 
 shortly after Robert came to America. " He 
 was thus," comments one who knew the family, 
 " under the pious influence of a second Metho- 
 dist mother," which, no doubt, helped to mold 
 his character and to develop his Methodist 
 preferences. The same friend said, on another 
 occasion, of Robert, that he was not in the fullest 
 sympathy with old-fashioned Presbyterianism. 
 
 It will thus be seen that the religious influ- 
 ences which molded the great secretary's early 
 career descended from the two movements 
 which have dominated American Christianity 
 the Puritan and Wesleyan revivals. Both of 
 these were represented in the church life at 
 Castle-Blayney, in the Presbyterian and Metho- 
 dist Chapels, and in Robert McBurney's own 
 home in the persons of his father and his 
 mother. This early training laid deep founda- 
 tions for an interdenominational catholicity of 
 spirit on the one hand, and strong religious 
 convictions on the other, which were of great 
 import for the work in which his life was to be 
 spent. 
 
 One characteristic was his decided fondness 
 for church singing and for good hymns, as 
 marked in advanced life as in boyhood. Of 
 hymnody he was always an interested student 
 and an enthusiastic critic. 
 
 In an interpretation of his life, it is important 
 
 13
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 that emphasis be put upon the strength of his 
 convictions, the determinative influence of con- 
 siderations of duty, and the dominating power 
 of his strong religious motives. This will 
 explain much in his career that only those of 
 like nature can fully understand. From his 
 boyhood he was ruled by a sensitive and sensible 
 conscience. It is related of him that when a 
 mere lad his only sister requested his escort to 
 a ball given in the vicinity. His remonstrance 
 against what he regarded as the inconsistency of 
 her course being ineffectual, he accompanied 
 her to the door, but refused himself to enter. 
 
 In this connection a letter written in 1895 on 
 the subject of dancing is interesting. McBurney 
 said: "I do not think I would want to pass 
 judgment upon an assistant secretary or physical 
 director who dances, without knowing more of 
 the particulars. I certainly do not think it is a 
 sin to dance. It may be judicious on the part 
 of the assistant secretary or physical director, in 
 deference to the opinions of others, to deny 
 himself that pleasure, and indeed, it may be his 
 imperative duty so to deny himself." Evidently 
 McBurney's views in later life had changed con- 
 siderably. 
 
 He confessed conversion when twelve years 
 of age, and throughout his life he placed primary 
 importance upon the doctrine of the new birth. 
 
 Dr. McBurney desired his son to follow him 
 in his medical practice, and the boy, even in his 
 younger years at home, became familiar with 
 the various drugs, supplied the simple medical 
 wants of the people who carne to the house in 
 his father's absence, and was trusted by them. 
 
 14
 
 McBurnef s Early Tears 
 
 Other than this he engaged in no employment 
 outside of school while in Ireland. He first 
 attended a select school for children taught by 
 a Miss Lee. While a boy of kindly and affec- 
 tionate disposition, and of behavior quiet and 
 tractable enough, he was not a bright student. 
 He did not possess that love for his lessons 
 which might have led him to shine as a scholar. 
 On at least one occasion he was sent home from 
 Miss Lee's school after wearing the dunce's cap, 
 a special mark of degradation, exposing him to 
 the taunts of his companions. In after life he 
 was always sympathetic with boys, and especially 
 with those who were inclined to mischief. In 
 writing to one of the branch secretaries in New 
 York in 1891, concerning a case of discipline in 
 the boys' department, he said: "I do not know 
 how it is, but I have always had a peculiar 
 affection for unruly young fellows, and have 
 always had ten times more sympathy for them 
 than I have for fellows who are very correct in 
 their deportment. We have a saying that a 
 fellow-feeling makes the world akin; I expect, 
 in my case, it should be said that a fellow-fail- 
 ing gives me a kind of kinship with boisterous 
 boys. They make the best kind of men in the 
 end." When older he attended the national 
 school of Castle-Blayney, and subsequently went 
 to a classical school taught by Rev. Dr. Coulter, 
 who was pastor of the Second Presbyterian 
 Church of the village. Dr. Coulter's school 
 prepared for college, boys of fifteen years of age 
 and upward. McBurney's father gave him this 
 preparation for a university course which he 
 offered to his son in pursuance of his plan to 
 
 15
 
 Life of Robert R. McBumey 
 
 direct him toward a professional life, but the 
 young man's inclinations led him in other direc- 
 tions. It was not till later years that his 
 aspirations for general culture gave him habits 
 of reading, and awakened him to acquire a val- 
 uable library. The degree of Master of Arts, 
 conferred upon him by Hamilton College in 
 1869, was a recognition of his mental merit as 
 well as of his influence in affairs. 
 
 Monaghan County, in which Castle- Blayney 
 lies, was one of the densely populated agricul- 
 tural districts of northern Ireland. The town 
 is about eighteen miles from the coast line of 
 the Irish Sea, and midway between Belfast and 
 Dublin, being some fifty miles from each. Like 
 all Ulster towns, Castle-Blayney was a strong- 
 hold of Presbyterianism. There were two Pres- 
 byterian churches, one in the village and one a 
 short distance away. There were also Episco- 
 pal, Baptist, Methodist, and Roman Catholic 
 churches. A brook flowed not far in the rear 
 of Dr. McBurney's house, on whose banks were 
 spent many of the hours of Robert's childhood. 
 The picturesque always appealed strongly to 
 him. 
 
 Thus, in the quiet and wholesome surround- 
 ings of a country village the early life of the 
 future secretary was passed. His love of truth, 
 his self-reliance, and his fondness for nature 
 were here developed. 
 
 During McBurney's youth, Ireland passed 
 through the grievous years - of the "potato 
 famine," which brought such desolation and pov- 
 erty to her peasants. This inaugurated the 
 great Irish immigration to America, which by 
 
 16
 
 McBurney' s Early Tears 
 
 the time McBurney was seventeen years of age, 
 had grown to several hundred thousand persons 
 annually. America was held before the young 
 manhood of Ireland as the promised land of 
 opportunity, and it is not surprising that even 
 the attractions of the comfortable and honorable 
 career of a village physician were insufficient to 
 satisfy the eager and restless spirit of a young 
 man like McBurney. 
 
 In leaving Ireland, Robert did not have the 
 sympathy or approval of his father or step- 
 mother, although they put no obstacle in the 
 way of his departure. He always retained the 
 deepest respect and love for his father and an 
 affectionate memory of his mother. One of the 
 striking features of his bachelor apartments in 
 later life was a large portrait of his father which 
 McBurney had had painted. It showed him to 
 be a dignified, sturdy, and rather severe gentle- 
 man of the old school. 
 
 Robert left the home of his childhood in his 
 eighteenth year, and found himself on board an 
 ocean packet bound for the New World. New 
 to him it was in more than one way. Instead of 
 the quiet village, the turmoil of the great me- 
 tropolis ; instead of the sheltering home, the 
 temptations and fascinations of a great city ; 
 instead of the opportunities of taking up his 
 father's practice, there was the necessity of earn- 
 ing a livelihood in a strange land. Landing in 
 New York in the summer of 1854, his whole 
 worldly substance was a few personal effects and 
 a small amount of money. But he was not en- 
 tirely without friends. He was met by a former 
 tutor, and it is interesting to note that he was 
 
 17
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 taken on the day of his arrival to the rooms of 
 the Young Men's Christian Association of New 
 York City, then located in Stuyvesant Institute, 
 659 Broadway. The association was then but 
 two years old. There is no evidence that this 
 first introduction to the association led to any 
 immediate enlistment in its activities, but it must 
 have made a lasting impression upon his recep- 
 tive mind. 
 
 He had been preceded to America some 
 years earlier by Mr. Henry Harrison, a gentle- 
 man who knew Dr. McBurney, and who came 
 from the Church Hill district in the vicinity of 
 Castle-Blayney. He owned a hat establishment 
 at 349 Eighth Avenue, and it was here that Mc- 
 Burney secured a position as clerk at a small 
 salary, remaining in this employ a number of 
 years. 
 
 The contrast between his humble clerical 
 work in New York and the position open to him 
 at home was not looked upon favorably by an 
 old friend of the McBurney family, Rev. John 
 Kirkpatrick of New York City, who comments 
 thus : " Many young men and young women of 
 strict respectability are filling here what at home 
 would be considered for them very menial and 
 low positions. Nearly all the servant girls in 
 my church are respectable farmers' daughters, 
 some of them with good education, and highly 
 respectable men's sons are glad to be car-con- 
 ductors and street-sweepers in New York, all for 
 a decent living. McBurney, I suppose, having 
 but a sovereign when he landed, was glad to 
 drop into anything to make an honest penny." 
 
 In accordance with an old-country custom
 
 McBurney 's Early Tears 
 
 Robert lived in the family of his employer. Mr. 
 Harrison was the wealthiest member of the 
 Seventh Avenue United Presbyterian Church, 
 and one of its ruling elders. He was a man of 
 pronounced religious ideas, and the discussions 
 between him and the young Methodist concern- 
 ing "hymns," "open communion," and the "use 
 of instrumental music in the worship of God," 
 picture McBurney, in his young manhood, as the 
 more liberal of the two. Harrison had no tol- 
 eration for hymns, organs, and " like trumpery." 
 His views on many such questions were quite 
 repugnant to McBurney. In after years when 
 Rev. Mr. Kirkpatrick, who was acquainted with 
 Mr. Harrison, met McBurney, the latter, he says, 
 " never failed to ask after Mr. Harrison. He 
 had a lively remembrance of him, but no sym- 
 pathy with his notions." 
 
 McBurney remained as an employee in this 
 hat store until failure put an end to the busi- 
 ness at the opening of the Civil War. The im- 
 press of his business connection remained upon 
 him throughout life. In purchasing a hat he 
 would spend a long time in its selection, visit- 
 ing a number of stores to find what suited 
 his taste. Further, he was noticeably observant 
 of what young men wore; and if he thought 
 a friend, or office associate, not appropriately 
 or neatly attired, he was apt to make known with 
 Scottish frankness his own impression, coupled 
 often with direct suggestion of improvement. 
 
 In August, after his arrival, McBurney con- 
 nected himself with the Mulberry Street Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church. He remained with this 
 church, which later was called St. Paul's, until 
 
 19
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 his death. It was in the membership of this 
 church that he became acquainted with Hon. 
 Benjamin F. Manierre, through whom he was 
 later introduced into his life work. 
 
 During the years following his arrival in New 
 York, McBurney, while not given much to speak- 
 ing in public, was very zealous in Christian work. 
 He said later: "As a young man I was very 
 active, often on Sunday attending a class meet- 
 ing and preaching service in the morning, a mis- 
 sion Sunday school and meeting of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association in the afternoon, 
 and then after a hurried tea going out to church 
 service or some missionary meeting in the even- 
 ing." While a member of the Methodist Church, 
 at times he attended others, one of his favor- 
 ites being the Market Street Reformed Dutch 
 Church, of which Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, D.D., 
 was the pastor. In after years, he told Dr. Cuyler 
 that his preaching had strongly influenced him, 
 quoted some of his texts, and called himself 
 " one of his boys." 
 
 In writing to McBurney during his last ill- 
 ness, Mr. Dickson, secretary of the Twenty-third 
 Street Branch, said: " Dr. Cuyler came in this 
 morning to inquire about you. He said a num- 
 ber of times over, ' Be sure to give my love 
 to Robert.' He wanted me to tell you that 
 yesterday he went down to ' Old Market Street,' 
 and that everything about the church was just 
 as it was ' when Robert and McAlpin used to sit 
 in the gallery.' " 
 
 St. Paul's Church established a mission school 
 in the neighborhood of Elizabeth Street, and 
 about 1856 McBurney went to Mr. Manierre
 
 McBurney' s Early Tears 
 
 with an invitation to become its superintend- 
 ent. This Mr. Manierre consented to do, and 
 McBurney worked with him in this Sunday- 
 school as a teacher, and rendered what other 
 service he could. Mr. Manierre remembers 
 him in this connection as most diligent, as one 
 of the strongest of the young men who shared 
 in the work, and as displaying a matured Chris- 
 tian character. Mr. Manierre continued as the 
 superintendent, and McBurney as a teacher and 
 general assistant of this Sunday school for some 
 years. He speaks of McBurney as his right- 
 hand man, and remembers that he led in 
 prayer acceptably, and while little speaking 
 was done from the platform he was never im- 
 pressed with anything like diffidence. He says: 
 " McBurney never failed in being on hand, and 
 his chief if not his only activity outside of busi- 
 ness was religious work." 
 
 He was one of the young men active in 
 carrying on the association noon prayer-meet- 
 ings in the North Dutch Church on Fulton 
 Street, in 1856, the year before the general 
 revival. He was a member of the association 
 committee which had charge of these meetings, 
 and aided in the distribution of cards among 
 business houses. 
 
 At the outbreak of the Civil War, McBurney 
 was a capable young man, active in Christian 
 work, but with no other thought than devoting 
 himself to a business career. 
 
 It will be seen that he had gone through a 
 similar experience to that of thousands of young 
 men who leave the village or the farm to make 
 their home and career in the modern city. He
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 was fitted by experience, by religious conviction, 
 by temperament, and by personal characteristics 
 to be helpful in a tender and sympathetic, yet 
 strong and manly, way to young men who were 
 surrounded by the conditions of modern city 
 life. He was providentially prepared for the 
 work he was about to be called to undertake. 
 He knew young men their temptations, their 
 struggles, their needs, their possibilities, their 
 peril. He had been alone in a great city, he 
 had been without money, and almost without 
 friends. He knew what it was to need work, he 
 knew what it was to overcome temptation, and 
 above all he knew what it was to lead a life of 
 trust and loving devotion to Jesus Christ. 
 
 22
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIA- 
 TION IN NEW YORK CITY, FROM 1852 
 TO 1862 
 
 THE CITY MOVEMENT NEW YORK CITY IN 1850 THE 
 FOUNDING OF THE NEW YORK CITY ASSOCIATION 
 
 We turn now to consider the field of work 
 which was providentially prepared for the com- 
 ing leader. It is necessary, in order to under- 
 stand the life of McBurney, to study the 
 development of the organization of which he 
 was to become the employed officer. During 
 the eight years that, as a clerk in a hat store, 
 and as a teacher in a mission Sunday school, 
 McBurney was learning the needs of young 
 men, the New York Young Men's Christian 
 Association was laying the foundations upon 
 which a great work for young men was to be 
 established. 
 
 The most striking sociological development 
 of the past century has been the industrial 
 revolution, which has transferred the larger 
 share of the wealth and a large proportion of 
 the population from the country to the town. 
 In England, this movement began with the 
 invention of the steam engine; in America, 
 with the application of steam to transportation 
 by the invention of the locomotive. Almost 
 equally important was the discovery of the 
 
 23
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 Bessemer process for the manufacture of steel. 
 The years from 1830 to 1840 mark the begin- 
 ning of this transition in America. The urban 
 movement has in England already housed two- 
 thirds of its population in towns. In America, 
 in spite of its enormous agricultural resources, 
 the city has already become dominant. In 
 1898, the exportation of manufactured products 
 exceeded in value the exportation of products 
 from the farms. Nearly 40 per cent of Ameri- 
 cans are in towns of 8,000 population and 
 upwards. It is significant that the proportion 
 of young men tends to increase with the size of 
 the modern city. Not only are large numbers 
 found in great cities, but the proportion of the 
 population which is young men is invariably 
 greater. The country no longer needs the 
 labor of young men as it did a few generations 
 ago. Through the invention of machinery 
 and other causes, a constantly decreasing por- 
 tion of the race is able to produce the world's 
 food. 
 
 The city holds out the fascinations of a career, 
 and is the goal towards which young men move. 
 While the city is the center of wealth, refine- 
 ment, and religious power, it is at the same time 
 the headquarters for the forces of evil. The 
 powers of evil are concentrated in the city as in 
 no other place. Young men from the country, 
 or with city homes, under modern urban con- 
 ditions are exposed to the most seductive 
 temptations. Without restraint, surrounded by 
 the fascinations of pleasure, the temptations of 
 vice, filled with the eager desire to secure 
 wealth, often separated from friends, and indif- 
 
 24
 
 The Young Men s Christian Association 
 
 ferent or hostile to the church, many of them 
 fall into lives of dissipation and ruin. 
 
 It was under these conditions, and to meet 
 this need, that the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation was founded by George Williams, in 
 London, in June, 1844, and it was due to the 
 rise of the city that the association spread 
 throughout the world. 
 
 No modern metropolis so typefies this urban 
 movement as the financial capital of the New 
 World. Political ideals, government necessity, 
 or other causes, created the cities of the Old 
 World. New York rose into dominance on the 
 crest of the industrial movement which produced 
 the modern city. It is pre-eminently a business 
 men's city. Its prosperity dates from the year 
 1825, when the opening of the Erie Canal made 
 New York the emporium for the commerce of 
 the great lakes and the limitless agricultural 
 products of the growing West. It had then but 
 160,000 inhabitants, but its increase from that 
 time has been swift and constant. Twenty- 
 seven years later (1852), at the time of the 
 founding of the New York Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association, the population of the city was 
 600,000. It had become the recognized me- 
 tropolis of America, its financial center, and 
 already the chief terminus of its railroad sys- 
 tems. Very soon half the foreign commerce of 
 the nation passed through New York City, and 
 five-sevenths of the immigrants from other 
 shores landed at Castle Garden. 
 
 Of. the religious forces contributing to the 
 complex life of the developing metropolis, the 
 Dutch, the Presbyterian, and the Episcopal 
 
 25
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 churches were particularly strong. These 
 churches gave the impress to the early religious 
 life of the city. They were soon joined by other 
 Protestant bodies, and immigration brought in 
 a large Roman Catholic population. During 
 the early years, religious activity in the city was 
 not remarkable, but the revivals in the middle 
 of the century, and the problems created by the 
 influx of an enormous unevangelized population, 
 roused the church to strenuous endeavor. At 
 the close of the century, it is said that in its 
 Christian activities, its city missions, and its 
 various philanthropies, the churches of New 
 York City were expending more money for the 
 evangelization of its crowded population than 
 all American Christians were contributing for 
 the evangelization of the heathen world. 
 
 But New York City was also filled with count- 
 less agencies for the wrecking of manhood. No 
 other city in America held out more fascinations 
 to the careless and self-centered. Its theaters, 
 saloons, and vicious resorts allured the young 
 men from the cheerless boarding-houses, and 
 multitudes from the crowded tenement districts. 
 The gates of sin stood wide. 
 
 To meet this condition was plainly the mind 
 of those who founded the New York Young 
 Men's Christian Association. Dr. Isaac Ferris, 
 at the first public meeting, said : 
 
 " Our city has proved a moral maelstrom to 
 many a noble spirit who had none to fulfill the 
 kindly words of the Saviour, ' I was a stranger 
 and ye took me in.' Time was when a lad 
 who came to the city to be an apprentice, 
 or clerk, or student, found a home in the circle 
 
 26
 
 The Young Metis Christian Association 
 
 of his employer. His house and his place of busi- 
 ness were the same. But now it is sadly altered. 
 The lad is left to the wide world. He is sur- 
 rounded by the mercenary and callous, and 
 happy is he if he escape unhurt." 
 
 At the opening of the first rooms of the asso- 
 ciation, Mr. Daniel Lord said: 
 
 "The young men who come to try their for- 
 tunes in the great cities are not the ordinary 
 and common youth of the land. Such remain 
 at home contented to till the paternal acres, 
 to pursue the modest and reputable mechanical 
 trade of their native village. Happy the life 
 of such to those who will satisfy themselves with 
 it. But many others there are ' who have heard 
 of battles and long to follow to the field some 
 warlike lord.' Such are they who have left 
 a peaceful village with little experience and 
 no knowledge of how small it is, and who find 
 themselves in the streets of a great city seeking 
 their fortunes. How is the stranger youth armed 
 to meet the attack of worldly excitement and 
 sensual allurement? No one now observes who 
 knows him. If he finds employment, he also 
 soon finds that the business of his employer 
 is too weighty, his time too much absorbed, 
 for him to bestow care or sympathy upon his 
 humble assistant; and although having the deep- 
 est pecuniary interests in his principles and mode 
 of life, the employer too often is obliged to trust 
 his assistant's mode of life to the moderation 
 of his wages, and for his principles to the vigor 
 of the police and the fear of criminal justice. 
 The young stranger, as to social intercourse, 
 is no less dangerously and painfully conditioned. 
 
 27
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 No solitude is so great nor so sickening to the 
 heart as that which may be felt amid the mul- 
 titudes of a great city. Every one is absorbed 
 in his own interests and cares not for you." 
 
 The founder of the New York Young Men's 
 Christian Association was Mr. George H. Petrie. 
 In 1 85 1 the London Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation was seven years old, and was firmly estab- 
 lished with comfortable headquarters at Gresham 
 Street. There were already seven branches in 
 the metropolis beside the parent association, and 
 sixteen provincial branches in different parts 
 of England, with a total enrollment of two 
 thousand seven hundred young men. These 
 twenty-three branches were all under the super- 
 vision of the parent association. 
 
 The aim of this organization was to win young 
 men to Jesus Christ by any means in accordance 
 with the Scriptures. The parent society pos- 
 sessed a reading - room, library, lunch - room, 
 social parlors, and rooms for educational and 
 Bible classes and prayer meetings. It was in 
 charge of a secretary who gave his whole time 
 to its interests. It was during a visit to the 
 Crystal Palace Exposition that Mr. George H. 
 Petrie of New York became acquainted with 
 the London Society and its work. He says: 
 " During a residence of some twelve months 
 in London, in the years 1850 and 1851, I was 
 brought into contact with a number of leading 
 Christian brethren who were heartily engaged 
 in the work of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation in that city, and through the secre- 
 tary, Mr. T. H. Tarleton, I was afforded the 
 opportunity of learning all the main features 
 
 28
 
 The Toung Mens Christian Association 
 
 relating to the aim and working of the associa- 
 tion." 
 
 Quite independent of Mr. Petrie, efforts were 
 already under way to establish associations on 
 the London model at both Montreal and Boston. 
 These attempts were successful, and in Decem- 
 ber, 1 85 1, in each of these cities an association 
 was established. 
 
 Among Mr. McBurney's papers is a letter 
 from Mr. Petrie, in which he says : 
 
 " Impressed with the thought that New York 
 City greatly needed such an organization, on 
 my return from London in the autumn of 1851, 
 I at once deliberated as to the best course to 
 pursue in order to attain this object, and to 
 establish an association on a solid and perma- 
 nent basis. I well remember the first evening's 
 consultation with Messrs. H. K. Bull, Milton St. 
 John, and Oliver P. Woodford, before whom the 
 whole subject was plainly stated. [This was in 
 November, 1851.] Although these gentlemen's 
 Christian love and impulses were strongly fa- 
 vorable to the movement, I confess a feeling of 
 disappointment came over me that they did not 
 so enthusiastically enter into the idea of our 
 city's need for a Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation. 
 
 "This feeling, however, soon passed away, 
 as the subsequent action of these gentlemen 
 proved them to be considerate and hearty 
 espousers of the object." 
 
 Several meetings were held at the houses of 
 one or the other, each time a larger number 
 coming together. It was now decided by the 
 young men to visit the pastors of the city and 
 
 29
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 learn their views. As the project was new, 
 there was hesitation on the part of some who 
 feared that the movement was not suited to New 
 York, or that it would be injurious to the 
 churches as an outside attraction, and that its 
 meetings might draw young men away from 
 church gatherings and church work. But Rev. 
 Drs. James W. Alexander and Isaac Ferris were 
 strongly impressed with the new project, and the 
 need of some such ministry to the young men 
 of New York City. 
 
 An important meeting was held at Mr. 
 Petrie's home on April twenty-first, 1852, at 
 which a preliminary organization was formed, 
 of which he was made secretary. Minutes have 
 been kept of this and subsequent gatherings. 
 At this meeting the following resolution was 
 adopted : 
 
 " Resolved, that .... the young men now 
 assembled deem it desirable that an association 
 be formed, consisting of members of evangelical 
 churches in this city, to be called the New York 
 Young Men's Christian Association, which shall 
 be conducted on a plan resembling that of simi- 
 lar societies in London and other large cities, 
 and that we invite the co-operation of the 
 Christian young men of this city for the accom- 
 plishment of this purpose." 
 
 A number of meetings of this preliminary 
 organization took place, at which a spirit of 
 enthusiasm for the new movement developed. 
 A committee was appointed, of which Mr. 
 Petrie was one, to send out a circular to the 
 young men of New York City. At one of the 
 meetings, Mr. Woodford spoke "of the necessity 
 
 30
 
 The Young Men's Christian Association 
 
 of more intimacy among the members of the 
 church of Christ, in order that Christian influ- 
 ences might be felt, not only in this city, but 
 throughout the Union." Copies of the con- 
 stitutions of both the London and Boston Young 
 Men's Christian Associations were in the hands 
 of these young men, and letters were inter- 
 changed with the secretary of the Boston 
 society. At one meeting it was voted to secure 
 sufficient copies of the Boston constitution to 
 place one in the hands of each clergyman in 
 the city, and if this could not be done, to reprint 
 the last report of the London Association. A 
 considerable number of the Boston constitutions 
 were procured. 
 
 Finally, it was arranged to call a general pub- 
 lic meeting, to be held at the Mercer Street Pres- 
 byterian Church, on May twenty-eighth, 1852. 
 
 During the months from January to May, 
 1852, the Boston Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation had grown rapidly. It had opened rooms 
 on the corner of Washington and Summer 
 Streets. The opening address had been given 
 by Dr. Lyman Beecher, before 600 young men, 
 who said: " I always felt sure the millenium 
 would come, but never so sure of it before as 
 now. I breathe a longer, deeper breath than I 
 ever breathed before." The Boston member- 
 ship had already reached 1,200, and 10,000 
 copies of their constitution had been printed and 
 distributed widely over the country. Associa- 
 tions had been formed at Worcester, Springfield, 
 and Buffalo. 
 
 The meeting at the Mercer Street Presby- 
 terian Church was attended by 300 young men. 
 
 31
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 Rev. George T. Bedell, rector of the Ascension 
 Church, presided, and a stirring address was 
 delivered by Chancellor Isaac Ferris. At this 
 meeting 173 young men signified their desire to 
 become members, and a temporary organization 
 was effected, of which Mr. J. W. Benedict was 
 made chairman. 
 
 Finally, a meeting for permanent organiza- 
 tion, at which a constitution was adopted and 
 officers elected, was held at the Mercer Street 
 Presbyterian Church on June thirtieth, 1852, 
 and the New York City Young Men's Christian 
 Association was definitely started upon its career 
 of usefulness. 
 
 Note. The first list of officers contained a number of 
 men who became prominent in the organization, among 
 them: Oliver P. Woodford, who was the first president; 
 Rev. Howard Crosby, who was its second president, and 
 who largely dominated its policy during its early years; 
 Benjamin F. Manierre, who several times led in deliver- 
 ing the association from debt, and as we shall learn, 
 rendered it one of its greatest services ; George H. Petrie, 
 who founded the association; and Mr. Samuel W. Steb- 
 bins, who served as president a number of times, and 
 helped to revive the association during the war. The 
 constitution was as follows: 
 
 PREAMBLE 
 
 We, the subscribers, actuated by a desire to promote 
 evangelical religion among the young men of this city 
 and its vicinity, and impressed with the importance of 
 concentrated effort to aid in accomplishing that object, 
 and desirous of forming an association in which we may 
 together labor for the great end proposed, hereby agree 
 to adopt for our united government the following 
 
 32
 
 The Toung Men s Christian Association 
 
 CONSTITUTION 
 
 ARTICLE I 
 
 Sec. i. The name of this society shall be "The New 
 York Young Men's Christian Association," and it shall 
 be located in the city of New York. 
 
 Sec 2. The object of this association shall be the 
 improvement of the spiritual, mental, and social condi- 
 tion of young men, by the ways and means to be 
 hereinafter designated. 
 
 ARTICLE II 
 
 Members 
 
 Sec. 2. Any man under forty years of age, who is a 
 member, in good standing, of an evangelical church, 
 may become an active member by payment in advance 
 of one dollar annually. Active members only shall have 
 the right to vote, and be eligible to office; and it shall 
 be their particular duty to carry out the objects of this 
 association. 
 
 Sec 3. Any man of good moral character may be- 
 come an associate member, by the payment in advance 
 of one dollar annually, and shall be entitled to all the 
 privileges of the association, except that of voting and 
 being eligible to office. 
 
 ARTICLE III 
 
 Sec 1. The members of the association shall seek 
 out young men taking up their residence in New York 
 and its vicinity, and endeavor to bring them under moral 
 and religious influences, by aiding them in the selection 
 of suitable boarding-places and employment, by intro- 
 ducing them to the members and privileges of this 
 association, securing their attendance at some place of 
 worship on the Sabbath, and by every means in their 
 power surrounding them with Christian associates. 
 
 Sec 2. The members of the association shall exert 
 themselves to interest the churches to which they respec- 
 tively belong in the object and welfare of the associa- 
 
 33
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 tion. They shall labor to induce all suitable young men 
 of their acquaintance to connect themselves with the 
 association, and use all practical means for increasing 
 its membership, activity, and usefulness. 
 
 ARTICLE IV 
 
 Sec. i. The officers of this association shall con- 
 sist of a president, one vice-president from each de- 
 nomination represented in the association, selected 
 severally by their respective denominations, a recording 
 secretary, a corresponding secretary, a treasurer, and a 
 librarian; also a board of managers consisting of twenty 
 members, of which each denomination shall be entitled 
 to a number proportioned to its representation in 
 the association, of which the officers elect shall be ex- 
 officio members. 
 
 Sec. 2. All of the above-named officers shall be 
 elected by ballot, on the last Monday evening in May, 
 and shall enter upon office, and hold the same for one 
 year from the first day of June following said election. 
 
 Article V was devoted to the duties of officers. 
 Section 5 is interesting as showing the duty of the only 
 employed officer of the organization. 
 
 Sec. 5. It shall be the duty of the librarian to take 
 charge and keep in order all books, documents, and 
 other movable property of the association, keep a correct 
 catalogue and account of the same, and also a record of 
 all books delivered to the members of the association. 
 
 A comparison of the constitution with the 
 Boston and London documents shows that it 
 chiefly followed the former. The most striking 
 feature was the division of the membership into 
 active and associate members. The aim of this 
 division was to place the control of the associa- 
 tion completely in the hands of evangelical 
 Christians, and at the same time bring under its 
 influence young men who were not professed 
 Christians. 
 
 34
 
 The Toung Men s Christian Association 
 
 The object of the society was the same as 
 that of the London association the intellectual 
 and spiritual welfare of young men. Rooms 
 were secured in Stuyvesant Institute, No. 659 
 Broadway, opposite Bond Street. It was to 
 these rooms two years later that Robert Mc- 
 Burney came on his arrival in America. The 
 rooms were formally opened on September 
 twentieth, 1852, and an address was delivered by 
 Daniel Lord. In the course of this address Mr. 
 Lord outlined the conception of association work 
 of that day: to aid the stranger in finding proper 
 abode; to help him in securing employment; 
 to furnish him a place of relaxation under good 
 influences; to provide a well-equipped reading- 
 room; to supply some entertainment in the 
 form of an appropriate lecture course; to care 
 for him in sickness; to give him introduction 
 into city homes; and to lead him into a Chris- 
 tian life. 
 
 The association was to pass through the 
 vicissitudes of ten years of history before it came 
 under the leadership of McBurney. These were 
 years of uncertainty and experiment. The 
 movement was without resources, without expe- 
 rience, and without trained leaders, and yet in 
 at least two respects these were years of great- 
 ness. During this period, except perhaps at the 
 Troy convention, the New York association re- 
 fused to take the leadership in the national 
 movement, which it afterwards acquired; it was 
 disturbed by discussions over slavery, and on 
 two occasions was burdened with debt. But it 
 was during these very years that the association 
 promoted the great revival of 1857 and 1858, 
 
 35
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 and the United States Christian Commission 
 which preached the gospel to the soldiers during 
 the war. 
 
 The international organization of the associa- 
 tion of the United States and Canada was known 
 during the first few years under the name of 
 the Confederation. 
 
 This was established chiefly through the 
 efforts of Mr. (afterward Rev. Dr.) William 
 Chauncy Langdon of Washington, who suc- 
 ceeded in calling the first international conven- 
 tion at Buffalo in 1854. Mr. Langdon wished 
 the New York association to take the initiative 
 in calling this convention, and also to co-operate 
 in the publication of a national journal. 
 
 The man who particularly opposed Mr. 
 Langdon was Dr. Howard Crosby, who became 
 the second president of the New York associa- 
 tion, and continued in this relation for three 
 years. He was a scholarly man, of mental force 
 and strong personality, which was distinctly im- 
 pressed upon the New York association in its 
 early development. He was its dominating 
 spirit. Mr. Langdon, in his early story of the 
 Confederation, says : 
 
 " In fact, without being as yet fully conscious 
 of it, perhaps on either side, the associations of 
 Washington and New York were representative 
 types of two distinct principles. In the New 
 York society, its work and purpose were all at 
 hand. All its efforts, attention, and interest 
 were concentrated upon the home work, save 
 only as occasion might from time to time involve 
 correspondence with some other body. The 
 Washington association, on the contrary, whose 
 
 36
 
 The Toung Men s Christian Association 
 
 membership was gathered from every portion of 
 the Union, with thoughts and prayers divided 
 between scenes and friends at home and those 
 abroad, became even more naturally the expo- 
 nent of very different interests. Professor 
 Crosby had clearly and strongly emphasized 
 views of what the New York association might 
 and should be to the young men of that city, and 
 standing thus for intensive duty, he wished that 
 body to turn its attention from that work neither 
 to the right nor to the left. Professor Crosby 
 and I regarded our aims and plans for the asso- 
 ciation as practically antagonistic." 
 
 Two conspicuous considerations influenced 
 the New York association in taking an adverse 
 attitude toward a general organization. One 
 was desire for an avoidance of political discus- 
 sion, which the slavery issue in those days made 
 very imminent; and the other was fear of central 
 control over local organizations. 
 
 The New York association studiously sought 
 to keep the slavery question out of its affairs, 
 and had its own bitter experience in regard 
 to this matter. In 1853 an attempt was made 
 to exclude from the library the great anti-slavery 
 novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and this proposal 
 aroused a warm discussion in the board of man- 
 agement which led to a careful definition of the 
 powers of the library committee. Professor 
 Crosby thoroughly believed that should asso- 
 ciations of all parts of the country be brought 
 together into a national organization a rupture 
 upon this question would ensue. 
 
 The large associations of Boston, New York, 
 Baltimore, and Philadelphia, which contained 
 
 37
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 half of the association membership in the coun- 
 try, agreed with President Crosby in declin- 
 ing to aid the establishment of any national 
 organization. 
 
 In spite of opposition, however, Mr. Langdon 
 persevered; and finally a convention was called 
 at Buffalo in June, 1854, which was attended by 
 thirty-seven delegates from nineteen different 
 societies. The New York association was not 
 represented. This convention voted to establish 
 a confederation when twenty-two associations 
 should give in their allegiance to the move- 
 ment. When ten had been secured, it was evi- 
 dent that nothing further could be accomplished 
 without some change in the situation. Toronto 
 demanded an expression on the slavery question. 
 This brought a crisis. To decide either way 
 would shut out some important associations on 
 one side or the other. 
 
 In October, 1854, Mr. McCarty, correspond- 
 ing secretary of the New York association, wrote 
 to Mr. Langdon that a judicious, friendly course 
 on the part of the committee, seconding the 
 efforts of those in New York who favored the con- 
 federation, " might disarm those who seem over- 
 prudent in the matter." Mr. McCarty was asked 
 for suggestions, and a circular was drawn up 
 in accordance with these, pointing out that the 
 central committee of the confederation " was not 
 a governing function authorized to assume any 
 control, but rather a creature of the confederated 
 associations for certain definite and limited pur- 
 poses." It assumed that the committee had no 
 right to make any expression at all on a political 
 question. 
 
 38
 
 The Young Mens Christian Association 
 
 Two days after the issuance of this circular, 
 November twentieth, 1854, the New York asso- 
 ciation held a meeting, in which it was voted to 
 approve the proceedings of the Buffalo Conven- 
 tion, and to give in a limited adhesion to the 
 central committee as a committee of corre- 
 spondence. " This circular and the subsequent 
 action of the New York association had an early 
 and farspreading influence," said Mr. Langdon, 
 and by January, 1855, 20 of the necessary 22 
 ratifications had been received. 
 
 The chief friend of the confederation cause 
 in the New York association was Mr. Richard 
 C. McCormick, who contributed greatly to 
 stimulating an interest in association work at 
 large by making a tour not only of the associa- 
 tions in America but in England and on the 
 Continent of Europe. 
 
 In deference to the New York association, 
 it was proposed that the second convention 
 should be held there, and the central committee 
 located in that city. But Dr. Crosby replied to 
 a letter seeking to learn if such a step would be 
 acceptable in New York, that the New York 
 association had " unanimously decided in full 
 meeting that we deem any convention inex- 
 pedient, and decline any connection with such. 
 We gave our adhesion to the central committee 
 merely as to a committee of correspondence to 
 cement the associations by that proper means." 
 The reasons for his position were stated: 
 " 1. We believe conventions draw off attention 
 from local work, and our institution is essentially 
 local; 2. We believe they foster a centralizing 
 spirit at war with independent action; 3. We 
 
 39
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 believe they will tend to produce unpleasant 
 scenes and ruptures on such subjects as slavery; 
 4. We believe the expense unauthorized by our 
 main object; 5. We believe fraternal feelings 
 between the associations may be better culti- 
 vated by correspondence and chance visits." 
 
 It was not until after the war that the New 
 York association, under the leadership of Cephas 
 Brainerd, McBurney, and others, took its natural 
 place of leadership in the general work. 
 
 With what reason the New York association 
 feared the disrupting influence of the slavery 
 issue may be judged from the disturbance 
 caused by that issue in the New York organiza- 
 tion itself. This disturbance was sufficiently 
 violent to cause a rent in the membership, and 
 threatened the complete downfall of the society. 
 A number of the association members were 
 active in the Fremont campaign of 1856, and 
 figured in a procession given that summer. This 
 procession was savagely caricatured by the New 
 York Express, a rather violent political organ. 
 The chairman of the library committee excluded 
 the Express from the rooms of the association 
 in August, 1856. This was done simply by stop- 
 ping the subscription which caused no trouble; 
 but the ground of the action became noised 
 about, and the Express began an attack on the 
 association as a political organization. Some 
 members of the association on their individual 
 responsibility unwisely replied to the Express 
 through the columns of the Post, and during 
 December and January of 1856 and 1857 a 
 heated newspaper conflict was waged. Unfor- 
 tunately, an effort was made to expel some 
 
 40
 
 The Young Men 's Christian Association 
 
 members of the library committee, and to return 
 the Express to the association files. The papers 
 of New York took up the issue as a political 
 fight, and the association suffered in the estima- 
 tion of a large element in the community. 
 
 The organization drew into itself a consider- 
 able anti-slavery element, which undertook to pass 
 a set of resolutions denouncing slavery. There 
 were some warm discussions, but a majority pre- 
 vented the adoption of any expression on the 
 issue as out of place in an organization of the 
 nature of the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion. This displeased the Abolitionist element, 
 who succeeded in ordering a full investigation 
 of the Express incident and the action of the 
 board. This investigation caused a number of 
 heated meetings. 
 
 While the association never yielded to the 
 attempts on the part of some over-zealous mem- 
 bers to commit it to an expression on a political 
 issue, nevertheless these agitations lost to the 
 association the sympathy of a considerable 
 portion of the community. The conservative 
 element, which was made up of many of the 
 leading young men in business circles in the city 
 to the number of 150, decided to withdraw in a 
 body. Their resignations were all signed to one 
 paper. But the other party succeeded on the 
 night when the resignations were offered in 
 presenting the names of a larger number of new 
 members. The continued dissatisfaction of such 
 an influential body of men in its effect on the 
 community's attitude towards the association 
 was one of the important factors which led to its 
 decline in the succeeding five years. In fact, 
 
 41
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 there was not a full recovery from this loss until 
 near the close of the war, when a large number 
 of those who had been dissatisfied returned 
 unitedly as they had withdrawn. 
 
 At this point in the narrative, interest at- 
 taches to the fact that eight years later resolu- 
 tions were adopted, April seventeenth, 1865, upon 
 the assassination of President Lincoln : " Re- 
 solved, that we humble ourselves in contrition 
 for the assent by us given in times past to this 
 system of sin, and definitely promise for the 
 future a more perfect conformity to that free- 
 dom wherewith Christ has made us free." The 
 intensifying influences of four years of civil 
 strife altered more than one situation. 
 
 Whatever might be the political agitation of 
 the times, the New York association was nev- 
 ertheless devoting itself assiduously to working 
 out its great mission among the young men of 
 the city. Early in the year 1856, several mem- 
 bers, among them Mr. L. L. Deane, became 
 convinced that " some means should be adopted 
 by which to reach the 150,000 young men resid- 
 ing in the heart of the metropolis. This con- 
 viction was strengthened by the report of Mr. 
 Richard C. McCormick relating to the opera- 
 tion of kindred associations in Great Britain 
 and other parts of Europe. 
 
 In August, after a vain effort to secure the 
 John Street Methodist Church, application was 
 made by Mr. Deane for the use of the consistory 
 of the Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton 
 Street, for the purpose of carrying on union 
 prayer-meetings chiefly for men. The use of 
 the rooms was granted on any evening not re- 
 
 42
 
 The Toung Men's Christian Association 
 
 quired for meetings of the church, and a weekly 
 meeting was commenced. The first noon prayer- 
 meeting was held in September, 1856. The 
 meeting was held daily for a time, and then three 
 times a week, between 12 and 1 o'clock. This 
 continued until the summer of 1857, when it was 
 deemed best, owing to the absence of many from 
 the city, to suspend it for a time. 
 
 These meetings were upon a purely union 
 basis. The invitation was, "Come and go as 
 you like, and stay no longer than suits your 
 convenience." A number of gentlemen from 
 the Young Men's Christian Association co- 
 operated with Mr. Deane, among them Robert 
 R. McBurney and Edward Colgate. This is 
 McBurney's first recorded service in connection 
 with the association. 
 
 " In order to gather young men to these meet- 
 ings, printed cards of invitation were distributed 
 copiously in houses of business. Late in the 
 summer, under the lead of Mr. Colgate, a num- 
 ber of the members of the association were 
 making arrangements for reopening the noon 
 meeting." While the committee was in session 
 in a store in the neighborhood of Fulton Street, 
 Mr. J. C. Lamphier, who, in the mean time, 
 on July first, had been appointed city mission- 
 ary by the consistory of the Dutch Reformed 
 Church, called and said he had already taken 
 some steps toward reopening the meeting. He 
 urged the young men to leave it in his care, and 
 asked them to take hold with him and help sus- 
 tain it rather than have two meetings. The 
 young men approved of this proposition, pro- 
 vided the exercises be sustained on a thoroughly 
 
 43
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 union basis. They went to work with Mr. Lam- 
 phier and co-operated heartily. 
 
 In the mean time the financial depression 
 which was sweeping over the whole country 
 was approaching a crisis. The most serious finan- 
 cial panic which New York or the country at large 
 has ever experienced came in October, 1857. 
 It was so overwhelming that it prostrated the 
 monetary system of the country. This panic 
 turned the attention of thousands of business 
 men to the consideration of other than worldly 
 matters, and was followed by a marvellous re- 
 ligious awakening which stirred the entire nation. 
 Immediately the prayer-meeting at the Dutch Re- 
 formed Church became crowded. Soon three 
 meetings were being held simultaneously in dif- 
 erent parts of the Consistory building. Members 
 of the Young Men's Christian Association were 
 active in these meetings. The crowds became so 
 large " it was clearly seen that the association had 
 only just entered upon its work; and in Febru- 
 ary a committee was appointed to organize and 
 sustain free of expense to the association union 
 prayer- meetings in such sections of the city 
 as the necessities of the case and the signs of the 
 time seemed to demand." Meetings were started 
 by the association in the John Street Methodist 
 Church, in the Ninth Street Dutch Reformed 
 Church, in the Dutch Church at Broome and 
 Green streets, in Burton's old theater, and in 
 the Central Presbyterian Church. " A circular 
 letter was prepared expressly for the clergy, 
 setting forth the object of the association, and 
 giving an account of the union prayer-meetings 
 held in the city." Other agencies beside the 
 
 44
 
 The Young Men's Christian Association 
 
 Young Men's Christian Association rallied to this 
 movement, until in New York City alone one hun- 
 dred and fifty noon prayer-meetings were being 
 carried on simultaneously. The report sent by 
 the American International Committee to the 
 World's Conference, held at Geneva, July, 1858, 
 says: 
 
 "Union prayer-meetings are maintained or 
 have been in all our large places. By the 
 union meetings large churches, or even deserted 
 theaters have been crowded. In them sectarian- 
 ism is lost. It has been perceived that the 
 principle and practice of cordial union among 
 Christians of different persuasions, not for 
 ecclesiastical purposes, but for the cultivation of 
 personal holiness and the conversion of men, is 
 the primary force which has sustained and 
 advanced this awakening. Where did the prin- 
 ciple and practice originate and find embodi- 
 ment? Was it not in the Young Men's Christian 
 Association? These associations have steadily 
 advanced and increased in numbers. All this 
 had been going on for years, and the great 
 principle of religious activity upon a union basis 
 had become a practical fact. Hence, the agency 
 for the great work was at hand. As the revi- 
 val proceeded upon a union basis, our associa- 
 tions were ready at the outset without any 
 adjustment of machinery for the work. The 
 union field was emphatically their field. In 
 many places, as in New York, Baltimore, and 
 Louisville, our associations were the first to hold 
 union meetings, the example of which was soon 
 followed by the churches." 
 
 The report of the New York association for 
 
 45
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 1862 says: "The noon-day union prayer-meet- 
 ing in Fulton Street, now in successful operation, 
 will so long as it continues, or the memory of 
 it remains, be a monument and a proof of the 
 good our association has accomplished. The 
 young men composing the committee which 
 planted the seeds and watched the young life 
 of that now renowned and blessed meeting 
 are still numbered among our most earnest 
 members." 
 
 The distinguishing characteristic of the revi- 
 val was prayer. The movement was begun 
 with prayer and carried on by prayer. 
 
 The second feature was the place given to 
 laymen. It was distinctly a laymen's revival. 
 
 The third was the union basis already re- 
 ferred to. 
 
 This revival is recognized as having had a 
 profound and permanent effect upon the general 
 association movement. It gave an evangelistic 
 character to the work, but at the same time led 
 many of the associations away from their proper 
 field of specific work for young men into a great 
 variety of evangelistic undertakings. The New 
 York association never swerved from its original 
 purpose, and it was later, under the leadership of 
 McBurney and others, that the association 
 movement was brought back into its distinctive 
 sphere. 
 
 The closing contribution of the New York 
 association during the period before McBurney 
 became its secretary was its share in the found- 
 ing of the United States Christian Commission 
 for ministering to the spiritual and physical 
 necessities of the soldiers and seamen during 
 
 46
 
 The Young Mens Christian Association 
 
 the Civil War. The far-reaching revival of 
 1858 had raised the spiritual life of the Ameri- 
 can people, and prepared the church as never 
 before for a missionary endeavor. The United 
 States Christian Commission was the first 
 organized attempt of the Protestant Church on 
 a large scale to carry the gospel to men under 
 arms. 
 
 On the fifteenth of April, 1861, President Lin- 
 coln issued his first call for volunteers. On 
 April eighteenth, Vincent Colyer, representing 
 the New York Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion, visited the Sixth Massachusetts Volunteers, 
 then on their way to Washington. The New 
 York association appointed an army committee 
 on May twenty-seventh. Immediately following 
 the battle of Bull Run, on Sunday, July twenty- 
 first, two representatives of the New York asso- 
 ciation were sent to Washington with supplies. 
 During the summer, "the barracks and encamp- 
 ments within a radius of thirty miles around 
 New York City were visited, and services held 
 with as much regularity as circumstances would 
 allow." Mr. Vincent Colyer was appointed field 
 representative of the New York army commit- 
 tee. The Union army at that time enrolled 
 250,000 soldiers, chiefly young men. Mr. Col- 
 yer wrote, "that the mission which had been 
 undertaken in Christian sympathy as a tempo- 
 rary task would have to be taken up and ex- 
 tended as a permanent duty." 
 
 On August twenty-second, 186 1, he sentaletter 
 to the New York association, suggesting the call- 
 ing of a convention of the Young Men's Christian 
 Associations to inaugurate a systematic work 
 
 47
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 for the entire army. Steps were taken at once. 
 Correspondence was entered into with various 
 army chaplains. A special committee of the 
 New York society, with Mr. Colyer as chairman, 
 was instructed to push the plan. The inter- 
 national committee, of which Mr. George 
 Stuart was chairman, was at this time located in 
 Philadelphia. On October first, Mr. Colyer 
 wrote to the secretary of this committee the 
 letter which led directly to the founding of the 
 commission. He said: 
 
 " Having been occupied for these last ten 
 weeks in the army at Washington as repre- 
 sentative of the New York association, the ne- 
 cessity for a more extended organization has so 
 impressed itself upon me that I cannot avoid 
 writing you for aid. I wish to ask the committee, 
 of which you are the honored secretary, to 
 earnestly consider the propriety of calling a gen- 
 eral convention at some central place at the 
 earliest practicable day, to consider the spiritual 
 wants of the young men of our army, in order 
 that the same may be provided for by the ap- 
 pointing of a Christian Commission, whose duty 
 it shall be to take charge of this entire work." 
 
 This convention was called to meet at the 
 rooms of the New York Young Men's Christian 
 Association, at the Bible House, on November 
 fourteenth. At this convention the United States 
 Christian Commission, of which Mr. George H. 
 Stuart was made chairman, was created. This 
 commission aimed to preach the gospel to every 
 soldier and marine, to relieve the sick and 
 wounded, and to bring cheer from home in every 
 way possible to the men at the front. In carry- 
 
 48
 
 The Young Men s Christian Association 
 
 ing out this mission the commission sent out 
 over 5,000 volunteer delegates, who served an 
 average of twenty-eight days each. The com- 
 mission raised and expended $6,290,000 in cash 
 and supplies. The army committee of the New 
 York association was continued, and for most 
 of the time during the war had 150,000 soldiers 
 and sailors under its immediate ministrations in 
 the neighborhood of the metropolis. 
 
 The close of the first decade of the history 
 of the New York association found it sadly de- 
 pleted. The society had never thoroughly re- 
 covered from the loss of such a large number 
 of its prominent members during the heated po- 
 litical discussions of 1856. The financial panic 
 in the fall of 1857 was disastrous to the associa- 
 tion membership. This was not peculiar to New 
 York, but was seen in the experience of associa- 
 tions elsewhere in the country. The condition 
 was also felt by other voluntary organizations, 
 many library associations formally considering 
 the expediency of disbanding. The association 
 movement experienced a similar depression 
 later, following the financial crises of 1873 an d 
 1893. 
 
 Through several years the finances of the 
 New York association were in a wavering state. 
 Once a deficit was wiped out under the leader- 
 ship of Benjamin F. Manierre, but debt soon 
 again gained mastery, and in i860 reached the 
 sum of $1,000. The report for that year dis- 
 couragingly says: "The association is still alive. 
 We do not intend to rehearse all the difficulties 
 and troubles which have attended its life. Like 
 
 49
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 many benevolent associations at the present 
 time, we are somewhat in debt, our expenses 
 having considerably exceeded our receipts, and 
 owing to the peculiar state of the times, we 
 have not been able to carry out a plan which we 
 hoped would relieve us from all further anxiety 
 in financial matters." 
 
 By the beginning of 1862, the association 
 was, according to the report, burdened " with a 
 debt of nearly $2,400, which had been incurred 
 by previous boards of direction, and suffered to 
 accumulate until its magnitude had become ap- 
 palling, and had seriously paralyzed not only all 
 efforts to reduce the liability, but all active in- 
 terest in the association itself." 
 
 As a final stroke of adverse circumstances, 
 came the war. This resulted in the abandon- 
 ment of nearly all of the Young Men's Christian 
 Associations throughout the country. There 
 were 240 at the beginning of the war, and only 
 sixty at its close. The New York report for 
 1862 states : "Large numbers of our own young 
 men have left with the fast departing regiments 
 for the place of conflict, and for this as one rea- 
 son we have not been able to perform the work 
 more immediately contemplated in our constitu- 
 tion. The active men on our committees be- 
 came the active men in the camp and on the 
 field." It is a tribute to the type of young men 
 who formed the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation of the country in 1861, that so many of 
 them from patriotic motives left their homes 
 and occupations at their country's call. The 
 membership had been gradually dwindling. In 
 the early years of the association the enrollment 
 
 5
 
 The Young Men's Christian Association 
 
 was from 1,000 to 1,500 members; by the be- 
 ginning of 1862 only 151 young men remained. 
 The report for 1862 said: "To many there 
 seemed little hope of relief; indeed, by some of 
 its old friends and founders the question had 
 been seriously considered of liquidating its lia- 
 bilities and dissolving the organization." Even 
 the clergymen of the city, to a large extent, 
 seemed to have lost active interest in the effort. 
 The association of New York City had ac- 
 complished a great work, but it was in need of 
 a leader with genius and devotion, with an in- 
 extinguishable desire of winning young men to 
 Jesus Christ, who could place the organization 
 in a position of power and usefulness. That 
 leader was to be found in Robert R. McBurney. 
 He was about to enter upon a period of direct 
 training for his life of usefulness among young 
 men. He was to learn from the older men with 
 whom he came to associate the art of adminis- 
 tration and of leadership. 
 
 51
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 McBURNEY'S FIRST YEARS AS SECRETARY, 
 i 862-1 865 
 
 REVIVAL OF THE NEW YORK WORK MC BURNEY APPOINT- 
 ED AS SECRETARY THE ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY- 
 SIXTH VOLUNTEERS RETURN OF OLD MEMBERS 
 OPENING OF NEW ROOMS-RESIGNATION AND RETURN 
 
 Events in the New York association were 
 rapidly approaching their worst when the hat 
 establishment in which McBurney was employed 
 failed like many other concerns which gave way 
 under the business conditions attending the be- 
 ginning of the war. This left McBurney without 
 employment. After a period jn which he dropped 
 out of the observation of Mr. Manierre, he ap- 
 peared at the office of the lawyer and told him 
 that he was not doing well. Mr. Manierre's 
 political activity had sent him to the New York 
 senate, and he set about to use his influence for 
 the young man in his time of need. In response 
 to his efforts he received some assurances that 
 McBurney would be appointed to a position in 
 the Custom House. 
 
 While this was pending, the affairs of the 
 association reached a crisis. A clergyman who 
 was one of the organization's most earnest sup- 
 porters came to Mr. Manierre and told him that 
 the "association was doing nothing, that it had 
 run down, was suffering from a heavy debt, 
 that there was no apparent way out, and that 
 
 52
 
 McBurney' s First Tears as Secretary 
 
 it seemed time to put up the white flag." He 
 declared, however, that they could not afford 
 to let the association go down. The two together 
 planned a meeting of some of the leaders to see 
 what could be done. This was early in the 
 year 1862. About the same time, Hon. Cephas 
 Brainerd, active in the association through al- 
 most its whole history, was invited by one of its 
 officers to take luncheon with him. Here the 
 plan was unfolded to close the association by 
 omitting the annual election, which was then 
 approaching. Mr. Brainerd did not commit him- 
 self, but proceeded at once to the rooms of the 
 Importer's and Trader's Insurance Company, 
 of which Mr. Manierre was president and Mr. 
 Frank W. Ballard secretary. After a conference, 
 these gentlemen decided to put up a ticket at the 
 next election. Several conferences were held 
 at which it was agreed: First, that Mr. Manierre 
 should undertake the raising of the debt; second, 
 that a reunion should be called of the members 
 and friends of the association; and third, that 
 a new librarian should be secured. 
 
 An attempt was made at a members' meeting 
 to carry a proposition to disband the association, 
 which was vigorously opposed by Cephas Brain- 
 erd and the Rev. Dr. Gillet, pastor of the Calvary 
 Baptist Church, then located in Twenty-second 
 Street. It is probable that this motion would 
 have prevailed, but a quorum of active mem- 
 bers was not present. 
 
 Under Mr. Manierre's leadership the $2,400 
 needed was raised. A stirring reunion meeting 
 was held on April twenty-eighth, 1862, regarding 
 which an historic sketch published eight years 
 
 53
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 later, says: " From this may date a revival of 
 interest in the work of the Society." 
 
 When the annual meeting occurred, and the 
 force led by Mr. Brainerd and Mr. Manierre 
 placed a ticket before the advocates of disso- 
 lution, with voting strength sufficient to carry 
 their appointment, there was great surprise, and 
 the proceedings took on something of an ani- 
 mated character. The excitement probably did 
 more good than harm in the stimulus it gave 
 to those who had set about rebuilding the or- 
 ganization. The report for the year 1862 says: 
 "The proposal to disband led to an unwonted 
 degree of activity among the remaining mem- 
 bers. Our deepest consciousness repelled the 
 thought, and the purpose filled the minds of a 
 little band, who had ever stood by the associ- 
 ation, to seek at once the removal of embarrass- 
 ments, to plant it more firmly on its original 
 basis, and to send it forth afresh on its errand 
 of love." 
 
 The leaders looked to the churches for the 
 broad and earnest moral support in the com- 
 munity which was deemed necessary. Refer- 
 ence has already been made to a certain degree 
 of apathy which existed among some clergymen. 
 "It was decided to be indispensable to replace 
 the association in cordial sympathy and co-oper- 
 ation with the pastors and churches." To this 
 end all the pastors of the New York evangelical 
 churches were invited to an eight o'clock tea on 
 June thirtieth, 1862, at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. 
 Nearly fifty clergymen and others were present 
 on this occasion, and in more than twenty ad- 
 dresses new interest and sympathy were pledged 
 
 54
 
 McBurney 's First Tears as Secretary 
 
 to the association. The pastors offered their 
 services, their churches, and the contributions of 
 their people. Following this, sermons were 
 preached and collections taken in behalf of 
 the association. The effect was immediate, 
 and a " new spirit once more vitalized the 
 society." 
 
 The little group of men who were interested 
 in the association's resuscitation all agreed that 
 a young man, with pluck and energy, must 
 be secured as librarian (the term then used for 
 the employed officer of the association). Mr. 
 Manierre said to his associates: "We must 
 get a new man to take hold in the rooms, and I 
 have just the man for you. I know he will be 
 successful." He relates that in making the 
 change, " the desire was to get a man who 
 would build up the association. We wanted to 
 lay everything on that man." 
 
 McBurney was then twenty-six years of age. 
 He was personally known to none of the group 
 but Mr. Manierre, who explained that his knowl- 
 edge^ of McBurney's fitness was gained from 
 observation of his powers in Sunday-school 
 work. Mr. Manierre's suggestion was accepted, 
 and the vote for McBurney's appointment was 
 unanimous. Mr. Manierre then sent for Mc- 
 Burney, told him of the situation, the needs of 
 the association, and of his conviction that he 
 was the man to build it up. "At the time," 
 Mr. Manierre writes, " the organization could 
 only give him enough to pay his board." He 
 told McBurney that if at any time an amount 
 was not taken in at the rooms sufficient to make 
 up the $5.00 per week named as compensation, 
 
 55
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 he would personally be responsible for the 
 balance. He was never called on to make good 
 any deficiency. 
 
 McBurney said he would gladly take the place. 
 The minutes of the board of directors' meeting 
 of the New York association, under date of 
 July fourteenth, 1862, state, "The committee on 
 rooms reported that they had engaged Mr. 
 McBurney as librarian, at a salary of $5.00 per 
 week." A pencil memorandum subsequently 
 made on the authority of McBurney, simply 
 says: " Commenced work July eleventh, 1862." 
 
 Whether McBurney had been a member of 
 the association prior to this time is uncertain. 
 It is known that he attended its religious meet- 
 ings, and was active in some features of its 
 religious work. He attended most of the meet- 
 ings of the association during the discussions 
 in 1856 and 1857 which had nearly broken up 
 the organization. 
 
 That he took part in the practical work of 
 the association, appears from this note with the 
 association heading, dated June twenty-fifth, 
 1862, a few weeks before he became librarian: 
 
 Robert McBurney, Esq. 
 
 Dear Sir: Your attendance is requested at the Hos- 
 pital, Lexington Avenue and Fifty-first Street, on Friday, 
 the 27th inst. , at 9 o'clock, p.m., to act as watcher. If 
 unable to attend, please notify me. It is understood that 
 your services are gratuitous. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 (Signed) James S. Stearns, 
 
 Chairman, Committee on Hospitals. 
 
 The minutes for July twenty-eighth, stated: 
 " R. R. McBurney was proposed as a member 
 
 56
 
 McBurney' s First Tears as Secretary 
 
 by J. L. Hastie," and subsequent records show 
 that he was duly elected on August twenty-fifth. 
 
 Mr. Manierre recalls of him at this time: 
 " McBurney was well acquainted, and had a fac- 
 ulty of making friends. I was convinced he 
 would bring in many new members." He re- 
 members also that the young librarian had much 
 to do with turning the tide of affairs. 
 
 A glimpse of the state of things that summer 
 is afforded by a remark in a personal letter 
 written by Frank W. Ballard, July third, 1862: 
 "We are hard at work trying to lift the asso- 
 ciation out of the slough of despond into which 
 several years of unfortunate management had 
 plunged it, and we hope to do it effectually." 
 
 It is significant of McBurney's idea of the 
 association at that time that, at his request, the 
 board passed on July twenty-eighth, its second 
 meeting after his election, a resolution that the 
 librarian be authorized to arrange for a noonday 
 prayer-meeting under the supervision of the 
 committee on rooms. It is also interesting that, 
 as agent of this committee, he was instructed to 
 exclude from the rooms those not entitled to 
 the privileges of the association. 
 
 Part of the work included under McBurney's 
 duties was that of janitor. He began his ac- 
 tivities as an employee by sweeping out the 
 rooms, which were in a very untidy condition. 
 They were then located in the Bible House. He 
 acted in this capacity until October thirteenth, 
 when the committee on rooms was authorized 
 by the board to hire a janitor to clean the place 
 at a cost not to exceed fifty cents a week. 
 
 While McBurney had always had in miud a 
 
 57
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 business career, and still cherished it during the 
 two and one-half years of his first connection 
 with the New York association, and while there 
 is little doubt that he looked upon this connec- 
 tion as simply a temporary service, an event 
 occurred shortly after his entrance upon his du- 
 ties which had a profound influence upon his 
 later life. The year he became librarian of the 
 association, on a holiday, a stranger came into 
 the rooms to spend some leisure hours. Mc- 
 Burney directed his attention to the young man, 
 quickly came into sympathetic conversation with 
 him, learned that he was not a Christian, and 
 before the afternoon was over had led him to 
 accept Jesus Christ as his Saviour. The happi- 
 ness which this event brought to the young 
 worker made him long to devote his life to 
 Christian work. Later in life he testified that 
 this incident ultimately determined his choice of 
 Christian service as a life work. It is clear, 
 however, that he did not at this time decide to 
 devote his life to the Young Men's Christian 
 Association. Only the most daringly prophetic 
 eye could then see in the association the oppor- 
 tunity for a career. It was only in later years 
 that McBurney surrendered the idea that the 
 secretaryship was a place to be filled for a lim- 
 ited number of years by a man while in the 
 freshness of youth, who only at that age ac- 
 cording to his view would be attractive to 
 young men. It is said of McBurney that at first 
 he believed a secretary should give way to a 
 successor on attaining the age of thirty; that as 
 he approached that age himself he advanced it 
 to thirty-five; and then adapted his theory to 
 
 58
 
 McBurney s First Years as Secretary 
 
 forty years, as his own maturity demanded such 
 revision. Finally this theory was abandoned. 
 His reluctance to give up this view was due to 
 his life-long belief in young men. When he 
 was nearly sixty years of age, in writing to one 
 of the board of directors at Worcester, Mass., 
 he said: "I thoroughly believe in young men as 
 secretaries. They generally do their best 
 work, and are on their mettle more than older 
 men." 
 
 A study of his life shows emphatically that he 
 grew into the work, and himself developed with 
 it. Whatever may have been his views as to 
 the future, and although he left the New York 
 association for a few months, in this experimen- 
 tal and formative period he was unconsciously 
 preparing for his career. It has been said that 
 the men of great and stirring powers, who shape 
 the age in which they live, must first themselves 
 be molded by their times. Somewhat similarly 
 it may be said that the men who accomplish 
 their work through influence upon other char- 
 acters and the direction of other men must first 
 themselves be influenced and developed by con- 
 tact with others. Such education McBurney 
 received by coming in contact in his young man- 
 hood with a group of strong and leading char- 
 acters. 
 
 This group of men who influenced him, and 
 whom he came himself in time to influence in 
 their activities in behalf of young men, grew in 
 numbers from year to year. In the first year of 
 his association work, two were conspicuous: 
 they were named by Mr. Frank W. Ballard in 
 a private letter dated January, 1863, in which he 
 
 59
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 said to a friend, "Manierre and Brainerd are 
 the backbone of the association." 
 
 With the revival of the work after the war, 
 a number of the most prominent names in busi- 
 ness and philanthropic circles in New York are 
 found in the management of the association. 
 McBurney learned much from these men. 
 
 In a memorial address soon after McBurney's 
 death Mr. Brainerd said: "When I met Mc- 
 Burney, and for some time thereafter, the pre- 
 dominating quality which he exhibited was that 
 of diffidence. True, he was kindly, genial, and 
 pleasing, but he was extremely modest and re- 
 tiring. He was active in Sunday-school work, 
 but I believe he had never spoken in any meet- 
 ing public in its character. It was probably true 
 that he was willing to take part in the devotional 
 services of his own church, because it was there 
 the custom for all persons to kneel during prayer, 
 and so he could be heard practically from a 
 place of concealment, being hidden by the back 
 of the benches. At that early date he exhibited 
 none of those larger qualities which afterwards 
 distinguished him. He was neither a reader 
 nor a student, and his familiarity with affairs 
 seemed to have come solely from a good knowl- 
 edge of the moderate business in which he had 
 been engaged as a clerk. From the time of my 
 first acquaintance with him, he rapidly advanced, 
 taking no step backwards to the end. No man 
 I have ever known grew more steadily, or in a 
 more shapely way, than Mr. McBurney. In the 
 largest sense of the words he was a thoroughly 
 self-made man. 
 
 "He had a wonderful faculty for the acquisi- 
 60
 
 McBurnef s First Tears as Secretary 
 
 tion of knowledge. All was fish that came to 
 his net. Wherever he was, whatever he was 
 doing, with whomsoever he was, this wonderful 
 acquisitive faculty was in constant operation. 
 What he read, heard, and saw, his strong mem- 
 ory retained, and the quickness of his faculties 
 enabled him to employ as occasion might require, 
 so that he became a wise instructor, a judicious 
 adviser, a thorough executive, an educated man. 
 
 " During his early career in the association, 
 there was on its management and upon its com- 
 mittees a group of extremely able, wise, and 
 public-spirited men. Its affairs, the principles 
 upon which it was founded, the work which it 
 could consistently undertake, were thoroughly 
 and carefully discussed by these men. What a 
 school he attended in those earlier days; the 
 educational power of those long discussions of 
 principles, of methods, of ways and means, the 
 interviews with gentlemen whom it was hoped 
 would be interested, can hardly be over-esti- 
 mated. Few men ever attended so complete an 
 institution for instruction in the qualities and 
 powers which Mr. McBurney afterwards ex- 
 hibited in such effective fullness." 
 
 Mention has been made of the diversion of 
 much or most of the association's activities into 
 channels created by the war. The appointment 
 of the army committee, out of which grew the 
 Christian Commission, was a notable enterprise. 
 During the years from 1862 to 1863, Cephas 
 Brainerd was chairman of the army and navy 
 committee. This committee under his leader- 
 ship undertook, in the fall of 1862, to raise a 
 regiment to be composed of Christian men the 
 
 61
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 famous 176th New York, popularly known as 
 the Ironsides Regiment. Mr. Ballard says of it 
 in one of his letters in January, 1863: " It was 
 well officered, and comprised a body of men 
 second in character to none of our state regi- 
 ments that have preceded it. In a religious 
 sense, it is not fully equal to the high standard 
 originally adopted for it, yet even in these 
 respects I hold that no regiment has left the 
 state so well leavened with pious men and true 
 patriots as did the 176th." 
 
 The carrying through of this project aroused 
 great enthusiasm in which McBurney deeply 
 shared. He desired to join those who went 
 from the association to the field, and enlisted for 
 the purpose. To his marked disappointment, 
 however, he was rejected on physical grounds. 
 
 While the New York association was active 
 in work among the soldiers, McBurney's chief 
 attention was directed to the needs of the young 
 men of the city itself. A statement appears 
 in the report for 1863: "Though we would not 
 relax effort for the soldiers while needed, our 
 minds are thrown back irresistibly upon the 
 claims of the 150,000 young men at our very 
 doors." Through the remainder of the war 
 the home work received steadily increasing 
 attention. 
 
 From the time, in the spring of 1862, that 
 Messrs. Stebbins, Brainerd, Manierre, Ballard, 
 and their associates, seconded by the New York 
 clergy, set out to revive the association, condi- 
 tions and hopes steadily brightened. In January, 
 1863, Mr. Ballard wrote: "The association is in 
 a healthy state and with good prospects." 
 
 62
 
 McBurney' s First Tears as Secretary 
 
 Each succeeding annual report rings with a 
 more encouraging and more gratifying tone. 
 The membership steadily grew, and in this 
 growth McBurney's presence was an important 
 factor. That he was well liked by the young 
 men was remembered by those who knew him 
 at that time. On April eighth, 1863, his salary 
 was raised to $1 2.00 a week. The minutes show 
 that this was at his own request. The associa- 
 tion showed its appreciation of him, for at the 
 annual election in May of 1863 he was chosen 
 recording secretary, and at the same time he 
 was elected to membership on the board of 
 directors. 
 
 In July of 1863, McBurney was put on a 
 committee with Mr. Brainerd for aggressive 
 work in the lower part of the city, and in Feb- 
 ruary of 1864 he was made chairman of the 
 committee to establish a prayer-meeting at the 
 eye and ear hospital. The minutes indicate 
 that, as a member of the board, he took an 
 unhesitating and active part in its proceedings. 
 
 Ever since the re-establishment of the asso- 
 ciation's influence, its leaders had recognized 
 the desirability of re-enlisting the active support 
 of the group of representative young men who 
 had withdrawn on account of the political 
 discussions in 1856 and 1857. Mr. Stebbins, 
 who was again president, had great influence 
 with this body of young men. He, with others, 
 earnestly represented the opportunity for Chris- 
 tian work which the association presented to 
 men of influence. Out of this effort followed 
 meetings at the homes of Messrs. Wm. E. 
 Dodge, Jr., Riley A. Brick, and James Stokes. 
 
 63
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 These were attended by some "eighty prominent 
 Christian young men," in the main made up of 
 those who had withdrawn on account of the 
 dissensions before the war. The first of these 
 meetings was about to break up without result 
 when Mr. Stokes secured arrangements for 
 another. These meetings resulted in the 
 appointment of a committee to confer with the 
 board of directors. A special meeting of the 
 board was held on March twenty-fourth, 1864, to 
 consider a proposition of union submitted by 
 this committee. Mr. Brainerd and Mr. Stebbins 
 were appointed to confer. 
 
 However, one important demand was made 
 by some of the outside group who were dissatis- 
 fied with the constitutional basis of membership. 
 There were some who wished to have "the bars 
 let down." They did not wish the control of 
 the organization to be restricted to members of 
 evangelical churches. A compromise agree- 
 ment was reached on April twenty-first, 1864, 
 when the report of the joint committee on re- 
 union was adopted by the association. The con- 
 stitution was amended in these words : "Any 
 man of good moral character, under forty years 
 of age, may become, and thereafter continue, an 
 active member by the payment in advance of 
 $2.00 annually. Active and life members only 
 shall have the right to vote. All officers and 
 directors of the association shall be active or life 
 members and members in good standing of 
 evangelical churches in the city of New York." 
 By this compromise, the former distinction 
 between active and associate members was 
 changed, and for some years the New York as- 
 
 64
 
 McBurnef s First Tears as Secretary 
 
 sociation only required that its officers and 
 directors be members of evangelical churches. 
 
 Mr. William E. Dodge, Jr., following sugges- 
 tions by Mr. James Stokes, Jr., wrote out the 
 first list of applications for membership, which 
 was presented and accepted at this meeting. 
 The names were as follows : William C. Martin, 
 G. C. Wetmore, A. P. Sturges, A. D. Shepard, 
 James Stokes, Jr., Thomas Stokes, James W. 
 Pinchot, Theodore Roosevelt, William Walter 
 Phelps, T. A. Perkins, J. Pierpont Morgan, C. A. 
 Miller, Jonathan Marshall, J. Crosby Brown, P. 
 Barns, Jr., R. A. Brick, B. F. Butler, Latimer 
 Bailey, William Harman Brown, W. S. Doughty, 
 N. W. Dodge, Walter Gibson, E. P. Griffin, E. 
 E. Houghwort, Alexander G. Knapp, J. C. Lord, 
 and G. DeF. Lord. Others of the same group 
 followed at later meetings. 
 
 At the annual election, in the following 
 month, May, 1864, among the new names on the 
 board of directors were: J. Pierpont Morgan, 
 Jas. Stokes, R. A. Brick, William F. Lee, E. D. 
 Whitney, and William Harman Brown. Mr. 
 Dodge declined election to the board at this 
 time. Mr. Brown and Mr. Morgan were placed 
 on the finance committee, Mr. Stebbins remained 
 as president, and McBurney as recording secre- 
 tary. 
 
 With this reunion began the modern era in 
 the New York association. It brought harmony 
 and new life. It gave an impulse to the devel- 
 opment of the work, which makes the year 1864 
 one of the turning-points in its history. The 
 organization immediately took hold vigorously 
 of projects for improvement. Conspicuous 
 
 65
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 among these was a plan, proposed by J. Pier- 
 pont Morgan, who pointed out that young men 
 could not be attracted to the old rooms on an 
 upper floor of the Bible House. Under his 
 leadership, the association moved, in the fall of 
 1864, to attractive apartments rented on the cor- 
 ner of Fifth Avenue and Twenty-second Street. 
 Mr. Morgan followed this by urging the desirabil- 
 ity of artistic furniture, and under his influence, 
 the directors, to the surprise of some of them, 
 willingly voted for the expenditure involved in 
 obtaining fine carpets, and in having furniture 
 made especially for the rooms. The member- 
 ship grew rapidly and steadily thereafter, and 
 the scope of the work was greatly enlarged. 
 Before this year closed, on December four- 
 teenth, by the consent of Mr. Wm. E. Dodge, 
 Jr., to become a director, the association received 
 a factor in its leadership which was to continue 
 until the present time, and which was to make 
 practicable much of the best progress and 
 achievement of the organization. 
 
 On the twenty-first of December, Mr. Brain- 
 erd as chairman of the rooms and library com- 
 mittee gave notice to the board of directors of 
 the resignation of McBurney as librarian after 
 two and one-half years of service. Statement has 
 once or twice been made to the effect that Mc- 
 Burney withdrew from the secretaryship at this 
 time because some of the board were of the 
 opinion that the association should have a man 
 better fitted to present the work of the society 
 in public meetings. It is true that McBurney 
 was never much given to public speaking. In 
 those early days he seldom spoke on public 
 
 66
 
 McBurney s First Years as Secretary 
 
 occasions. In later life exceptional incitement 
 was required to call forth his best efforts. When 
 once aroused, however, his oratory was forceful 
 and remarkably effective. It was of the kind 
 which turns the course of conventions intense, 
 clear, and telling. 
 
 His ever-present thought of going into busi- 
 ness when a favorable opportunity should pre- 
 sent itself was the real explanation of McBurney's 
 resignation in December, 1864. Already, in June, 
 at the recommendation of Mr. Brainerd, his sal- 
 ary had been advanced to $800, and again, on 
 October twelfth, it had been increased to $1,000. 
 But he was now in his twenty-eighth year, and 
 believing that a secretary should be a young 
 man, when he was approached by a representa- 
 tive of the Lorillard Company, who offered him 
 a position in Philadelphia, he accepted and sent 
 in his resignation. 
 
 During the following months he was far from 
 contented in his business life. Christian work 
 had a stronger hold upon him than he realized, 
 and these months were a period of gloom. Refer- 
 ring to them many years later, in January, 1897, 
 in writing to a young man in business who was 
 thinking of re-entering association work, he said: 
 " Your letter interests me as all letters do from 
 men whom I regard with respect and affection, 
 who are considering the question of their life 
 work. I quite sympathize with j'ou in the dis- 
 satisfaction which you have felt since you left 
 association work, having had a like experience 
 many years ago." 
 
 In a letter a little later to a secretary who had 
 been called to one of the branches in New York 
 
 67
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 City, he wrote: "It is a great deal of a wrench 
 to leave one's field. I know something of it, 
 for I have had personal experience. At one 
 time I deemed it my duty to resign and I did 
 resign, and' I spent nights of weariness and pain 
 at leaving the work into which I had thrown 
 all the enthusiasm of my youth, and the city 
 than which no city is more loved by those who 
 live in it. . . . It was a great struggle with me, 
 but I accomplished it, with God's blessing." 
 
 In the three months that McBurney was gone 
 from the association, with the exception of a few 
 weeks' trial of another man, the organization 
 was without a secretary. In January the board 
 passed a resolution that it was inexpedient at 
 that time to elect a secretary, but the need 
 of a man for this office was strongly felt. On 
 March fourth, on motion of Mr. Dodge, the ex- 
 ecutive committee were asked to make it their 
 special work through the succeeding week to 
 secure a secretary. However, they were not 
 successful; and on March twenty-fifth a reception 
 which had been planned was given up until a new 
 secretary should be appointed. Under the same 
 date the board minutes relate that the motion of 
 the executive committee concerning the re-em- 
 ployment of McBurney as secretary was dis- 
 cussed, and it was resolved that the matter be 
 referred to the executive committee with power. 
 
 Mr. Brainerd had been in frequent corre- 
 spondence with McBurney, and had learned that 
 he was not satisfied in his business position. The 
 service in the association had made him restless 
 in any calling which did not directly contribute 
 to winning men to Christ. It cannot now be 
 
 68
 
 WILLIAM E. DODGE
 
 McBurney' s First Tears as Secretary 
 
 ascertained whether McBurney was called back 
 to the New York work from Philadelphia, or 
 whether he first relinquished his position and re- 
 turned to the city. But on April fifteenth, 1865, 
 the minutes state, "That Mr. Brainerd moved 
 the election of Mr. McBurney to the board," 
 and also, "That on his motion Mr. McBurney 
 was elected to the office of recording secretary 
 and librarian." On April seventeenth, McBur- 
 ney was present at the meeting of the board, 
 and again acted as recording secretary. While 
 the board voted to re-engage McBurney, it is 
 interesting to recall that the executive commit- 
 tee of five, to whom the matter had been re- 
 ferred, were not united in recommending him, 
 three favoring his recall and two opposing it. 
 
 One sketch of McBurney's life states that he 
 refused to accept an increase of salary which 
 was offered him as an inducement to return. In 
 a large sense, one of McBurney's eminent qual- 
 ities was business ability. Mr. William E. Dodge, 
 Sr., is quoted as saying that McBurney "would 
 have made a business man of the first rank." 
 There is no doubt that he had the foresight and 
 executive qualities for business success. He 
 was, however, careless of accumulating money. 
 One of his closest friends has said, " He did not 
 know how to count the pennies, at least for him- 
 self. We had to fight to increase his salary." 
 His interest lay emphatically in the direction of 
 religious work, and he returned to the New York 
 secretaryship with singleness of purpose, with 
 new zeal, and an unfaltering determination to 
 devote his life to Christian work. These two 
 and one-half years of service for the New York 
 
 69
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 association during the war period were impor- 
 tant ones for McBurney. They determined his 
 career as a Christian worker. They awakened 
 in him a desire for service which could not be 
 quenched, and while he was not yet fully 
 equipped for the great work of leadership in the 
 associations, he had passed the first stage of his 
 preparation. 
 
 We traced at the beginning of this narrative 
 McBurney' s early life and his development as an 
 active Christian worker and a young man in a 
 modest business position in New York City. We 
 then turned aside to study the growth and char- 
 acteristics of the organization to whose develop- 
 ment he was to give his life. In the chapter 
 which now closes we have seen McBurney in his 
 first contact with this organization. We are now 
 to observe how he grew side by side with the 
 work to which he gave his powers. He gave 
 much but it may be said that he received more. 
 He lost his life but he found it many-fold. 
 
 70
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 McBURNEY AS SECRETARY DURING THE 
 BUILDING PERIOD FROM 1865 TO 1870 
 
 Return to association work marks off a 
 period in McBurney's life distinct from all 
 preceding it. With this began the real develop- 
 ment of the association secretaryship as now 
 conceived. It so happened that simultaneously 
 began a definite development in the New York 
 association history which may be characterized 
 as the building movement. Its date properly 
 begins with the election to the presidency of 
 William E. Dodge, Jr., in May, 1865. Gradually 
 in the development of this work, the contact 
 between the secretary and the president nurtured 
 an intimacy and a friendship which grew with 
 the passing years. Mr. Dodge became at once 
 the most prominent member of the board of 
 directors, and it was largely through his influ- 
 ence that the association took a commanding 
 place before the Christian public. 
 
 McBurney was henceforth called correspond- 
 ing secretary, a title which the New York 
 association retained until 1883, long after 
 the term of general secretary had been ap- 
 plied to this officer by the American associa- 
 tions. McBurney's sphere of action renders 
 specific tracing of his share in events difficult. 
 Others took the public parts; his work was 
 through them, from behind the scenes, by in- 
 
 71
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 direct influence, organizing, suggesting, and 
 directing. 
 
 As the work developed, McBurney arranged 
 a careful system for the financial affairs of the 
 association. All funds were passed through the 
 hands of one treasurer, who paid bills only on 
 the order of the chairman of the finance com- 
 mittee. 
 
 It was early in this period that McBurney 
 grasped the idea of an all-round work for young 
 men, including the physical as well as the social, 
 intellectual, and spiritual. McBurney related 
 later to one of the New York physical directors 
 (Dr. J. H. McCurdy), that William Wood, who 
 had previously conducted a gymnasium, came 
 to him at about this time and proposed that 
 physical work be taken up under association 
 auspices, and offered his services and gymnasium 
 for this purpose. McBurney then conceived the 
 idea of adding a gymnasium to the association's 
 facilities. 
 
 The New York association stood before the 
 country as the leader in work specifically for 
 young men. McBurney became one of the 
 insistent advocates of this singleness of aim. In 
 his first annual report, President Dodge wrote: 
 "Avoiding all side issues or distracting questions, 
 the single aim of all exertion has been how best 
 to reach with kindly sympathy the great number 
 of young men in our city, and to elevate them, 
 morally, socially, and physically, to a true 
 Christian manhood. The work has become 
 more practical and direct as experience has 
 shown what to do and what to avoid." 
 
 It was at Philadelphia, during June, 1865, 
 72
 
 Secretary During Building Period 
 
 that McBurney attended his first International 
 convention. This opened his eyes to the impor- 
 tance of the association movement throughout 
 the country, and marks his introduction into the 
 larger phases of association activity. 
 
 But the great work of this period was secur- 
 ing a home for the association. Twice before 
 attempts had been made in this direction. Dur- 
 ing Professor Crosby's presidency it had been 
 proposed to raise $50,000 for this purpose, and 
 a later attempt was considered during the war. 
 It was seen by the leaders that the association 
 could not do the great work before it among 
 young men without adequate facilities. While 
 it remained a purely religious endeavor, it 
 might be possible to conduct meetings and. 
 Bible classes with a limited equipment, but now 
 that the association was to become an agency 
 for the culture of Christian manhood, for the 
 development of young men in body, mind, and 
 spirit, it was necessary that a suitable building 
 should be provided. 
 
 On November twenty-fifth, 1865, Mr. McBur- 
 ney moved, in the board, "that a committee of 
 five, of which the president shall be one, be ap- 
 pointed to consider and report at the next meet- 
 ing of the board a plan for a building suitable 
 to the wants of the association, an estimate of 
 its cost, and a scheme for raising the necessary 
 funds." Associated with Mr. Dodge on this 
 committee were Cephas Brainerd, S. D. Hatch, 
 William F. Lee, and William Harman Brown. 
 In a later stage of the development, McBurney 
 became the secretary of the building committee, 
 with Mr. Dodge as chairman, and J. Pierpont 
 
 73
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 Morgan, Cephas Brainerd, and Abner W. Col- 
 gate as the other members. 
 
 Speaking of McBurney later, Mr. Dodge 
 said : " He put this association on a strong basis. 
 He arranged its organization, which has been a 
 guide for the organization of associations every- 
 where. He, however, soon found the necessity 
 for a building. The association must have a 
 home, bright and cheerful, full of all sorts of 
 things which would reach young men away from 
 their homes, and help them to keep strong and 
 clear of temptation. This building speaks to 
 some of us very touchingly of McBurney. 
 There is not a room or a corner of it but he de- 
 signed. It was absolutely a new thing in those 
 days. Every part of it was thought out so 
 kindly and thoroughly that, although finer build- 
 ings and grander ones have been built in other 
 places, not one of them was put up without hav- 
 ing for its principal arrangement those plans 
 which he devised and which have stood the test 
 of time." It might with almost equal justice be 
 said that Mr. Dodge was himself the builder of 
 this building. It was really an evolution the 
 work of the secretary, the committee, the board, 
 and the architects, but in it all was the ever-pres- 
 ent and guiding influence of McBurney. 
 
 In speaking of Mr. Dodge's relation to this 
 building many years later, McBurney wrote 
 to a gentleman in Philadelphia: "It is to the 
 present William E. Dodge that the Young Men's 
 Christian Association (New York) is chiefly in- 
 debted for the building which cost $487,000, of 
 which Mr. Dodge contributed over $75,000." 
 
 To create the sentiment which would make 
 
 74
 
 Secretary During Building Period 
 
 possible the securing of the fund for this build- 
 ing, it was found necessary to make a careful 
 study of the lives and habits of the young men of 
 New York City, and the conditions under which 
 they lived. This proved a far-reaching en- 
 deavor. It not only awakened the board of 
 directors to the appalling need of work for 
 young men, and so put new zeal into the build- 
 ing movement, but the revelations regarding 
 the temptations which surrounded young men 
 led to the enactment of laws against obscene 
 literature, and the formation of the New York 
 Society for the Suppression of Vice. 
 
 As a result of this study, a document, which 
 was a contribution of permanent value to socio- 
 logical investigation, was prepared by Cephas 
 Brainerd and McBurney. Speaking of this in 
 the annual report, Mr. Dodge said: "During the 
 past year many careful investigations have been 
 made as to the number and condition of young 
 men in this city, their employment, their homes, 
 the few means at present for helping and ele- 
 vating them, and the immense and terrible array 
 of temptations which surround them on every 
 side. The facts arrived at have been so start- 
 ling as to awaken the greatest interest and sur- 
 prise. With the greatly increased cost of living 
 during the last few years, the position of young 
 men, crowded in boarding-houses, has become 
 more and more discouraging. Coming mostly 
 from country or foreign homes, friendless and 
 alone in a great city, away from restraint, they 
 have easily and naturally given way to the 
 temptation of finding a substitute for home in 
 the bright, cheery rooms where vice is most at- 
 
 75
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 tractive. These are almost the only inviting 
 places where they find a free and cordial wel- 
 come." 
 
 The document referred to was published in 
 February, 1866, under the title of "A Memo- 
 randum Respecting New York as a Field for 
 Moral and Christian Effort Among Young Men, 
 Its Present Neglect, and the Fitness of the New 
 York Young Men's Christian Association as a 
 Principal Agency for Its Due Cultivation." An 
 edition of 1,000 copies was privately circulated. 
 The plan adopted in the pamphlet was the pre- 
 sentation of bare facts, which were left the more 
 bare by their arrangement in the form of a syl- 
 labus. Some points presented in the first sec- 
 tion were: "A male population between the ages 
 of fifteen and forty of 181,592; prominence of 
 strangers; the diversion of attention by employ- 
 ers from the social and moral interests of young 
 men; the general inadequacy of salaries to the 
 cost of living; the increased exclusiveness of 
 society; herding of the virtuous and vicious in 
 boarding-houses to which they were driven by 
 limited incomes." The pamphlet next discussed 
 the injurious influences operating among young 
 men in the city; billiard saloons having 653 ta- 
 bles; thirteen theaters, with an income for four 
 of them of $665,500 per year; "gambling hells 
 and places on almost every street where lottery 
 tickets and policies might be obtained; 7,786 
 licensed porter houses and bar-rooms, with a 
 daily consumption of 600 barrels of spirits; ob- 
 scene books and papers to be obtained at very 
 many newspaper-stands; 223 concert saloons 
 employing 1,191 waiter girls, prostitutes with 
 
 76
 
 Secretary During Building Period 
 
 few exceptions, attracting 29,900 daily visitors, 
 principally young men; at present, 730 houses 
 of prostitution and assignation, sheltering 3,400 
 females." The document makes an estimate that 
 the sum of $4,000,000 is annually expended 
 upon vice. A summary was then made of the 
 inadequate facilities for the moral and religious 
 culture of young men. As to churches, the 
 pamphlet said: "The proportion of young men 
 who attend services is much less than that of 
 any other class of the population. A most in- 
 considerable number are within the reach of 
 these religious influences. Other causes than 
 mere insufficiency of room operate to restrict 
 the attendance: the exclusiveness, more or less 
 necessary, largely prevailing among the regular 
 attendants of many of the churches; the lack of 
 social feeling and sympathy with young men 
 which has largely increased during the past 
 few years; the cost of sittings in the more at- 
 tractive churches; the unwillingness of young 
 men to accept charity in the form of mere mis- 
 sion churches; the unattractive character of 
 many others in which the price of sittings is 
 more moderate." The document then urged 
 that the Young Men's Christian Association was 
 the only organization in the city which contem- 
 plated the especial field of young men; and after 
 giving a summary of its activities and aims, con- 
 cludes with an appeal for a building: "But it 
 cannot be supposed that an agency of such pos- 
 sibilities and promise can, when confined to two 
 small rooms, though tasteful and pleasant, in any 
 considerable degree perform the work for the 
 young men of New York which the statements 
 
 77
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 we have made show to be now most imperatively 
 
 needed There are many more young 
 
 men within the immediate influence of the asso- 
 ciation than its present resources can in any way 
 fitly provide for. The call which the whole body 
 of young men in this city now makes requires a 
 central building so arranged that rental of por- 
 tions of it will pay the working expenses of the 
 main organization, so that the annual gifts of 
 the benevolent may be devoted to the support 
 of branch associations in various parts of the 
 city." 
 
 In addition to the religious work to be done 
 by the association, this pamphlet clearly states 
 the all-round aim of the association for the body 
 and mind as well as the spirit: "Such a building 
 should plan for the use of the association a 
 commodious lecture-room, a pleasant and well- 
 lighted reading-room, room for a large and well 
 selected circulating library, room for a complete 
 reference library, pleasant conversation rooms, 
 an unexceptionable gymnasium, and other popu- 
 lar means of recreation, and suitable accommo- 
 dations for religious and literary exercises, and 
 for the committees and officers of the associa- 
 tion. 
 
 " The prominence which such a structure 
 would give the association and its work, the 
 assurance of permanence, the character and 
 influence which it would then possess in the 
 eyes of strangers, would add immeasurably to 
 the power of the association for good, and 
 silently bring young men within the sphere of 
 its influence." 
 
 The consideration of this document in the 
 
 78
 
 Secretary During Building Period 
 
 boards of directors led to a considerable discus- 
 sion of section 5, which was as follows: 
 
 "Obscene Books and Papers. The traffic in 
 this is most extensive. As illustrating the 
 audacity with which this temptation is flaunted 
 in the faces of young men, it may be stated that 
 in one place, on a principal thoroughfare, there 
 are openly exposed for sale two vile weekly 
 newspapers which can be purchased at ten cents 
 a copy, and more than fifty kinds of licentious 
 books, each one illustrated by one or two cuts, 
 at prices ranging from thirty-five to fifty cents, 
 while on each copy there is a catalogue of more 
 than 100 of the same character. If the 
 purchaser manifests a deep interest in the books 
 exposed for sale, the proprietor will show him 
 a catalogue of a large number much more 
 vulgar and atrocious, illustrated with the most 
 obscene cuts, from which selections can be made: 
 The debasing influences of these publications on 
 young men cannot be estimated. They are 
 feeders for brothels." 
 
 As a result of discussion, on February twenty- 
 fourth, 1866, it is recorded in the minutes of the 
 board of directors: " Moved by Mr. McBurney 
 that a committee of three be appointed to ex- 
 amine and report as to the matter of obscene 
 literature." Messrs. Chas. E. Whitehead, Cephas 
 Brainerd, and James H. Fay were appointed on 
 this committee. 
 
 In developing the building movement, it 
 seemed desirable to secure some changes in the 
 act of incorporation, and to arrange for a board 
 of trustees. Accordingly, on March seventh, it 
 is recorded in the minutes of the board, as in- 
 
 79
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 troduced by McBurney, "That a committee of 
 three be appointed to prepare a plan for the or- 
 ganization of a board of trustees of the proposed 
 building for the association, to draft a charter 
 for the same, and also to draft a charter for the 
 special incorporation of the association." Three 
 days later it was moved by McBurney "that 
 Messrs. Whitehead and Brainerd proceed to 
 Albany to secure the passage of the act of incor- 
 poration for the association, and also the pas- 
 sage of a saloon bill, and a bill on the suppression 
 of obscene literature." At this meeting a com- 
 mittee, of which McBurney was one, was ap- 
 pointed to interest the clergy in the building 
 movement. The act of incorporation of the 
 Young Men's Christian Association of the City 
 of New York was passed on April third, 1866. 
 
 In making some changes in the constitution 
 in connection with the reincorporation, at Mr. 
 Dodge's suggestion the word physical was in- 
 serted in the statement of purpose, making the 
 section read : "The object of this association 
 shall be the improvement of the spiritual, men- 
 tal, social, and physical condition of young men." 
 This was the first constitution to formulate what 
 has since been called the fourfold work of the 
 association. 
 
 The bill for the suppression of obscene liter- 
 ature was prepared and presented to the legis- 
 lature, but disappeared from the table on the 
 last day of the session when it was about to be 
 acted upon. It finally became a law through 
 association effort at a subsequent session. 
 
 The struggle for the securing of funds for 
 the new building began in earnest in the 
 
 80
 
 Secretary During Building Period 
 
 spring of 1866. The amount required seemed 
 a prodigious figure in those days, and the de- 
 termination to secure it involved faith and the 
 exercise of strenuous, manly qualities. McBur- 
 ney himself says of it: "The erection of a 
 building involving such a large outlay was a 
 heroic undertaking. The position taken by Mr. 
 Dodge and his associates, owing to the public 
 confidence in their sound judgment and business 
 experience, at once arrested the attention of the 
 commercial and Christian public and impressed 
 upon them the importance of the mission of the 
 Young Men's Christian Association. The large 
 contributions which these gentlemen made tow- 
 ard the building gave additional proof of their 
 confidence." On March twenty-eighth, 1866, a 
 special meeting of the board was held, whose ob- 
 ject, as stated by President Dodge, was "to con- 
 sider the propriety of the raising of a fund of 
 $250,000 for the purchase of lots and the erec- 
 tion of a building." The minutes of the meet- 
 ing stated that it was " moved by McBurney 
 that we immediately take steps to raise $250,- 
 000, subscriptions, to be binding when $200,000 
 is pledged." 
 
 In the canvass for the funds, the association 
 had the liberal aid of the New York press. The 
 annual report presented in the spring of 1866 
 the names of eighteen influential papers which 
 had published leading articles regarding the as- 
 sociation's need of a building. 
 
 In less than a month after the meeting 
 named, President Dodge reported four subscrip- 
 tions of $10,000 each, and before the end of 
 April, the amount had reached $46,000. In No-
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 vember, committees were appointed to obtain 
 prices and estimates on lots, and to bring in fur- 
 ther subscriptions. Early in December, the 
 subscriptions had amounted to $185,990, and the 
 time seemed to have arrived for the appoint- 
 ment of the building trustees called for by the 
 act of incorporation. This board was appointed 
 on December tenth, 1866, and consisted of Wil- 
 liam E. Dodge, Jr., Frederick Marquand, Jona- 
 than Sturges, Stewart Brown, Robert L. Ken- 
 nedy, Charles C. Colgate, James K. Place, R. L. 
 Stuart, and James Stokes. 
 
 The search for suitable property on which to 
 build was a long one, and a number of different 
 proposals were made. On February twenty- 
 seventh, 1867, the board decided to purchase, for 
 $142,000, the lots at the corner of Twenty-third 
 Street and Fourth Avenue. 
 
 During the years 1867 and 1868, strenuous 
 effort was devoted to completing the building 
 fund, and to working out in detail the plans of 
 the new structure, and superintending its erec- 
 tion. Ground was broken January thirteenth, 
 
 1868, and the cornerstone was laid on October 
 thirty-first of the same year. The formal laying 
 of the stone was done by President William E. 
 Dodge, Jr.,* who said : " I lay this corner-stone in 
 the name of the board of trustees and the board 
 of directors of the association, for the improve- 
 ment of the mental, social, physical, and spiritual 
 condition of young men." 
 
 The building was completed in November, 
 
 1869. It had cost for the lot $142,000, for the 
 
 Seventeenth Annual Report New York Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion, page 59. 
 
 82
 
 Secretary During Building Period 
 
 structure $345,000, a total of $487,000. Of this 
 sum, $202,000 was still to be provided. It was 
 decided to put a mortgage upon the property, 
 amounting to $150,000, and to seek to raise the 
 remaining $52,000 at once. 
 
 The opening of the building attracted great 
 attention, not only in New York City, but 
 throughout the association world. A private 
 view was given to contributors and friends of 
 the association on the evening of November 
 twenty-ninth, at which addresses were made by 
 William E. Dodge, Jr., Morris K. Jesup, and 
 others. On this occasion $30,000 were pledged 
 toward the debt. On November thirtieth, a 
 concert was given to secure funds to pay for a 
 grand piano and the pipe organ. The tickets 
 were sold under subscription, and ample funds 
 for this purpose secured. The most brilliant 
 feature was the formal dedication which occurred 
 on December second, 1869, in the hall of the 
 association. This hall was filled to overflowing, 
 and hundreds who could not gain admission 
 thronged the other parts of the building which 
 were thrown open for inspection. On the plat- 
 form were seated many distinguished guests, 
 among them several who made addresses during 
 the evening: Hon. Schuyler Colfax; Hon. J. T. 
 Hoffman, governor of New York; Major-Gen- 
 eral O. O. Howard of the United States Army; 
 George H. Stuart of Philadelphia; and William 
 E. Dodge, who presided. Congratulatory tele- 
 grams were received from the associations at 
 Brooklyn, Baltimore, and Montreal, and from 
 the state convention then assembled at Colum- 
 bus, Ohio. Letters were read from Secretary 
 
 83
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 Fish, ex-Governor Seymour, and ex-Governor 
 Buckingham of Connecticut. 
 
 In this project, New York began the modern 
 association building movement. There were 
 already twelve structures owned by associations 
 in other fields, but only three of these had been 
 erected for association purposes. At Ryde, 
 England, in 1864, an association building was 
 erected, in which the chief idea was a library, 
 and around this thought the whole building cen- 
 tered. At Chicago, in 1866, the first building 
 in the United States built especially for a Young 
 Men's Christian Association was erected; but 
 this, too, was specialized in its purpose, and 
 consisted chiefly of an immense evangelistic 
 hall. Its leading idea was a place for religious 
 gatherings and platform effort. In fact, the 
 Chicago and New York buildings stood for the 
 two ideals of association effort, which at this 
 time and for ten years later struggled for a 
 mastery of the American association policy. 
 The one stood for a general evangelistic endeav- 
 or for all classes which made revival meetings 
 prominent, the other for the specializing of the 
 work of the association upon young men, and 
 the providing of agencies and methods particu- 
 larly adapted to that class. McBurney stood 
 out with pugnacious energy as the champion of 
 this specialized, organized work for young men 
 in contrast with the general evangelistic work 
 for all classes, which found expression in the 
 evangelistic hall of the Chicago association. 
 
 The third specially erected association build- 
 ing was in the Far West, in the city of San 
 Francisco. This more nearly approached the 
 
 84
 
 Secretary During Building Period 
 
 all-round idea of association work than any- 
 preceding it. It was dedicated November six- 
 teenth, 1869, two weeks before the dedication of 
 the New York structure. The striking feature 
 about this building was that it contained a 
 gymnasium as well as provision for the social, 
 intellectual, and spiritual needs of young men. 
 The adoption of the idea of including a gymna- 
 sium in the association building occurred in San 
 Francisco long after it had been proposed by 
 the New York board, and it was only because 
 the San Francisco building was a smaller enter- 
 prise, which took less time to complete than the 
 half-million dollar New York structure, that it 
 was opened earlier. An examination of the 
 plans of the San Francisco building shows that 
 it lacked the idea of unity which was the 
 distinctive feature of the New York edifice. 
 
 This feature, which made the plans of the 
 New York association building the model for 
 the association architecture of the future, was 
 the reception-room or lobby into which every one 
 entering the building must come, and from 
 which various exits led in seven directions to 
 the different departments of the edifice. In 
 this reception-room was the public office of the 
 secretary. Every visitor was obliged to pass 
 within sight of his desk in going in or out of the 
 building. Near the desk was a door leading into 
 the secretary's private office. From this central 
 room one stepped by one doorway into the 
 large, well lighted reading-room; by another, into 
 the pleasant recreation-room, where checkers 
 and chess and other games were provided; by 
 another, into the tastefully furnished parlors; by 
 
 85
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 another, into the lecture-room. Near the door 
 was the coat-room; at one side a stairway led 
 down to the gymnasium, bath-rooms, and bowl- 
 ing-alleys; another stairway led up to the library 
 and the numerous educational class-rooms. 
 Across the hall, opposite the reception-room, 
 was a large auditorium, which would accommo- 
 date some 1,200 people. This was the only 
 room in the building which could be reached 
 without passing by the secretary's desk, and it 
 was so arranged in order that it might be rented 
 for public gatherings, and yet not interfere with 
 the routine work of the association. Thus, the 
 secretary at his desk was enabled to control all 
 the activities which went on in this large build- 
 ing. This central room was McBurney's chief 
 contribution to the association building move- 
 ment. It made possible the grouping of the 
 various agencies of the association physical, 
 social, intellectual, and spiritual under one roof 
 and under one control. The secretaryship, it has 
 been said, was created by McBurney. The New 
 York building was certainly, in its design, signifi- 
 cant of the secretary's central place in the asso- 
 ciation. The building movement and the 
 secretaryship have developed together. 
 
 Writing of this building in a letter in 1894, 
 McBurney said: " The Twenty-third Street 
 building marked the most important epoch in 
 the history of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation in this country. Prior to that time, 
 associations were in small rooms in obscure 
 parts of cities, and had neither the confidence 
 of the business community on the one hand, nor 
 the support of the clergy on the other. . . . 
 
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 Secretary During Building Period 
 
 The Twenty-third Street building, opened in 
 1869, was the first building representing the 
 modern idea the American idea of Young 
 Men's Christian Association work. In England, 
 where the association was founded, the methods 
 were spiritual, and to an exceedingly limited 
 extent, educational; but Mr. William E. Dodge 
 recognized that if the Young Men's Christian 
 Association was to accomplish for the young 
 men of America what they needed, the whole 
 man must be included physical, mental, and 
 social, as well as spiritual. As a result, the 
 Young Men's Christian Associations of America, 
 following the example of the New York associa- 
 tion, recognize, as no other band of associations 
 in the world recognize, the fourfold character 
 of the association work." 
 
 The New York association had come dis- 
 tinctly to recognize its position of leadership in 
 the association movement at large, even before 
 it entered the building on Twenty-third Street. 
 The Albany Convention, of 1866, had located 
 the international committee for three years in 
 New York City. In the report for 1868, Mr. 
 Dodge had remarked: "There are now more 
 than 500 associations like our own in America. 
 With its business relations to the country, New 
 York is looked up to as the leader in this good 
 work in a great measure, and everything done 
 here is duplicated in many other places." In 
 the new building an office was appropriated for 
 the secretary of the international committee, 
 which became the headquarters for that work. 
 President Dodge said: "We hope to render our 
 rooms a home for the association workers of
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 all parts of the country." The period which 
 closed with December, 1869, brought the build- 
 ing, and completed the establishment of the 
 New York work. 
 
 For some years McBurney had leaned tow- 
 ards the ministry as a field of labor for his 
 maturer years. While the association building 
 was under way, he remarked to a friend that he 
 had some thought, although then nearly thirty- 
 three years of age, of studying for pulpit work. 
 He said: "Very soon I will be too old for the 
 secretaryship, and too old to help young men, 
 and they will want to get rid of me." Through 
 some of his Methodist friends, he was offered 
 the secretaryship of one of the church boards 
 having headquarters in New York. But after 
 considering these various lines of activity, he 
 was led by the solicitation of his friends in the 
 association to remain as secretary in the build- 
 ing which he had done so much to establish. 
 
 During these years in which the building 
 project was being carried forward, McBurney 
 lived at the home of Cephas Brainerd at No. 
 190 East Nineteenth Street. Through life his 
 relations with the senior member of the board 
 of directors were intimate and mutually influ- 
 ential. Mr. Brainerd's companionship was im- 
 portant in arousing McBurney's intellectual life. 
 Speaking of this period in McBurney's career, 
 Mr. Brainerd said : " He grew steadily and 
 rapidly to be a large and general reader. He 
 was not systematic in this ; indeed, he would be 
 called a miscellaneous reader novels, travels, 
 polemics, poetry, and especially hymns. Nor 
 did he neglect either the religious or secular 
 
 88
 
 Secretary During Building Period 
 
 papers. Not only did he read consecutively, 
 but he also read by scraps. He could save a 
 few minutes wherever he might tarry by read- 
 ing the book which was just at hand, and in all 
 he was attentive to what he was doing." 
 
 This period of five years, from 1865 to 1870, 
 during which the New York building was 
 secured, was full of significance for McBurney. 
 If the earlier period made him a Christian 
 worker, it was this period which made him a 
 general secretary. In the hard struggles of the 
 building campaign, McBurney grew in power 
 and leadership. He emerged from this cam- 
 paign mature, tried, masterful, and triumphant. 
 He had felt the burden of responsibility, and at 
 the same time he had also secured the confi- 
 dence which comes with success. He was now 
 near the end of his thirty-third year ; he had a 
 grasp, as hardly any other man had, of the prob- 
 lems and needs of the Young Men's Christian 
 Association ; he was in a position to give his 
 whole time and energy to the solution of those 
 problems ; he was in the largest city of the New 
 World, in the best equipped building, with the 
 most active and best organized Young Men's 
 Christian Association in existence ; he had 
 found his life work, and he devoted himself to 
 it henceforth with all his powers. 
 
 89
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 McBURNEY AS SECRETARY IN THE TWEN- 
 TY-THIRD STREET BUILDING, 1870-1887 
 
 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOURFOLD WORK THE 
 CAMPAIGN AGAINST VICE THE MOODY MEETINGS 
 THE ORGANIZATION OF BRANCHES 
 
 For seventeen years Robert McBurney was 
 the general secretary of the association located 
 in the building on the corner of Twenty-third 
 Street and Fourth Avenue. During this period 
 two great features characterized the New York 
 work: 
 
 The first was the internal development of a 
 systematic, large-minded, forceful, and special- 
 ized work for the culture of Christian young 
 manhood, along the comprehensive lines already 
 conceived for the entire man body, mind, and 
 spirit. 
 
 The second was the organization of branches 
 in different parts of the city, and for different 
 classes of young men. 
 
 There were also two important general en- 
 terprises during this period in which McBurney 
 took a conspicuous part: one, the attack upon 
 the sale of obscene literature, and the other 
 the great evangelistic campaign in New York 
 conducted by Dwight L. Moody. 
 
 The form of government during this period 
 was similar to that followed in London, which 
 may be spoken of as a parental type. The chief 
 
 90
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 authority was the association in the Twenty- 
 third Street building, under the direction of 
 one board of directors. The directors of the 
 central association not only conducted its affairs, 
 but exercised a supervision over the other 
 branches. 
 
 Perhaps the greatest contribution of this pe- 
 riod was the perfecting of the all-round work 
 for young men. The New York association was 
 only one with others seeking to solve this prob- 
 lem, but in this it bore a leading part. 
 
 To appreciate the situation at the beginning 
 of 1870, it must be remembered that the build- 
 ing then in hand, and the complicated work 
 which it expressed, was a novelty, something 
 distinctly new before the world, and new to the 
 activities of the church. Upon McBurney, as 
 the personal exponent of the secretaryship, de- 
 volved the task of giving to the public mind, 
 always slow in comprehending innovation, a full 
 consciousness of the new idea. McBurney did 
 this not through pamphlets or public speeches 
 but through executive demonstration. He ex- 
 pressed himself institutionally. How much of 
 an innovation he was himself is suggested by 
 Mr. W. W. Hoppin, when in his memorial ad- 
 dress, after McBurney's death, he said: "I re- 
 member my first visit to the rooms years ago in 
 the absence of McBurney. There did not seem 
 to be anything to them. The secretary did not 
 know what it was to be a secretary. His was a 
 service of perfunctory duty of keeping rooms 
 open and pamphlets on hand. But McBurney 
 found out what young men needed." He showed 
 a vivid appreciation of what was demanded in a 
 
 9 1
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 work to draw young men. He competed suc- 
 cessfully for their interest with the strong com- 
 mercial and aggressive agencies for evil. He 
 contended always for all the attractiveness for 
 the building which any commercial institution 
 might employ. He asked for entrance lights on 
 the streets, for pleasant furnishings, for cheeri- 
 ness throughout; he even went on his own per- 
 sonal responsibility when necessary beyond the 
 cautious ideas of older men. The international 
 convention had some years previous declared 
 against all forms of amusement in the associa- 
 tion. McBurney, deeming it important to have 
 certain games placed in the rooms, and doubtful 
 of the action of the board, had the games pro- 
 vided, and passed upon in auditing as furniture. 
 The spirit of the fourfold work, as developed 
 under his direction, was attractiveness and use- 
 fulness. He wished to gain the individual for 
 the association, and then help him in some use- 
 ful way. He was always opposed to introducing 
 billiards and games of chance as being harmful 
 in their associations, and likely to bring young 
 men into temptation; but he was the most 
 hearty advocate of a social, fraternal atmosphere 
 in the association, and believed that this should 
 permeate the whole life of the institution. 
 
 The influence of the New York association 
 as a resort is illustrated by an incident recalled 
 by Miss Jordan, who was McBurney's private 
 secretary during the latter years of his life. 
 She relates: 
 
 "Until the year 1863 the association rooms 
 were always closed on holidays, but on Christ- 
 mas of that year Mr. McBurney was feeling 
 
 92
 
 McBUKNEV IN 1870
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 very sad and lonely and homesick. Only a 
 short time before he had heard of the death of 
 his father in Ireland, and on this home day the 
 sense of his great loss came to him very keenly. 
 Most of us are selfish even in our grief, but his 
 thought was that perhaps in that great city there 
 was some other fellow who was sad and lonely, 
 and perhaps he might drift into the association 
 rooms, and maybe they could help each other, 
 so he opened the rooms as usual. Sure enough 
 there did appear a young English sailor boy, 
 whom Mr. McBurney showed around the rooms 
 and welcomed in the cordial way that so many 
 thousands will remember. When dinner-time 
 came they dined together, and the young fellow 
 was so melted that he just opened his heart, 
 told Mr. McBurney what a wild, wayward son he 
 had been, and showed a letter from his father 
 in which the old man declared he could stand 
 no more, he had been so disgraced. We can 
 imagine the talk that followed, and the boy 
 before he left had made up his mind to lead a 
 different life. Every day, as long as his ship 
 remained in port, he came into the association 
 rooms, but finally the ship sailed, and Mr. Mc- 
 Burney never saw him again. 
 
 "Ten years later, at the time of the meeting 
 of the evangelical alliance, among the many 
 delegates from foreign lands were two English 
 clergymen, whom Mr. McBurney started to show 
 around the building. On learning their names, 
 one seemed strangely familiar to him, and he 
 remembered that it was the same as the young 
 English sailor, from whom he had received no 
 word for ten years. He mentioned the fact, and 
 
 93
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 the gentleman bearing the same name seemed 
 very much interested and asked a number of 
 questions, finally confessing that the young man 
 was his son, and that he had since then been 
 lost overboard at sea, but, he added, from that 
 day, that Christmas day, he had never caused 
 his family one anxious thought, so completely 
 had his life changed. 
 
 "And this was the reason the New York 
 association adopted the policy of having its 
 rooms open every day of the year. 
 
 Miss Jordan also relates : 
 
 "There came in one day at the old office at 
 forty East Twenty-third Street a good-looking 
 young man, whom, for a wonder, Mr. McBurney 
 could not recall, but it was not surprising when 
 the young man told his story, something like 
 this. He said that a number of years before he 
 came to America from England, and though 
 brought up in a Christian home, he, like many 
 others, commenced to drift until he had become 
 perfectly indifferent to any claims that his 
 Heavenly Father had upon him. One night, 
 walking listlessly down Twenty-third Street, he 
 noticed the sign of the association at Twenty- 
 third Street and Fourth Avenue it was before 
 that department was made a branch, and while 
 Mr. McBurney was still secretary there and 
 more to escape the inclemency of the weather 
 than anything else walked up the stairs and into 
 the reception-room. He was surprised at the 
 warmth of the welcome given him by one of the 
 assistants who met him at the door and then 
 passed Kim on to Mr. McBurney. With his 
 usual quickness of vision Mr. McBurney soon 
 
 94
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 found what the young man needed more than 
 anything else, and it was not many minutes 
 before the three the young man, Mr. McBur- 
 ney, and the assistant were on their knees 
 together in the secretary's room off the recep- 
 tion-room, and the young man went forth with 
 new purpose in life. As the young man himself 
 said, as nearly as I can remember his language, 
 * Mr. McBurney, I went out of that room 
 resolved to lead a Christian life, and as time 
 went on I felt that I was called to preach the 
 gospel in mission lands, so I took a course in a 
 training school for missionaries, and after finish- 
 ing that, felt that my usefulness would be greatly 
 enhanced if I could minister to the bodies of my 
 hearers as well as to their souls, so I have been 
 through a medical college, am now under 
 appointment from the Methodist board, and 
 next week sail as a medical missionary to 
 Corea.' The young man did go to Corea, and 
 as regularly as to his church board did he send 
 monthly accounts of his work to Mr. McBurney, 
 the last report having come only a few days 
 before Mr. McBurney passed away." 
 
 It was his ambition that the association 
 should have a hearty, attractive atmosphere, 
 which he believed would have a strong influence 
 over young men. 
 
 The gymnasium was first thought of as a 
 means of attraction for drawing young men into 
 the building, though its importance was soon 
 recognized as a means of promoting the health 
 and physical development of young men, and 
 leading to purity of life. The introduction of 
 the gymnasium into the New York association 
 
 95
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 led to the development of this as a department 
 of association work throughout the country. 
 Gradually McBurney and other leaders came to 
 recognize that city life did not furnish the 
 opportunities for bodily exercise and physical 
 development for which young men formerly 
 found opportunity in the open air and upon the 
 farm. Instead of developing the physique, the 
 city with its indoor life and excitement tended 
 to develop mental and nervous activity. The 
 gymnasium, by developing the body, performed 
 an important ministration to young men. 
 Physical directors also found themselves in 
 position to deal with young men in- the examin- 
 ing room in an effective way regarding impurity 
 of life. A bowling alley and abundant bathing 
 facilities also became a feature of this depart- 
 ment. 
 
 Mr. William Wood became teacher of the 
 classes in gymnastics, which for a time were 
 scheduled with the classes in German, French, 
 bookkeeping, and writing. Mr. Wood served in 
 this capacity throughout this period. He con- 
 tributed largely towards the development of the 
 association's physical work for young men. 
 
 The annual report for 1870, which appeared 
 a few weeks after the opening of the gymna- 
 sium, December second, 1869, speaks of the gym- 
 nasium and bowling alley as follows : "These 
 have proved far greater attractions to young 
 men than it was supposed they would, although 
 hopes were somewhat sanguine upon this point. 
 The classes are largely attended, indeed, larger 
 ones could hardly be accommodated. Very 
 many members of the association are also to be 
 
 96
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 found in the gymnasium for purposes of exer- 
 cise who are not connected with the classes. It 
 has been thought necessary, in order to secure 
 a rigid observance of established rules, to form 
 a sub-committee whose duty shall be not only to 
 see that all rules are enforced, but to do all in 
 their power to promote the usefulness of these 
 agencies." 
 
 Previous to the erection of the New York 
 building, the associations throughout the coun- 
 try had provided opportunities for the intel- 
 lectual development of young men. This work 
 was now to assume systematic and definite shape 
 through the evening educational classes. Early 
 in 1868, a class in French had been opened, free 
 to members of the association. With the open- 
 ing of the new building, increased opportunities 
 were offered for various classes. During the 
 early months of 1870, instruction was given in 
 German, French, bookkeeping, and writing. For 
 the development of this work, a trust fund of 
 $5,000 was given by Mr. James Stokes, Jr. 
 
 The growth of this department, however, 
 was slow, for in January, 1874, McBurney says 
 of the classes : " It is safe to say that no insti- 
 tution presents a better corps of teachers, more 
 thoroughly in sympathy with the purposes it is 
 designed to accomplish, and yet the young men 
 of the association do not avail themselves of the 
 advantages presented as it was hoped they 
 would. None of the classes is fully attended." 
 But with the year 1875 a marked improvement 
 began. In the report covering that year Mc- 
 Burney says : "Classes are now conducted in 
 German, French, Spanish, bookkeeping, writing, 
 
 97
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 and vocal music. The attendance at the classes 
 has been much larger than in any former year. 
 From October first to December twentieth, 635 
 students were enrolled. The largest attend- 
 ance was 430, and the average 292." 
 
 At the close of this period, in 1887, this work 
 had become greatly developed. McBurney 
 states : "At four points forty-one evening edu- 
 cational classes in fifteen different branches of 
 study are being held. Each class meets from 
 one to three times each week during seven 
 months of the year. The number of students 
 enrolled in these forty-one classes is 1,679 dif- 
 ferent young men. This evening college of the 
 association is educating these young men for 
 greater usefulness in their business life. Few, 
 if any, American universities or colleges con- 
 tain so many students." 
 
 Ever since entering the association in 1862, 
 McBurney had had a deep interest in the devel- 
 opment of the library. It was his especial pride. 
 He was called to the organization as its libra- 
 rian. This department during most of the asso* 
 ciation's history was under the supervision of 
 Mr. Cephas Brainerd. It also owes its develop- 
 ment largely to the efforts of Mr. Robert Hoe. 
 When the new building was entered, a great 
 impetus was given to this feature of the associa- 
 tion. The report shows that at this time there 
 were 276 current newspapers and magazines on 
 file in the reading-room, and 3,500 volumes in 
 the library. A notable addition was made to 
 the library in 1873 by a gift of $3,100 by Wil- 
 liam Niblo, which was expended in creating the 
 Niblo Collection. Frequent additions were 
 
 98
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 made to this by Mr. Niblo during his lifetime, 
 and at his death, in 1879, he made the associa- 
 tion library his residuary legatee. The amount 
 bequeathed to the association was $147,409. 
 The development of the library and the even- 
 ing classes during this period placed the New 
 York association in a high rank among the edu- 
 cational endeavors of the city. McBurney was 
 at first interested in the library chiefly because 
 it was an attraction to young men, and he be- 
 lieved that good books would be useful in help- 
 ing young men to better ways of thinking and 
 living. The growth of this library, however, 
 under the supervision of a committee of edu- 
 cated men, greatly stimulated McBurney's in- 
 terest in books and reading. Through Mr. 
 Reuben B. Poole, the librarian, and the exam- 
 ination of the books as they were purchased, 
 McBurney became widely acquainted with the 
 various branches of human knowledge, and was 
 led to read and study, and later to purchase 
 books for himself. 
 
 The religious work undertaken at the Twen- 
 ty-third Street building, and at the various 
 branches during this period, was of a threefold 
 character, religious meetings for men, classes 
 in Bible study, and various forms of personal 
 work. McBurney believed that the religious 
 meetings of the association should be chiefly of 
 an evangelistic character, and he rejoiced greatly 
 in the constant stream of young men who 
 came to these meetings at the association build- 
 ing. There came to be conducted, on Sunday 
 afternoon, a most tactfully arranged series 
 of services, at which the gospel was pre- 
 
 99
 
 , Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 sented in a welcome and manly way to young 
 men. 
 
 Writing, in 1885, to a prominent clergyman 
 in St. Louis who had criticised the New York 
 association as being chiefly a social club, Mc- 
 Burney said : " We press our religious work in 
 this association with all the vigor in our power, 
 and it is exceedingly difficult for an unconverted 
 man to leave one of our meetings without a 
 direct effort being made in his behalf. At all 
 our meetings a personal invitation is given to 
 all who desire to find Christ as a personal 
 Saviour, to signify it by raising the hand. But 
 we do not rest there. As men pass out of our 
 meetings, if we do not know them, we ask them 
 if they are believers, and if not, we endeavor to 
 detain them and point them to Christ. I am 
 not acquainted with a religious organization, 
 mission, or church in this city or in any other 
 place where such vigorous spiritual effort is put 
 forth to win men to Jesus Christ. We have the 
 following services : Sunday morning 9:30 Bible 
 class for beginners in the Christian life, which I 
 always lead the average attendance is forty- 
 five ; at 4 o'clock a medical students' prayer- 
 meeting, at which some hopeful conversions 
 have occurred, and from which eight men have 
 gone out as medical foreign missionaries aver- 
 age attendance forty-four ; at 5 o'clock dur- 
 ing six months of the year we have a Bible class 
 in our large hall with an average attendance of 
 400 ; during the summer months a Bible class 
 for young men exclusively is held at the same 
 hour in the parlors, with an average attendance 
 of ninety-four ; at 6:30 p. m. we hold a prayer-
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 meeting for young men in the parlors, with an 
 average attendance of ninety-three ; we have 
 devotional meetings for young men on Thursday 
 and Saturday evenings at 8 o'clock, with an ave- 
 rage attendance of fifty-seven and fifty-six respec- 
 tively ; on Tuesday evening our training class 
 in Bible study meets, with an average attend- 
 ance of twenty the number of attendants is 
 limited ; the object is to train young men who 
 attend it in the use of the Word of God with 
 inquirers. A youths' meeting is held every Fri- 
 day, with an average attendance of twenty-one. 
 We also hold a prayer-meeting in our parlors 
 every afternoon at four o'clock, excepting Sun- 
 day and Saturday, and evening prayers in the 
 parlors every night at a quarter to ten, which 
 we call family worship. Every morning of the 
 week, except Sunday, the employees of the as- 
 sociation meet in my office for prayer in rela- 
 tion to our work." 
 
 After speaking of the special efforts of the 
 association during the week of prayer and the 
 work of the branches, McBurney said: "This 
 work is not mine, but the Lord's, and the in- 
 crease has been from him. I believe no more 
 in the Young Men's Christian Association being 
 made a moral club than you do in your church 
 being made such a club. I have given up my 
 life to work for the Lord in connection with this 
 agency as you have given up yours to the work 
 of the ministry, not for the building up of a social 
 club, but for the advancement of the Kingdom 
 of Christ among young men." 
 
 The Sunday afternoon Bible class was later 
 turned into a gospel meeting for men, and a
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 luncheon for workers and strangers was served 
 at 6:30 o'clock in the evening, at which earnest 
 testimonies for Christ were often given by vis- 
 itors or invited guests. 
 
 A warm spiritual life was generated in the 
 New York association under such leadership. 
 McBurney was especially tactful as a personal 
 worker, and was a master in leading others into 
 this service. 
 
 Henry Webster was one of the notable fig- 
 ures of these years of McBurney's history. 
 Seeking for an assistant secretary, who was a 
 college graduate, and socially inclined, McBur- 
 ney learned from a friend that Webster would 
 be a desirable man. He was persuaded to ac- 
 cept this position in 1877. Two years of hard 
 desk work at the Twenty-third Street rooms 
 broke down his health, and he resigned to go 
 into business. He was employed by a New 
 York company with such freedom of time that 
 he was enabled to devote his mornings and 
 evenings to winning men. For eleven years, 
 until his death, in 1891, he devoted his life un- 
 remittingly to this end, chiefly at the Twenty- 
 third Street building. His whole aim and study 
 was to bring himself into helpful contact with 
 the largest number of young men and lead them 
 into the Christian life. He frequently conduct- 
 ed the after-meetings on Sunday afternoons, 
 and there are many hundreds of young men 
 who came to decisions in these meetings who 
 were led into the Christian life by Henry Web- 
 ster. He was a type of a considerable group of 
 young men who were inspired by McBurney to 
 Christian service. 
 
 102
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 McBurney was constantly finding opportuni- 
 ties to have personal conversations with young 
 men regarding their spiritual welfare, and he fre- 
 quently followed these conversations up with per- 
 sonal letters. Here is a letter he wrote to a young 
 man whom he was seeking to influence : "J urv 
 second, 1885. Dear Friend : I am free to say 
 that I feel an interest in your welfare, and believe 
 that you have within you the making of a good 
 man, if you are careful. You ought to address 
 yourself to the learning of some business, and 
 work like a tiger at it stick to it. You are at 
 just the age where, humanly speaking, you have 
 the making or breaking of yourself in your own 
 hands. They talk of men being the architects 
 of their own fortunes. What is far more im- 
 portant, we are the architects to a very great 
 extent of our own character, and after all char- 
 acter is everything ; fortune without it is value- 
 less, for if a man's gains are ill-gotten, the en- 
 joyment that comes from them is full of gall and 
 bitterness. If you are going to make a success 
 of life really, you cannot do it without God's 
 help. Everything in your life is going to de- 
 pend upon the relations which you sustain to 
 our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. If you trust him, 
 make him your friend by giving him the confi- 
 dence of your heart, studying his character and 
 imitating his example, you will be a blessing to 
 yourself and to everybody with whom you come 
 in contact. But if you attempt to build up char- 
 acter without his help, your efforts will prove a 
 failure. Begin in a manly way by recognizing 
 your relation to God, the author of your being, 
 and to his Son, who is God manifest in the flesh, 
 
 103
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 and all will be well for this life and for the life 
 which shall have no end. I am your friend and 
 well wisher." 
 
 McBurney always showed a strong sense of 
 the importance of the personal element in or- 
 ganization. He appealed for an aggressive 
 individuality, and exhorted men to assume re- 
 sponsibility. Shortly after entering the new 
 building, in a little leaflet called "A Model As- 
 sociation," he said: "Would that we could 
 truthfully call our own loved association such in 
 every respect. In its building, with all its 
 appliances for the prosecution of its work, in 
 organization and the like, we believe it is un- 
 equaled. In its influence upon sister associa- 
 tions, many say it stands unrivaled, but in an 
 all-absorbing devotion on the part of every sin- 
 gle member, we know it is sadly lacking. Think 
 of the results if every one of our active members 
 should become, through God's blessing, a model 
 member. You should study to speak to men 
 with all the winsomeness of manner of which 
 you may be possessed. Men are as responsible 
 for how they say things as for what they say. 
 Let us remember that our manner often, yes 
 generally, produces a deeper impression than 
 the words we utter, especially in casual inter- 
 course with others." 
 
 Upon the covers of McBurney's reports is a 
 notice which shows his eagerness to help young 
 men: "Young men in trouble and desiring 
 friendly advice on any question are cordially 
 invited to call on the secretary at his office 
 in the association building, or address him by 
 letter." Even as the cares of administration 
 
 104
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 increased, he was always alert to help men per- 
 sonally. 
 
 But while McBurney was interested in evan- 
 gelistic work, he came to believe even more 
 deeply in the teaching of the Word of God as 
 the chief means for developing spiritual life, 
 and even for leading unconverted men to accept 
 the truth. 
 
 In 1871, during a visit to London, McBurney 
 became acquainted with W. E. Shipton, the 
 secretary of the parent association, and wit- 
 nessed his method of conducting a conversa- 
 tional evangelistic Bible class. Later, in 1874, 
 when Mr. W. Hind Smith, of England, visited 
 America, largely as a result of the impetus given 
 by him to Bible study, McBurney began teach- 
 ing the Bible in earnest. For many years he 
 conducted one of the large Bible classes at the 
 Twenty-third Street association. 
 
 He was particularly successful in using the 
 Bible class as a means of bringing to uncon- 
 verted young men a sense of sin and their need 
 of Christ. Mr. Brainerd speaks of him thus : 
 ' Those who attended his Bible classes know 
 how well he was prepared to meet them. He 
 did not confine his study to what I may call 
 the stock or common expositions of the Scrip- 
 ture. He compared Scripture with Scripture, 
 the orthodox view with the view of the extrem- 
 ist on the one side or the other. A part of his 
 study was the geography of the country, the 
 times in which the Scriptures were written, and 
 the people and things which pertain to these 
 times, as disclosed by modern research. Few 
 men even in the clerical profession were so com-
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 pletely in possession of adequate knowledge for 
 personal profit, or for the instruction of others, 
 as was Mr. McBurney. He accepted the Scrip- 
 tures as the Word of God, but with no blind or 
 unchallenging faith, for all assaults upon that 
 Word he tested and weighed, but the result was 
 still an unshaken faith, unwavering confidence, 
 and unyielding trust. In all, through all, and 
 over all, was his personal faith and personal 
 love for God, for his Son, and belief in the 
 power, the pervasive and constant presence of 
 the Holy Spirit. He believed in prayer, and in 
 answer to prayer, and he knew whereof he 
 believed. He was constant from the beginning 
 to the end to the purpose and aim of his life 
 the advancement of the cause of Christ among 
 young men." 
 
 We turn now to consider two enterprises in 
 which McBurney was deeply interested during 
 this period : the organization of the society for 
 the suppression of vice, and the evangelistic 
 campaign by Dwight L. Moody. 
 
 Reference has been made to the surprise and 
 indignation with which the board of directors of 
 the association discovered, as early as 1866, the 
 extent to which the obnoxious traffic in obscene 
 literature was being carried on in New York 
 city. Through the efforts of the association in 
 1868, a law had been enacted at Albany against 
 this traffic. This law, however, did not cover 
 all of the nefarious business as then organized 
 and systematically carried on. A few convic- 
 tions were secured, and several dealers were 
 driven from the business, but in 187 1 the traffic 
 was carried on more openly than ever before. 
 
 106
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 The association resolved to prosecute in all legal 
 forms a class of offenders so closely affecting 
 young men. 
 
 About this time, without any knowledge of 
 what the association was undertaking, Mr. An- 
 thony Comstock, who was then a commission 
 salesman in a large dry-goods establishment, 
 had his attention called to this evil by the 
 effects he saw it had produced upon persons 
 with whom he was acquainted. In 1868 he 
 prosecuted, on his own responsibility, a man in 
 Warren Street, who was convicted in the courts. 
 " Early in 1872," Mr. Comstock says (statement 
 by Anthony Comstock made October twenty- 
 ninth, 1900), " the appalling fact was revealed to 
 me that there was an organized business, sys- 
 tematically carried on, where 169 books were 
 openly advertised in circulars, and in connection 
 with them there was also advertised pictures 
 and articles for immoral purposes of the worst 
 description. I discovered the names of the pub- 
 lishers of the majority of these books. The facts 
 overwhelmed me. After making several arrests, 
 I wrote a letter of appeal to Mr. McBurney, at the 
 Young Men's Christian Association, stating some 
 of the facts which I had discovered, and asking 
 for assistance. I was then a green country boy. 
 I wrote my letter in pencil, and I wrote, I sup- 
 pose, so hastily that Brother McBurney had 
 hard work to make out the letter. As he was a 
 busy man, he returned the letter to me to be 
 rewritten. Then he said he would bring it be- 
 fore his committee. In the mean time, however, 
 Mr. Morris K. Jesup, who had become the presi- 
 dent of the association, and whom I had never 
 
 107
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 seen up to that time, happened to see this letter 
 on Mr. McBurney's desk. He came to the store 
 where I worked and I had a personal interview 
 with him. As a result of that interview, Mr. 
 Jesup invited me to meet Mr. McBurney and 
 himself at his home on Madison Avenue. At 
 that meeting I disclosed the facts that I had dis- 
 covered. I said that I thought if I had a little 
 money I could get at the stock of the publish- 
 ers. As I had been put to some considerable 
 expense both of time and money, Mr. Jesup 
 directed Mr. McBurney to send me a check for 
 $650, which I received the following day. One 
 hundred and fifty dollars was to reimburse me 
 for the time and outlay already made, and $500 
 to be employed to unearth the publishers, and 
 to secure if possible their stock. By the ex- 
 penditure of the $450, I secured nearly $50,000 
 worth of books, stereotyped plates and engrav- 
 ings. The other $50 I returned to Mr. McBur- 
 ney. 
 
 This resulted, on the part of the association, 
 in the appointment of a committee for the sup- 
 pression of vice. The members of this com- 
 mittee were Jacob F. Wyckoff, William F. 
 Lee, Cephas Brainerd, Charles E. Whitehead, 
 Thatcher M. Adams, William H. S. Wood, 
 Morris K. Jesup, and Robert R. McBurney. 
 This committee determined to engage in a still- 
 hunt campaign against this iniquitous business, 
 and secured Anthony Comstock to carry it on 
 without it being publicly known at the time un- 
 der whose auspices he was operating. In the 
 prosecution of this work, the committee raised 
 and expended $8,498.14. 
 
 108
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 This work was conducted until January, 1874, 
 when " the amount of time and labor necessary 
 for its prosecution, and its manifest importance, 
 led the board of directors to draft a bill for the 
 incorporation of a society to be especially 
 charged with the suppression of this traffic. 
 This society became organized under the name 
 of the New York Society for the Suppression 
 of Vice, and Anthony Comstock became its sec- 
 retary." 
 
 Not only was McBurney actively sympathetic 
 with the movement just described, but he was 
 deeply interested in efforts for social purity, and 
 it was out of his championship of this work as 
 a department of association activity, that he en- 
 countered one of the keenest disappointments 
 of his life. 
 
 Before the close of the period now under re- 
 view, the New York association organized a 
 White Cross Society among its members, with 
 Henry Webster as chairman. Speaking of this, 
 McBurney, in 1885, said: "A corps of the White 
 Cross Army for the promotion of personal purity 
 among young men was formed February nine- 
 teenth under the management of a commitee of 
 the association. It numbers 567. Many excel- 
 lent results have been secured. We wish that 
 every young man in this city might feel, as many 
 have already felt, the restraining and uplifting 
 influence of this work, and be so impressed with 
 its importance as to seek, as these have done, 
 through a surrender of their hearts and lives to 
 Christ, that help without which they cannot at- 
 tain unto purity of heart and life. Only those 
 who are brought into very close contact with 
 
 109
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 young men can begin to appreciate the urgent 
 need of special effort in this direction by a spe- 
 cial agency such as our association has wisely 
 created." Two years later he said: 'This 
 special work of the White Cross, designed to 
 promote personal purity among young men, 
 which our association was the first to undertake 
 in this country, has made rapid progress in kin- 
 dred associations. Our own branch numbers 
 1,888 members." 
 
 It should be added here that many Young 
 Men's Christian Associations later withdrew 
 from this form of work, because they felt averse 
 to trusting in what was called a pledge. It was 
 generally held that the work of the association 
 was to accomplish the fundamental service of 
 leading young men to Jesus Christ, and present- 
 ing purity of life as part of the life of loyal 
 service to Him. 
 
 In the meantime, Dwight L. Moody, who had 
 been secretary of the Chicago Young Men's 
 Christian Association, and who had built the 
 first association building in that city, had en- 
 tered upon his great life work as an evangelist. 
 He had gone to the British Isles and conducted 
 his famous meetings in the year 1875. 
 
 Mr. William E. Dodge, Jr., was again presi- 
 dent of the New York association. While in 
 London he attended the Moody meetings, and 
 became so deeply impressed with the practical 
 results growing out of them, that under date of 
 May thirty-first he wrote to Morris K. Jesup, 
 who was associated with him on the board of 
 directors of the association, suggesting the call- 
 ing of a meeting of the New York clergymen of
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 the various denominations to consider the ques- 
 tion of inviting Moody and Sankey to hold a 
 series of evangelistic meetings in New York. 
 Writing of this later, McBurney says: "On June 
 twenty-first, in answer to this call, two hundred 
 men, mostly clergymen, met and unanimously 
 invited the evangelists. The invitation was 
 accepted, and the evangelists labored in our city 
 from February seventh to April nineteenth, 
 1876. The large hall of the Hippodrome, seat- 
 ing six thousand people, was usually filled fif- 
 teen minutes after the doors were opened, and 
 generally an overflow meeting was held in the 
 smaller hall, seating four thousand persons. The 
 vast audiences and the appeals from the plat- 
 form, which figured most prominently in the 
 press reports, were simply the introduction to 
 the work. One hour and a quarter was usually 
 occupied in preaching each day, while five and 
 one-half hours were employed by Mr. Moody and 
 Mr. Sankey, and the Christian men and women 
 assisting them in direct personal labor with in- 
 dividuals in the inquiry room. At these services 
 hundreds of men rarely seen in places of worship 
 crowded the galleries." 
 
 McBurney and the workers of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association took a most active 
 part in this revival. A large proportion of the 
 working force of the association labored assidu- 
 ously in the inquiry rooms, in the choir, and as 
 ushers. Not only in its origin, but in the con- 
 duct of the campaign, the association was a most 
 important factor. It threw its forces without 
 reserve into the movement. 
 
 With regard to this revival, McBurney said: 
 in
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 "Hope was inspired in those who had lost cour- 
 age; drunkards were reclaimed; thieves and 
 gamblers were reformed; men living in degrad- 
 ing sins forsook evil ways, and women fallen 
 and outcast were returned to their families and 
 friends. A stronger faith in God and in his 
 power and willingness to rescue the most hope- 
 less was awakened. A manifest revival of re- 
 ligious thought and purpose visited the commu- 
 nity, and an impulse was given to every good 
 work. 
 
 "Towards the close of the services a conven- 
 tion was held which was attended by over two 
 thousand clergymen. Many of these upon re- 
 turning home engaged in work with redoubled 
 earnestness, and the influence of the awakening 
 widely extended beyond the city." 
 
 The revival not only brought a great blessing 
 to the membership of the association, but re- 
 sulted in the accomplishing of an end for which 
 McBurney had hoped for some years. The 
 bonded indebtedness of $150,000 left on the 
 Twenty-third Street building was a serious draw- 
 back to the work. McBurney had frequently 
 called attention to it, and urged that it be re- 
 moved. During the close of the Moody meet- 
 ings a desire was expressed for the erection of 
 a large hall below Fourteenth Street, where 
 union evangelistic services could be held every 
 evening. A meeting of gentlemen, who had 
 been identified with the Hippodrome services, 
 was called to consider this subject, among them 
 President Dodge of the association, several 
 members of the board, and Mr. Moody, all of 
 whom favored the proposition. McBurney re-
 
 In the Twenty -third Street Building 
 
 ports of this gathering: "Some of the older 
 gentlemen not connected with our work took 
 decided ground in urging, first, the payment of 
 the mortgage debt on the association building, 
 and then the enlargement of the work of the 
 Bowery branch by the erection of a suitable 
 edifice, containing a hall of moderate size in 
 which gospel meetings could be held. This plan 
 was adopted, and Mr. Moody and the members 
 of the board of directors solicited contributions. 
 We are grateful to report that subscriptions 
 amounting to $200,000 were secured, $150,000 
 to be devoted to the payment of the mortgage 
 debt, and $50,000 for the Bowery branch." This 
 $50,000 was expended on the work of the Young 
 Men's Christian Institute, located on the Bowery, 
 and carried on for young working-men. This 
 great revival freed the association from debt and 
 inspired the members with new zeal for service. 
 
 One of the marked features of the New York 
 association's development during this entire 
 period was the growth of branches in various 
 directions, and by means of these the adaptation 
 of the association to different classes of young 
 men. Two kinds of branches were established: 
 the one for the general class of young men en- 
 gaged in business and other callings, in which 
 the work was similar to that at the Twenty- 
 third Street building; the second for railroad 
 men, who formed a considerable element in the 
 population of New York. 
 
 Before entering the Twenty-third Street 
 building, on April second, 1866, there was started 
 the Western Branch, which was succeeded by 
 the Bowery Branch, in May, 1872. 
 
 113
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 In February, 1868, a branch was established 
 in Harlem; in 1872 a branch was opened on 
 the East side on East Eighty-sixth Street; in 
 188 1 a German branch was organized, and three 
 years later a building secured; in 1885 the 
 Young Men's Institute was opened on the 
 Bowery for the class of young working-men 
 who could not be attracted by the general 
 rescue work of the old Bowery Branch. Ad- 
 mission to the building was confined to mem- 
 bers and their guests. This same year, the 
 branch at East Eighty-sixth Street secured a 
 property. In 1885, at the death of William H. 
 Vanderbilt, the association received a legacy of 
 $100,000, which was to be devoted as the board 
 should see fit for the extension of association 
 work in New York City. This was applied later 
 towards the purchase of a lot for the West Side 
 Branch. 
 
 The most striking branch development dur- 
 ing this period was the establishment of work 
 among railroad men. This was attended with 
 considerable difficulty, and at first grew slowly. 
 The influence came from Cleveland, Ohio, where 
 the first railroad association had been estab- 
 lished in 1872. In the fall of 1875, through the 
 agency of the International committee, Mr. Lang 
 Sheaf and Mr. Henry Stager, of Cleveland, came 
 to New York, and with the indispensable co- 
 operation of Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt, succeeded 
 on the twentieth of November in establishing a 
 branch in rooms granted by the railroad com- 
 pany. The report for the following January 
 says: "Successful effort among this class of 
 men is surrounded with greater difficulties in 
 
 114
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 New York than in any other prominent railway- 
 center." 
 
 It is interesting to note that Cornelius Van- 
 derbilt's name is for the first time connected 
 with the association as chairman of the audit- 
 ing committee in 1875. I n that year he became 
 a member of the board of directors, and soon 
 chairman of the finance committee, and chair- 
 man of the committee on railroad work, and 
 later vice-president of the association. In 1883 
 George A. Warburton became secretary of the 
 railroad branches of the city, and this depart- 
 ment immediately began a rapid development. 
 Much of its success was due to Cornelius Van- 
 derbilt. He took an active and personal inter- 
 est in the affairs of the association, and it is 
 largely through his indorsement of this work 
 that it became generally accepted by the rail- 
 road systems of the continent. 
 
 A personal friendship sprang up between Mr. 
 Vanderbilt and McBurney. Mr. Vanderbilt sur- 
 vived McBurney but a few months, and in his 
 published will Robert R. McBurney was be- 
 queathed a legacy of $10,000. 
 
 In 1886 Mr. Vanderbilt announced his pur- 
 pose to erect, at his own expense, on land be- 
 longing to the Vanderbilt railroad interests at 
 the corner of Madison Avenue and Forty-fifth 
 Street, a building for the use of the railroad 
 branch. At the time of its completion, it was 
 the finest building devoted to this purpose in 
 existence. The total cost of the structure, as 
 afterwards enlarged, was $225,000. 
 
 Speaking of the railroad work at this time, 
 McBurney called attention to the fact that there 
 
 "5
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 were 800,000 men employed upon the 80,000 
 miles of American railways; that these men 
 were largely away from home, often engaged 
 upon the Sabbath, and were away from the 
 ordinary influences of the church; that they 
 formed an important element in modern society, 
 and needed a special agency to lead them into 
 the Christian life. 
 
 McBurney was a careful student of the con- 
 stitution of the association and the method of 
 administration of its branches. In a paper en- 
 titled " The Branch and the Association Their 
 Relations," he says: "The general secretary 
 of the association should have general care of 
 the work of the association, whether carried on 
 at the central rooms or at the branches, and for 
 these reasons I believe the secretary of the 
 branch should occupy to him the relation of as- 
 sistant secretary But while he is gen- 
 eral secretary of the association, he must not 
 assume the position of master of the branch. 
 His relations should be so unselfish and loving 
 that the secretary of the branch will accept his 
 
 suggestions and criticisms He should 
 
 be careful not to interfere with the details of 
 the work of the secretary of the branch, and 
 what is of equal importance, he should be care- 
 ful not to take to himself the credit of the work 
 of the branch The aim of the gen- 
 eral secretary should be to keep himself out of 
 sight, and to commend in every judicious way 
 the branch secretary and his work. On the 
 other hand, the secretary of the branch should 
 not be on the lookout to find wherein the gen- 
 eral secretary has slighted him or his work. Be 
 
 116
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 assured if the spirit of strife or envy enters into 
 the heart of either secretary, the spirit of the 
 Lord will take his departure." 
 
 When the Twenty-third Street building was 
 erected, McBurney was very anxious to occupy 
 the large room, with a smaller room opening 
 from it, in the tower of the building. This had 
 been intended, as the light came in from all 
 directions, for an artists' studio. The board of 
 directors were determined that he should not 
 live in the same building in which he worked. 
 One who knew the circumstances well, later 
 said: "The directors came to the decision when 
 the building was completed that McBurney 
 could not have a room in it at any price, not for 
 love or money; that he must, for the sake of 
 his own health, live outside of the building. 
 They said he would consume himself with work 
 and must get out more." Two or three years 
 went by. A number of workers in the associa- 
 tion who were McBurney's special friends rented 
 rooms on the floor under the tower room, and 
 McBurney's desire for this room increased. In 
 1873 it became vacant. Mr. Dodge and Mr. 
 Brainerd were away. 
 
 Speaking of this a friend said later: "At a 
 meeting of the board of directors during the 
 summer McBurney was allowed to take this 
 room at a rental of $100 a year." This tower 
 room became McBurney's home. The larger 
 room was his parlor and the smaller room his 
 bedroom. He fitted it up according to his own 
 tastes, and here received his friends, and carried 
 on innumerable confidential conferences with 
 association leaders on subjects of vital moment 
 
 117
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 to the work. This room was McBurney's study; 
 here he gathered his library; here he prepared 
 his lessons for his Bible classes, and here were 
 the deepest scenes of his prayer life alone with 
 God. Often in the still hours of the night from 
 this tower he would gaze out over the sleeping 
 city with its long streets and miles of buildings 
 tenanted with thousands of aspiring, tempted, 
 restless young men. For twenty-five years he 
 occupied this tower room until it became asso- 
 ciated with him in the thoughts of his fellow- 
 secretaries over the whole country. It was a 
 well-kept room, consistent with the strict per- 
 sonal neatness of the man, but it was of that 
 easy comfortableness of aspect which allowed 
 orderliness without stiffness. McBurney was 
 somewhat of a collector of curios, and he much 
 fancied antiques when in the form of bric-a-brac, 
 furniture or pictures. Antiquarian shops had a 
 peculiar fascination for him, and he was fond of 
 collecting old prints. These tastes were shown 
 in the furnishing and decoration of this room. 
 
 His fondness for fishing was seen in his li- 
 brary which had 256 volumes on sports and 
 angling. It contained copies from eighty-one 
 editions of Isaac Walton. 
 
 His fondness for hymns was also seen in a 
 large collection on hymnology. He frequently 
 quoted hymns aloud. One of his special favor- 
 ites, which by his request was sung at his funeral, 
 was: 
 
 "Jesus calls us; o'er the tumult 
 Of our life's wild, restless sea, 
 Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, 
 Saying, 'Christian, follow me!' 
 
 118
 
 In the Twenty-third Street Building 
 
 "Jesus calls us from the worship 
 Of the vain world's golden store; 
 From each idol that would keep us, 
 Saying, 'Christian, love Me more!' 
 
 "In our joys and in our sorrows, 
 Days of toil and hours of ease, 
 Still He calls, in cares and pleasures, 
 'That we love Him more than these!' 
 
 "Jesus calls us: by Thy mercies, 
 Saviour, make us hear Thy call, 
 Give our hearts to Thine obedience, 
 Serve and love Thee best of all." 
 
 This hymn breathed the aspiration of Mc- 
 Burney's life. 
 
 On March thirty-first, 1887, on the anniver- 
 sary of McBurney's fiftieth birthday, as a recog- 
 nition of his services and of personal regard, a 
 reception was tendered him by his New York 
 friends. He had been twenty-five years in the 
 service of the New York Young Men's Christian 
 Association. When the question of a gift which 
 would be most appreciated arose in the minds 
 of his friends, it was decided that he be given a 
 sum with which to purchase books for his library, 
 and especially its Biblical department. Mr. 
 William E. Dodge, in an appropriate address, 
 presented him with a bag filled with gold eagles 
 for this purpose. 
 
 At this reception Dr. Howard Crosby, who 
 had known McBurney from the beginning, com- 
 menting upon his years of service, said: " I 
 know of no pastor of any church in this city 
 whose ministry has been so useful and extended 
 as the ministry of McBurney." 
 
 These years as secretary in the Twenty-third 
 119
 
 Life of Robert R. McBumey 
 
 Street building, and of the growing work 
 throughout New York city, were years of real 
 achievement. In the vigor of his manhood, Mc- 
 Burney was demonstrating to the world the 
 value of the work to which he had given his 
 life. But constant application to this work 
 was taxing to his strength. While of robust phy- 
 sique, he was already a sufferer from rheuma- 
 tism, and occasionally had attacks of gout which 
 increased in frequency during the ten remain- 
 ing years of his life. Towards the close of 
 1891, McBurney's health was so impaired that 
 when his friend Elbert B. Monroe pressed upon 
 him the acceptance of a gift of $1,000 with a 
 view to a trip to the Holy Land, he accepted it. 
 Early in the following year with Mr. and Mrs. 
 Richard C. Morse and Charles K. Ober, Mc- 
 Burney set out on a tour of southern Europe 
 and Palestine. Two closer friends than McBur- 
 ney and Mr. Morse, bound together by life-long 
 service in the same cause, could hardly have en- 
 tered upon a more enjoyable vacation. Mc- 
 Burney took immense interest in the journey 
 and in everything he saw, an interest and a 
 profit which was increased by his long attention 
 to Bible study. Mr. Brainerd said of him: "He 
 read carefully in respect to his various journeys 
 in Europe and the Holy Land. He was fully 
 equipped in this regard to make his travels use- 
 ful to himself, and contributions to his general 
 stock of available knowledge." 
 
 Just before sailing McBurney wrote a char- 
 acteristic letter to his friend, George A. Hall, 
 who was also absent from New York, on ac- 
 count of overwork.
 
 In the Twenty -third Street Building 
 
 February 3, 1892. 
 Mv Dear George: 
 
 An old cripple writes to an invalid, greeting: Since 
 the early part of November I have been fighting rheu- 
 matic gout. The doctors say that it is due to having 
 been run down physically. I am tied up now in bed 
 though expecting to sail for Egypt and the Holy Land 
 on Saturday. I am now suffering from a second relapse. 
 I had much rather be with you than to go to Europe for 
 you know I am not very fond of the water. 
 
 I expect, old chap, you are lonely down there. Dear 
 George, I would say of you as Mr. Dodge said of me to-day 
 to Mr. Orne, "Is there nobody that could keep Mr. Mc- 
 Burney quiet ?" We both have so much steam aboard 
 that we consider all men mortal but ourselves. We have 
 got to face the fact that we are growing old, and that we 
 have worked rather injudiciously, and that we must now 
 to the end of our days suffer the consequences. But I 
 have learned the lesson many years ago that no man is 
 necessary to the Lord's work. When you and I are re- 
 moved from service, they will find men, undoubtedly 
 different from us, in some respects more useful and in 
 other respects not sp much so, still the work will go on. 
 Being set aside is not pleasant to face. I have the im- 
 pression that when the time comes for you to be set 
 aside, you will bear it a thousandfold better than I. Per- 
 haps a prolonged rest on your part and on my part will 
 be the means of giving us years of service. Dear George, 
 we are in a loving Father's hand. I sometimes fear that 
 I do not think as much as I ought of the tender, loving 
 care of my Father. I thank Him for it both night and 
 morning but not with as much feeling as I ought, still 
 He is so near, thank His name. 
 
 Yes, your recovery and mine must of necessity be 
 slow, because the breaking down process has been going 
 on for many years unconsciously to ourselves, and in- 
 deed, to our friends. 
 
 The anniversary of the association passed off delight- 
 fully. Six hundred persons were turned away and the 
 side aisles of the hall were packed with people who stood 
 during the two hours. The attraction was, of course, 
 Mr. Depew. Mr. Rainsford also spoke, and spoke very
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 sensibly. I read my report and Mr. Morse says I read 
 it better than in any former year, and I think, on the 
 whole, it presented our case as well as any former report. 
 
 I wish I could go to the state convention and the 
 Secretary's Conference, but I feel somehow that I am 
 losing hold of our state work. Mr. See, as you know, 
 has succeeded Mr. McConaughy on the state committee, 
 and the only city secretary on the committee is Mr. 
 Warburton. I know that I should not have written you 
 all this association matter. We must trust other men 
 more. We cannot expect that others' interest will be 
 quite as great as ours, because we were at the beginning 
 of the association, and a father takes more interest and 
 has more affection for his own child than he would have 
 in any other person's child, though he may have a very 
 strong affection for the child of another. 
 
 With a heart full of love, dear George, I am, as ever, 
 
 Yours, 
 (Signed) R. R. McBurney. 
 
 This journey brought McBurney a complete 
 rest. Shut away from the activities which had 
 absorbed his thought, he was free to enjoy the 
 scenes and recall the history of the places he 
 visited. The record he has left of his impres- 
 sions of his visit to Palestine is full of interest, 
 and upon his return he gave several addresses 
 before the branches of the New York City 
 Association. 
 
 While passing north from Jerusalem, he 
 wrote as follows: 
 
 "Sunday we passed pleasantly near Shiloh a quiet, 
 restful day. Monday we tarried en route at the impres- 
 sive ruin of Shiloh, where the ark remained so long. We 
 took our lunch at Jacob's well, in the outskirts of the 
 city of Sychar. The day was very beautiful. We read 
 together that wonderful chapter of the fourth Gospel. 
 The same fields months now before the harvest were 
 before us, the same mounts Gerizim and Ebal rose above
 
 In the Twenty -third Street Building 
 
 us, and there came with sight and sense of the environ- 
 ment, perception and realization also of our dear Lord's 
 contact with our earth and our human nature and then 
 with ourselves spiritually. I begin to understand a little 
 how perhaps into the gospel story of Him may be woven 
 for me by these journeyings on His pathway a few new 
 threads of varying hue which will make the picture more 
 vivid to my eye. Perhaps it may help me to make it 
 more vivid to others. I hope it may be so. But I write 
 to-day as one feeling his way and at the very beginning 
 of new impressions, the value of which it may not be 
 wise now to scrutinize and estimate too closely." 
 
 123
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 McBURNEY AS METROPOLITAN SECRE- 
 TARY OF NEW YORK, 1887-1898 
 
 THE METROPOLITAN ORGANIZATION WORK FOR STU- 
 DENTSSOME INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS THE WEST 
 SIDE BUILDING THE NEW YORK WORK IN 1898 
 
 The proposal of that radical change in the 
 constitution of the New York association which 
 involved the creation of what is known as its 
 present metropolitan organization, originated 
 with Mr. Elbert B. Monroe. Mr. Monroe had 
 been a member of the association since 1853, 
 one of the board of directors since 1871, and 
 president during the years 1 877-1 882. After 
 his resignation from the presidency in 1882, he 
 continued upon the board of directors, and in 
 December, 1886, again accepted the presidency. 
 He was deeply impressed with the fact that as 
 the branches of the association multiplied the 
 board of directors was overtaxed by being made 
 responsible both for the administration of the 
 association work in its largest building, and by 
 the supervising care of all the other branches 
 and buildings in the city. He brought the 
 subject to the attention of his associates and 
 of McBurney, and proposed that the board of 
 directors be released from the detailed manage- 
 ment of the work in the Twenty-third Street 
 building, and be responsible thereafter only for 
 the general oversight and control of the asso- 
 
 124
 
 Metropolitan Secretary of New York 
 
 ciation throughout the city. Speaking of this, 
 McBurney said. "The board of directors has 
 wisely kept the work of the Twenty-third Street 
 building entirely under their own care, supervis- 
 ing every detail, and developing the work to an 
 efficiency and usefulness which is felt not only 
 in every one of our branches, but by the co- 
 operating agencies of the state and interna- 
 tional committees, and even in other lands. But 
 as our branches have multiplied, and in connec- 
 tion with four of them, the care of buildings and 
 property has been added to the care of the work 
 itself, the labors of directors became so very 
 arduous that some change seemed to be called 
 for, by means of which on the one hand, the 
 board of directors might be brought into equally 
 close relations with every branch and building 
 of the association, and on the other, that the 
 details of ihe work in the Twenty-third Street 
 building might be placed under the care of a 
 committee of management similar to the com- 
 mittees charged with the details at the other 
 branches." 
 
 The first official step was taken by the board 
 in January, 1887, when Cornelius Vanderbilt, 
 Cephas Brainerd, Moses Taylor Pyne, William 
 S. Sloane, and Elbert B. Monroe were appointed 
 a committee to consider the society's organiza- 
 tion and recommend desirable changes. 
 
 This committee, after long and careful de- 
 liberation, recommended the present plan of 
 the metropolitan organization, by which the 
 work in the Twenty-third Street building was 
 made a branch and placed on the same footing 
 with other branches, and the board of directors, 
 
 125
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 released from responsibility for this work, be- 
 came separated to the control and supervision 
 equally of all the branches of the one general 
 organization. 
 
 The headquarters of the board became known 
 as the general office, and were located in rented 
 rooms on Twenty-third Street not far from the 
 central building. A committee of management 
 and a secretary were placed in charge of the 
 Twenty-third Street building, and McBurney 
 became general secretary for the entire multi- 
 plied work of the city, devoting himself to its 
 supervision and extension. This left each branch 
 to develop its own work in its own way within 
 proper limits, and under continuous close super- 
 vision by the board of directors. 
 
 The date at which this step was carried into 
 effect was June, 1887. Philadelphia and Chicago 
 adopted the metropolitan plan of organization 
 in 1888. The following table illustrates the 
 branch development during this closing period 
 of McBurney's life: 
 
 1887. Railroad branch opened in round-house, 
 
 West Seventy-second Street. 
 Railroad building, Madison Avenue, 
 opened. 
 
 1888. Bowery building bought. 
 
 Athletic grounds and boat-house leased. 
 Harlem building completed. 
 
 1889. French branch opened. 
 
 Student work organized as "The Student 
 Movement." 
 1891. Mott Haven railroad rooms opened. 
 Washington Heights branch opened. 
 126
 
 Metropolitan Secretary of New Tork 
 
 1892. Washington Heights building secured. 
 
 1893. Madison Avenue railroad building dou- 
 
 bled in size. 
 
 1894. Lexington Avenue student building pur- 
 
 chased. 
 1896. West Side building completed and 
 opened. 
 East Side building partially erected. 
 
 The most original branch development of 
 this period was the organization of a work 
 among the students of New York City. This 
 appealed deeply to McBurney. In the colleges 
 and professional schools of the metropolis there 
 were some fifteen thousand young men, most of 
 them away from home, with slender resources, 
 striving with all their might to fit themselves 
 for their life w6rk. McBurney's heart yearned to 
 help these young men, and no enterprise unless 
 it was the West Side building appealed to him 
 more strongly during the closing years of his life. 
 In a considerable number, students have been 
 members of the New York association since 
 1863. A Medical Students' Union had been 
 formed in 1867, which four years later was suc- 
 ceeded by a Student Bible class taught at the 
 Twenty-third Street building. The develop- 
 ment of the intercollegiate movement through- 
 out the country had reached a number of the 
 New York institutions. The visit of Henry 
 Drummond in 1887, and the account of his work 
 among students in Scotland increased the inter- 
 est already awakened. In 1889 the employment 
 of a student secretary was made practicable by 
 McBurney's devoting part of his own salary for 
 
 127
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 this purpose, and a branch, known as the Stu- 
 dent Movement, was organized. A home for 
 this department was secured in a dwelling-house 
 at No. 136 Lexington Avenue, and in August, 
 1894, a four-story dwelling-house, No. 129 Lex- 
 ington Avenue, was purchased for $23,750. This 
 is known as the Students' Club, and was opened 
 as headquarters for this movement. Student 
 associations were formed in the various col- 
 leges of the city, and these were combined into 
 the New York Intercollegiate Movement. 
 
 The departmental growth of this period was 
 marked by an extension of the physical work to 
 outdoor athletics, by the organizing of the even- 
 ing class work into a department, the develop- 
 ment of a group of economic features for young 
 men, and perhaps more significant than any of 
 these, by the introduction upon a considerable 
 scale of work for boys. 
 
 McBurney had through a period of years, in 
 his annual report to the association and its 
 friends, urged the importance of athletic grounds 
 and a boat-house. The realization of this project 
 came in March, 1888, through the purchase of 
 the boat-house and athletic equipment of the 
 New York Athletic Club, at One Hundred and 
 Fiftieth Street, and the rental of its grounds 
 and water front. 
 
 In the last decade of the century, the educa- 
 tional work grew to conspicuous proportions. 
 McBurney set out to constitute this work into a 
 distinct department. This may be said to have 
 been accomplished by the employment at the 
 Twenty-third Street branch of an educational 
 director in 1895. 
 
 128
 
 WEST SIDE BRANCH
 
 Metropolitan Secretary of New York 
 
 With that year also appeared the business 
 institute, or day business college, which was 
 carried on by the association in the rooms used 
 in the evening for the educational classes. 
 
 In the autumn of the same year, the Harlem 
 branch opened an evening school for young men 
 in the mechanical trades. 
 
 McBurney sought continually to have the 
 educational work of the association placed upon 
 the same basis with the long-established educa- 
 tional institutions of the country, and he pleaded 
 steadily for adequate endowment. In the re- 
 port covciing the year 1895 ne said: "It may 
 be well to note that not more that eight of all 
 the colleges and universities of the United 
 States have a larger number of students than 
 attend our educational classes. Colleges and 
 universities are endowed or supported by state 
 appropriations, while the association has no en- 
 dowment for its large educational work. Many 
 of the young men receiving instruction in our 
 educational classes have found it necessary to 
 begin wage earning insufficiently equipped for 
 their life work, and it would seem that no ob- 
 ject of an educational character could be more 
 worthy of endowment than the educational work 
 of the New York association." 
 
 A number of economic features were gradu- 
 ally connected with the New York work. Mc- 
 Burney had always urged that the association 
 should help to secure employment for young 
 men, and this had long been a feature of the 
 New York association work. About 1890 sav- 
 ings funds were instituted in several branches, 
 and bank accounts opened to the credit of 
 
 129
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 depositors. The most important economic de- 
 velopment, however, was a movement toward 
 furnishing living quarters for young men in the 
 association buildings. This was not undertaken 
 until its usefulness had been demonstrated else- 
 where. It is a movement which promises much 
 for the future. McBurney became deeply in- 
 terested in it, especially in relation to providing 
 rooms for students. 
 
 In the ripened years of his experience, Mc- 
 Burney grasped none of the possibilities of the 
 association more clearly and earnestly than he did 
 the opportunity for work among boys. He saw 
 that the association must get hold of young men 
 before they reached the ages of seventeen and 
 eighteen years, and while they are particularly 
 susceptible to ennobling influences. He recog- 
 nized the need of separate buildings for boys' 
 work, and was instrumental in making the first 
 provision to meet this need. The West Side 
 building stands as an evidence of his interest 
 both in the dormitory movement and the asso- 
 ciation work for boys. 
 
 The closing effort of McBurney's career as 
 the secretary of the New York association was 
 devoted to the erection of the double building 
 for the West Side branch, between Eighth and 
 Ninth avenues, extending through from Fifty- 
 sixth to Fifty- seventh streets, with entrances 
 upon both streets. This building is recognized 
 as the monument of McBurney's matured ex- 
 perience and thought. It is practically two build- 
 ings, the one on Fifty-sixth Street being devoted 
 on the lower floors to an association for boys, 
 and on the upper floors to the library and dor- 
 
 130
 
 Metropolitan Secretary of New York 
 
 mitories, the building on Fifty-seventh Street 
 being devoted to an association for young men. 
 In this building was embodied the sum of associ- 
 ation development through the quarter century 
 of swift and broad progress, whose beginning was 
 marked by that other memorial of his thought and 
 care, the association building on Twenty-third 
 Street. What a span of association history, and 
 what a wealth of development in work for young 
 men! What a life of wonderful service lies be- 
 tween these two historic structures the one the 
 pioneer in the building movement, the other the 
 highest consummation of the association's devel- 
 opment during the life of its great leader. 
 
 The lots for this structure were purchased 
 in 1894, at a cost of $165,000. This sum was 
 provided by the legacy already noted from the 
 will of William H. Vanderbilt (with $40,000 
 accumulated interest), and by Cornelius Van- 
 derbilt, who added sufficient to make the pur- 
 chase. Work was immediately begun, and the 
 building was finally opened near the close of 1 896. 
 But the development of this project had begun 
 long before. In former reports McBurney had 
 emphasized the importance of a building for the 
 benefit of young men residing on the west side 
 of the city, and back of this public appeal there 
 was long-continued, earnest planning, and hard, 
 faithful effort. The project was marked by an 
 audacity which made even McBurney's close 
 associates hesitate. The entire building was 
 planned and erected before any association was 
 organized to occupy it. There was no member- 
 ship, no managing committee, no secretary or 
 physical director, although the enterprise when 
 
 131
 
 Life of Robert R. McBumey 
 
 completed, including land, building, and furnish- 
 ings involved an outlay of over $555,000. But 
 McBurney had long before planned for the de- 
 velopment of the organization within the new 
 building, and had definitely selected and trained 
 not only a man to be its secretary but the com- 
 mittee of management who were to take it in 
 charge. Both the chairman and the secretary 
 of the young men's institute branch were trans- 
 ferred to officer the new association, and the 
 committee of management was made up chiefly 
 of men familiar with association work. 
 
 One thing that impressed McBurney as he 
 studied this part of the New York field was the 
 large student body near at hand. These men 
 he declared should have living-rooms in the 
 building, and the third and fourth floors on the 
 Fifty-sixth Street side were accordingly adapted 
 to this end. 
 
 It was decided to place the association library 
 in this building, and to have it so arranged that 
 young men in all the branches could make use 
 of it or draw books as they wished. Accord- 
 ingly, the fifth and sixth floors on the Fifty-sixth 
 Street side were fitted up in the most approved 
 style for a library. 
 
 The first and second floors on this side were 
 given over to work for boys, a separate gym- 
 nasium complete and well equipped with baths 
 was provided; pleasant social rooms with games 
 and reading matter, rooms for Bible classes and 
 religious meetings, quarters for manual training 
 and Sloyd work were provided, and a secretary 
 was placed in charge of this work. The con- 
 ception of this department was that it was to be 
 
 132
 
 Metropolitan Secretary of New Tork 
 
 a work for boys by boys. It was the best 
 equipped association building for boys at that 
 time in existence. 
 
 In this, McBurney aided materially in awak- 
 ening association leaders to a recognition of 
 the importance of beginning their work when 
 the boy begins to become a man at the dawn 
 of adolescence. 
 
 The building opening on Fifty-seventh Street 
 was arranged for the general purposes of the 
 West Side branch. In the basement were gym- 
 nasium lockers, bicycle storage-room, bowling 
 alleys, and a swimming-pool. On the first floor 
 were the central reception-room and office, read- 
 ing-room, parlor, coat-room, and a small lecture- 
 room; on the second floor, the board-room, 
 class-rooms, and a hall having 666 seats. The 
 third, fourth, and fifth floors were given to 
 class-rooms, a camera club-room, and a restau- 
 rant provided for the convenience of the young 
 men living in the dormitory, and other mem- 
 bers of the association. The top floor was de- 
 voted to the gymnasium, furnishing one of the 
 finest gymnasium floors (53 by 102 feet) to be 
 found in New York City. A number of eleva- 
 tors furnished quick communication between 
 the floors, and there was a special elevator run- 
 ning between the gymnasium and the dressing- 
 room in the basement. 
 
 This building in its conception, its original 
 features, its varied departments, its splendid 
 adaptation to its purposes, and in its perfection, 
 is a complete expression of McBurney. Into it 
 he builded the closing years of his life, and it 
 was a fitting tribute to his memory that the debt 
 
 133
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 of $77,000 remaining upon it should have been 
 raised as a memorial to him, and a bronze bas- 
 relief of himself placed as the gift of loving 
 friends upon its walls. 
 
 The field and work of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association of New York City in 1898 
 as compared with 1862 presents a striking con- 
 trast. The city had grown marvellously in 
 wealth and population, until with its environs it 
 was the center of three and one-half millions of 
 persons. The Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion had grown from a halting experiment, bur- 
 dened with debt, with a few faithful members, 
 and a secretary who also acted as janitor, occu- 
 pying humble rooms in a second story, to one of 
 the most vigorous philanthropic and religious 
 agencies of the great metropolis. In the first 
 year of McBurney's official connection with the 
 society, it was securing with great difficulty 
 $2,800 per year which was expended in carrying 
 on work at one point in the city. In 1898 the 
 association reported a net annual budget of 
 $175,000, expended in conducting fifteen differ- 
 ent branches. This involved the raising annually 
 through contributions of $60,000. When Mc- 
 Burney entered the rooms at the Bible house, 
 the association was six months behind in its 
 rent; when his career closed, the real estate and 
 endowments of the New York association were 
 valued at $2,000,000. One of the great features 
 of McBurney's work had been the development 
 of a large contributing constituency. 
 
 Mr. Dodge said of McBurney: "When he 
 began his work in the New York association it 
 was very small, and hardly known or understood 
 
 134
 
 Metropolitan Secretary of New Tork 
 
 in the town. It was a new work then. It had 
 scarcely the confidence even of the churches. 
 It was wonderful how he touched and influenced 
 young men; and yet as I look back upon it, it was 
 more wonderful how he wen the confidence and 
 esteem of the wealthy men of the city, of clergy- 
 men of all denominations and all faiths, and of 
 good men who loved the city and the country." 
 
 In 1898 work was being carried on at the old 
 building on Twenty-third Street, the new build- 
 ing of the West Side branch, the Harlem branch 
 on One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street, the 
 Washington Heights branch on One Hundred 
 and Fifty-fifth Street, the East Side branch on 
 Eighty-sixth Street, the Students' branch on Lex- 
 ington Avenue, the Young Men's institute on the 
 Bowery near Prince Street, the Bowery branch 
 at the corner of Broome Street, the German 
 branch on Second Avenue, the French branch 
 on West Twenty-first Street, and the Railroad 
 branches on Madison Avenue, at Melrose Junc- 
 tion on West Seventy -second Street, at Wee- 
 hawken, and at New Durham. At nine of these 
 points the association owned buildings, and prac- 
 tically owned the Madison Avenue Railroad 
 branch, where the building was held by special 
 trustees for association purposes. 
 
 Even more remarkable than the acquiring 
 of this property was a development as yet but 
 little discussed the growth of the employed 
 force of the association. McBurney had rare 
 knowledge of men. He not only associated him- 
 self in the boards of directors with leaders in the 
 business and religious life of New York, but he 
 was successful in selecting able assistants for 
 
 135
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 the detailed work of the great enterprise with 
 which he was charged. In looking up men he 
 was very careful. In one of his letters of inquiry 
 about a young man in college, he asked the fol- 
 lowing questions: "Has he graduated? Is he 
 a gentleman? Is he social? I understand that 
 he is very successful in personal work. How 
 is he in Bible study? Has he administrative 
 ability? Is he good-looking? How tall is he? 
 Get everything you can about him, and tell me 
 if he is the man for us." 
 
 McBurney was always prompt and vigorous 
 in his defense of the associates employed with 
 him in the New York work. At one time when 
 the physical directors of the city had been criti- 
 cised, at the close of a vigorous letter in their 
 behalf, he said: "I write thus in defense of as 
 noble a band of men as I have the pleasure 
 of being acquainted with. I refer to the thor- 
 oughly trained and experienced physical direc- 
 tors in the branches of the Young Men's Christian 
 association of the city of New York." 
 
 The employed force of the Young Men's Chris- 
 tian association had increased in thirty-six years 
 from one man to 149 men, giving their entire 
 time to the work of the association. This was 
 exclusive of sixty teachers who worked evenings 
 in the educational department. There was also 
 a well-organized army of 1,092 active members 
 serving on committees in the various associa- 
 tion branches. Eight of the branch associations 
 of New York had gymnasiums in charge of com- 
 petent instructors, and classes and physical ex- 
 aminations were conducted for 3,024 association 
 members. There were three swimming-pools 
 
 136
 
 Metropolitan Secretary of New Tork 
 
 in different buildings, and in connection with 
 all the gymnasiums were to be found bowling 
 alleys along with tub and shower baths. Athletic 
 grounds were provided for the use of the mem- 
 bers. Holiday excursions and vacation camps 
 were features of association life. A boat-house 
 was moored at Barretto Point in the East River, 
 with a full supply of boats. Work for boys was 
 carried on at five of the branches, with libraries, 
 literary societies, Bible classes, gymnasia, and 
 other features. 
 
 Educational advantages were enjoyed by 
 nearly two thousand young men enrolled in 
 seventy-three classes. In these thirty-five differ- 
 ent branches of study were taught. In the asso- 
 ciation libraries there were 70,303 volumes, and 
 in the reading-rooms 1,525 newspapers and mag- 
 azines were on file. 
 
 The membership had grown in thirty-six years 
 from 151, who paid an annual fee of $2.00, 
 to 8,328 who paid fees ranging from $2.00 to 
 $15.00 annually. The average daily attendance 
 of young men in the reading and social rooms 
 was 5,670. 
 
 Most of the associations had literary and de- 
 bating societies, between which an interesting 
 rivalry existed. Socials, talks, and lectures, to the 
 number of 866, were given in a single year. 
 
 Visitation of the sick was conducted with the 
 same regularity as in the early days when the 
 broader advantages were not enjoyed. In re- 
 lief for destitute young men, through the Bowery 
 branch, the amount of $4,100 was directly ex- 
 pended; and at this branch 34,709 lodgings, 
 100,450 meals, and 1,043 garments were sup- 
 
 137
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 plied in a single year. Through the employ- 
 ment bureau, in 1898, situations were secured 
 for 5,664 young men. Boarding-house registers 
 were kept at the different branches, and in 
 several, restaurants were operated. In addition 
 to the Bowery branch, which had lodgings for 
 100, accommodations for a fair remuneration 
 were available for 204 young men. 
 
 Bible classes and other religious gatherings 
 for the year numbered 2,874, an average of nearly 
 eight per day, and 4,171 young men are reported 
 as having personally sought religious counsel in 
 one year. 
 
 One can hardly conceive the ceaseless, daily 
 activity of this great organization which had 
 grown up within the term of one general secre- 
 tary, and which was so largely the expression 
 of the heart-life of his determined spirit. 
 
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 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 McBURNEY'S VIEWS ON ASSOCIATION 
 WORK 
 
 In noting what were McBurney's ideals of the 
 Young Men's Christian Association and its work, 
 perhaps the most complete conception may be 
 gained from the narrative already given of his 
 work in New York City. As previously said, he 
 expressed himself institutionally. In the course 
 of the development of the association, since its 
 founding, in 1844, there have been two distinct 
 types of work; the one a general evangelistic 
 work usually for various classes in the commu- 
 nity, and the other a specialized, organized work 
 for the culture of Christian manhood. 
 
 McBurney was the exponent of this latter type 
 of work, and led it to complete triumph. It should 
 be noted that he did not originate many of the 
 ideas which he held regarding the association, 
 but his common sense and acumen led him to 
 seize upon those principles and methods which 
 were best suited to win young men. In making 
 an analysis of his views, the first thing to be 
 marked is his idea of the association's object. 
 That object, to his view, was the young man 
 and only the young man. He antagonized the 
 conception that the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation should engage in Christian effort on be- 
 half of society at large. This was the guiding 
 principle of his choice of methods and all the 
 
 139
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 subsidiary features of the work. He grasped 
 intuitively the methods which would reach the 
 specific class he sought. He recognized that 
 the association was seeking the young men, 
 not the young men the association. Its aim 
 was not to admonish but to attract and help. 
 He wanted to give young men in the associa- 
 tion what they might seek elsewhere under far 
 different influences. It was his habit to con- 
 trast outlays made by theaters and saloons with 
 outlays for attractions and means of recreation 
 made by the associations. As he grew older in 
 the work, his recognition of the power of social 
 attractions seemed to grow. At the Connecticut 
 State convention in 1867, he said: "It is our 
 business to exclude amusements from the rooms 
 of the association; Christ did not use the amuse- 
 ment plan." 
 
 But in 1890 he wrote: "It would be difficult 
 to exaggerate the importance of the social ele- 
 ment as a factor in winning and holding young 
 men in right paths. Much has been done by 
 the association in this direction, but much more 
 should be done. If the young stranger is to be 
 helped from falling into bad social surround- 
 ings by the association, its rooms must become 
 a center of magnetic social power. While the 
 association cannot be a substitute for the home, 
 it may be so pervaded by the spirit which makes 
 home the happiest spot on earth that the young 
 stranger will find in it very much that he is 
 deprived of elsewhere in his city life. While 
 young men loathe patronage, they are more 
 open than any other class to hearty, manly, 
 cordial courtesy." 
 
 140
 
 McBurney 's Views on Association Work 
 
 In 1885 McBurney wrote this rather enter- 
 taining survey of the institution: "A person 
 unfamiliar with the association might ask, in 
 passing this building, 'For what object has it 
 been erected?' Some of ample means have the 
 impression that it is a place to which they can 
 send destitute men, whom they would like to 
 help, provided it cost them nothing. Others 
 consider it an organization of young men with- 
 out much physical or intellectual force, and 
 easily imposed upon by any shrewd scoundrel 
 who comes along. The hobby-rider thinks it 
 is exactly the kind of society that will give him 
 an opportunity to ride his hobby before the pub- 
 lic. The unknown singer or lecturer desiring 
 to be heard by a New York audience expects 
 that, on the plea of a benefit for some benevo- 
 lent object, the hall will be granted free of ex- 
 pense. These four classes generally go away 
 disappointed. Another class of persons think 
 we hold here a perpetual prayer-meeting. Others 
 think that nothing else should be done under 
 this roof but to hold religious services. Some 
 think we are a bureau of information on every 
 subject. One considers that the association is only 
 a library, another that it is exclusively a gymna- 
 sium, another calls it an evening college or a club, 
 or an employment agency. Others think it a place 
 of social enjoyment and good-fellowship. The 
 fact is, it is a little of all these. Even the goodyish 
 young man may be found here, just as he is found 
 in nearly every social gathering and in every line 
 of business. But also, among the young men 
 composing the working force of the association, 
 will be found in much greater number those who 
 
 141
 
 Life of Robert R. McBumey 
 
 are hard in muscle, firm in will, kind in heart, 
 cheerful in spirit, quick in wit, and earnest in 
 purpose. The association was inaugurated by 
 a body of young men touched by the spirit 
 of Jesus Christ, and awakened to a sense of re- 
 sponsibility for the welfare of their fellows. It 
 has sought to illustrate this object with an 
 increasing effectiveness year by year. Its mis- 
 sion has been chiefly to young men of ability 
 and intelligence rather above the average, and 
 it has done a work mainly of prevention, often 
 of rescue. Many thousand places stand open 
 day and evening, inviting young men to the 
 ruin of their bodies and souls. The association 
 seeks to offer to such tempted young men attract- 
 ive but wholesome places of resort." 
 
 McBurney had ever in mind the immensity 
 of the task before the association compared 
 with what it was able to accomplish, and he 
 directly and without hesitancy expressed the 
 conviction that the growth of the organization 
 was and would be proportionate chiefly to the 
 amount of the means placed at its disposal. In 
 1894 ne said: "It may seem to some who read 
 this report that the association is doing a large 
 work. We admit it, but there are in New York 
 City, according to the last census, 368,785 men 
 between the ages of eighteen and forty-four a 
 larger population in men between those ages 
 than the entire population of any one of eleven 
 states which might be mentioned. We have but 
 touched the edge of the work which the Young 
 Men's Christian Association should be putting 
 forth in this city in behalf of young men who 
 are surrounded on every side by temptations in 
 
 142
 
 McBurney's Views on Association Work 
 
 some respects more attractive and more debas- 
 ing than our fathers knew anything about. The 
 only thing that hinders us in making larger 
 advance is the question of sufficient funds to do 
 so. Many persons are willing to give money 
 once, but in order to carry on a work that calls 
 for increased expenditure year by year, steady 
 contributions are necessary." 
 
 No one appreciated more keenly than Mc- 
 Burney the annual burden of raising funds, 
 particularly when the yearly expenditure had 
 passed the $100,000 mark. Every recurrent 
 cycle of business depression became a time 
 of crisis for the association. He planned wisely 
 for the future. He saw no practicable means of 
 escape except by endowment, and he empha- 
 sized this in message after message annually 
 before the association public. The Twenty-third 
 Street building was so erected that the ground 
 floor could be rented for stores, and thus an 
 income secured. A large revenue was received 
 in the West Side building from the rental of 
 dormitories. He believed that a membership 
 fee should be charged the young men using the 
 privileges of the association, but was confident 
 that the association would destroy its usefulness 
 if this fee were increased above a certain point. 
 He said on one occasion: "The association 
 seeks to help the self-helping class of young 
 men who, during the early years of their busi- 
 ness life, receive small salaries, and pass through 
 privations unknown to those who live in com- 
 fortable homes with happy surroundings. If 
 the dues were increased so that the association 
 would be self-supporting, it would become a 
 
 M3
 
 Life of Robert R. McBumey 
 
 club, and those who most need its sympathy and 
 help would be shut out, and the advantages 
 confined to young men of ample means who 
 need them least. If the association is to carry 
 forward its work without serious financial diffi- 
 culties, endowments for departments should be 
 provided by the generous and public-spirited of 
 this community." 
 
 In his conception of association constitution 
 and government McBurney was a man of 
 statesmanlike sagacity. He realized thoroughly 
 that the changing membership of the society 
 could not be entrusted with the control of the 
 valuable properties which were being year by 
 year accumulated. As he grew in knowledge of 
 affairs, he came to recognize the importance for 
 efficiency in administration of a centralized 
 management. Under the leadership of McBur- 
 ney and that of the business men associated 
 with him, from the time of the trusteeship 
 proposed in 1866 to the perfection of the metro- 
 politan organization in 1887, this centralization 
 developed more and more fixedly. By the 
 metropolitan plan, the members elected a por- 
 tion of the general board of directors each year. 
 This board of directors chooses its own president, 
 and this president appoints the managing com- 
 mittees of the various branches. The changing 
 membership of the association has little more 
 control of its affairs than has the changing 
 student body the control of a great university. 
 
 Such a system suited McBurney's idea of an 
 efficient scheme of government, but no leader in 
 the association was more earnest than he in 
 representing the work of the association as the 
 
 144
 
 McBurnef s Views on Association Work 
 
 duty of the membership. He believed the 
 association was a lay movement to be carried 
 on by volunteer workers. He counted success 
 in the management of the association to be the 
 extent to which the membership was made truly 
 and responsibly active in the work of the 
 organization. He considered it the chief busi- 
 ness of the secretary to place the responsibilities 
 of the active work upon the members, and to 
 develop others in Christian work. 
 
 In 1888 McBurney wrote a list of what he 
 regarded the settled principles in association 
 work, as follows: 
 
 1. That the work shall be for young men only. 
 
 2. That the welfare of the whole man body, soul, 
 and spirit should be promoted by the energetic develop- 
 ment of the physical, intellectual, social, and spiritual 
 departments of our work. 
 
 3. That points of doctrine controverted by evan- 
 gelical Christians are to be avoided, and the simplicity 
 of the Gospel adhered to, chief emphasis being laid on 
 well and freshly devised methods of pressing the accep- 
 tance of the Gospel upon young men. 
 
 4. That the best active members are not only 
 members of churches, but spiritually minded, Sabbath- 
 observing young men, who are and live in close 
 fellowship with the Saviour. 
 
 5. That the churches to which our members belong 
 have a prior claim on their sympathy and labors. 
 
 6. That money for our work outside membership 
 fees is best obtained by solicitation from those interested 
 in direct work for young men. 
 
 7. That when questions of moral reform become 
 political party questions, our association, as such, can 
 have no connection with them. 
 
 8. That associations should not be formed in towns 
 of five thousand inhabitants and over unless provision is 
 also made for the employment of a general secretary. 
 
 9. That in any town or city, however large, only 
 
 i45
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 one Young Men's Christian Association should exist, 
 and the field should be covered by organizing branches 
 or departments of the association. 
 
 All these principles may be thoroughly understood 
 and zealously advocated, but we need to remember that 
 there is such a thing as dead orthodoxy, even in associa- 
 tion work and method. Our knowledge must be 
 vitalized and sustained by the Holy Spirit, and we must, 
 as workers, be living in close communion with our Lord, 
 or our work for Him will be without fruit. 
 
 On questions of doctrine McBurney was 
 intensely practical. He held strongly to the 
 evangelical view, but he was tolerant towards 
 the opinions of others. He also recognized the 
 restraints regarding the expression of personal 
 belief which the holding of a public position in 
 a religious organization entailed. In writing to 
 a young man in September, 1893, who was 
 thinking of becoming a medical missionary, 
 McBurney said: "You give me your creed. 
 Creeds are curious things. A man makes a 
 statement in a creed, and then you have to ask 
 him what he means by it. There are half a 
 dozen questions that I could ask you about the 
 creed you express, but I do not think this would 
 be profitable. The best thing for you and for 
 me is to engage in earnest Christian work for 
 the bodies and souls of men. We might discuss 
 creeds till doomsday, and I do not think any- 
 body would be helped by it. It is touching 
 men's hearts and lives for Christ that is our 
 business, since we both believe that we have 
 been redeemed by his precious blood, and that 
 to-day he is our advocate before the throne. 
 I would advise you to stop thinking about creeds 
 if you can I know it is difficult and come into 
 
 146
 
 McBurney's Views on Association IVork 
 
 heart-touch with men lost men, men who are 
 astray, and when you come to make effort to 
 lead such men into right living, you will be more 
 and more impressed with the fact that only by 
 God's spirit, and through a new spirit begotten 
 in them by the Holy Ghost, are they to be 
 really helped." 
 
 A He was not afraid to trust men who had 
 struggled over theological problems. In fact, 
 he felt that it strengthened a man to have 
 thought out these questions for himself. In 
 writing to Mr. John Swift in Japan, in July, 1897, 
 regarding a Japanese Christian of prominence, 
 he said: "You can rely more upon a man who 
 has passed through phases of doubt, provided he 
 comes out clear, than a man who has passed 
 through no such experience." 
 
 During the latter years of McBurney's life, 
 the authority of the Bible, and especially the 
 question of inspiration, were under vigorous 
 discussion in the church. He followed this dis- 
 cussion with interest, and even in his last sickness 
 read Dr. A. C. McGiffert's History of Christian- 
 ity in the Apostolic Age. He always held firmly 
 to the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, 
 but was very careful to discriminate between ad- 
 vocating the doctrine of inspiration and advoca- 
 ting a particular method of inspiration. In writing 
 to a worker in the Salvation Army, he stated 
 his own position very clearly. He said: "I fully 
 believe the declaration of our Lord when he 
 said, 'I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto 
 me.' We may lift up the Bible, we may lift up 
 many things, but the more we lift up Jesus 
 Christ to the gaze of men, the more assuredly 
 
 147
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 will men be drawn to him. You must not infer 
 from this that I have any doubts in relation to 
 the divine origin of the Bible. In my heart of 
 hearts I believe that what we call the Holy 
 Scriptures were written by men inspired of God, 
 and if we overthrow the Scriptures we overthrow 
 our knowledge of God's dealings with men in 
 ancient times, and we overthrow the record of 
 the life and work of Jesus Christ." 
 
 Regarding the position of the association on 
 the question of inspiration, in April, of 1897, ne 
 wrote to a leading worker in the association as 
 follows: " It seems to me that the position 
 association men should take, so far as the 
 associations are concerned, at least, is that we 
 believe in the inspiration of the Scriptures; but 
 as theories of inspiration are in debate by 
 equally devoted orthodox men, it is very unwise 
 for any of our leaders to antagonize verbal in- 
 spiration or any other theory of inspiration. If 
 we do, we will assuredly get the association into 
 hot water." 
 
 In 1894, in response to a request for advice 
 from a general secretary regarding critical Bible 
 study, he wrote as follows: " Let me say, in all 
 frankness, that I think in the present condition 
 of Biblical criticism, and the discussion which 
 has been awakened in connection with it, any 
 Young Men's Christian Association undertaking 
 critical Bible study at this time would make a 
 grave mistake. The mission of the association 
 is to help men in their daily life. Critical study 
 of the Scriptures will not help them in this con- 
 nection; practical study will. Critical study 
 must be left to other agencies." 
 
 148
 
 McBurney' s Views on Association Work 
 
 One of the vexed questions in the association 
 has been the publication of an international 
 organ. It has been difficult to get adequate 
 support for an association paper. McBurney 
 was deeply interested in this undertaking, and 
 was one of the directors of the Era Company. 
 He regarded the Era as a great improvement 
 upon the Watchman. In his conception of an 
 association paper he differed from the prevalent 
 policy and from most of his brethren. He 
 believed that instead of being an exclusively 
 association organ it ought to be a paper for 
 young men. This he advocated with enthusiasm, 
 but his opinion in this matter was not accepted 
 by the associations generally, particularly be- 
 cause it involved such a large financial outlay to 
 carry out such a program. In writing to the 
 editor of the Young Men's Era in November, 
 1892, he said: "I am very glad that you are seek- 
 ing more and more to adapt the Era to the tastes 
 of all classes of young men. Formerly it was 
 attractive only to men who were actually engaged 
 in our work. Now, it seems to me, there is 
 something in it for every young man, and I am 
 of the opinion that the more this is emphasized 
 the better. My very great regret is that the 
 company has not sufficient money to pay for 
 articles by leading writers on topics of practical 
 interest to young men. The Era occupies a 
 unique field. In my opinion, if enough money 
 were put into it, it would become the popular 
 young men's paper wholesome, spiritual, but 
 thoroughly manly and aggressive. The young 
 men of the land need just such a paper. . 
 If I were a wealthy man, I think I would be so 
 
 149
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 selfish as to purchase all the unsold stock and 
 put other money into it besides." 
 
 McBurney, however, recognized the difficulty 
 of handling this enterprise, and in 1896, when it 
 was proposed to bring the paper to New York 
 and place Mr. George Warburton in charge of 
 it as editor, he strongly opposed it. When Mr. 
 Ober became editor of the paper, and its name 
 was changed to Association Men, McBurney 
 still advocated the same view that it should be 
 made a general young men's paper. In Decem- 
 ber of 1896, he wrote to Mr. Ober: "Everybody 
 that I have come in contact with who has seen 
 the paper says it is a decided improvement on 
 anything that has gone before, from the Watch- 
 man down. . . . I do not believe that 'Men' 
 ought to be exclusively an association paper, for 
 then it would only appeal to the committee-men 
 and the men who are actively connected with 
 the work. The views expressed in favor of 
 making it exclusively a Young Men's Christian 
 Association paper, if adopted, would be ruinous. 
 There is room for a young men's paper; indeed, 
 there is not another young men's paper pub- 
 lished in this country, and the more it is made 
 a young men's paper, the more in my opinion 
 will it be successful, the Philadelphia Conference 
 to the contrary notwithstanding." 
 
 McBurney also believed that an association 
 paper should avoid controversy, and in no sense 
 be a party organ. 
 
 In politics, McBurney was a constant and 
 usually an enthusiastic Republican. He was 
 deeply interested in civil service reform, and 
 took some part in promoting it, being a member 
 
 150
 
 McBurney s Views on Association Work 
 
 of the Civil Service Reform Association. In 
 1894, in writing to a friend, he said: "You are 
 quite correct in saying that I am in cordial 
 sympathy with the Civil Service Reform Asso- 
 ciation. In the political life of our country I 
 deem it to be the most important question 
 before us; indeed, I consider it vital to the 
 purity and perpetuation of our institutions." 
 In the recent campaign, he had no sympathy 
 with Mr. Bryan or his views. In writing to a 
 friend in the West, in January, 1897, ne said: 
 " Somebody told me you were a Bryan man. I 
 do not know who it was, but I am glad that you 
 set yourself right on that subject, and I am 
 particularly glad that the country has set itself 
 right. Business has not improved very much, 
 but I think things would have been much worse 
 if Mr. Bryan had been elected. What do you 
 mean by saying that Bryan represents the cause 
 of a downtrodden, long-suffering people? We 
 are a suffering people, I admit, but as to being 
 downtrodden, I do not understand that state- 
 ment. What profit would there be in doing 
 anything else than patiently bearing the times 
 through which we are passing? It is very, very 
 difficult to understand all the causes which have 
 brought about the present condition of things, 
 but we are a free people, and I really do not 
 know that anybody is downtrodden in this land. 
 You speak of the Shylocks. I suppose there are 
 some; but are not the people of the West to 
 blame for incurring such financial obligations 
 with their eyes open? Why do they place 
 themselves in the hands of the Shylocks? Is 
 not their difficulty largely due to their over- 
 
 151
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 haste to get rich? ... I do not consider 
 such people downtrodden at all. I would say 
 that they were unwise. 
 
 " As to the price of farm produce, I do not 
 not see how that could be altered. We cannot 
 force up the price of wheat; if there is over- 
 cultivation, of course, prices would be low. 
 Notwithstanding all the drawbacks in our land, 
 it is the Eden of the earth for men in all 
 conditions of life." 
 
 As a writer McBurney was an example of 
 interesting development. This was shown in 
 the successive annual reports which he prepared 
 for twenty-six years, beginning with 1871. All 
 these messages are filled with a devout spirit of 
 thankfulness, and yet are pleasingly free from 
 digressive and cumbersome platitudes. In speak- 
 ing of them, Dr. Edward Prime, editor of the 
 New York Observer, said, that they were unri- 
 valed by those presented by any other religious 
 society which came under his attention. 
 
 It was hard for McBurney to write. He went 
 at it with much ado, and in the preparation of 
 his reports made all within the official circles of 
 the organization furnish contributions of mate- 
 rial. He was editor of the New York Association 
 Notes, and was an occasional contributor to the 
 religious press. He was the author of several 
 papers on association topics which were issued 
 in pamphlet form. He also wrote an important 
 historical sketch of the Young Men's Christian 
 Association, which went through several editions 
 His articles dealing with the importance of young 
 men's prayer-meetings and Bible study in the 
 association are among his best contributions. 
 
 152
 
 McBurnefs Views on Association Work 
 
 McBurney prepared a Bible study course on the 
 "Conversations of Jesus" which has been long 
 and widely used. This was selected from a 
 series of lessons which he gave before his 
 classes at the Twenty-third Street building. It 
 consisted of topics with references, and was 
 adapted for evangelistic Bible teaching. 
 
 During his forty years of residence in New 
 York, McBurney was an active member of St. 
 Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church. He served 
 on its board of trustees and its board of stew- 
 ards. This was far from being his only work 
 outside the association. His advice and coun- 
 sel was sought by leaders in philanthropy, by 
 Protestant ministers, by Catholic priests, and 
 Jewish rabbis. From 1867 he was a leading 
 and active member of the executive committee 
 of the Evangelical Alliance for America. He 
 was one of the founders, and for ten years a 
 director of the New York Christian Home for 
 Intemperate Men. Other managing boards of 
 which he was a member at varying times were 
 those of the American Tract Society, the Young 
 Women's Christian Association, the Federation 
 of Churches and Christian Workers, the Clerical 
 Mutual Association, the New York Deaconess' 
 Home and Training School of the Methodist 
 Church, and the Manhattan Working Girls' 
 Club. The Charity Organization Society and 
 the New York Sunday School Association 
 acknowledged obligations to him for special 
 services. In his later years he was a valued 
 member of the New York grand jury. 
 
 McBurney never married. His closest friends 
 attributed his course in this respect to a Pauline 
 
 153
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 devotion to his work. His associates were im- 
 pressed with the idea that this singleness of 
 life prompted him to throw himself with more 
 consuming energy into the service of young men, 
 and made him more affectionately attached as 
 with true fatherly regard for those who came 
 under his influence. He seldom accepted invi- 
 tations to social affairs outside the association, 
 and declined membership in one of the leading 
 New York social clubs lest it should divert his 
 efforts. He was fully alive to the attractiveness 
 of such pleasure, but he made all his decisions 
 in the light of full surrender to the one end of 
 his life. He was socially agreeable, a charming 
 companion, sprightly in talk, cheerful in dispo- 
 sition, quick to appreciate humor, always attract- 
 ive to young men. He seldom engaged in 
 story-telling. He never used slang. He was 
 scrupulous, even fastidious. McBurney indulged 
 himself moderately in smoking tobacco, but he 
 was careful not to smoke in the presence of 
 young men who might be influenced thereby. 
 He associated with many who thought it an 
 improper habit for a Christian worker, but he 
 always maintained that this was a matter which 
 each man had a right to settle for himself. For 
 general public amusements he had little taste 
 and less time. 
 
 His particular recreation was fishing. He 
 was an ardent lover of the woods, and he 
 belonged to a group of prominent gentlemen, 
 including several clergymen, who at times 
 together enjoyed camping and its varied 
 pleasures. The Catskills, the Adirondacks, and 
 the Pennsylvania hills were the goals of several 
 
 i54
 
 McBumey's Views on Association Work 
 
 brief pilgrimages for rest which McBurney 
 allowed himself. On one of these occasions he 
 nearly lost his life. While fishing in a boat, it 
 was upset, and as he could not swim he came 
 very near drowning, but was saved by Oliver C. 
 Morse coming to his rescue. He was one of a 
 committee of fishermen who were in the habit 
 of arranging a trout dinner in the early winter, 
 at which, after a bountiful banquet, the chief 
 toasts were fish stories and other adventures. 
 
 McBurney's career as general secretary of 
 the New York City Young Men's Christian 
 Association passed through a series of interest- 
 ing evolutions. His first service of two and one- 
 half years, from the summer of 1862 to the 
 winter of 1864, was an experimental period 
 which did much to develop him as a Christian 
 worker. The five years devoted to securing 
 the Twenty-third Street building helped to 
 make him a leader among men. The seventeen 
 years, from 1870 to 1887, in which he presided 
 as secretary of the Twenty-third Street build- 
 ing, and supervised the gradually growing work 
 throughout the city, were years of ceaseless 
 devotion and continued growth. They were 
 marked by contact with intricate religious 
 problems, and a close study of methods of work 
 and the needs of young men. These years 
 gave McBurney a fulness of wisdom which 
 made him the valued counselor of his associates 
 and of leaders in various lines of religious work. 
 The closing period of the New York secretary- 
 ship, during which he was metropolitan secre- 
 tary, were years of ripe experience and large 
 influence. During these years his wide ac- 
 
 155
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 quaintance with Christian givers in New York, 
 and the leaders of religious thought, were of 
 great value to the association. He never lost 
 his openness of mind or his enthusiasm for new 
 projects. He grew symmetrically until the 
 close, and was active in the advanced move- 
 ments of the association, keenly alive to their 
 bearing upon the whole problem of extending 
 Christ's kingdom among young men. 
 
 McBurney early became interested in the 
 literature of religious work among young men. 
 He collected publications regarding religious 
 movements among young people prior to the 
 organization of the association. He possessed 
 Woodward's volume on the religious societies 
 in England during the reign of Charles the 
 Second, and William, and Mary. He owned 
 Cotton Mather's Essays to do Good, with an 
 account of the early young men's societies in 
 New England during the latter part of the 
 seventeenth and the early part of the eigh- 
 teenth centuries. Among his books was a life 
 of David Nasmith, with an account of the 
 young men's societies founded by him. 
 
 During these years of his New York service, 
 he wrought out and exemplified the office and 
 work of the general secretary. He showed the 
 possibilities and the greatness of this service. 
 
 If his life had only been devoted to work for 
 young men in the metropolis, it would have 
 been a great career. He had helpfully touched 
 the lives of thousands of young men, and had 
 built in a great city a great institution which 
 promises to be a permanent blessing to mankind. 
 
 156
 
 PART II 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE LOCATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL 
 COMMITTEE IN NEW YORK CITY, 1865 
 TO 1867 
 
 We have studied McBurney as the general 
 secretary of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciations of New York City. We pass now to 
 consider him in his larger relations to the 
 movement in his own state, in America, in 
 Europe, and throughout the world. His en- 
 trance upon the broader stage began on his 
 return to the secretaryship in 1865, and con- 
 tinued until his death. He appeared at the 
 strategic moment. The war was over, an 
 experimental period of some fourteen years had 
 gone by, and the American associations were 
 ready for leadership into their distinctive work 
 and mission. The movement at large was 
 unformed, without experience or prestige, and 
 without resources. It was natural that a move- 
 ment which owed its existence to the rise of 
 the city should look for leadership to the 
 largest city of the continent. In the group of 
 men who gave this direction McBurney was 
 among the foremost. 
 
 Before the war, New York had refused to 
 lead in the general work because of its fear of 
 
 i57
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 distractions over the slavery question, and 
 because it was not yet clear what was to be the 
 nature and power of the central organization. 
 The return of peace banished forever the 
 dividing issue, and with the adoption of a 
 central authority, with emphasis upon its ad- 
 visory function, all fear of compulsion from it 
 vanished. The New York City Association was 
 ready to enter heartily into a national organiza- 
 tion. 
 
 McBurney's devotion to the cause as a whole, 
 his seniority in the secretarial field, his close 
 relations with a leading group of association 
 laymen, the location at an early date of the 
 international office near his own in the Twenty- 
 third Street building in New York City, his 
 intimate personal friendship with the chairman 
 and the general secretary of the international 
 committee, and above all, his peculiar force of 
 natural leadership, made him a dominant figure 
 in the general association field. The three con- 
 spicuous leaders in New York of the inter- 
 national work were Cephas Brainerd, chairman 
 of the international committee; Richard C. 
 Morse, its general secretary, and Robert R. 
 McBurney. To this triumvirate of personal 
 friends is largely due the present international 
 work. It is difficult to dissociate the service of 
 any one of these from the other two. Each influ- 
 enced the others, and no one of the three acted 
 alone. Writing, in 1882, after Mr. Brainerd 
 had been twenty-five years chairman of the 
 international committee, McBurney said: "In 
 the beginning, and when it was unpopular, he 
 grasped the basal idea of the association work 
 
 158
 
 CEPHAS BRAINEKI)
 
 The Location of the International Committee 
 
 by young men for young men and he has clung 
 to it tenaciously throughout. Every report of 
 the international committee to the conventions 
 since his chairmanship has been written by him. 
 Until 1872 the entire correspondence was con- 
 ducted by him, and since that time it has 
 been under his careful supervision. The secre- 
 taries of the committee have prosecuted their 
 work under his direction. This remarkable 
 unsalaried service for so many years by one 
 thoroughly qualified leader has been of inval- 
 uable benefit to the work for Christ among 
 young men in this and other lands. Mr. 
 Brainerd has lived to see his correct conception 
 and understanding of the associations, unpopular 
 at first, gain at last in general approval and 
 ascendency." 
 
 McBurney's first service to the general work 
 was to make the international convention a real 
 agency for furthering the specific work of the 
 Young Men's Christian Association. This he 
 did by welcoming the location of the committee 
 in New York, and by systematizing and direct- 
 ing the conduct of the conventions. McBurney 
 went to conventions to direct them. He did 
 direct them. He kept away from the platform, 
 usually allowed others to do the talking, was 
 not much in public view, but behind the scenes 
 he was active, vigilant, and in his element; 
 indeed, McBurney exulted in a convention not 
 in the mass meetings, the speaking, or in attend- 
 ance on sessions, although he was faithful in 
 that, but in the work of accomplishing results 
 the political manipulation and leadership of 
 forces. This thrilled him and brought forth 
 
 *59
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 his utmost energy. Here he displayed his lead- 
 ership and comprehensive grasp of association 
 affairs. It was in conventions, and sometimes 
 in committee meetings, that McBurney displayed 
 his Irish eloquence. Not a ready platform- 
 speaker, he would make the most telling pre- 
 sentation when once stirred. At the vital mo- 
 ment in a convention, he would speak from the 
 floor with great energy, sometimes stamping his 
 feet and clenching his hands, and with such 
 enthusiasm that he swept down all opposition. 
 He belonged to the type of orators described 
 by John Morley* when speaking of Cromwell, 
 "as impressive by their laboring sincerity, by 
 the weight of their topics, and by that which is 
 the true force of all oratory worth talking about, 
 the momentum of the orator's history, person- 
 ality, and purpose." 
 
 He was also an aggressive factor in com- 
 mittee meetings. While always considerate of 
 others' opinions, and willing to yield in what he 
 regarded non-essentials, he was tenacious of 
 what he regarded the right view. Indeed, one 
 of his friends said of him, if a committee did 
 not do as McBurney believed it ought, "it very 
 soon became a matter of conscience with him 
 whether he would remain upon the committee." 
 However, another of his friends said of him: 
 " He could be very strenuous, but when he 
 came down to the bottom he was always willing 
 to recognize that other people had the right to 
 be strenuous, and that wisdom was not wholly 
 with himself." And with all this he was not 
 dictatorial. 
 
 * Oliver Cromwell, p. 374. 
 
 160
 
 The Location of the International Committee 
 
 His first connection with the international 
 work was at the Philadelphia convention in 
 June, 1865. McBurney was then in his twenty- 
 ninth year. With the six others from New 
 York he found himself at Philadelphia assem- 
 bled with over two hundred delegates from 
 forty-seven different associations. As McBurney 
 found the board of management of the New 
 York association a training school for prepara- 
 tion for local work, so he found these conven- 
 tions, representing different sections of the 
 continent, attended by different types of men 
 with varying ideas of association work, an insti- 
 tution fitting him for national leadership. He 
 learned rapidly in this school. He perceived at 
 once at the Philadelphia convention that, with 
 possibly the exception of Boston, the associa- 
 tion of which he was the executive officer was 
 far in advance of the others represented. He 
 also perceived that the movement at large had 
 no clear conception of the distinctive mission of 
 the association to young men, and he threw 
 himself with all his energy into the advocacy of 
 this cause. 
 
 Shortly after the convention had been called 
 to order by Hon. Joseph A. Pond of Boston, 
 the minutes stated that " Mr. R. R. McBurney of 
 New York moved that a committee of one from 
 each state, district, and province represented be 
 appointed to report a list of officers for perma- 
 nent organization. The president appointed 
 McBurney as the chairman of this nominating 
 committee. Speaking of this action, McBurney 
 said: "As soon as the committee went into 
 session it was apparent that the Philadelphia 
 
 161
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 members were determined to elect a military 
 officer as president. I took ground in favor of 
 New York, as New York had never had the 
 presidency. The committee was some time in 
 reaching a conclusion, but finally nominated 
 Mr. Cephas Brainerd, whose name I had sub- 
 mitted." McBurney strongly favored the ap- 
 pointment of the nominating committee of one 
 from each state by the retiring president, as he 
 believed it promoted political methods to have 
 the members of this committee selected by the 
 different states, and it is probable that he felt 
 the importance of keeping as far as possible the 
 control of this committee in the hands of the 
 international committee. It was in connection 
 with the overthrow of this system that McBur- 
 ney met one of the severest defeats of his life. 
 
 No suitable arrangements had been made 
 for the convention by the committee of the 
 preceding year. As a new committee was ap- 
 pointed each year, there was usually little 
 planning in advance. No topics had been an- 
 nounced for discussion, no one had been assigned 
 to read papers. The convention necessarily 
 took the shape of a religious mass meeting. It 
 seemed to have no clearly defined purpose. 
 Men were present with various projects which 
 they sought to get the convention to indorse. 
 One man wanted the convention to form an 
 American Protestant association to oppose 
 Roman Catholicism; another to inaugurate a 
 movement for purifying the literature sold on 
 railway trains. The most conspicuous proposi- 
 tion was a plan proposed " for the purchase of 
 Ford's Theater and the erection of a building for 
 
 162
 
 The Location of the International Committee 
 
 the use of the Washington association, at a cost 
 of $100,000." It was very plain that the con- 
 vention needed some guiding mind. 
 
 The committee on arrangements at Phila- 
 delphia, in planning to entertain the convention, 
 had arranged to occupy most of the evenings. 
 One evening was devoted to the welcome meet- 
 ing, the next to the rendering of the oratorio 
 of the Messiah, the third to the anniversary of 
 the Ladies' Christian Commission, and Satur- 
 day afternoon to a mass meeting of the Sunday 
 schools of Philadelphia. An invitation was 
 accepted for the convention to hold its Satur- 
 day morning session at Spring Brook, the 
 country residence of George H. Stuart. The 
 New York members were all at the same hotel, 
 and when it became evident that the convention 
 was not to discuss the work of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association, they determined to enter 
 a protest. It was arranged that McBurney 
 should go before the committee on associations 
 and urge that time be given for the considera- 
 tion of work for young men. 
 
 This resulted in a very important change in 
 the international conventions. Prior to this 
 time, "it had been customary to refer all ques- 
 tions presented by individual members to com- 
 mittees for report, instead of having a paper 
 prepared and the topic discussed in the con- 
 vention." 
 
 McBurney submitted a list of topics, to the 
 discussion of which the Saturday evening ses- 
 sion of the convention was devoted. 
 
 " 1. The best method of bringing young men 
 in cities under the influence of the associations. 
 
 163
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 " 2. The best means of making the monthly 
 meetings of the associations interesting and 
 profitable. 
 
 "3. Are literary classes desirable, and if so, 
 how should they be conducted? 
 
 "4. How shall young men be employed and 
 retained in associations? 
 
 "5. What means shall be employed by asso- 
 ciations for improving the social condition of 
 young men?" 
 
 An interesting and valuable discussion fol- 
 lowed the presentation of these topics, and from 
 this time dates the directing of the convention 
 program to a definite consideration of work for 
 young men by young men. 
 
 The invitations for the eleventh convention 
 created a lively scene. The struggle was be- 
 tween Albany and Montreal. In urging the 
 cause of Montreal, one of the delegates impru- 
 dently remarked, " That as Montreal was neu- 
 tral ground, our erring brothers from the South 
 could meet us there without loss of self-respect." 
 The Albany delegates took prompt advantage 
 of this remark, and said, "That we were unwill- 
 ing to meet our Southern brothers on neutral 
 ground, for if we could not meet them under 
 the stars and stripes, we would not meet them 
 at all." This carried the convention to Albany. 
 The reunion between the Northern and the 
 Southern associations really did not take place 
 until two years later at a convention held in 
 Montreal, and in this McBurney had an im- 
 portant share. 
 
 In speaking of the Philadelphia convention, 
 McBurney, some years later, said: "The im- 
 
 164
 
 The Location of the International Committee 
 
 pressions of the Philadelphia gathering as a 
 convention were highly unsatisfactory. It was 
 more useful in showing how a convention of 
 Young Men's Christian Associations ought not 
 to be held than of how it should be held. 
 However, it brought forth some excellent fruit. 
 The opposition to evening entertainments at a 
 convention produced a lasting impression. The 
 effect made on the New York delegation by the 
 knowledge of the importance of bringing the 
 international work into a high position was 
 another excellent feature." 
 
 McBurney went home from his first interna- 
 tional convention determined to do what he 
 could for the work at large. 
 
 During the war many of the associations 
 had disbanded, but they now began to increase 
 rapidly in number and in membership. 
 
 The Albany convention in 1866 was in many 
 respects one of the most important ever held. 
 It may be looked upon as a turning-point in the 
 history of the American associations. It re- 
 sulted in the location of the international com- 
 mittee at New York City. McBurney said of it : 
 "The reawakening of the associations to work 
 at home for young men by young men dates 
 from the Albany convention." It was at this 
 gathering that McBurney proposed the plan of 
 convention procedure which has become char- 
 acteristic of Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tions. On McBurney's motion the Albany 
 convention created a committee for the consid- 
 eration of the international committee's report. 
 The office of this body was to take the report of 
 the year's work presented to the convention at 
 
 165
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 the beginning of the session, digest it, and make 
 recommendations based upon it. This line of 
 procedure, running through the meeting from 
 beginning to end, has since been characteristic 
 of the international and state association gath- 
 erings. It constitutes the framework of the 
 deliberative work of these bodies. Mr. Morse 
 has called it "the backbone of the convention." 
 This committee has always shared with the 
 committee on organization the chief importance 
 and determinative influence in the conventions. 
 
 At this convention the committee of which 
 McBurney was chairman suggested the estab- 
 lishment of state conventions. While it had 
 been recommended previously that local con- 
 ventions be held, this was the origin of what is 
 now known as state work. 
 
 McBurney introduced a resolution at this 
 convention calling upon the associations and 
 evangelical ministers of the world to observe a 
 Sunday in November every year as a day of 
 prayer for the increase and spiritual prosperity 
 of the associations everywhere. This day 
 became generally adopted by the associations 
 in all lands. In the next convention, on a 
 resolution by McBurney, it was resolved that 
 an entire week in November be given to special 
 prayer and efforts by the association for young 
 men. 
 
 McBurney was again at Albany a member of 
 the committee on nominations, and proved to be 
 the important member. " Before the with- 
 drawal of the committee for consultation," he 
 relates, " I asked Mr. Brainerd who would make 
 a good president. He said that H. Thane Mil- 
 
 166
 
 H. THANE MILLER
 
 The Location of the International Committee 
 
 ler of Cincinnati was present, and that he was 
 a good presiding officer. It was some time 
 before the committee agreed to the nomination 
 of Mr. Miller, but I pressed his name with 
 pertinacity. I also presented the name of Mr. 
 Miller to the convention and he was elected." 
 H. Thane Miller attained a remarkable reputa- 
 tion as a presiding officer. He was tactful, and 
 especially apt in harmonizing divergent inter- 
 ests. He would quiet controversy by calling 
 for prayer, or for the singing of some pacifying 
 hymn, in the heat of a discussion. Between 
 McBurney and Mr. Miller a great intimacy and 
 deep friendship arose which lasted throughout 
 Mr. Miller's life. They addressed each other 
 in terms of affectionate familiarity. Mr. Miller 
 thought of McBurney as a father would of a son. 
 Mr. Miller was chosen later a member of the 
 international committee. He was the founder 
 of the state work in Ohio, and did a great deal 
 towards cementing the associations of the East 
 and West. Although blind, he presided at four 
 international conventions, and as ex-president 
 attended all the conventions during his lifetime. 
 He was always welcomed to the platform by his 
 successors, and was far beyond all others the 
 pre-eminent presiding officer of the American 
 association movement. 
 
 The chief subject for discussion at the 
 Albany convention was the true mission of the 
 association. This found expression at the very 
 beginning, in the address given by the retiring 
 president, Mr. Brainerd. Speaking of this, 
 McBurney said : " He struck the key-note for 
 the present successful association movement 
 
 167
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 directly in behalf of young men. That address, 
 in which Mr. Brainerd called the convention to 
 order and amplified and emphasized the views 
 he had advocated at former conventions, made 
 a lasting impression on the work of the societies 
 in North America." Mr. Brainerd said : " Our 
 future progress rests upon an unswerving devo- 
 tion to the primary objects and aims of these 
 associations the social, mental, and religious 
 improvement of young men. As organizations 
 with these avowed objects we challenge atten- 
 tion. As seeking these ends we are prominently 
 before the world. Because of these things we 
 are what we are. When we deviate from them 
 we trench upon ground assigned to others." 
 
 Before going to the convention, McBurney 
 arranged a list of subjects for discussion, as he 
 feared the convention would assemble again 
 without any topics having been prepared. This 
 list of subjects was accepted by the committee 
 on business. The first one was, " What is the 
 True Aim of Young Men's Christian Associations 
 and Their Primary Field of Labor?" This 
 aroused an extended debate. 
 
 Prior to the Albany convention, the execu- 
 tive committees had been moved about from 
 city to city, Each committee was appointed 
 for but one year of office. To the executive 
 committee which called the Albany convention 
 this seemed an undesirable arrangement, and in 
 their report presented by Rev. A. Taylor, of 
 Philadelphia, they recommended a change by 
 which the committee should be located for a 
 term of years in one place, and that the place 
 should be New York City. McBurney, as chair- 
 
 168
 
 The Location of the International Committee 
 
 man of the committee on the executive com- 
 mittee's report, recommended that in the future 
 the committee be located in New York City. 
 There was some opposition to locating it there 
 permanently, and it was voted to appoint an 
 international committee with headquarters in 
 New York for three years. Its continuance 
 there was voted in 1869, 1872, 1875, l &79> an d 
 1 88 1. In 1883 the act incorporating the com- 
 mittee and locating it permanently in New York 
 was accepted and adopted by the convention. 
 
 While neither Mr. Brainerd nor McBurney 
 were made members of this committee at the 
 convention, Mr. Brainerd became its corres- 
 ponding secretary for the first year. The fol- 
 lowing year he was elected chairman, a position 
 which he continued to occupy for twenty-five 
 years. McBurney attended the committee 
 meetings from the beginning as its correspond- 
 ing member for New York state. He was 
 elected to the committee at Portland in 1869. 
 This brought him into close touch with the ma- 
 chinery of the international work, and gave him 
 an opportunity to exercise a large influence in 
 its development. 
 
 The twelfth convention was held at Mont- 
 real, and was the first convention to which the 
 New York committee made a report. McBurney, 
 while not as yet a full member of the commit- 
 tee, had been deeply interested in its activities. 
 He was particularly interested in the revival of 
 work in the South. In response to a circular 
 calling the convention, the Charleston associa- 
 tion had written that it very much desired being 
 represented at Montreal, but financial circum- 
 
 169
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 stances forbade its sending delegates. McBur- 
 ney says: " I immediately went to one or two 
 friends, and told them the facts. Before an 
 hour from the receipt of the letter had elapsed, 
 a telegram was sent, saying, ' Come at our ex- 
 pense. I send you tickets to-night. You will 
 be our guests from the time you leave until you 
 reach Charleston again.' Four delegates came, 
 and their presence at Montreal contributed great 
 additional interest. This was the resuming of 
 hearty fraternal relations between the Northern 
 and Southern Associations." 
 
 An interesting scene occurred at the Mont- 
 real convention when Major-General W. T. 
 Gregory of Fredericksburg reported for Vir- 
 ginia. General Gregory's speech was received 
 with hearty applause. At its close, Mr. E. V. C. 
 Eato, colored, president of the colored associa- 
 tion of New York City, arose to respond. He 
 was asked to go forward. As he reached the 
 platform, General Gregory stepped forward and 
 took him by the hand. The convention as by 
 an inspiration arose, handkerchiefs waving 
 throughout the house, and the entire audience 
 united in singing, "Say, Brothers, Will You 
 Meet Us?" The scene was an affecting one. 
 
 McBurney says: "When we reached Mont- 
 real, we found a great deal of bitterness emanat- 
 ing from Albany touching the views which had 
 been advanced upon the question of amuse- 
 ments. The Albany delegates who favored a 
 rigid policy were determined to elect a presi- 
 dent. There was also a man from another 
 prominent association who had been seeking 
 his own election. He had written letters to 
 
 170
 
 The Location of the International Committee 
 
 some gentlemen on the subject. I deeply felt 
 the importance of securing the election of a 
 competent presiding officer, and that neither of 
 these gentlemen was fitted for the position. Mr. 
 and Mrs. H. Thane Miller were stopping at St. 
 Lawrence Hall. Knowing the opposition of 
 the Troy brethren on the question of amuse- 
 ments, and fearful that they would be much 
 hurt, I found Mr. Clegg, the president of the 
 Troy association. With Mr. Miller, we went 
 over the whole question in my bedroom, and 
 spent much time in prayer. Our conference 
 did not close until one o'clock in the morning. 
 We saw no light in regard to the person who 
 should be selected. It was agreed that Mr. 
 Clegg should offer the resolution, appointing a 
 nominating committee. At the beginning of 
 the session, Mr. Miller's opening address, in 
 which he described losing his sight, melted 
 every heart. Men were in tears throughout the 
 audience. Mr. Clegg offered the resolution 
 that the chair appoint a nominating committee, 
 consisting of one delegate from each state. A 
 representative from Albany immediately arose 
 and moved as an amendment that the members 
 on the committee be appointed not by the chair, 
 but by the delegates from each state. The 
 amendment created much discussion. I arose 
 and said that whatever might be the opinion of 
 the gentleman from Albany in regard to the 
 fairness of the presiding officer (Mr. Miller), 
 the delegates of the convention had no sym- 
 pathy with the distrust implied in the amend- 
 ment. The convention did not know, as I did, 
 that Albany was seeking to get the presidency. 
 
 171
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 This statement provoked something of a sen- 
 sation and much impatience on the part of the 
 conference. The amendment was lost over- 
 whelmingly, and the original resolution adopted. 
 So much sympathy for Mr. Miller was awakened 
 that as soon as the nominating committee re- 
 tired, many members of the convention hastened 
 to the committee and urged the renomination 
 of Mr. Miller." The committee presented Mr. 
 Miller's name, which was received with spon- 
 taneous and enthusiastic bursts of applause. 
 
 It became the custom of the international 
 conventions for the president-elect to have a 
 conference after the first evening session, with 
 a few representatives from the different states, 
 in order to select the members of the various 
 standing committees. McBurney was always 
 present at these conferences, and his wide ac- 
 quaintance with association workers made him 
 an important factor in selecting these commit- 
 tees from year to year. 
 
 Speaking of the Montreal convention, Mc- 
 Burney said: " This convention was the largest 
 we had held. Many persons went for mere pleas- 
 ure seeking, and nearly swamped the Montreal 
 association. Many of the delegates behaved in 
 a manner quite unbecoming delegates to a Chris- 
 tian association convention, absenting themselves 
 from the sessions, driving about the city, and 
 running up bills at the hotels, at the expense of 
 the association. 
 
 " The convention was more extensively re- 
 ported in American newspapers, religious and 
 secular, than any preceding it. The result was, 
 that information in regard to the movement 
 
 172
 
 The Location of the International Committee 
 
 was scattered broadcast over the whole country. 
 More associations were organized between the 
 Montreal and the following convention than in 
 any former decade. Some of these were organ- 
 ized without proper means being provided for 
 their support. The convention was certainly 
 the most dramatic I have ever attended. The 
 spirit of the Lord was present in the meetings, 
 and many dated the beginning of their Christian 
 life to that memorable gathering." 
 
 The attendance upon these three conven- 
 tions, at Philadelphia, Albany, and Montreal, 
 during the years the New York association was 
 entering upon its building canvass, helped to 
 make McBurney a leader among men. He 
 responded to the impulse of the association 
 movement throughout the continent. The con- 
 vention became one of the channels through 
 which he learned of the condition of the asso- 
 ciations. He formed acquaintances which ex- 
 tended his influence, and he gradually found 
 himself in an ever-widening fellowship which 
 his strong personality enabled him to direct and 
 mould. Probably no association leader had 
 attended as many and as varied association con- 
 ventions as McBurney had at the time of his 
 death. These early conventions prepared him 
 for his international service. 
 
 173
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE EVANGELICAL AND EVANGELISTIC 
 CONTROVERSIES 
 
 THE SECURING OF ROBERT WEIDENSALL AND 
 RICHARD C. MORSE 
 
 The Young Men's Christian Association has 
 been singularly free from theological disputes. 
 It is a practical organization established for 
 philanthropic and evangelistic work, and has 
 neither the equipment nor the experience fitting 
 it to consider doctrinal questions. 
 
 There have been two important controversies 
 in which McBurney took a prominent part : one 
 theological, and the other touching the scope of 
 the association's work. The theological ques- 
 tion resulted in determining the doctrinal basis 
 of the association, and was practically settled 
 before 1870. The practical question with re- 
 gard to the aim and scope of the movement was 
 agitated in the American association from the 
 very first, and cannot be said to have been 
 finally settled until about 1880. Here we will 
 recall McBurney's relations to these two great 
 questions, considering first the doctrinal basis of 
 the American organizations. 
 
 The first world's convention, which was 
 held at Paris in 1855, formulated the historic 
 basis of the movement: "The Young Men's 
 Christian Associations seek to unite those young 
 men who, regarding Jesus Christ as their God 
 
 174
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 and Saviour according to the Holy Scriptures, 
 desire to be his disciples, in their doctrine and 
 in their life, and to associate their efforts for 
 the extension of his kingdom among young 
 men." This is the basis on the continent of 
 Europe. In Great Britain active members 
 " must give decided evidence of conversion to 
 God." 
 
 When the American movement began at 
 Montreal and Boston, the Montreal constitution 
 made no requirement except good character. 
 The Boston association originated the idea of 
 limiting active membership to young men who 
 were members of evangelical churches. This 
 plan was followed in New York City until 1865, 
 and after a brief trial of a broader basis, was 
 readopted. 
 
 At the first American convention, at Buffalo 
 in 1854, a resolution was introduced urging the 
 associations to accept an evangelical basis, but 
 the convention was absorbed with other ques- 
 tions, and while it recommended an evangelical 
 basis, it stated:* " This convention is decidedly 
 of the opinion that the qualifications for the 
 different kinds of membership can be best deter- 
 mined by each association for itself, and that 
 uniformity of action cannot without greater ex- 
 perience be asked or expected." 
 
 In the mean time a variety of practices had 
 sprung up among the different associations. 
 Cincinnati required all members to be members 
 of evangelical churches. A number of associa- 
 tions simply required good character, while 
 several only required that officers and members 
 
 *First Report, page 59. 
 
 175
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 of the board should be members of evangelical 
 churches. 
 
 While there is no record that McBurney 
 opposed the adoption in New York City of the 
 broader basis in 1865, it is plain that he early 
 perceived the vital importance of this question. 
 His own convictions became stronger and 
 stronger that the association must identify 
 itself with the evangelical church. With him 
 this was not a question of policy, although 
 nearly ninety-eight per cent of American Prot- 
 estants were evangelical, but it was a question 
 of principle. He believed the perpetuity of the 
 association depended upon this issue. His first 
 efforts were in connection with the work in New 
 York state. 
 
 Among the significant contributions which 
 the Albany convention made to association 
 work was the recommendation, introduced on 
 McBurney's motion, that the corresponding 
 members of the international committee in the 
 different districts and states should call state 
 conventions. At the international convention 
 at Albany McBurney brought together the del- 
 egates present from New York state, and they 
 arranged to hold the first state convention at 
 Oswego, a city which then had no association. 
 McBurney, who was the corresponding member 
 of the international committee for New York 
 state, made the arrangements for this conven- 
 tion. It was his province to call the convention 
 to order, and in doing so he read a short ad- 
 dress in which he urged the importance of 
 keeping the work true to its primary object. 
 
 In the course of this convention a clergyman 
 176
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 from Auburn introduced a resolution as fol- 
 lows: "That we believe the admission of 
 unconverted young men to active membership 
 in our association is inconsistent with the spirit 
 of our organizations." This resolution was 
 referred to the committee on associations, which 
 stated in its report on the succeeding day that 
 "in the opinion of this committee none but 
 Christian young men should be admitted to 
 active membership in these associations." 
 
 In calling the second New York state con- 
 vention, which was held in Elmira in the fall of 
 1867, McBurney prepared a list of topics for 
 consideration, among which was, "What 
 Should Be the Test of Active Membership in 
 Young Men's Christian Associations?" Mc- 
 Burney opened the discussion of this question, 
 and urged the limiting of active members "to 
 those who are members in good standing in 
 evangelical churches." The discussion follow- 
 ing showed a variety of views. Finally, after 
 reference to a special committee, a resolution 
 was reported approving of the plan then held 
 to in New York City, namely, that all young 
 men of good moral character be eligible to 
 active membership and the voting power, but 
 that only members in good and regular stand- 
 ing in evangelical churches be eligible to office. 
 This, however, did not suit McBurney, and he 
 spoke against the adoption of the report. He 
 proposed as a substitute the declaration of the 
 Oswego convention, namely, that " we believe 
 the admission of unconverted young men to 
 active membership in our associations is 
 inconsistent with the spirit of our organi- 
 
 177
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 zations." This was followed- by a long and 
 animated discussion. A clergyman from 
 Saratoga said, "The distinction between 
 active and associate members is a dead 
 letter with the smaller bodies. This invidious 
 distinction has driven away young men. It is a 
 mistake to try to make the association a church." 
 Another minister said, "We cannot grow on 
 this narrow basis; let all be active members." 
 
 After eight speeches had been made, McBur- 
 ney called for the previous question, but as 
 objection was raised to this, he was led to 
 make one of his few stirring convention ad- 
 dresses. He rose, and with great earnestness 
 said: " I consider this to be the most important 
 question that can engage the attention of this 
 convention, affecting vitally the very existence 
 of our associations. I deny, as has been re- 
 marked, that the opposition to the report of the 
 committee is based on what my brother has 
 been pleased to style a 'property bugbear.' The 
 bugbear is the honor of the cross of Christ. Are 
 we prepared to allow these associations as iden- 
 tified with his cause, to be placed under the con- 
 trol and government of those whom he has 
 clearly defined as his enemies? He tells us, we 
 have it from his own lips, that ' no man can 
 serve two masters, for either he will hate the 
 one and love the other, or else he will hold to 
 the one and despise the other. Ye cannot 
 serve God and mammon.' And yet in view of 
 these teachings of our Lord, not to be misunder- 
 stood, there are brethren here who appeal to 
 us to manifest a broad and liberal spirit by 
 admitting to active membership, giving the 
 
 178
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 right to vote, and thus the control of these 
 agencies which God has been pleased in such a 
 remarkable manner to bless in the extension of 
 his kingdom among young men, to those whom 
 Christ himself has declared to be his enemies. 
 I am not here to-day, as has been intimated, to 
 ask for any favors or concessions on the part of 
 the larger associations they are able to protect 
 themselves but I stand before you to plead the 
 cause of the smaller societies and of earnest 
 young men loving the Lord Jesus Christ, who 
 are here to-day contemplating the organization 
 of Young Men's Christian Associations in their 
 towns, and who came hither seeking informa- 
 tion in relation to the mode of organizing and 
 carrying forward the work for which such socie- 
 ties are instituted. 
 
 " It has been stated that associations in small 
 towns cannot sustain themselves if they do not 
 confer the right to vote on irreligious young 
 men seeking admission to them, and that the 
 societies denying this right do not give young 
 men sufficient for their money. Who will say 
 that men renting pews in this church, and not 
 members, sitting Sunday after Sunday under 
 the preaching of the gospel of Christ, do not 
 get sufficient in return for their money because 
 they cannot elect the pastor, the deacons, or 
 elders, and control its government? What kind 
 of churches and preaching would we have if 
 these modern liberal ideas were adopted? Let 
 us firmly and unceasingly maintain the standard 
 which the associations on this continent have 
 ever held. Let us so act on this question that 
 it may not be the painful duty of a member of 
 
 179
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 any Young Men's Christian Association of this 
 state at the next convention to say, ' we followed 
 the advice of your committee, and our associa- 
 tion has lost its Christian character.' " This 
 speech turned the tide of the convention. Only 
 remarks in support of the evangelical posi- 
 tion followed, and McBurney's amendment was 
 adopted. 
 
 The following February a strong article ad- 
 vocating the evangelical basis for active mem- 
 bership in the association, prepared by Cephas 
 Brainerd, appeared in the Quarterly. Mr. 
 Brainerd had in the New York board opposed 
 the broader basis which was adopted in 1865, 
 and without doubt had a strong influence over 
 McBurney's convictions on this question. In 
 the mean time the question had become a very 
 live one throughout the country. In 1868 re- 
 ports were received from two hundred and six- 
 teen associations in America. Of these, three 
 had no test for membership, sixty-seven required 
 good moral character, four required active mem- 
 bers to have Christian character, and one hun- 
 dred and forty-two, or sixty-five per cent, re- 
 quired for active membership, membership in 
 evangelical churches. 
 
 The international convention that year was 
 to be held at Detroit. McBurney was made 
 first vice-president of this convention. With 
 the hearty approval of McBurney and all the 
 members of the international committee, a res- 
 olution had been prepared by the chairman, Mr. 
 Brainerd, on the evangelical basis. This reso- 
 lution was incorporated in the report made by 
 the committee to the convention as follows: 
 
 180
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 " That a resolution be adopted by the conven- 
 tion to the effect that membership in good 
 standing in an evangelical church should be the 
 unvarying test of active membership in the 
 Young Men's Christian Associations." 
 
 11 That a resolution be adopted instructing 
 the executive committee and the corresponding 
 members to use all reasonable and proper meas- 
 ures to secure the adoption of this test by all 
 the associations, and especially to strive to 
 obtain its incorporation in the most permanent 
 form in the constitutions of such associations as 
 may hereafter be formed." McBurney was ac- 
 tive in making sentiment at the Detroit conven- 
 tion in behalf of this resolution. 
 
 Some years later a prominent secretary, who 
 was then a member of the Pittsburg association, 
 related: "In 1867 the requisite for active mem- 
 bership in the Pittsburg association was simply 
 good moral character. The next year, 1868, I 
 went to my first convention at Detroit, where 
 they brought up the proposition for the evan- 
 gelical test of active membership. I had been 
 active before I became a Christian, which was 
 not for some time afterwards. I went to the 
 convention to oppose this proposition as 
 strongly as I knew how, resolved that I was 
 going to do my level best to prevent its adop- 
 tion. McBurney heard of it in some way, and 
 got Mr. Brainerd to come and have a personal 
 talk with me on the subject. McBurney also 
 talked with me. They both impressed me so 
 much, and the rest of the large delegation from 
 Pittsburg, that we stood behind the New York 
 men in pushing through the resolution."
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 Mr. J. H. Cheever of Cincinnati was chair- 
 man of the committee on the report of the ex- 
 ecutive committee. In his reminiscences of the 
 early conventions, prepared about 1885, McBur- 
 ney, in speaking of the action on the evangel- 
 ical test at Detroit, states: " I wrote a resolution 
 on this subject and handed it to Mr. Cheever, 
 chairman of the committee on the executive 
 committee's report. It will be found on page 
 94, fourth paragraph, of the convention report." 
 The resolution was as follows: " Resolved, as 
 these organizations bear the name of Christian, 
 and profess to be engaged directly in the Sa- 
 viour's service, so it is clearly their duty to main- 
 tain the control and management of all their 
 affairs in the hands of those who love and pub- 
 licly avow their faith in Jesus, the Redeemer, as 
 divine, and who testify their faith by becoming 
 and remaining members of churches held to be 
 evangelical, and that such persons and no others 
 should be allowed to vote or hold office." This 
 resolution, in addition to the one prepared by 
 Mr. Brainerd which has already been quoted, 
 was adopted at the Detroit convention. Thus 
 ended the first act in this important contro- 
 versy. 
 
 At this convention McBurney added another 
 to the many services which he rendered the 
 association cause. Speaking of this gathering 
 in his reminiscences he says: " Before going to 
 the convention, Mr. S. A. Kean of Chicago 
 called on me and urged the importance of a 
 mission to the young men on the lines of the 
 Pacific railroad. The suggestion commended 
 itself to my judgment and I immediately pro- 
 
 182
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 ceeded to secure contributions for this purpose. 
 In a short time I had obtained $800. When I 
 went to the convention I asked Mr. Kean to 
 offer a resolution instructing the executive com- 
 mittee to employ a man on the line of the 
 Pacific railroad. This he declined to do, and I 
 offered the resolution, which was adopted." 
 
 Mr. Brainerd opened correspondence with 
 the leaders at Omaha, which resulted in the 
 employment of Robert Weidensall, who became 
 the first paid agent of the affiliated Young 
 Men's Christian Associations of America. 
 Mr. Weidensall was a pioneer in work for young 
 men. He foresaw many of the association's 
 developments and led in them. He has been 
 called the "bishop of the West" and the 
 "prophet" of the association movement. 
 
 The culminating stage in the development of 
 the evangelical controversy took place at the 
 Portland convention in 1869. Most of those 
 friendly to having the association placed upon 
 an evangelical basis regarded the question as 
 settled by the Detroit convention, and there was 
 no expectation of any further discussion. The 
 international committee in its report proposed 
 the reaffirmation of the resolution on the evan- 
 gelical basis adopted at Detroit. When this 
 was proposed, some one asked for a statement 
 of the resolution, which was accordingly read. 
 This prompted Major-General O. O. Howard 
 of Washington to inquire, "What is an evan- 
 gelical church? Is it one whose members love 
 the Lord Jesus Christ?" Mr. H. Thane Miller 
 called out from the floor, " That is just it." This 
 led to an historic discussion. A clergyman from 
 
 183
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 Fall River, Mass., declared, " There are many 
 Unitarians in our churches and associations who 
 love the Lord Jesus Christ as much as any of us. 
 The report just made excludes from our associa- 
 tions many excellent men. All who recognize 
 the Lord Jesus Christ as Redeemer should be 
 admitted." A clergyman from Wheeling, W. 
 Va., declared with some vehemence, " I deny 
 that any man can love the Lord Jesus who denies 
 that he is the Son of the living God. If a man 
 denies him the crown of divinity, he robs him 
 of his glory, and I cannot associate with him in 
 Christian fellowship." This utterance provoked 
 great applause and immense enthusiasm. Rev. 
 J. M. Buckley rose and said: "There may be, 
 and doubtless are, people in the Unitarian and 
 Universalist churches, and the outside world, 
 too, who may be in sympathy with our Jesus, 
 but no real logical Unitarian ever will express 
 belief in the crucifixion of Christ as his redemp- 
 tion from sin. While there may be some good 
 moral Unitarians, it is unsafe to take them into 
 our full fraternity." Rev. Howard Crosby, U.D., 
 of New York City, proposed that evangelical 
 churches be defined as " those churches which 
 believe in the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ as our Divine Redeemer, received by 
 faith as the sole source of salvation from eternal 
 death." Perhaps the most convincing speech in 
 support of the evangelical basis was made by 
 Cephas Brainerd, chairman of the International 
 Committee, although the record of this was 
 omitted in the printed report. 
 
 Several efforts were now made to remove the 
 question from the floor by referring it to a com- 
 
 184
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 mittee. The discussion had been carried on 
 chiefly by clergymen. A minister from Provi- 
 dence now rose and said : " This question is all- 
 important, and we should be very cautious in 
 approaching it. It has divided and sub-divided 
 the Christian church for fifteen hundred years, 
 and still agitates it." He moved that the ques- 
 tion be referred to a special committee to report. 
 This was carried. 
 
 At this critical moment, McBurney who had 
 been following the debate with the deepest inter- 
 est, secured the floor, and took the liberty to 
 suggest the members of this committee. He 
 moved that the special committee consist of 
 Rev. Howard Crosby of New York, Rev. S. H. 
 Lee of Greenfield, Mass., Rev. G. M. Grant of 
 Halifax, Rev. D. C. Kellogg of Providence, and 
 Major-General O. O. Howard of Washington 
 all clergymen except one. Dr. Crosby reported 
 for this committee that " we hold those churches 
 to be evangelical which, maintaining the Holy 
 Scriptures to be the only infallible rule of faith 
 and practice, do believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 
 (the only begotten of the Father, King of kings 
 and Lord of lords, in whom dwells the fullness 
 of the godhead bodily, and who was made sin 
 for us, though knowing no sin, bearing our sins 
 in his own body on the tree,) as the only name 
 under heaven given among men whereby we must 
 be saved from everlasting punishment." The 
 vote upon the acceptance of this formula was 
 unanimous, the convention giving vent to its 
 enthusiasm by spontaneously rising and singing 
 the hymn Coronation, " All hail the power of 
 Jesus' name." " I have frequently heard that 
 
 185
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 hymn sung," said McBurney, " but never so 
 enthusiastically or with more emotion. Strong 
 men wept like children, and I realized that the 
 action of the Portland convention would make 
 an indelible mark upon the association move- 
 ment of the continent. These expectations were 
 more than realized. From this convention has 
 dated a permanent growth and a sympathy and 
 co-operation on the part of the evangelical pas- 
 tors such as the associations had not experienced 
 before." 
 
 The convention followed up this resolution 
 by enacting that of associations organized in the 
 future, only those established on an evangelical 
 basis should be admitted to the international 
 convention. This practically settled the evan- 
 gelical controversy in America, and though it 
 was some years before there was uniformity, 
 the movement has since been identified with the 
 evangelical church. 
 
 Mr. Morse, some years afterward, in speaking 
 of this controversy, said : " The correspondence 
 of the international committee early in the '70' s 
 shows that there was a good deal of protest 
 against this test. In not a few cities attempt 
 was made to organize and carry on the work 
 without it. But not enough dissent was mani- 
 fested to create any serious discussion in any of 
 the state or international conventions, and ex- 
 perimentation by local associations invariably 
 brought the association back to the evangelical 
 basis. It was the associations with this test that 
 secured secretaries and buildings in other 
 words, the men and the money necessary to carry 
 on the work. The associations attempted upon 
 
 186
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 other tests failed in the direction of both men 
 and money." 
 
 For three years the international committee 
 had been located in New York City. It had 
 already in its employ a traveling secretary in 
 the West, but its work of administration and 
 correspondence was carried on gratuitously by 
 Mr. Brainerd, the details of which, however, 
 were becoming arduous for a lawyer in active 
 practice. 
 
 On motion of McBurney at the Albany con- 
 vention, in 1866, the committee had been in- 
 structed to publish a quarterly. This had 
 been done with success for three years. The 
 convention at Portland passed a resolution in- 
 structing the committee to change the periodi- 
 cal to a monthly, and authorizing the committee 
 "to employ a person to act as its secretary and 
 perform such editorial and other duties as it 
 may assign to him in the prosecution of the 
 business with which they are charged." This 
 action led to a development of great importance, 
 both to the association work at large and to 
 McBurney personally. In the person of Rich- 
 ard C. Morse, he secured his closest friend, and 
 the associations a general secretary for the inter- 
 national committee. Speaking of this event 
 McBurney said, " The year following the Port- 
 land convention compassed one of the most 
 marked achievements in the history of the as- 
 sociations of North America in securing to 
 association work Richard C. Morse." 
 
 Mr. Morse and McBurney were already some- 
 what acquainted. At that time Mr. Morse 
 was assistant editor of the New York Observer. 
 
 187
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 He was a graduate of Yale and an alumnus of 
 both Princeton and Union Theological Semi- 
 naries. He was already succeeding in the 
 sphere of religious journalism. He first met 
 McBurney in 1865, when he went to the rooms 
 to secure a boarding-house for a young man 
 from the country. McBurney helped him in 
 his usual courteous way. Later he became an 
 active member of the association. 
 
 In 1867 a general religious convention was 
 held in New York City, of which McBurney 
 was one of the committee of management. 
 Mr. Morse attended this and wrote it up 
 with such accuracy for the New York Ob- 
 server that it attracted McBurney's special 
 attention. The following year McBurney sought 
 to inaugurate some open-air meetings in Wash- 
 ington Square. Speaking of this, McBurney 
 said: "When our open-air work commenced I 
 went to the office of the Observer to secure Mr. 
 Morse's co-operation in that work. In this inter- 
 view he completely won my heart by the sym- 
 pathetic spirit which he manifested in regard to 
 the undertaking. He agreed to come to the 
 open-air meeting provided he would not be 
 called upon to speak. Before the close of the 
 meeting, however, he asked to be allowed to 
 say a few words. His address was most fervent 
 and effective." 
 
 When it was proposed to secure a secretary 
 for the international committee who should also 
 be editor of the association paper, McBurney at 
 once thought of Mr. Morse. He says, " I 
 pressed his name on the committee for the 
 editorship." In the mean time Mr. Morse's 
 
 188
 
 RICHARD C. MORSE
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 interest in the association cause had been 
 increasing. Speaking of this Mr. Morse said: 
 "I remember being deeply stirred by the ac- 
 counts of the Portland convention in the sum- 
 mer of 1869. I read of the adoption of the 
 evangelical test. My brother-in-law, an old as- 
 sociation leader, said of it, ' That shows the 
 association has got onto the right track and is 
 going to keep on it.' A little while after this 
 McBurney came to the office with a distinct 
 errand for me. He said the international com- 
 mittee wanted to make their paper a monthly, 
 and the committee wanted me to become its 
 editor; that he thought of me as the best per- 
 son of his acquaintance to take hold of the work 
 on account of my experience in the office of the 
 Observer." For a time Mr. Morse was unwill- 
 ing to entertain this project. 
 
 When onerecallsthat in 1 869 the Young Men's 
 Christian Association was an immature and com- 
 paratively unknown religious movement, it is 
 not surprising that the friends of a man with a 
 thorough university and seminary education, 
 who was in the line of promotion on a metropol- 
 itan religious journal, should have urged that 
 there was no opportunity for a career of marked 
 usefulness in taking such a step. But Mr. Brain- 
 erd and McBurney both urged the matter 
 earnestly upon Mr. Morse, and he finally drew 
 up a plan embodying his idea of how to con- 
 duct the paper. Mr. Morse says: "When I 
 went before the committee to explain my plan, 
 they accepted it, and renewed their invitation to 
 me. I said I would accept on the first of Decem- 
 ber, 1869, and issue the paper on the first of 
 
 189
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 January. That same December the New York 
 association moved into the Twenty-third Street 
 building, and the room over McBurney's office 
 was assigned to the international committee 
 free of rent, and we occupied it for many years. 
 That was the beginning of my close acquaint- 
 ance with McBurney." 
 
 Mr. Morse, with the most self-denying and 
 arduous labor, conducted the monthly for the 
 years 1870 and 187 1, securing sufficient adver- 
 tisements to make it pay its way, and at the 
 same time doing the work of editor. But he 
 did not feel equal to continuing permanently as 
 both editor and publisher. He spent the first 
 part of 1872 in visiting as the agent of the 
 committee the associations in New England 
 and the Maritime Provinces, and in that year he 
 accepted the invitation of the committee to 
 devote his entire time to its service as its general 
 executive secretary, a position which he has 
 since occupied. 
 
 The friendship for Mr. Morse was the closest 
 attachment which McBurney formed. He some- 
 times clashed with others of his friends, but 
 these two worked in thorough harmony through- 
 out McBurney's life. Between them there was 
 a strong affinity, and their aptitudes and pro- 
 ficiencies were mutually supplemental. 
 
 From the time that McBurney won Mr. 
 Morse for the service, they worked together 
 unitedly in the American, the European, and 
 the world work. It is hard to differentiate 
 between the influence of each: often their influ- 
 ence was joint. Speaking of his sense of 
 indebtedness to McBurney, Mr. Morse has said: 
 
 190
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 " I came to him a college boy with very little 
 experience of men and things compared with 
 what he had. He was older in life than I. Ever 
 since his seventeenth year he had been knock- 
 ing around among men and taking care of him- 
 self, so he was far older in practical affairs. I was 
 general secretary of the international commit- 
 tee and had never been a local secretary. I had 
 never struggled with local problems. My intimate 
 association with him, as he was working out the 
 association's idea in its fourfold development, 
 gave me a practical knowledge, without which 
 my whole life work would have lacked its very 
 kernel." 
 
 McBurney was unstinted in his expressions 
 of regard and appreciation of Mr. Morse. In 
 his reminiscences he says: "The association 
 monthly was the means God used in securing 
 the most valuable man who has become identified 
 with our work I have had very close inter- 
 course with him for many years, and desire to 
 say that I never came in contact with a man 
 more unselfish, more sympathetic, ormore ardent 
 in the work of the Lord. The greater the diffi- 
 culties which concern a problem in which he is 
 engaged, the more he strains to the accom- 
 plishment of the object. He has the faculty of 
 making everybody's struggles his own, and lift- 
 ing others out of difficulties from which they 
 cannot extricate themselves. His nature is truly 
 a vicarious nature, more so than that of any man 
 I ever knew. 
 
 " The securing of Mr. Morse was certainly 
 the most valuable acquisition to the association 
 yet received. In Mr. Morse the associations of 
 
 191
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 America realized the longing of Nasmith when 
 he said, in 1838, 'My deep regret is that no 
 apostle of young men's societies has arisen and 
 thrown his whole soul and mind, as well as 
 time, into them, that their important designs 
 might be carried out with effect.' How fully 
 this has been realized in him, the condition of 
 the associations in our land and the development 
 and organization of affiliated association work 
 on the continent of Europe and in the world, 
 bear ample testimony." McBurney once said, 
 "The best thing I ever did was to get Mr. 
 Morse into association work." 
 
 The second great question of policy during 
 these years related to the aim of the association, 
 and the character of its work. Should the asso- 
 ciations engage in general evangelistic work for 
 all classes, or should their work be a specialized, 
 organized effort for the creation and culture of 
 Christian young manhood? 
 
 McBurney's attitude on this question is seen 
 in his work as secretary of the New York City 
 association. He pressed his convictions with 
 equal determination upon the associations at 
 large. One of the difficulties of a clear defini- 
 tion upon this issue lay in the fact that those in 
 sympathy with limiting the association to work 
 among young men were usually in sympathy 
 with general evangelistic work, provided it 
 should be carried on under the auspices of the 
 church. They hesitated to appear to oppose a 
 work which they believed was of vital impor- 
 tance. On the other hand, those who advocated 
 the general evangelistic work were, most of 
 them, equally enthusiastic over the associations 
 
 192
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 doing a symmetrical, all-round work for young 
 men. The issue finally narrowed itself to 
 whether general evangelistic work was a proper 
 sphere in which the Young Men's Christian As- 
 sociation should engage. 
 
 Two men and two buildings stood out in 
 1870 for these two tendencies: one the building 
 erected at Chicago under the leadership of 
 Mr. Moody, who was then president and gen- 
 eral secretary of the Chicago association; the 
 other the building on Twenty-third Street, New 
 York. 
 
 The great work at this time in the Chicago 
 association consisted in evangelistic endeavor. 
 Mr. Moody preached every Sunday evening to 
 a large general audience, and went out during 
 the week to neighboring towns for similar ser- 
 vice. The constitution of the Chicago associa- 
 tion had been so altered as to state that the 
 mission of the organization was " to all within 
 the reach of the association, without distinction 
 of sex, age, or condition." In the Chicago 
 building there were no appliances for educa- 
 tional work, no gymnasium, and little or no 
 library. It was for some years the headquar- 
 ters for the charitable work of the city. Mr. 
 Moody was beginning there his great life work 
 as an evangelist. 
 
 The work of the New York building has 
 already been fully described. Which of the two 
 types represented by these two typical men and 
 two typical buildings was to prevail in the asso- 
 ciation movement became a foremost subject 
 for discussion and experimentation during the 
 decade following 1870. Both plans of work 
 
 193
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 were discussed on the floors of the international 
 convention and in the state conventions. These 
 tendencies did not organize themselves into 
 well-defined parties, but there was a disposition 
 on the part of one group to urge the association, 
 in its state and local work, to push various 
 forms of general evangelistic endeavor; while 
 the tendency of the other group was to push the 
 organization of local associations, the erection 
 of buildings, the securing of general secretaries, 
 and the development of the physical, social, 
 intellectual, and spiritual work for young men. 
 
 At the Albany convention, in 1866, Mr. 
 Moody, in urging the general work, had said, 
 " God wants us to go forth and preach the 
 gospel to the whole world." Referring to this 
 incident, McBurney afterwards wrote: "Mr. 
 Dwight L. Moody took a very active part in the 
 Albany convention, and urged the associations 
 to engage in nearly all kinds of Christian work. 
 I opposed his view so earnestly that he consid- 
 ered I was opposed to him personally, and 
 stated this to me on his return from Albany; 
 but this was not the case." McBurney's deep 
 sympathy with Mr. Moody and his evangelistic 
 work was shown at the time of the Moody meet- 
 ings in New York, and later in connection with 
 the college conferences at Northfield. 
 
 Mr. Moody soon severed official connection 
 with the Chicago association for a life work as 
 an evangelist. In this capacity he was always 
 friendly to the associations in the towns he visit- 
 ed. He delivered many from debt, established 
 many new associations, and secured funds for 
 the erection of buildings. In America and the 
 
 194
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 British Isles, he raised money for the erection 
 of more buildings for Young Men's Christian 
 Associations than has been raised by any other 
 individual. Speaking of his work, Mr. Morse 
 remarks : " It might be said that Mr. Moody 
 influenced the spiritual life and activity of 
 enough association secretaries to make it true 
 of him that he leavened the working force of 
 the associations with a spiritual influence." 
 McBurney said of him, in his historical sketch of 
 the associations: "It is certainly worthy of 
 mention that Mr. Moody, who has been such a 
 wonderful blessing to the church of Christ in 
 this generation, testifies, 'The Young Men's 
 Christian Association has under God done more 
 in developing me for Christian work than any 
 other agency.' On the other hand, it should be 
 said that the associations on both sides of the 
 sea owe very much to Mr. Moody for the spirit- 
 ual life that he has been the means of infusing 
 into their membership and agencies, and also 
 for the material aid which he has secured for 
 them along the pathway of his active work." 
 
 In the mean time a great wave of interest in 
 fervent evangelistic effort swept over the asso- 
 ciations in the states of Illinois, Indiana, and 
 Ohio in the West, and the six New England 
 states in the East. Delegations of young men 
 went out from the strong city associations to 
 conduct evangelistic meetings in the churches 
 of neighboring towns, and the movement took 
 on the nature of a general revival. For some 
 time this tendency seemed dominant, but the 
 international committee never gave it its alle- 
 giance. The states of New York and Penn- 
 
 i95
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 sylvania turned their attention definitely to 
 building up a specialized work for young men. 
 In his historical sketch of the association, Mc- 
 Burney says, " From the beginning of the 
 association movement, there seemed to be a dis- 
 position to give much attention to general forms 
 of religious and philanthropic work, carried on 
 chiefly by young men but not for them." At 
 the international conventions of Poughkeepsie, 
 Dayton, Richmond, Toronto, and Louisville, 
 covering the years 1873 to l &77> the leaders 
 particularly urged this form of effort. Some of 
 the state committees gave their chief attention 
 to stimulating the holding of general evangelistic 
 meetings. These committees thus constituted 
 themselves a mission to the churches rather 
 than a mission to young men. The almost total 
 neglect by some state committees of specific 
 association work hindered the associations 
 within the jurisdiction of these committees 
 from keeping pace with the group in other sec- 
 tions. It is not doubted but that vast good was 
 done by this general evangelistic work, but the 
 association cause suffered very much by this 
 divergence. 
 
 State Secretary Taggart, of Pennsylvania, 
 while a man with evangelistic gifts, was one of 
 the effective agents in turning the tide towards 
 organized work for young men. 
 
 One of the most influential papers which 
 McBurney ever prepared was upon this subject. 
 It was presented before the New York state 
 convention in 1877, and was circulated through 
 the whole association brotherhood. In this 
 paper he made a comparison between the sec- 
 
 196
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 tions of the country where organized, specialized 
 work for young men was carried on, and the 
 sections where a general evangelistic work was 
 the chief feature. In this paper he said : " The 
 general policy of the New York state association 
 work, touching evangelistic effort, has been 
 conservative, thus commending our cause to the 
 favor of the ministry, and to the best element 
 in our churches. In work for young men, we 
 have been absorbed and aggressive, and in this 
 the associations have simply sought to do the 
 work for which they honestly claim to be 
 organized. They have never esteemed them- 
 selves to be a mission to the church, but a mis- 
 sion of the church for reaching young men. 
 The confidence awakened by this course has 
 given the associations of New York a pre- 
 eminence and an intelligent, liberal constituency. 
 This is one reason why more money in aid of 
 the association cause has been given by our 
 state than by any other. As a result of this 
 honest emphasis laid by the associations of New 
 York upon work for young men, not only do 
 they own more property in buildings than any 
 other state, but there has been such a demand 
 for Christian young men to devote their whole 
 time as general secretaries to the organizing and 
 pushing of this work, that in the cities of New 
 York there are now twenty such officers em- 
 ployed by individual societies a greater num- 
 ber than in any other state. 
 
 " Methods of state work have occupied con- 
 siderable prominence in the discussions of the 
 international convention, especially for the past 
 five years. Let us select two representative 
 
 197
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 methods : state work in New England on the 
 one hand, and state work in Pennsylvania on 
 the other they represent divergent ideas. 
 
 "The New England work has been instru- 
 mental in leading many souls to Christ, and has 
 quickened many churches. This work, how- 
 ever, can in no sense be considered distinctively 
 associational, but should be termed general 
 evangelistic. In carrying out the New England 
 plan, invitations are extended to the churches, 
 or associations, or both, to the effect that the 
 state secretary and committee are prepared to 
 hold evangelistic services in their communities. 
 The committee then selects from the favorable 
 responses a number sufficient to occupy the 
 labors of the year, going to each place from 
 three days to a week. In these meetings no 
 special emphasis is laid upon work for young 
 men, no attention is given to instructing or stim- 
 ulating associations; indeed, except that those 
 engaged in the work are generally members of 
 local associations, and are sent out by state con- 
 ventions bearing our name, the work cannot be 
 considered as belonging to our societies. It is 
 practically a mission to churches and commu- 
 nities generally, and not distinctively to young 
 men or Young Men's Christian Associations. It 
 does not call for organization or increased vigor 
 in the operation of local associations. This 
 constitutes the weakness of the method pursued 
 in New England. 
 
 "The Pennsylvania plan of state work, on the 
 other hand, is primarily a mission to young men 
 and to Young Men's Christian Associations. 
 The success of this work depends in the main 
 
 198
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 upon the vigor, organization, and methods of 
 individual associations. The chief aim of the 
 Pennsylvania committee and its state secretary 
 is to bring the local associations up to the highest 
 point of efficiency, and enable them to go for- 
 ward in continuous, aggressive effort three hun- 
 dred and sixty-five days in the year/' 
 
 McBurney then went on to show how the Penn- 
 sylvania associations had increased in the num- 
 ber of general secretaries, in the efficiency of 
 their work, and in the property which they had 
 acquired. He continues the comparison further: 
 
 "The New England state committees claim 
 that the general evangelistic method will open 
 the way so that ultimately the work for young 
 men will be greatly strengthened and helped. 
 This practical result has not been obtained. 
 The associations of these states are no stronger 
 than when the state committees began their 
 labors. There are not so many associations 
 existing in these states as there were several 
 years ago. There has also been in New England 
 a falling off instead of an increase in the number 
 of general secretaries. If the work for young 
 men is really making genuine advance upon the 
 tidal wave of evangelistic effort, which has been 
 kept in motion the past five years by the evan- 
 gelistic state committees in New England, it is 
 certainly singular that the individual associa- 
 tions have not sought and found general secre- 
 taries for their local home work. 
 
 " We have instituted this comparison that we 
 might discover what is the practical outcome of 
 the different methods in the sections compared. 
 No other inference is open to us from the facts 
 
 199
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 presented but that we should emphasize and 
 multiply in our work the agencies seeking the 
 benefit of young men. The more exclusively 
 and energetically we give ourselves to this work, 
 the more shall we secure the blessing of God 
 upon ourselves as laborers together with him, 
 and upon the young men whose salvation we 
 seek, and upon the churches whose messengers 
 we are." 
 
 One incident connected with this discussion 
 occurred at a secretarial conference in 1875, 
 when an evangelistic state secretary had been 
 giving a report of the revivals which followed 
 his visits. McBurney asked him how many 
 places he had visited during the year. He 
 replied, "Sixty, seventy, or eighty." " Did you 
 visit the associations in these towns?" asked 
 McBurney. " Seldom," was the reply. " I 
 scarcely remember being in one of the associa- 
 tion rooms." McBurney then asked: "Now, if 
 a man loved a girl, and had visited the town in 
 which she lived seventy or eighty times without 
 going to see her, what would you think of that 
 manr 
 
 The paper read by McBurney in New York 
 was carefully read by the leaders in New Eng- 
 land, and in 1879, at a conference held in Provi- 
 dence, to which McBurney as well as Mr. Morse 
 were invited, a state secretary was called by the 
 Massachusetts and Rhode Island state commit- 
 tee, with instructions to devote himself chiefly to 
 association work. In 1882 the Chicago associa- 
 tion modified its constitution so as to make the 
 object of its work especially for young men. 
 
 During these years McBurney gave himself
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 heart and soul to the development of the asso- 
 ciation cause throughout the country. He 
 visited state conventions, corresponded with 
 leading workers all over this country and in 
 other lands, and at the international conven- 
 tions was always alert for what he considered 
 the good of the cause. At the convention held 
 in Toronto in 1877, he met what he considered 
 a serious defeat. Looking at it calmly from 
 this distance of time, one is inclined to feel that 
 McBurney was in the wrong. The issue at the 
 convention was over the question of whether 
 the committee for nominating permanent offi- 
 cers, which consisted of a delegate from each 
 state or province, should be appointed, as had 
 been the custom, by the retiring president, or 
 nominated by the different delegations and 
 elected by the convention. McBurney felt that 
 those advocating this change sought to wrest 
 the control of the convention and the policy of 
 the association from those who had so long 
 guided it. He believed particularly that certain 
 leaders in the West wished to introduce rev- 
 olutionary changes, and so he opposed this plan 
 strongly. It is true that the new plan was 
 pretty largely advocated by the representatives 
 of what might be spoken of as the evangelistic 
 element in the association those who wished 
 to make the association a general evangelistic 
 agency for all classes. 
 
 Immediately after the Toronto convention 
 was called to order, and the usual resolution 
 had been introduced, authorizing the appoint- 
 ment of a committee to nominate permanent 
 officers for the convention, a resolution was
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 offered, "That this committee be nominated 
 by the different states and provinces represent- 
 ed." This new plan was strongly urged by Dr. 
 L. W. Munhall of Indianapolis. McBurney 
 saw that the convention sympathized with the 
 proposition, and so took the position that if this 
 plan was to be adopted, it ought to be made to 
 apply to future conventions and not to the pres- 
 ent one. In opposing it he said:* " We have been 
 associated in this work for twenty years, and I 
 deprecate any hasty action this morning touch- 
 ing this matter. There is a great deal of force 
 in what Mr. Munhall has said ; I recognize that 
 fact. If it is desirable that a change should be 
 made in the method we have invariably pursued 
 since the beginning of these conventions, let it 
 be made. But, sir, I think this is neither the 
 
 place nor the time to make it When we 
 
 come to business regularly and calmly to-morrow 
 or next day, we shall consider what is the best 
 plan, and if after hearing all sides carefully, we 
 should decide that hereafter the state conven- 
 tions should make the nominations, I for one 
 should say amen ; but this morning I think it 
 would be unwise for us to change, without long 
 and more careful consideration, a plan which we 
 have pursued steadily for twenty years. Now, 
 brethren, let us weigh the matter. I hope that 
 those of you who know me know that I seek to 
 speak this morning in the interest of our entire 
 cause." 
 
 Several addresses for and against the new 
 plan followed these remarks, but finally a 
 resolution was passed to organize as usual, and 
 
 Report Toronto convention, page 29. 
 202
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 to make the plan of organization of future con- 
 ventions the special order for consideration on 
 the following Friday morning at n o'clock. 
 When the question came up for final considera- 
 tion, Dr. Munhall made an extended address, 
 advocating the change. A number of speeches 
 were made on both sides, and finally Mr. Dem- 
 ing of Boston rose to move the previous question. 
 Before it was seconded McBurney secured the 
 floor, but cries for the question prevented his 
 being heard, and the president ruled him out of 
 order. An appeal was made from this decision, 
 but the chair was sustained. The previous ques- 
 tion was seconded, and the motion to inaugurate 
 the new plan for appointing a nominating com- 
 mittee was adopted. At the next session the 
 chair apologized for having refused to give Mc- 
 Burney the floor, and stated that he was not out 
 of order, but was entitled to speak. 
 
 Another resolution which was presented, but 
 defeated, proposed to change the test of mem- 
 bership by substituting the word "persons" for 
 the words "young men" in the test for active 
 membership, thus admitting women to member- 
 ship. 
 
 When the next convention was to assemble, 
 McBurney felt the necessity of rallying all the 
 older members of the international committee 
 to attend. One of his letters to a member of 
 the committee shows how strongly he felt the im- 
 portance of the committee's asserting itself. On 
 May twenty-ninth, 1877, he wrote as follows: " I 
 am not an alarmist, yet I must say very frankly 
 that the Louisville prospect is most discouraging 
 indeed. There will be few of the old men at 
 
 203
 
 Life of Robert R. McBumey 
 
 Louisville whose words carried weight with the 
 delegates of days now gone. We met with a 
 most disastrous defeat at Toronto. You were 
 unfortunately not present, and never seemed 
 to realize the injurious influences which there 
 gained control. There is now a decided oppo- 
 sition, organized, aggressive, and for a most 
 clearly defined object. This opposition relies 
 for success on wire-pulling for the nominating 
 committee. But this is a small part as compared 
 with the other objects, namely: first, the com- 
 mittees of the convention will have the shaping 
 of all the work for the year; second, the capture 
 of the executive committee to such an extent as 
 to give the influence and increased control to 
 views differing very widely from those thus far 
 
 presented and urged I have no desire to 
 
 go to Louisville to be captured, or see the cause 
 captured, without a reasonable opposition. It 
 will be too bad to see the work of ten years 
 wiped out, at least so far as the future is con- 
 cerned, in a day. If the opposition were merely 
 personal, I should not feel so deeply, but it strikes 
 boldly at the very foundation upon which the 
 association is built that young men are the best 
 laborers for young men, and that as they are 
 specially tempted, therefore they must have spe- 
 cial labor put forth in their behalf. We cannot 
 stand before the church on any other basis in 
 my opinion." McBurney's fears, however, were 
 not realized. Before many years the opposition 
 just described entirely vanished. 
 
 In 1879, when the policy of the associations 
 had become practically fixed, Mr. Moody, as 
 the world's famous evangelist, was invited to 
 
 204
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 serve as president of the international con- 
 vention held at Baltimore in that year. In 
 this connection a secretaries' conference was 
 held, at which Mr. Moody said: "It is not the 
 work of the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion to invite evangelists. Let ministers and 
 churches do that. If there are ten churches in 
 a city, and they will not unite in an invitation to 
 an evangelist, let it alone. The evangelist ought 
 not to go, nor should the association have any- 
 thing to do with it. The work of the secretary 
 is too important tor him to engage in anything 
 but his distinctive work of reaching young men. 
 
 " I would recommend a gymnasium, classes, 
 medical lectures, social receptions, music, and all 
 unobjectionable agencies. These are for week- 
 days we do not want simply evangelistic meet- 
 ings. I have tried that system in association 
 work and failed, so I gave up the secretaryship 
 and became an evangelist. You cannot do both 
 and succeed." 
 
 The decade from 1870 to 1880 practically 
 settled the policy of the association. 
 
 This concentration upon work for young men 
 was the fundamental source of the rapid expan- 
 sion during the years from 1880 to the present 
 time, and the adaptation of the association to 
 railroad men, college students, and other classes 
 of young men. McBurney remarked, in 1878, 
 " Of late years not only special work for young 
 men has received attention, but distinctive effort 
 has been put forth in behalf of special classes 
 of young men." McBurney was among the first, 
 but not the first, to be interested in work among 
 railroad men. In 1873 he did not favor giving 
 
 205
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 this work, which had been begun but a year 
 previously, by the Cleveland association, a topic 
 at the international convention, but in 1874, 
 with his hearty approval this work was given a 
 place on the convention's program. With others 
 he was earnest in enlisting the interest of Cor- 
 nelius Vanderbilt in this work. 
 
 In 1876 Mr. Luther D. Wishard, an under- 
 graduate of Princeton, wrote McBurney as to 
 the feasibility of enlarging the work of the 
 religious society among the students of that 
 university, into a student Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association. A number of student associa- 
 tions were already in existence, and McBurney 
 strongly urged this course. McBurney was one 
 of six members of the international committee 
 present at the international convention, held at 
 Louisville one year later, 1877, at which it was 
 decided to inaugurate work among students as 
 a department of the international committee's 
 service, and to secure a traveling secretary. 
 Both McBurney and Mr. Wishard attended the 
 state convention of Indiana a few weeks later. 
 Mr. Wishard says:* " I had been nominated by 
 the college conference at the Louisville conven- 
 tion to serve as college secretary of the inter- 
 national committee. McBurney asked me what 
 my plan was for the extension of the college 
 movement. I told him. He entered heartily 
 into it, and agreed on his return to New York 
 to lay the matter before the committee. He 
 did so, and the result was that I was called to 
 the college secretaryship in September. I shall 
 always feel that his influence in that matter was 
 
 McBurney Memorial, page 97. 
 206
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 more potent than that of anybody else, and that 
 he therefore exerted a determining influence 
 upon the course of my life work." 
 
 McBurney was also deeply interested in the 
 conferences at Northfield, and frequently at- 
 tended them. Mr. Morse says: " From the 
 beginning, McBurney sympathized heartily with 
 the college movement, and was the wise coun- 
 selor of Mr. Wishard. His influence in the 
 international committee was of great service to 
 this department, and also to the colored, Indian, 
 German, commercial travelers', physical, and 
 educational departments." 
 
 Reference has already been made to Mc- 
 Burney's part in restoring relations between the 
 Northern and Southern associations after the 
 Civil War. This work began at a time when a 
 large per cent of the support of the international 
 committee was dependent on his solicitation. 
 It was due to his efforts chiefly that money for 
 the Southern tours in the early seventies was 
 secured. 
 
 With the location of the international com- 
 mittee in New York, McBurney came to feel 
 deeply the burden of the financial side of the 
 committee's work. He saw clearly that if the 
 supervisory agencies of the association were to 
 prosper, they would require adequate means 
 just as surely as the local city work. Although 
 with the other leaders he was absorbed in New 
 York with a building canvass, and in the efforts 
 to secure local expenses, for several years he 
 bore the largest share in raising funds for the 
 general work. It became evident to him, how- 
 
 207
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 ever, that some other plan would be necessary 
 if the work was to develop. 
 
 During the business depression which fol- 
 lowed 1873, the committee's finances were at low 
 ebb. M. Weidensall says: "At the Dayton con- 
 vention, 1874, the international committee was 
 not paying us anything, and at the convention a 
 very small amount was raised. I saw McBur- 
 ney sitting at one side and crying outright. I 
 asked him what was the matter. He said, 
 ' There is so little money for this work.' I told 
 him he need not be concerned about it, that we 
 would go on, salary or no salary, but he was 
 very much depressed by the small amount of 
 money raised. It was under this pressure that 
 Mr. Morse became responsible for the com- 
 mittee's finances." The budget at this time 
 was about $7,500 a year. 
 
 McBurney was broad minded, his spirit and 
 sympathy were catholic, he delighted in the 
 development and adaptation of the association 
 to manifold phases of work. He brought to 
 the sessions of the international committee the 
 counsel and suggestions of a wise and expe- 
 rienced local secretary. He always kept in 
 touch with the sentiment through the country. 
 His constant attendance upon state and inter- 
 national conventions and the general secre- 
 taries' conferences gave his counsel intelligence 
 and weight in these deliberations, and he was 
 heard and trusted at the international conven- 
 tions as the surest guide when important ques- 
 tions were under consideration. 
 
 With regard to the relations of the state 
 and international supervisory agencies, Mc- 
 
 208
 
 Evangelical and Evangelistic Controversies 
 
 Burney believed in the policy of comity which 
 characterized this relationship during his long 
 career. In writing, in March, 1889, to a friend, 
 he says: "Since the international work is 
 ordered by associations in convention assembled, 
 and not by states or state organizations, the 
 relation between the associations and the inter- 
 national work is a direct relation. 
 
 "The international work brought into life 
 the state organizations, and the international 
 convention has never recognized any inter- 
 mediary between it and the local associations. 
 This has ever been a fundamental principle in 
 the association scheme in this country. . . . The 
 relation of the international and of the state 
 conventions, and of the international and state 
 committees, is by no means mandatory ; it is 
 advisory, and that only. It is desirable that the 
 most cordial relation should subsist between the 
 local association and the state convention and 
 state committee, and the international conven- 
 tion and the international committee. Nothing 
 approaching a dictatorial attitude should be 
 assumed by any of the parties." 
 
 In comparing his service in the New York City 
 association and his service in the association 
 cause at large, one cannot but feel that in his 
 heart and thought the work was one. True, he 
 was officially the secretary of the New York 
 society. He was always faithful in the per- 
 formance of the obligations which this entailed. 
 But he was equally the secretary at large for 
 the associations of the continent, and he faith- 
 fully performed this unsalaried service. In the 
 New York secretaryship he discovered the 
 
 209
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 needs of young men and the methods by which 
 these needs might be supplied. It was in the 
 metropolitan field that his ideals of work for 
 young men were developed. These ideals and 
 convictions he advocated and fostered among 
 the associations throughout the country. For 
 the New York association, his service was super- 
 visory and executive ; for the international work 
 it was consultative and advisory. He saw 
 clearly the relationships between different de- 
 partments of the association ; he recognized the 
 pre-eminence of the city work. He also tact- 
 fully fostered harmonious relations between 
 different sections of the country, and was con- 
 siderate of the position and recognition due the 
 Canadian associations. He stood for the unity 
 of the international work upon this continent. 
 
 2IO
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 McBURNEY'S RELATION TO THE YOUNG 
 MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION IN 
 OTHER LANDS IN EUROPE IN FOR- 
 EIGN MISSION LANDS 
 
 Intercommunication is characteristic of this 
 cosmopolitan age. Formerly political, linguistic, 
 or race barriers were enough to isolate religious 
 movements, but the past century has witnessed 
 a multiplication of ties binding different sections 
 of the world together. The Young Men's 
 Christian Association has been one of the 
 earliest and most influential of these agencies. 
 By its world conventions, its common platform, 
 its uniformity of aim, its publications, and its 
 intervisitation, it has united into one organiza- 
 tion Christian young men of every evangelical 
 creed in fifty different nations, speaking many 
 different languages. 
 
 McBurney was deeply interested in the work 
 in Europe, and also in the unevangelized lands. 
 He exerted himself definitely to foster the asso- 
 ciation in both of these directions. In these 
 efforts, he co-operated with Mr. Morse, and 
 together they carried the type of association 
 work which had developed in America to Eng- 
 land, Continental Europe, and other lands. 
 
 McBurney's first world convention was at 
 Amsterdam, in 1872. He was not present at 
 Hamburg in 1875, Dut attended the six world's
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 gatherings during the succeeding eighteen years 
 twice at London, and one each at Geneva, 
 Berlin, Stockholm, and Amsterdam. In 1898 
 the only cable message sent by the conference 
 assembled at Basle was an expression of sym- 
 pathy and regard, forwarded to McBurney's 
 bedside during his last sickness. 
 
 When McBurney entered the arena of Euro- 
 pean association affairs, the world's conferences 
 had been for many years, in effect, administered 
 from London the parent association. Sir 
 George Williams, the founder of the association 
 movement, and William E. Shipton, the veteran 
 secretary of the central association, were the 
 leading figures in the British work. On the con- 
 tinent of Europe, the prominent men were Rev. 
 Paul Cook of Paris, Max Perrot of Switzerland, 
 and Dr. Krummacher and Anton Haasen of 
 Elberfeld, Germany. None of the continental 
 countries had a national organization. The 
 Franco-Prussian War was just at an end, and the 
 hostility between Germany and France was still 
 bitter. What general administration of associa- 
 tion affairs there was in Europe had fallen by 
 mutual consent to the London association, and 
 the secretary of this association, Mr. Shipton, 
 conducted correspondence, published general 
 reports, and arranged for the triennial conven- 
 tions. In England there was a crude form of 
 national organization by which the various asso- 
 ciations were regarded as provincial branches 
 of the parent society in London. This made 
 Mr. Shipton national secretary for England. 
 He practically combined the offices of world's 
 secretary, national secretary, and local secretary
 
 Toung Mens Christian Association* 
 
 in one. Mr. Shipton was a man of fine pres- 
 ence, good education, marked platform ability, 
 and of great energy and intensity of purpose. 
 He became secretary of the London association 
 in 1850, twelve years before McBurney entered 
 the New York work. He early grasped the idea 
 of the specific mission of the association to young 
 men, and the London association has never 
 wavered in its devotion to the true work of the 
 organization. His ideas of the secretaryship 
 were different in some respect from those of 
 McBurney, and he was led a number of times to 
 take opposite views from the representatives 
 of the American associations, but he and McBur- 
 ney were warm friends from their first acquaint- 
 ance, and remained so through life. 
 
 Mr. Morse and McBurney were both in 
 Europe in the summer of 1872 on separate and 
 private errands. McBurney was much in need 
 of rest, and a purse had been made up voluntarily 
 by Mr. Dodge and Mr. Jesup to enable him to go 
 abroad. He and Mr. Morse arranged to meet 
 at the Amsterdam convention. They went to 
 their first world's conference practically ignorant 
 as to European association affairs, and they had 
 no hand in shaping matters on that occasion, 
 but their eyes were opened to relationships as 
 they really existed, and to the place of impor- 
 tance to which the American work was entitled. 
 As Mr. Morse expressed it, " We discovered 
 that the European associations were utterly 
 behind us wholly in the rear. We saw that 
 we represented the largest and strongest group 
 of associations in the whole assemblage, and that 
 
 213
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 they were not adequately brought to the atten- 
 tion of the meeting." 
 
 Mr. Shipton was in practical control of the 
 conference, and was not very friendly either to 
 the American ideas of association work or to 
 having America strongly represented. No paper 
 had been assigned to the American group of 
 associations. In this sentiment Mr. Shipton did 
 not represent the British delegates. There 
 were men of other minds from the north of Eng- 
 land, and it was also evident that they were 
 somewhat restless under the London secretary's 
 control. The delegates from all countries were 
 anxious to learn everything they could about 
 the American work. The English delegates in 
 particular held several conferences with McBur- 
 ney and Mr. Morse, and learned with interest of 
 the larger work in America. 
 
 At this convention, McBurney obtained from 
 Mr. Shipton his conversational method of Bible 
 class teaching. The European delegates were 
 surprised that the Americans did not put more 
 emphasis on Bible study. The Americans on 
 their part were surprised to find an absence of 
 the men's gospel meeting, without which they 
 could not conceive of association work. McBur- 
 ney induced Mr. Morse to lead an American 
 prayer-meeting as an object lesson, but under 
 the influence of the Bible class idea, some of 
 those present created an argument in the 
 prayer-meeting which quite destroyed its effect. 
 
 On this visit, and particularly at the conven- 
 tion, McBurney became acquainted with Sir 
 George Williams. A most intimate friendship 
 and respect sprang up between these two men. 
 
 214
 
 Toung Mens- Christian Associations 
 
 Mr. Williams, who had come as a farmer's boy 
 to the great city to enter business life, had risen 
 to affluence, but had never lost the deep spirit- 
 ual zeal which had led him, as a dry goods clerk, 
 to inaugurate the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation. He had never lost his interest in the 
 movement, and had always made its prosperity 
 his constant care. He labored unceasingly for 
 its advancement, and as his wealth increased, he 
 gave unsparingly to its development. As Mc- 
 Burney stands pre-eminent among the employed 
 officers of the association, so George Williams, 
 the founder of the association, is its most emi- 
 nent volunteer worker. In zeal for personal 
 work and love for young men, these two were 
 akin. Williams, like H. Thane Miller, had 
 great skill with an audience, and was an inspir- 
 ing convention chairman. He had a popular 
 way which took with the masses ; he was emo- 
 tional and most direct. He had a deep prayer 
 life, and a simple, earnest, loving heart. He 
 was alert, enterprising, and tireless. Without 
 prejudice, he was willing to adopt new plans 
 from any quarter. He had McBurney's interest 
 in the individual, but not his foresight for the 
 organization. Each man recognized the other's 
 worth, and they labored side by side. 
 
 Previous to the Amsterdam convention, Mr. 
 Shipton, with whom the New York association 
 had been in frequent correspondence, had rep- 
 resented the Americans at the conventions ; but 
 after observing the convention at Amsterdam, 
 Mr. Morse was unwilling to have the London 
 secretary longer remain the only channel through 
 which America should be represented. At 
 
 215
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 Amsterdam each paper was presented in the 
 language of the reader, and afterwards in- 
 adequately summarized by an interpreter. 
 When the delegates returned to New York and 
 related in the sessions of the international com- 
 mittee what they had seen, Mr. Brainerd said, 
 " At the next conference we must have an 
 American paper, on the American association 
 work, and it must be printed and translated into 
 the languages of the conference, with sufficient 
 copies for distribution." This inaugurated a 
 new practice at the world's conference. In 1875 
 two papers were prepared at the New York 
 office, and translated into French, German, and 
 Dutch. Several hundred copies were printed 
 in each language and taken to Hamburg where 
 the convention was to be held. There was also 
 an assortment of American association pub- 
 lications, put together by Mr. Morse, and a 
 year book for each delegate. McBurney did 
 not attend this convention, America being rep- 
 resented by Mr. Morse and Mr. William F. Lee. 
 For the first time in the history of the confer- 
 ences each delegate was able to follow the 
 speaker in his own language, with the result 
 that a desire for discussion was created. The 
 printed matter brought by the Americans was 
 sought and carried wherever the association 
 work had been developed. For the first time, 
 the European associations learned that the 
 American work was greater and more influential 
 than that in any other land. 
 
 This opened the way to the developments at 
 the succeeding conference at Geneva, in 1878, 
 when the American influence was an important 
 
 216
 
 Toung Men s Christian Associations 
 
 and guiding factor. When the time arrived for 
 the Geneva conference, a party of forty Ameri- 
 can association leaders prepared to attend. At 
 this convention not only the American paper 
 but a number of others from England and 
 France were printed and translated into the 
 languages of the conference. One of these, by 
 a French delegate, was on " International Ties," 
 in which the establishment of a central perma- 
 nent committee was advocated. It was held 
 that the conference was too loosely organized 
 and administered. The ideas of the writer were 
 apparently suggested by the American reports 
 submitted at the previous conference, and it 
 was proposed to adopt some plan of organiza- 
 tion similar to the American international com- 
 mittee, the only one then in existence. The 
 plan, however, was an impossible one, as it pro- 
 posed a central body which should be author- 
 itative. No central supervising agency in the 
 association could exist unless it recognized the 
 independence of the local association. The 
 Americans were keenly alive to this necessity, 
 drawn from twenty-five years of experience. 
 
 It happened that the delegates were invited 
 to hold one session of the conference at the 
 country-seat of Adolphe Perrot. A storm aris- 
 ing, instead of holding the session in the open 
 air, the delegates were crowded into the differ- 
 ent rooms of the residence. McBurney was in 
 one room with a group of the delegates, and 
 Mr. Morse in another with a second group. 
 The topic for discussion was a central organi- 
 zation. The two friends did not meet until 
 nearly midnight at the hotel, when they were 
 
 217
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 interested to find that they had both independ- 
 ently worked out almost identical plans for a 
 world's organization, after the model of the 
 American international committee. The scheme 
 involved the choosing of a world's committee 
 with permanent headquarters, which should not 
 be in England, but upon the continent of 
 Europe, and which should have general super- 
 vision over Young Men's Christian Associations 
 in all lands, both in the Old World and the New. 
 The sentiment of the conference was strongly 
 against a world's committee located in England, 
 yet it could not be located either in France or 
 Germany on account of the political hostility 
 growing out of the recent war, and location in 
 America would have been unsatisfactory to all. 
 It was therefore proposed that the administra- 
 tion should have its headquarters at Geneva, 
 Switzerland. 
 
 A number of the British delegates, led by 
 Mr. Shipton, were strenuously opposed both to 
 the suggested change in headquarters and or- 
 ganization. Mr. Shipton took the floor and 
 spoke against the proposition. McBurney was 
 greatly stirred on this occasion, so much so that 
 he did not trust himself to reply, but persuaded 
 Mr. Morse to advocate the proposed change. 
 Not all of the English delegation stood with 
 Mr. Shipton. The majority followed George 
 Williams, who spoke in favor of organizing the 
 world's work on the new basis. The plan was 
 carried by an overwhelming majority. A world's 
 committee was chosen with a quorum at Geneva, 
 and representatives for each of the leading na- 
 tions in the association movement. The com- 
 
 218
 
 Young Men's Christian Associations 
 
 mittee was inexperienced, and leaned much 
 upon the Americans for advice and guidance. 
 McBurney and Mr. Morse saw clearly that un- 
 less the proposed committee could have a prop- 
 erly qualified executive secretary to devote his 
 whole time to its service, it would amount to 
 little. A providential candidate appeared in 
 the person of M. Charles Fermaud of Geneva, 
 whom the conference had chosen to preside 
 over its deliberations. He was a talented young 
 man engaged in the banking business, of ear- 
 nest spiritual life and exemplary habits. He 
 spoke the three languages of the conference 
 with fluency, and was most active in his interest 
 in the association cause. Mr. Morse and Mc- 
 Burney agreed upon him as the man for the new 
 service, and labored with all their zeal to induce 
 an acceptance on his part. Finally, at a small 
 conference, at which McBurney, Morse, George 
 Williams, and Russell Sturgis of Boston, were 
 present, it was agreed that if M. Fermaud was 
 willing to accept as secretary, and would begin 
 work January i, 1879, George Williams would 
 pledge 100 a year for England, and Mc- 
 Burney and Mr. Morse would be responsible 
 for $500 from America. They also extended 
 an invitation to M. Fermaud to make a tour 
 of the American associations, and to be pres- 
 ent at the American convention which was to 
 be held at Baltimore in the summer of 1879. 
 Later M. Fermaud accepted the arduous service 
 to which he was invited. Everything possible 
 was done by both Mr. Morse and McBurney to 
 make M. Fermaud's visit to America both profit- 
 able and pleasant. It was largely through this 
 
 219
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 visit that M. Fermaud gained a knowledge of 
 the modern ideal of association work. At this 
 time there was not a general secretary employed 
 upon the continent of Europe, and his contact 
 with McBurney, and study of the work in the 
 building on Twenty-third Street in New York 
 City, proved a moulding influence in his career. 
 
 The conference of 1881 met in London. At 
 this conference, McBurney introduced into the 
 world's gathering the program of procedure 
 which he had originated for the American con- 
 vention fifteen years before, and which in that 
 connection was called the "backbone of the 
 convention." When the report of the Geneva 
 committee was presented at London, at McBur- 
 ney's suggestion it was referred to a special 
 committee for consideration. This special com- 
 mittee was instructed to study the report, and 
 recommend to the convention a course of action 
 based upon it for the coming three years. This 
 became a standing committee of the convention, 
 and McBurney became the constant and leading 
 member of it. His presence upon this commit- 
 tee, with his superior knowledge and experience 
 of active association affairs, gave him a place 
 of practical leadership in the world's work. 
 From the nature of its duties, this committee 
 piloted the conference in its action. Mr. Morse 
 said: "McBurney gave to the conference its 
 leading executive committee, and he was the 
 brains of that committee. He was invaluable 
 in carrying the American method into the fiber 
 of the world's conference." 
 
 What McBurney did in 1881, he repeated at 
 Berlin in 1884, at Stockholm in 1888, at Amster-
 
 Toung Men s Christian Associations 
 
 dam in 1891, and at London in 1894. In these 
 conferences he performed the same function, 
 and they more and more approached an Ameri- 
 can convention. This was the quiet, controlling 
 work which McBurney enjoyed, and in which 
 he showed forth his masterful spirit. 
 
 One of the results of the London conference 
 in 1881 was that the British association leaders 
 came to feel that they had outgrown the parental 
 form of organization in London, which did not 
 allow the local associations any voice in the 
 general management. The north of England 
 particularly was restless under this control. 
 George Williams was anxious for some solution. 
 McBurney suggested to him as a way out that 
 a national committee be formed similar to the 
 international committee in America, and helped 
 devise a plan. Mr. Williams favored this, and 
 such a committee was appointed. 
 
 McBurney, commenting upon the world's 
 work in 1885, said in a report to the New York 
 City association: "Decided progress has been 
 made in well-directed efforts for young men by 
 the European associations, especially in Great 
 Britain and Germany. Persons occupying high 
 social positions in those countries are now en- 
 gaged in work for young men, with unexampled 
 activity. This is due in some measure to the 
 fact that the aggressive spirit of socialism has 
 awakened Christian men of the so-called higher 
 classes to a sense of their opportunity and 
 responsibility. They see that the true antidote 
 to an infidel, lawless socialism is to be found in 
 a Christian socialism, manifested and practiced 
 by the following of the example of Jesus Christ
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 in his self-denying ministry to men. This is a 
 very hopeful feature in our European work." 
 
 McBurney's last attendance at a world's con- 
 ference was the Jubilee convention at London 
 in 1894. At this convention, George Williams 
 was knighted by the Queen, and given the free- 
 dom of the city by the London Council. Mc- 
 Burney was honored among the most prominent 
 American guests on this occasion. 
 
 A number of the European general secre- 
 taries visited America as the years went by, 
 and learned much from McBurney and the New 
 York work. Carl Fries, the secretary at Stock- 
 holm, says, " I owe much to Robert R. McBur- 
 ney for his personal kindness and for the 
 valuable instruction in association work which 
 he gave me during my never-to-be-forgotten stay 
 in America." Christian Phildius, for many years 
 secretary at Berlin, and now one of the secre- 
 taries of the world's committee, was similarly 
 influenced by McBurney. 
 
 In tracing the development of the European 
 work, one cannot but see McBurney's master, 
 guiding hand, and feel the potency of his in- 
 fluence. Mr. Morse says, "His service to the 
 world's conferences was parallel to the service 
 he rendered to the American conventions; he 
 inserted the backbone into the work." 
 
 McBurney was not only interested in Europe 
 but he also stood for foreign missionary work 
 for young men on the part of the American 
 international committee. His last service on the 
 international committee was chiefly devoted to 
 this cause. He believed in it thoroughly, and 
 he entered into a sympathetic and fatherly
 
 Toung Mens Christian Associations 
 
 relationship with the secretaries who went out 
 into foreign lands. He was a pronounced be- 
 liever in foreign missions, an interest which 
 illustrates the catholicity of his sympathy. In 
 connection with missionary effort in foreign 
 lands, a number of Young Men's Christian As- 
 sociations, chiefly in mission colleges, had 
 gradually come into existence. In 1887 there 
 were fifteen associations in Ceylon, six in India, 
 five in China, four in Japan, eighteen in other 
 parts of Asia, and twelve in Africa. These were 
 chiefly student associations. They were small, 
 and were without general secretaries, and with 
 the exception of a hall belonging to the associa- 
 tion at Osaka, Japan, without property. 
 
 A strong interest in general foreign missions 
 had been awakened among the college students 
 of America through the efforts of Mr. Wishard 
 and others. This was seen at the convention 
 in 1879 at Baltimore in the interest there ex- 
 pressed, and in the organizing of missionary 
 committees on the part of students to study 
 foreign missions and secure contributions. This 
 interest culminated in the student conference at 
 Mount Hermon in 1886, when one hundred 
 students volunteered to go as foreign mission- 
 aries if the way should be opened. 
 
 At the second student gathering at North- 
 field in 1887, Rev. Jacob Chamberlain, D. D., 
 who was in this country on a furlough from 
 India, was present, and most earnestly contend- 
 ed that Young Men's Christian Associations 
 were needed in the foreign field, and that the 
 American international committee ought to send 
 out general secretaries for this service. Dr. 
 
 223
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 Chamberlain laid this matter before McBurney, 
 and deeply aroused his sympathy. At the same 
 time, news came of opportunities in the govern- 
 ment schools of Japan for American teachers, 
 who might also be influential in missionary 
 work. McBurney was much interested in this 
 development, and encouraged Mr. John T. Swift, 
 a graduate of Yale, who had been his assist- 
 ant, to go to Japan as a teacher. Mr. Swift 
 arrived in Japan on February twentieth, 1888, 
 with an appointment as corresponding member 
 of the American international committee. He 
 immediately took steps to study the character 
 of the associations then existing in different 
 parts of the empire, and kept McBurney in- 
 timately acquainted with his progress. He was 
 particularly impressed with the great oppor- 
 tunity at Tokio among the resident young men 
 of that city, and among the large number of stu- 
 dents gathered there at the Imperial University 
 from every province of the empire. 
 
 In the mean time, Dr. Chamberlain had urged 
 the foreign work upon McBurney and other 
 members of the international committee. Mc- 
 Burney said to Dr. Chamberlain that it would 
 not do to go forward without first consulting the 
 missionaries and the secretaries of the mission 
 boards of the various churches. Some of the 
 committee did not think the missionary sec- 
 retaries would favor the plan, and were unwill- 
 ing to involve the international committee in 
 any controversy. It was accordingly agreed 
 that Dr. Chamberlain should return to India, 
 and first arrange for an appeal to be sent to the 
 American international committee from the 
 
 224
 
 Young Men s Christian Associations 
 
 missionaries on the field. He returned to India, 
 and at a large conference of the missionaries of 
 the Madras presidency, held on March twelfth, 
 1888, in an earnest address, presented reasons 
 why the missionaries should unite in inviting the 
 American Young Men's Christian Association to 
 work for young men in foreign lands.* "After 
 full consideration of Dr. Chamberlain's state- 
 ments, the conference unanimously resolved, 
 ' That it will gratefully welcome such well-qual- 
 ified, thoroughly trained agents as the Young 
 Men's Christian Associations may propose to 
 send, and will give them its cordial sympathy 
 and co-operation.' " Meantime, the matter 
 had been laid before the secretaries of several 
 prominent mission boards, and received their 
 hearty indorsement. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. Wishard started on a tour of the 
 colleges and cities of mission lands. He says:f 
 " McBurney, more than any other member of 
 the committee, strongly believed in the foreign 
 work, and encouraged me at every step of it." 
 Upon the suggestion contained in a letter from 
 Mr. Wishard, money was secured in New York 
 to enable Mr. Swift to give his whole time to 
 association work, though he was not as yet in 
 official relation except as corresponding member 
 to the American committee. Mr. Swift attended 
 the international convention held at Philadelphia 
 in 1889. At this convention two addresses were 
 given upon work for young men in foreign lands, 
 and so much interest in this cause was aroused 
 that the following instructions were given to the 
 
 Year Book, 1889, page 42. 
 
 t McBurney Memorial, page 97. 
 
 225
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 international committee: * " Resolved, That the 
 international committee be empowered to estab- 
 lish such associations, and place such secretaries 
 in the foreign mission field as in its judgment 
 may be proper, and to receive such contributions 
 for this work as associations or individuals may 
 contribute to it." 
 
 Immediately after the adjournment of this 
 convention, McBurney, in a session of the inter- 
 national committee, moved the appointment of a 
 committee on work for young men in the foreign 
 field. McBurney became chairman of this com- 
 mittee. While a number were doubtful about 
 the wisdom of inaugurating this work, he urged 
 it with earnestness and deep conviction. In this 
 he was seconded by Mr. Morse, who relates, " I 
 was anxious to have the foreign work com- 
 menced, but the plan would not have been un- 
 dertaken without Mr. McBurney." 
 
 During the summer of 1889, McBurney 
 framed a proposed policy for the work in un- 
 evangelized lands. This was sent to all mem- 
 bers of the international committee, and finally 
 after incorporating several amendments was 
 adopted at a meeting of the committee Sep- 
 tember twenty-six, 1889. It was as follows :f 
 
 " 1. The convention did not contemplate the 
 sending out of general missionaries, and there- 
 fore any such course of procedure by the inter- 
 national committee, the state committees, or local 
 associations is unauthorized. 
 
 " 2. Where the way is open for association 
 work in any nation, and a competent association 
 
 International report, 1899, page 70. 
 f Year Book, 1890, page 43. 
 
 226
 
 Young Mens Christian Associations 
 
 worker is ready to go, the committee will gladly 
 send such worker, provided funds needed for 
 the purpose of sending and maintaining him 
 upon the foreign mission field are specially con- 
 tributed the treasurer of the committee being 
 instructed to keep a separate account of such 
 funds. 
 
 " 3. The chief aim of such American repre- 
 sentative upon the foreign mission field should 
 be to train and develop native Christian young 
 men in the principles and methods of the asso- 
 ciation work, and to plant native, self-sustaining 
 Young Men's Christian Associations, rather than 
 to lay the basis for the call and coming of 
 American associates into that work. 
 
 "4. All the work of such American represen- 
 tatives should be carried on in harmony with, 
 and in conformity to, the deliverances and in- 
 structions of the international conventions. 
 
 " 5. The work of such representative should 
 also be carried on, not only in harmony with the 
 evangelical missionaries and pastors of churches 
 on his field, and with the various foreign mission 
 boards they represent, but most earnest effort 
 must be made by him to secure their approval, 
 sympathy, and co-operation. 
 
 "6. This American representative shall be 
 known as secretary of the international commit- 
 tee for the field to which he is sent. 
 
 " 7. While the international committee is the 
 agent of the international convention, and is a 
 medium for the transmission of such money as 
 it may receive from associations and individuals 
 for the support of these representatives on the 
 foreign field, it cannot assume for the salary 
 
 227
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 and other expenses of these representatives a 
 financial responsibility beyond the contributions 
 offered and pledged in the manner alluded to, 
 nor can such expenses be made a charge upon 
 the committee's general treasury. 
 
 " 8. Such representative shall report at least 
 every month to the committee, and through it 
 to the financial constituency sustaining their 
 work. 
 
 "9. This work upon the foreign mission field 
 shall be placed under the direction of a special 
 subcommittee of the international committee." 
 
 By this policy the association strictly guards 
 itself from being a pioneer in foreign mission 
 work. It regards its province to be to follow 
 the missionaries of the church, and to co-operate 
 with them as they may desire. It is also arranged 
 that the budget for the foreign work shall be 
 entirely distinct from the home budget, so that 
 there will be no confusion in the minds of con- 
 tributors, and only such work is to be undertaken 
 as is provided for in advance. A recognition 
 of the dignity and importance of this work is 
 the provision that the secretaries sent out are 
 to be known as secretaries of the international 
 committee. The rapid development of the for- 
 eign work during the past ten years has demon- 
 strated McBurney's foresight, and is another 
 illustration of his statesmanlike qualities. It is 
 also interesting that it is the type of work for 
 young men evolved in America, in which he had 
 such influence in shaping, which the missionaries 
 upon the foreign field have sought, and which 
 is rapidly spreading throughout the world. 
 
 Only the choicest men have been chosen for 
 228
 
 Toung Mens Christian Associations 
 
 this service. The second secretary to go out 
 was David McConaughy, who left the large and 
 influential work at Philadelphia to undertake the 
 secretaryship at Madras, India. At the time of 
 McBurney's death, there were two secretaries in 
 Japan, four in India, one in Ceylon, one in Brazil, 
 and four in China. 
 
 It is necessary here to record one of the 
 most trying experiences in McBurney's life of 
 service his severance from the international 
 committee which he had served faithfully for so 
 many years. It is plain that he felt heavily at 
 times the burden of the various lines of execu- 
 tive work which rested upon him. He first 
 offered his resignation in September, 1892. In 
 this letter of resignation he says: " Finding it 
 necessary to be relieved of some part of the 
 burden of association work, I have been consid- 
 ering my relations to the international com- 
 mittee The work of the committee in 
 
 which perhaps I am most interested, the foreign 
 mission work, will need closer and more care- 
 ful supervision in the future than I can possibly 
 give to it. I have always believed that the 
 members should hold a close and direct relation 
 to their subcommittee work, not merely assent- 
 ing to the plans of the secretaries While 
 
 having the fullest confidence in the self-devo- 
 tion and zeal of every secretary of the com- 
 mittee, I believe it would be a peril to the 
 association cause if the members of the sub- 
 committees do not come into possession first- 
 hand of all the details of the work, the super- 
 vision of which is committed to them." 
 
 This resignation, however, was not accepted, 
 229
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 and McBurney continued as a member of the 
 committee. He, however, felt his growing in- 
 firmities. He had recently returned from his 
 absence in Palestine, and speaking of this in a 
 letter to a friend, he said: "I found it neces- 
 sary to go away from New York, owing to 
 impaired health, which came from overwork 
 and insufficient exercise. I was confined to my 
 room practically from the early part of Novem- 
 ber (1891) until the beginning of February 
 (1892)." 
 
 Not only was McBurney feeling the pressure 
 of overwork and bodily infirmity, but there was 
 a growing apprehension in his mind as to the 
 wisdom of the policy of expansion of the 
 agencies of supervision. During the years fol- 
 lowing 1890 this expansion became more and 
 more obvious. The budget of the international 
 committee and the number of secretaries em- 
 ployed increased steadily. Two divergent theo- 
 ries were held: one, that the chief agencies of 
 supervision ought to be the state committees, 
 and the other, as McBurney described it, held 
 that " The more state work is developed, the 
 greater need there will be for international 
 work." McBurney strongly opposed the latter 
 view. He feared too much concentration and 
 centralization in the hands of the international 
 committee. He felt that the budget was becom- 
 ing dangerously large. His own words regard- 
 ing this were, "I believe that the committee 
 has entered upon a career which will result in 
 disaster sooner or later." He was also opposed 
 to the plan of the field secretaryship, by 
 which the country was divided into several dis- 
 
 230
 
 Toung Men s Christian Associations 
 
 tricts and a resident secretary placed in charge 
 of each. 
 
 Accordingly, in the summer of 1895, ne 
 renewed his resignation to the committee, and 
 insisted upon it being accepted. It was with 
 sincere regret that the committee assented to 
 his request, on the nineteenth of September, 
 1895. The following minute, prepared by Mr. 
 Richard C. Morse, was placed upon the records 
 of the committee: 
 
 "As secretary of the New York association and one 
 of its delegates, Mr. McBurney attended his first inter- 
 national convention in 1865, at Philadelphia. Owing to 
 his successful exertions some discussion was accomplished 
 in that convention of distinctive work for young men. 
 It was quite an achievement upon what we would call 
 right lines in those early days, when discussions were 
 diverted to many subjects quite apart from distinctive 
 work for young men. 
 
 "The following year, when the convention met at 
 Albany, he was made chairman of the committee on 
 executive (or international) committee's report. This 
 committee, up to that time, had been itinerated from 
 year to year, its last place of abode having been Phila- 
 delphia. He drafted and presented the resolution which 
 was adopted locating the committee for three years in 
 New York City, where it has since continued. It con- 
 sisted at first of five members, all resident in New York 
 City. Though not at that time chosen one of the five 
 original members, Mr. McBurney was continued as cor- 
 responding member for the state of New York, and as 
 such, in response to special invitation, he attended the 
 meetings of the committee regularly from the beginning, 
 and rendered specially valuable service during the first 
 year of the committee's work. On the reappointment of 
 the committee, three years later, by the convention at 
 Portland (1869) he was elected one of its members, and 
 has ever since been among the most faithful at all the 
 sessions, keeping himself posted on all lines of the work. 
 
 231
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 "In the early days he was the main reliance of the 
 committee in the direction of the finances. In 1868 he 
 secured, by his own personal solicitation, the money 
 needed by the committee to put in the field its first agent, 
 Mr. Robert Weidensall; and in the following year (1869), 
 it was owing to his selection and solicitation that the 
 committee secured its present general secretary. As the 
 international work developed from year to year, it would 
 be difficult to exaggerate Mr. McBurney's influence in 
 the councils of the committee. He kept in touch with 
 every new department. In the absence at any inter- 
 national convention of the chairman, Mr. McBurney was 
 the member ready to represent the committee upon the 
 floor in all critical emergencies. His unrecorded ser- 
 vices in this line were simply invaluable. He was chosen 
 president of the international convention at Dayton, in 
 1874, and declined to serve, as he was there on behalf of 
 the international committee to present its report, and 
 deemed that he could not properly act in both capacities. 
 
 "As the work grew money was needed, and it was he 
 who began the securing of that constituency of donors in 
 New York City, whose contributions have formed so 
 large, stable, and indispensable a part of the committee's 
 annual fund. The proportion of the whole fund con- 
 tributed by New York in those early days of his solicita- 
 tion was as great as at the present time. 
 
 "During the years of this influential connection with 
 the international committee and convention, he was (1) 
 general secretary of the New York City association, 
 which he was helping to make the leading association of 
 the country a position it maintained steadily; and in 
 the general secretaries' conference he was showing him- 
 self to be the leader of the general secretaries of the 
 country; (2) he was also the prominent leader in the New 
 York state convention and committee, during the earlier, 
 formative period of its growth, when it began to take 
 rank with the best state organizations and work in the 
 country. He was therefore ever bringing to the councils 
 of the committee the ripe experience gained in these 
 departments of association work, and was an influential 
 factor in enabling the committee to maintain that leader- 
 ship in supervision and extension which has given it its 
 
 232
 
 Toung Men s Christian Associations 
 
 strong and useful position in the scheme of our work for 
 young men. 
 
 "It would seem appropriate here to record the fact 
 that at the international convention at Albany, in 1866, 
 it was Mr. McBurney who introduced not only the resolu- 
 tion locating the international committee at New York 
 City, but another giving the committee authority to call 
 state and provincial conventions, and to issue the call for 
 the observance of the Week of Prayer in November, 
 which has since become a world-wide observance. 
 
 "Previous to the adoption of the evangelical test at 
 the Detroit and Portland conventions of 1868 and 1869, 
 Mr. McBurney had already carried the adoption of that 
 test at the New York state convention in 1867, and was 
 able to throw his influence intelligently and most help- 
 fully in favor of its adoption at the international meeting. 
 
 "More steadily and influentially than any other mem- 
 ber he has represented the committee at the world's 
 conferences on the other side of the Atlantic, attending 
 every conference but one since the year 1872, and serving 
 prominently on the committees of each conference. 
 
 "His leadership in the foreign work of the committee, 
 from its very beginning, as permanent chairman of the 
 foreign work committee, is one of his latest and best 
 contributions to the international work. 
 
 "The committee accepts with great reluctance the 
 resignation of Mr. McBurney, and places on its minutes 
 this brief record of his long term of invaluable service, 
 with the expression of its affectionate appreciation, and 
 with the earnest prayer that his best and most fruitful 
 years may be those that yet remain to complete and to 
 crown his lifelong devotion in his Master's name to the 
 welfare of young men both at home and abroad." 
 
 On behalf of the committee, 
 
 Richard C. Morse, 
 
 General Secretary. 
 
 Writing to one of his fellow secretaries, Mc- 
 Burney said later: 
 
 "The city work crowds me very much, and the inter- 
 national work was a heavy burden, heavier than any 
 
 233
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 person out of New York City could appreciate, and for 
 that reason it became necessary for me to resign. I had 
 served the committee for twenty-nine years, and was 
 entitled to be relieved." 
 
 But active men cannot give up service which 
 is dear to them without many poignant and 
 keen regrets. That McBurney felt the sever- 
 ance of this life-long relationship, there is 
 abundant evidence. Writing to one of the 
 secretaries in the foreign field, he said : 
 
 "My greatest regret in resigning from the committee 
 is, that I am withdrawn from close relation to the foreign 
 mission work. My sympathies are more deeply enlisted 
 with you fellows that have gone to the front than with 
 any other set of men that I have any knowledge of, 
 either at home or abroad. I assure you it was hard to 
 withdraw from that work, but I am quite sure that I have 
 done right, though it has cost me a good deal." 
 
 McBurney accepted a position as a member 
 of the advisory committee, and continued in this 
 relation to the international work until his 
 death. It is gratifying also to record that at 
 the conference of the traveling secretaries of 
 the international committee held in the fall of 
 1896, at which the plans of each department for 
 the coming year were discussed, McBurney was 
 present. He listened to the account of the work 
 of each man, and at the close of the conference 
 expressed his enthusiastic appreciation of the 
 work that the committee was doing. 
 
 McBurney' s interest in work for young men 
 had gone through a steady evolution. At first 
 he served the small organization of 151 mem- 
 bers in New York City in 1862. From this he 
 grew into sympathy and interest for all the 
 
 234
 
 Toung Men 's Christian Associations 
 
 tempted young men of the metropolis. Very 
 rapidly his interest and sympathy went out to 
 the young men of America, and we find him 
 active in the international conventions. In the 
 fullness of his powers when the Twenty-third 
 Street building was completed, and he stood 
 pre-eminent among the leaders for work for 
 young men in America, we find him taking part 
 in the conventions and advising with the lead- 
 ers of the associations of Europe. Later he 
 formulated the platform upon which the Young 
 Men's Christian Associations have undertaken 
 their work for young men in non-Christian 
 lands. Thus was perfected the sublime service 
 of a noble heart and a noble life. 
 
 235
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 McBURNEY'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE 
 SECRETARYSHIP 
 
 THE SECRETARIES' CONFERENCE THE TRAINING SCHOOL 
 AT SPRINGFIELD 
 
 Of all the association movement has Drought 
 forth, the most vital contribution is the sec- 
 retaryship. To this may be attributed its per- 
 manence and continued power. The church 
 will never give up the idea of having specially 
 prepared and qualified men set apart for direct 
 work among young men. Prior to 187 1, the 
 Young Men's Christian Association was a move- 
 men under volunteer leadership. Since that 
 time the employed officers have risen into a 
 place of great influence. Of these McBurney 
 was easily the chief. The period of volunteer 
 leadership was marked by activity in evangelistic 
 work for young men. The second period has 
 seen the rise of a diversified work for the cul- 
 ture and development of Christian young man- 
 hood. 
 
 It has been said that Robert McBurney 
 created the secretaryship. He has been called 
 the "discoverer and demonstrator" of this 
 office. In this he made his greatest contribu- 
 tion to the movement which he served, and to 
 the world. He was the first to really give shape 
 and character to the secretarial office. He was 
 by no means the first salaried official in the 
 
 236
 
 McBurney' s Contribution to the Secretaryship 
 
 association. A city missionary among young 
 men was employed by the London association 
 within six months of its origin. McBurney 
 owed much to Mr. William E. Shipton who be- 
 came secretary of the London society in 1850. 
 A number of men were employed by the Ameri- 
 can associations before 1862, but it was McBur- 
 ney who first developed the distinctive executive 
 characteristics which make the secretaryship 
 to-day. He became in a sense the personal 
 embodiment of Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion work. When he became secretary in New 
 York, there were but three or four salaried offi- 
 cers in the American associations, and less than 
 a dozen in the world. His experience, his force- 
 ful, genial, and tactful personality, his wide ac- 
 quaintance, and his commanding position in New 
 York City, made him the leader of the secreta- 
 rial force, as it grew from this small group to a 
 trained regiment of fourteen hundred men united 
 in one brotherhood, and giving their lives to one 
 cause. McBurney was looked up to as a father 
 and teacher by this alert body of younger men. 
 He took it upon himself to be concerned in all 
 secretarial affairs. He was even charged with 
 being a "boss" by those whose purposes ran 
 counter to his own. Scores, and perhaps hun- 
 dreds, of secretarial positions were filled upon 
 his recommendation, and there are not a few 
 occasions where he was instrumental in securing 
 the removal of inefficient men. 
 
 McBurney's qualities as a friend and com- 
 panion shine out in his relation to his fellow 
 secretaries. He bore the difficulties and bur- 
 dens of the many who came to him for advice. 
 
 237
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 He was particularly sympathetic with the new 
 and inexperienced men. He sought them out 
 at conferences, and encouraged them whenever 
 he had opportunity. There is no more beauti- 
 ful example of fellowship in Jesus Christ than is 
 to be found in the fraternity of the employed 
 officers of the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion. Separated by distance, often standing 
 alone in a community, facing new and untried 
 problems, without experience, these men are 
 drawn by an irresistible need to an intimate 
 fellowship with one another. As St. Francis of 
 Assisi, that beautiful character of the Middle 
 Age, drew about himself the " little brothers" of 
 St. Francis, and welded them into a mighty 
 order, so McBurney drew to himself his breth- 
 ren in the secretaryship, and created a new 
 order adapted to the conditions of the modern 
 church. 
 
 The first step in this development occurred 
 following the international convention at Wash- 
 ington in 187 1, when aboard a steamer sailing 
 from the capital to Mount Vernon, a meeting 
 was held of the salaried agents of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association. Only twelve men 
 were present. McBurney was called to the 
 chair, and each man gave an account of his own 
 duties in the association which he represented. 
 Only one man bore the title of general secre- 
 tary. These men organized " The Association 
 of the General Secretaries of the Young Men's 
 Christian Associations of the United States 
 and British Provinces." This body, meeting 
 annually through the rest of McBurney's life, 
 and now bi-annually, became the first training 
 
 238
 
 McBurney' s Contribution to the Secretaryship 
 
 school for employed officers in the association. 
 To it came the leaders from year to year, and 
 also the men who were under appointment to 
 this office. McBurney was deeply interested in 
 this conference. He gave to it his best thought 
 and effort, and brought to it all the wealth of 
 his experience. The building on Twenty-third 
 Street became a rendezvous for the secretaries 
 of the country. They turned to McBurney for 
 advice, counsel, and training. He was unre- 
 mitting in his attendance upon the conference 
 of general secretaries, during its first twenty- 
 seven years being absent only from the confer- 
 ences at Racine in 1883, Montreal in 1884, and 
 Oakland, California, in 1887. 
 
 At the second conference, in 1872, at Lowell, 
 he earnestly urged that written papers be 
 prepared in the future, and that there be an 
 interchange of documents and frequent corres- 
 pondence among the different secretaries. 
 With this began the practice of arranging 
 discussions at these conferences, opened by the 
 reading of a paper prepared by some secretary. 
 In the early days, some complained that they 
 were not competent to write upon the subject 
 given them. To such McBurney offered pri- 
 vate interviews, out of which each came 
 equipped with the material for the paper he 
 was asked to read. Often papers came before 
 the conference which would not have been 
 written but for this personal influence. He 
 was influential in preparing the programs for 
 these gatherings. 
 
 McBurney has said of these conferences, 
 " They became secretarial institutes, shaping, 
 
 239
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 defining, and perfecting the work of this re- 
 sponsible office." He himself contributed to the 
 programs. In 1873, at Poughkeepsie, he read 
 a paper on " The Relation of the Secretary to 
 the Committees of the Association"; in 1878, 
 at Buffalo, on "Association Lectures Their Use 
 and Abuse"; at Chicago, in 1880, on "The 
 Relation of the Local Secretary to the Inter- 
 national Work"; at New Haven, in 1882, on 
 " Secretarialism a Snare in Association Work"; 
 at Harrisburg, in 1886, on "The Branch and 
 the Association Their Relations"; at Nash- 
 ville, in 1890, " How may we Overcome the Ten- 
 dency to Spiritual Barrenness in the Paid 
 Employee"; at St. Joseph, Mo., in 1891, "Bible 
 Study in the Associations"; at Louisville, 1893, 
 "Secretarialism"; and at Selma, Ala., in 1897, 
 " The Weakness of the Religious Work of the 
 Association." The attendance at these con- 
 ventions rapidly enlarged. At Poughkeepsie, in 
 1873, thirty-one employed men were present; at 
 Chicago, in 1880, 131 were present; at Grand 
 Rapids, in 1888, 245 were present; at Cleveland, 
 in 1896, 270 were present. These conferences 
 possess no legislative power, and seldom pass 
 resolutions. They are not open to the press, 
 and give opportunity for confidential discussion 
 and expression of opinion which is most help- 
 ful. It was in these gatherings that the frater- 
 nal, intimate relations which have bound the 
 secretaries of different parts of the continent 
 together were firmly cemented. These con- 
 ferences were usually occasions of marked spir- 
 itual blessing. 
 
 Perhaps the most influential paper prepared 
 240
 
 McBurney' s Contribution to the Secretaryship 
 
 by McBurney for the secretaries' conferences 
 was the one on " Secretarialism a Snare in As- 
 sociation Work," read at New Haven, in 1882. 
 McBurney's conception of the secretary was 
 that it was his function to set the membership 
 at work. He considered that success of a 
 secretary was measured by the degree in which 
 he developed men, and led the membership of 
 the association out into active work for young 
 men. This was the great message that he 
 sought to carry to his fellow-secretaries. He 
 did not look upon the salaried officer as being 
 employed to do the work of the association 
 himself, but rather as a leader who was to win, 
 to incite, to train, and to direct others. He 
 was not to be the man before the public, but 
 the inspirer and pilot; a conspicuous secretary 
 he considered a menace to the cause. In this 
 paper he said, " Some associations have been 
 secretarialized (a term coined by McBurney) 
 into a state of absolute inefficiency." By sec- 
 retarialism he stated that he meant " the tak- 
 ing by the secretary of an undue part, place, 
 and prominence in the association. The true 
 secretary will ever keep in mind that his duty 
 is to keep the directors and members in the 
 foreground and himself in the background. 
 Where the secretary does not do this, he dwarfs 
 the membership, makes it inefficient, and min- 
 imizes the association. The general secretary 
 should seek to make himself a training officer. 
 He should train the young men of his associa- 
 tion to be winners of souls, and the members of 
 committees to assume responsibility for the ad- 
 ministration of the affairs committed to them in 
 
 241
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 a thoroughly systematic and business-like man- 
 ner. He should so train his working force that 
 if he is removed the work will go on systemat- 
 ically and effectively. The secretary is strongly 
 tempted to neglect this, owing to his own famil- 
 iarity with the work the knowledge that he 
 can do it better than a young man less familiar 
 with it, and possessing less ability than himself. 
 Some secretaries, forgetting that they should 
 be training officers, do a vast amount of work 
 themselves, and so rob the committees and 
 other officers of responsibility for the very ser- 
 vice with which they are charged. I am 
 acquainted with an association where every 
 religious meeting is conducted by a paid 
 official, save one meeting that has a permanent 
 leader. The secretary and the board of direc- 
 tors commend this course on the plea that bet- 
 ter results are secured. If this course were 
 followed by associations generally, I do not 
 hesitate to say that the associations would 
 become a curse rather than a blessing." 
 
 McBurney's ideal of the secretaryship stood in 
 direct contrast with that represented by William 
 E. Shipton, the secretary of the London associa- 
 tion, who was his contemporary. In 1856 Mr. 
 Shipton wrote in a letter to an American friend: 
 " Here we have not, as with you, committees for 
 discharging all special duties in connection with 
 the work. Our committees are simply consul- 
 tative. The secretary of the society conducts 
 its meetings, arranges its public lectures, keeps 
 minutes and accounts, solicits and disburses its 
 funds, conducts all of its correspondence, receives 
 young men for private religious interviews, 
 
 242
 
 McBurney' s Contribution to the Secretaryship 
 
 teaches classes and delivers lectures to our own 
 or branch associations, and daily at the office 
 superintends the reading-rooms, receives visitors 
 to the association, and supplies information as 
 to its proceedings, meets the representatives of 
 branch or kindred associations, and as far as op- 
 portunity permits, uses hospitality towards them." 
 McBurney was directly opposed to this concep- 
 tion. 
 
 He was as watchful as a father over his fellow- 
 secretaries. He encouraged them, and when he 
 thought they needed it, he reproved them. He 
 also studied the development of this office. 
 He particularly felt that frequent changes on 
 the part of the men were a serious evil. Writing, 
 in 1893, ne said: " I believe it is a decided dis- 
 advantage to secretaries and to associations to 
 have secretaries change their positions. There 
 is a certain restiveness among secretaries that 
 is beginning to give business men the impres- 
 sion that they are in the work for what they 
 receive more than for what they can do. This 
 has been intensified in some quarters by the fact 
 that secretaries, after acquiring an acquaintance 
 and influence in the association, have resigned 
 their office to enter business, and thereafter 
 have taken little if any interest in the welfare 
 of associations in towns in which they have set- 
 tled Secretaries have need to keep in 
 
 mind that their place is a place of service." 
 
 McBurney was also insistent upon his asso- 
 ciates keeping the spiritual side of the work 
 pre-eminent. In a letter written in 1897, he 
 says: "The secretary of the association is upon 
 a hill, and has even greater responsibilities rest- 
 
 243
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 ing upon him, in some respects at least, than 
 
 almost any other man in the community 
 
 He is responsible to the association and to the 
 community for the reaching of young men. He 
 may have a model educational work, a good 
 physical department, large meetings, and a 
 thorough social atmosphere, but if he has not a 
 band of workers who are personally reaching 
 young men and winning them from sin to right- 
 eousness, from the world to the church of Jesus 
 Christ, he is not fulfilling his responsibility." 
 
 It is also interesting to note that McBurney 
 regarded the local secretaryship as the most im- 
 portant office in association work. 
 
 There is no doubt that McBurney recognized 
 his own leadership, and while he was an ex- 
 tremely modest man, he felt keenly any loss of 
 prestige. One of the marked disappointments 
 of his life came in connection with the secre- 
 taries' conference at Harrisburg in 1886. The 
 New York association had become active in the 
 propagation of the White Cross League, and 
 had established a large branch of the White 
 Cross Army. McBurney believed in this move- 
 ment, and was desirous of seeing it adopted by 
 the associations, feeling that it would be a help- 
 ful agency. The subject of the White Cross 
 Army arose incidentally. In the discussions at 
 Harrisburg, a severe attack was made upon the 
 procedure in New York by a number of those 
 at the conference, who held that, instead of 
 opposing specific sins, it was the province of the 
 association to get to the root of the matter by 
 seeking a change of character in men through 
 salvation in Jesus Christ. McBurney was thor- 
 
 244
 
 McBurney's Contribution to the Secretaryship 
 
 oughly aroused, and made one of his most 
 notable speeches. He was opposed by I. E. 
 Brown of Illinois, Robert Orr of Pittsburg, and 
 W. E. Lewis of Wisconsin. He was grieved 
 over the apparent reproach that the New York 
 association was being satisfied with something 
 less than the salvation of young men. He urged 
 that, while the association should seek earnestly 
 to win young men, it should not neglect the aid 
 which the White Cross movement could give it. 
 He was, however, voted down, and a resolution 
 was passed as follows: "Resolved, That, while 
 we recognize the great necessity there is for per- 
 sistent effort to promote personal purity among 
 young men, we deem it unwise and contrary to 
 the well-established principles formulated for the 
 guidance of our associations by the international 
 convention, for the associations as such to adopt 
 the methods of the White Cross Army and 
 similar societies; and that, while we sympathize 
 with all efforts for the improvement of the 
 moral condition of men, we are still of the opin- 
 ion that it is unadvisable for the associations to 
 engage in any organized efforts for moral reform. 
 But we recommend that through the approved 
 agencies of the association more systematic and 
 earnest effort be made in the physical depart- 
 ments to discourage impurity of every form, 
 and to lead men to Jesus Christ, the savior 
 from sin." This debate had come up incident- 
 ally, and McBurney felt called upon to defend 
 the action of the New York association. One of 
 McBurney's friends, now an influential secre- 
 tary, said afterwards, "I was much incensed at 
 the treatment he received upon the floor." He 
 
 245
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 was himself profoundly cast down by the result. 
 A friend said later that tears came to his eyes 
 in referring to this incident, and that he spoke 
 as though his child had left him, and no longer 
 looked to him for guidance. 
 
 At the secretaries' conference at Selma, 
 Ala., in 1897, McBurney's associates took the 
 opportunity to recognize the completion of his 
 thirty-five years of service by a complimentary 
 address, and the passing of the following resolu- 
 tion, which shows the warm esteem in which he 
 was held by his fellow-workers: 
 
 "With thanksgiving to Almighty God, the Young 
 Men's Christian Associations of North America take note 
 of the completion of thirty-five years of continuous and 
 devoted service of Robert R. McBurney as general secre- 
 tary of the New York Young Men's Christian Association, 
 and the attainment to sixty years in the prime of his 
 strength and in the vigor of his service. 
 
 "As members of this association of general secretaries 
 and co-laborers with him in Christian work for young 
 men, we desire to extend to our brother sincere congratu- 
 lations upon this honorable attainment, and to assure him 
 of the sincere love and hearty appreciation which we have 
 for the service which he has rendered in the advancement 
 of the movement, the life work in which we are engaged, 
 and upon which he entered from the ranks of the active 
 membership a generation ago. 
 
 "Without lessening the appreciation we hold for the ser- 
 vice of other men to this organization, we would recognize 
 the noble service our senior secretary has rendered in de- 
 fining the character and work of a general secretary and in 
 shaping the policy of the general secretaries' association. 
 
 "We would acknowledge the value of the inspiration 
 and guidance he has given us during the years in which 
 we have been associated with him. 
 
 "By the integrity of his life; by the great-hearted 
 love and tenderness of his relations with us; by the 
 frankness with which he has dealt with our faults as he 
 
 246
 
 McBurney 's Contribution to the Secretaryship 
 
 has seen them ; by his loyalty to and love for the Word 
 of God; by his devotion to the principles which have 
 characterized the association; by his indomitable persist- 
 ency of purpose ; by his manhood ; by his gentlemanliness ; 
 by his sympathy; by his self-forgetfulness, his hope, 
 faith, and prayerfulness, he has rendered us all a personal 
 service, and shown us an example of Christian manhood 
 which we desire to acknowledge with deep gratitude. 
 We pray that our brother may fill to the full a half-century 
 of service with us in working with Jesus Christ to advance 
 His Kingdom among the young men of the world." 
 
 McBurney was deeply interested in the de- 
 velopment of both the secretaryship and the 
 physical directorship. He saw keenly the need 
 of properly qualified men for these offices. Late 
 in 1884, Rev. David Allen Reed of Springfield, 
 Mass., came to New York to consult with Rich- 
 ard Morse, Erskine Uhl, and McBurney about 
 the feasibility of establishing a secretarial de- 
 partment in connection with the proposed 
 school for Christian workers at Springfield. 
 These men entered heartily into this proposi- 
 tion. McBurney consented to become one of 
 the incorporators, and to do his utmost in secur- 
 ing funds and students for the institution. The 
 school organized early in 1885, Dut as vet had 
 secured no instructor for the secretarial course. 
 Among others, Mr. Reed applied to McBurney 
 to suggest a suitable man. Together they went 
 over the list of all the employed secretaries in 
 the United States and Canada, and came to the 
 conclusion that the most desirable man was Mr. 
 J. T. Bowne, who had already, as secretary at 
 Newburg, trained a large number of men for 
 this service, and who was then employed as a 
 secretary of the international committee, with 
 
 247
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 special reference to securing secretaries and 
 physical directors. Mr. Bowne hesitated to 
 take up this task under the impression that he 
 could accomplish more in the New York office 
 of the international committee. An unavailing 
 effort was made to find some other person, and 
 finally, after earnest solicitation by McBurney, 
 Mr. Bowne consented to undertake the work. 
 McBurney was a faithful and devoted member 
 of the board of trustees of the training school. 
 His counsel was sought when the association 
 department was established as a separate in- 
 stitution, in 1890. It is significant of McBurney's 
 conviction of the importance of the secretariate, 
 and the place of the training school in the asso- 
 ciation's development, that in disposing of his 
 estate, he provided that one-fourth should go to 
 the international training school at Springfield. 
 He had not devoted himself to the accumula- 
 tion of property, but a maturing life insurance 
 policy had enabled him to purchase certain 
 lots, which at his death, with other effects, were 
 valued at $10,000. He was a trustee of the 
 school at the time of his death. 
 
 The tower room in the Twenty-third Street 
 building, in which McBurney lived, was the home 
 spot for every employed association officer how- 
 ever humble. Here were the births of new pur- 
 poses, and the consecrations of many earnest lives 
 to the winning of young men to Jesus Christ. 
 
 As the creator of the secretaryship, McBur- 
 ney made his largest contribution to the prob- 
 lems of modern religious life, and it is in the 
 hearts of his associates in this service that his 
 memory will longest be enshrined. 
 
 248
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 McBURNEY'S LAST DAYS 
 
 McBurney's last work was in the capacity of 
 general secretary directly in charge of a single 
 association. It was the same field in which he 
 had begun his association career. In Septem- 
 ber, 1897, when he was sixty years of age, by 
 force of circumstances he was obliged tempo- 
 rarily to assume the secretaryship of the branch 
 on Twenty-third Street in addition to his heavy 
 duties as metropolitan secretary. For some 
 time the branch had been without a man in 
 charge. There was great difficulty in finding 
 the right secretary, and until a man could be 
 secured, McBurney determined, with his usual 
 devotion, to assume charge of the work himself. 
 This was an unfortunate decision; and yet his 
 love for the work in that particular branch 
 doubtless led him to be over-anxious for its suc- 
 cess. The strain of constant, absorbing, self- 
 consuming endeavor, added to some increasing 
 bodily infirmities, was telling upon his strength, 
 but he loved the old building, and for some time 
 he gave strenuous attention to the details of its 
 work. The result of this special application im- 
 posed upon an overtaxed frame was his enforced 
 absence from the anniversary meeting in Janu- 
 ary, 1898, the first anniversary which he had 
 missed since entering upon the work in 1862. 
 It was also the first time since 1870 that the an- 
 
 249
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 nual report of the New York work was prepared 
 by a hand other than his own. He was sent for 
 restoration to Atlantic City. His ailment grew 
 in its complication, and in February, 1898, he 
 went out to the Presbyterian Hospital of New 
 York City for treatment. Here his friends min- 
 istered to him with the most loving devotion, 
 one providing for him one of the pleasantest 
 rooms in the hospital. In April resort was had 
 to a severe surgical operation, but the best at- 
 tainments of medical science could not give 
 relief. He was taken for a month to the Adi- 
 rondacks, and in September to the Sanitarium 
 at Clifton Springs. Here he lingered for some 
 months, alternating between improvement and 
 decline, and suffering severely from multiple 
 sarcoma. Though his body wasted, he kept 
 his mind alert and interested in the affairs of 
 the association, reading about its work and in- 
 quiring eagerly of the secretaries who came to 
 his sick-room to visit him. Mr. Clarence J. 
 Hicks, one of the international secretaries, was 
 at that time living at Clifton Springs and saw him 
 frequently, as did also his old friends George 
 A. Hall, Richard C. Morse, and others. 
 
 As he had been incapacitated for service for 
 a good many months, he felt it his duty to re- 
 sign as secretary of the New York associations, 
 and accordingly in the month of October sent 
 in his resignation. This the board promptly 
 and tenderly declined, extending him a leave of 
 absence until the following February. Mr. 
 Cleveland H. Dodge, president of the associa- 
 tion, to whom the resignation was sent, wrote on 
 October sixteen, 1898: "You cannot break off 
 
 250
 
 McBumey s Last Days 
 
 the ties of thirty-six years quite as easily as all 
 that, and if you think we are going to give up 
 our general secretary as long as there is any 
 breath in his body, you are very much mistaken. 
 What is more, we expect you back before many 
 
 months have passed We need you and 
 
 your ripe experience more now than ever, and 
 you must brace up and get well (if only fairly 
 well) for my sake if for no other, who have 
 always leaned on you. One thing more: if you 
 ever even breathe to yourself the thought that 
 you may ever become a burden to those who 
 would give all that they have for you, and if you 
 ever again think of resigning, you will break 
 
 all our hearts Richard Morse is to see 
 
 you Wednesday, and will carry you the news of 
 how offended we all are, although we love you 
 and reverence you beyond all words to express. 
 God bless you, and give you new strength and 
 courage." 
 
 On November seventeenth, McBurney wrote 
 to the office: " My rheumatism is less trouble- 
 some, and I am expecting before the winter is 
 over to be at the office once more." On the 
 twenty-ninth he wrote: "The doctor says I am 
 making progress towards recovery, but it is not 
 as apparent to me as to him. The rheumatism 
 seems to hold on with remarkable tenacity, but 
 I am patiently trusting that God may graciously 
 rebuke the disease." 
 
 As the knowledge of his illness spread 
 throughout the association world, he received 
 multitudes of letters from fellow-workers. 
 These are full of sympathy and prayer for his 
 recovery, and grateful recognition of his life of 
 
 251
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 service. On December seventh, three weeks 
 before his death, he wrote: "Last night was 
 the best night I have had since coming to 
 the sanitarium, and though not out of the woods 
 yet, I feel very much like whistling this morn- 
 ing. I certainly have reason to be thankful to 
 my Heavenly Father for exemption from pain 
 last night." 
 
 When it became certain that he must pass 
 away, he was told that the end was not far off. 
 He received the announcement calmly, but with 
 some surprise. On December twenty-seventh, 
 he said to his attendant in the morning, "Almost 
 home." In the afternoon the end came quietly 
 and peacefully. 
 
 The cheerful patience and sweetness of tem- 
 per which characterized him through this illness 
 deeply impressed all who were about him. 
 
 The funeral services were held on Thursday, 
 December twenty-ninth, in the association hall 
 of the Twenty-third Street building, the build- 
 ing which had been home to him for so many 
 years. This was in keeping with his own wish. 
 The pastor of his church, St. Paul's Methodist 
 Episcopal, Rev. George P. Eckmann, presided; 
 his close friend, President M. W. Stryker of 
 Hamilton College participated; and a tender 
 and devout appreciation was spoken by Bishop 
 Henry C. Potter of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church, who had been an intimate friend of 
 McBurney. A large number of secretaries of 
 local associations and of the state and interna- 
 tional committees occupied seats at the right of 
 the platform. At the left were the employed 
 officers of the New York association. In the 
 
 252
 
 McBurney' s Last Days 
 
 center were the directors of the various New 
 York branches and several members of the 
 international committee, among them William 
 E. Dodge, Cephas Brainerd, Lucien C. Warner, 
 James Stokes, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Morris 
 K. Jesup. 
 
 Bishop Potter said:* 
 
 "It is in such a presence as this that we readjust our 
 standards of values. There is much in all our modern 
 life, and especially in the life of cities, to confuse them. 
 Externalisms the proportions and the triumphs of the 
 visible create even in more serious minds an undue 
 estimate of their value and meaning; and the type of man 
 whose achievements are expressed by bulk and bigness, 
 whether of structures, combinations, or accumulations, 
 is the type to which there is apt to be paid the largest 
 and the loudest homage. 
 
 "It is only when one of another type one to whom 
 externalisms have been all along consistently indifferent, 
 who has owned little, built little, accumulated little if, in 
 the material sense, anything at all it is only when such 
 an one is taken from his place and work in life, and we 
 suddenly realize how much is gone out of the world in 
 his departure, that we readjust our point of view. There 
 have been rich men, potential men in their influences 
 upon the street or the market men whose presence made 
 weaker men tremble for the interests which their clever- 
 ness and their combinations daily threatened who have 
 died and vanished without a sign of grief or loss from 
 the great world that they seemed to have so mightily 
 influenced, and often with only a sigh of relief that 
 cleverness, adroitness, powers of forecast and combina- 
 tion, without any fine scruple to restrain them, have been 
 taken out of this world. 
 
 "What a different sentiment is that which gathers 
 this various and widely representative assemblage to-day! 
 As I look down into your faces, the gray heads dotting 
 soberly the larger assemblage of younger heads and faces, 
 the spectacle is profoundly significant. Some of you 
 
 McBurney Memorial. 
 
 253
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 were the contemporaries of McBurney. Some of you 
 have known him and worked with him during all the 
 years of his connection with the Young Men's Christian 
 Association. In all sorts of spiritual weather, in dark 
 days as well as bright, in grave crises as well as in pros- 
 perous and peaceful seasons, you have wrought with him, 
 prayed with him, known him through and through. And 
 not only are you in no doubt about him to-day not only 
 have you never been in any doubt about him but more 
 than this, as you stand about his coffin, as little are you 
 in any doubt about that supreme fact for which so stead- 
 fastly and consistently he stood the fact of Jesus Christ, 
 his spiritual sovereignty, and the incomparable precious- 
 ness of fellowship with him, and service for him. The 
 air clears, the dust of human strifes and rivalries lifts and 
 rolls away. The things seen and temporal shrink to their 
 true and insignificant proportions; and in the presence 
 of this noble manhood, translated now to worthier 
 spheres, and as we rejoice to believe, to still larger 
 opportunities, we measure by what our friend was and 
 did the world and all that is in it at their real value. 
 
 "I am not here to eulogize him. With your knowl- 
 edge of him and his work, that would be superfluous, if 
 not impertinent. He did not need interpreting. He 
 was utterly and absolutely transparent, and the chief 
 charm of his character, next to its singular and beautiful 
 modesty, was its unreserved, though always kindly, direct- 
 ness and candor. But though he himself least of all 
 could wish me to spend these moments in personal 
 praise, it is our privilege yours and mine to recall him 
 as he was, and to give thanks for qualities so fine and 
 high, and best of all, so absolutely consecrated. 
 
 "In their development it is impossible not to recog- 
 nize those converging forces which are a part of God's 
 providential ordering in making men, and in fitting them 
 for their work. Once, in his company, it came out inci- 
 dentally that he was a Methodist, and I said, 'McBurney, 
 I have always credited you with being a Scotch Presby- 
 terian. Surely "thy speech bewrayeth thee. " Thou art 
 a Calvinist and a Scotchman.' 'No,' he answered, smil- 
 ingly, 'I am neither. I am Irish by race, and by fellow- 
 ship a Methodist.' It let in a flood of light upon 
 
 254
 
 McBurney' s Last Days 
 
 characteristics in him which are rarely combined, and 
 still more rarely in such happy proportions. A mutual 
 friend told me yesterday that Dr. Hodge of Princeton 
 once looked in upon him as he was teaching a Bible class, 
 and after listening a few moments, said, as he came 
 away, 'McBurney is a Calvinist, though he don't know 
 it.' He had been speaking of God's great purpose for 
 man a purpose not to be baffled or defeated by man's 
 waywardness or perverseness, however extreme. In that 
 sense I hope we are all Calvinists, holding fast, amid 
 human failures, to the divine in man, which shall at last 
 triumph over all sin and wrong. And we can imagine 
 McBurney talking to a company of young men, and 
 pleading with them to own their nobler destiny, and not 
 to fight against the constraining love of Jesus Christ. 
 For, after all, that was the dominant spring with him, as 
 was natural in the fellowship to which he belonged. I 
 shall not misjudge them, I think, if I say that the domi- 
 nant note in the theology of our Methodist brethren is a 
 note of hope. And this was a pre-eminent note in the 
 work and ministry of our brother departed. 
 
 "I call it a ministry, and I do so advisedly, for no 
 theory of the ministry can leave out of account the 
 apostle's definition: 'As every man hath received the 
 gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good 
 stewards of the manifold grace of God.' No one who 
 knew him can doubt that he had received the gift the 
 highest and best of the Holy Ghost; and dear Dr. 
 Howard Crosby, when McBurney was presented on his 
 fiftieth birthday with a purse of gold pieces, only spoke 
 the truth when he said, 'I know of no pastor of any 
 church in this city whose ministry has been so useful and 
 extended as the ministry of McBurney.' How wide- 
 reaching it was, how gentle, how courageous, how endur- 
 ing in its influence! One stops to think of all the young 
 men that have passed under his hand, and have been 
 moved and ennobled by his touch. Where are they 
 to-day? Scattered far and wide, all 'round the world, in 
 various callings and communities, but still carrying with 
 them, I venture to think, the impress of that affectionate 
 interest and wise counsel and unwearied watchfulness 
 which once they experienced at his hands. What words 
 
 255
 
 Life of Robert R. McBumey 
 
 of courage he has spoken! What lessons of loyalty, and 
 purity, and fidelity to their divine Master he has urged 
 upon disheartened, and lonely, and tempted ones! What 
 new faith in themselves and in God he has awakened in 
 them, and what hosts of young men and of older men 
 there are to-day who have come to believe in the father- 
 hood of God, because, first of all, they learned to believe 
 in the brotherhood of Robert McBurney! 
 
 "And now we are to bear him to his rest. Fitly 
 above his breast there lies yonder wreath of orchids, with 
 their chastened hues, so like his simple and modest man- 
 hood; and still more fitly rest there those pure white 
 roses, like his own unstained and blameless self. True 
 knight of God, well done! Thou goest who of us can 
 doubt it? to larger tasks even as to nobler fellowships. 
 Be ours to follow thee, as thou hast followed Christ!" 
 
 Through McBurney's efforts, the association 
 had come into possession of a lot for stranger 
 young men in Woodlawn cemetery, to which he 
 had given the name " Place of Rest." Here, 
 as he himself wished, he was buried, the body 
 being borne to Woodlawn in a special car pro- 
 vided by the New York Central Railroad. 
 
 McBurney had asked for the greatest sim- 
 plicity in whatever services might be held, but 
 when he was assured that there would certainly 
 be a memorial service, he made request in his will 
 that on such occasion there be only congrega- 
 tional singing, that Mr. William E. Dodge pre- 
 side, and that Richard C. Morse, William W. 
 Hoppin, and Cephas Brainerd be invited " to 
 speak to young men regarding fidelity to the 
 association and personal work for leading men 
 to the Saviour." He wished such a service to 
 be only in the nature of an inspiration; and 
 such it was. This man, who died without wife 
 or child or close relative, was mourned by mul- 
 
 256
 
 McBurney' s Last Days 
 
 titudes in his adopted city, and by the associa- 
 tion fraternity throughout the world. 
 
 A large company assembled at the memorial 
 service, and the addresses were the testimonies 
 of devoted love. Resolutions from the New 
 York association were presented by the Hon. 
 Elihu Root, ind a committee was appointed to 
 provide a suitable memorial. 
 
 The committee proposed: 
 
 "First, the complete removal of the floating indebted- 
 ness upon the West Side Association Building, amounting 
 
 to$77,5- 
 
 "During the last years of his life, Mr. McBurney was 
 absorbingly occupied in promoting the erection and 
 equipment of the association building of the West Side 
 Branch. In itself an embodiment of all that was wisest 
 and best in the work for young men which he had been 
 accomplishing during the many years of his active con- 
 nection with the association, this building, with its 
 admirable equipment, stands as the most fitting memorial 
 of his life work. His deepest solicitude at the time he 
 was taken ill related to removing the floating indebted- 
 ness on the building. 
 
 "Second, the placing in a prominent place in that 
 building of a memorial tablet bearing the name of Mr. 
 McBurney, and a simple inscription concerning his rela- 
 tion to that building and to the work of the association 
 for which it stands. 
 
 "Third, the erection upon the association lot in Wood- 
 lawn of a simple and appropriate monument bearing his 
 name. 
 
 "Fourth, the preparation of a memorial volume." 
 
 To accomplish the objects named, the sum of 
 $81,000 was secured, and the debt on the West 
 Side building removed, and a bronze bas-relief 
 of McBurney placed in the reading-room. An 
 able and fitting tribute was prepared by his 
 life-long friend Richard C. Morse, which was 
 
 257
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 published with the addresses delivered at the 
 memorial service. 
 
 A final and significant memorial service was 
 held on the afternoon of April nineteen, 1899. 
 This was a gathering of intimate fellow-workers 
 in the association from different fields of the 
 service, to talk together about their departed 
 leader. Each one told the others of his own 
 intimate contact with McBurney, and in that 
 informal, confidential conference the inner per- 
 sonality of the man was illuminated more 
 brightly than it could have been in a systematic 
 presentation on a formal occasion. These 
 affectionate individual testimonies throw side 
 lights on McBurney's personal characteristics. 
 They reveal to us the secret of his dominating 
 influence over men in his abiding love for Jesus 
 Christ and his fellow-men. It was through 
 his love for others and his devotion to the 
 cause which enabled him to lay hold on men 
 and make them work for the association. This 
 is the fundamental impression created by a 
 study of his life. 
 
 The participants at this gathering were Rich- 
 ard C. Morse, Robert Weidensall, T. K. Cree, 
 H. P. Andersen, John Glover, Erskine Uhl, H. 
 O.Williams, H. S. Ninde, and Dr. Luther Gulick 
 of the international secretarial force; L. L. Dog- 
 gett and J. T. Bowne of the international train- 
 ing school; G. A. Hall, state secretary of New 
 York; Edwin F. See of Brooklyn; George A. 
 Warburton, H. D. Dickson, F. G. Banister, and 
 Henry M. Orne of New York City; and J. B. 
 Griggs of Pittsburg. Mr. Orne, McBurney's 
 successor, united with Mr. Morse in calling this 
 
 258
 
 McBurney s hast Days 
 
 gathering. Only employed officers in the asso- 
 ciation were present. 
 
 Letters were read from many who were un- 
 able to attend. The meeting was held in the 
 tower room of the Twenty-third Street build- 
 ing, for twenty-five years the home of him whose 
 life and work these friends had gathered to com- 
 memorate. Not a man was present who had not 
 met the occupant alone in that chamber. Its 
 curios, its pictures, its furniture, and its books, 
 all its arrangement, spoke eloquently of Mc- 
 Burney. 
 
 The reminiscences given by these men, some 
 of which are here related, show McBurney in 
 daily contact with his friends. They show him 
 strong, yet loving; sometimes overbearing, yet 
 always in the end considerate of the feelings of 
 others. 
 
 Mr. Morse said: 
 
 "I took the room below, and then we came together 
 in the closest relations we had ever had. I helped him 
 and he helped me in every possible way. Eugene Peck 
 came into the work as his assistant, and after him Henry 
 Webster. We were all together, aware of course, of one 
 another's failings as well as of one another's excellencies. 
 We got along very happily. We knew nothing else, day 
 or night, meal time and sleeping time, but the associa- 
 tion work. It was an illustration of concentration, upon 
 which I look back with enjoyment, but would not expect 
 any one else to quite reproduce in his relation to the asso- 
 ciation. Everything was new; we were treading untried 
 paths. No one had preceded us in the offices that we 
 held and in the work we were trying to do; we did not 
 live anything else or think anything else. 
 
 "I would leave my office to go to lunch or dinner 
 with McBurney. He had this man to see and that man, 
 and it averaged from fifteen to twenty-five minutes each 
 time before I could get him away from his office. We 
 
 2 59
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 never thought of separating; it was essential that we 
 should be together. 
 
 ''When I went off as visiting international secretary 
 on trips to conventions or other associations, I cannot 
 tell you what a comfort it was to get back to this build- 
 ing! Coming from all sorts of associations, with appre- 
 hensions about the permanency of the work, I reached 
 this place to find an actual building and a work going on 
 which was an inspiration and a help. McBurney's sym- 
 pathies were of the very broadest. He entered into all 
 the plans, all the association situations, that I described, 
 and all the problems; how should this man be dealt with? 
 How should that association be handled? He was as 
 interested in it all as a girl in a love story, and was full 
 of sympathy. 
 
 "When, in 1874, the burden of raising the funds for 
 the international work, which had previously been carried 
 by him, fell to me, he helped me in bearing it. He had 
 solicited money especially from New York City donors, 
 and he introduced me to these men. I remember we 
 would call together and secure funds for this work. 
 
 "When the New York state work was to be organized, 
 he began it and directed it. We went to the state con- 
 ventions together." 
 
 Mr. Morse added: 
 
 "I was chairman of the religious meetings committee 
 of the New York City association. We had several meet- 
 ings each week, and finally started the Sunday night tea. 
 The example came from London. Then McBurney con- 
 cluded to take a Bible class. The gradual growth of this 
 class for young men was a very interesting feature of the 
 development of this building." 
 
 Robert Weidensall, the first employed agent 
 of the international committee, said: 
 
 "McBurney made the motion at the international 
 convention at Detroit, in 1868, that led to my appoint- 
 ment. He raised about one thousand dollars, and five 
 hundred dollars was raised in Omaha for this purpose. 
 The first state convention at which we met was at Janes- 
 ville, Wisconsin. Here we worked side by side, and laid 
 
 260
 
 McBurney s Last Days 
 
 the foundation of the work in that state. All our plans 
 worked together in great harmony. 
 
 "I remember coming once to this room on a cold 
 night. I was wearing a summer overcoat. He brought 
 out his overcoat and said, 'Here, you take this and put 
 it on.' 
 
 "We met frequently as the years went by. I remem- 
 ber particularly the Colorado convention, where we stood 
 together, facing a number of questions which were 
 brought before that gathering, but which had no place 
 in an association convention. We met them one by one 
 and threw them out. 
 
 "He was called of God to this city for a special pur- 
 pose. He came at an opportune time. There were few 
 men then who had the right idea of the association, but 
 he grasped the idea and it became part of his makeup. 
 He devoted his life to it. In view of all, I regard him 
 as a great man, the man who more than any other devel- 
 oped the city association idea. 
 
 "He dominated everything of which he took hold on 
 account of his very nature as a leader, as Moody and 
 Brainerd have dominated in their work. I have seen him 
 again and again when business men were together, and I 
 have seen him dominate them always. At the time I did 
 not like it, but now I can see that God used him as he 
 used Luther and so many others. He led, not for him- 
 self, but for the association, and because he believed the 
 cause demanded it. He took hold of new things very 
 slowly. He was conservative in all that concerned the 
 association and the church." 
 
 George A. Hall, who through McBurney's 
 influence was early called to the state secretary- 
 ship of New York state, said: 
 
 "I cannot really remember when I first met McBurney. 
 We were boys here in New York together. He went to 
 the Mulberry Street Methodist Church, which was a real 
 old orthodox church, and I attended the Jane Street 
 Methodist Church, which was one of the more evangel- 
 istic kind. McBurney liked to come over to our church. 
 We had a band of about forty young fellows, all active, 
 
 261
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 and he told me that he knew me from these visits long 
 before I was acquainted with him. Later I entered the 
 Methodist ministry, and in 1866 became a pastor in 
 Brooklyn. I became better acquainted with McBurney, 
 and occasionally led meetings at his request. In 1868, 
 when there were but four general secretaries in the coun- 
 try, I was invited to become secretary of the association 
 at Washington. I advised with McBurney, and decided 
 to accept. I remember he did not like Moody's way of 
 doing association work, and he thought I was inclined to 
 the same method. He was very different from my idea 
 of what a secretary ought to be then, and we did not 
 agree very well. We corresponded and visited back and 
 forth. He thought I was running things on too high a 
 pressure, with mass meetings and various kinds of street 
 meetings, and then bringing everybody into the associa- 
 tion building. We had many discussions, but at that 
 time did not see together. I used to feel that he was the 
 'kid glove' secretary, and that I was the secretary of the 
 common people. 
 
 "McBurney was deeply interested in the revival of 
 the Southern work, and recommended the first Southern 
 tour which I took. He secured the money for this tour. 
 We wrote him from each point at which we stopped. He 
 even approved of the evangelistic part of it, believing 
 that was the only way to begin in the conditions then 
 prevailing in the South. 
 
 "At the recommendation of Moody, I was appointed 
 to be secretary of the Brooklyn association, and then 
 upon McBurney's recommendation I became state secre- 
 tary of New York. 
 
 "My closest connection with McBurney began in 
 1876 and continued until his death. The best time to 
 see him was in the morning. I found it a good plan to 
 come to this room not too early and wake him up. 
 While he was dressing his mind was free and he could 
 advise. Sometimes he would storm away about the fool- 
 hardiness of certain people, and yet it would end with 
 his sitting down, taking up his little Bible to read his 
 lesson, and praying for these very men about whom he 
 had been storming. 
 
 "I remember one day we were going out to lunch 
 
 262
 
 McBurney's Last Days 
 
 together with some unopened mail. He opened a letter 
 and began reading aloud until he came to this sentence, 
 'You know you are obstinate.' He stopped and looked 
 at me. I said, 'Well, Robert, some people think you 
 are obstinate, but you know it is not so,' and I burst out 
 laughing. 'What are you laughing at?' he asked. 'Why 
 because that man lies so. You have a will of your own, 
 that's all!' " 
 
 Thomas K. Cree said: 
 
 "At the Richmond convention, in 1875, Robert came 
 to me and said, 'The New England brethren want to 
 make a Massachusetts man chairman of this convention, 
 and it will never do for a New England Yankee to hold 
 that position here.' We decided that Major Hardie was 
 the man for the place. Now, so far as I know, there was 
 not a soul in that convention who had heard of Hardie 
 before, except Hall, McBurney, and myself, but he was 
 made president of the convention. The Lord's hand was 
 in it as well as McBurney's, though McBurney's was the 
 one that did the business." 
 
 Mr. J. T. Bowne said: 
 
 "It was very largely through a consecration meeting 
 led by Mr. Hall, in which he raised the question, 'Who is 
 willing to consecrate his service this day to the Lord?' 
 that I gave myself to Him for whatever he would have 
 me do. I went away from the meeting with that thought 
 in my mind. In February, 1877, my business engage- 
 ment with my father ended, and I told him that I could 
 not go on. I gave up my work, came to New York on 
 Monday morning, and called on McBurney in this build- 
 ing. He greeted me very warmly as I came in, but as 
 you have sometimes seen him do, he went on with his 
 writing while I went on to tell my story. I said, 'I have 
 come to inquire what I had better do to prepare myself 
 for the secretaryship.' He asked, 'You have not given 
 up your business, have you?' When I replied that I had, 
 he said, 'Well, you are a fool.' But when we had talked 
 further, no man could have been more cordial than he. 
 He proposed to me first to spend some time at the Bowery 
 
 263
 
 Life of Robert R. McBumey 
 
 branch. The secretary asked me to lead the meeting on 
 Sunday, and just about time for the meeting to begin, in 
 came McBurney with three or four men. They took 
 places on the front seat like a school committee, and 
 confused me very much. The fact of his appearance at 
 this meeting leads me strongly to suspect that he had 
 prompted the secretary to have me take charge in order 
 that he might form an opinion of me. At the close he 
 came to me and asked, 'Why do you get down on your 
 knees when you pray? It would be better to look around 
 and see what the rest of the audience do.' I spent some 
 two months studying various associations, and was then 
 called to Hudson, New York. McBurney expressed a 
 warm interest in my success. Most of my interviews 
 with him have been regarding personal matters. I recog- 
 nize the characteristics of which others have spoken, but 
 as I look back I can see no one who has ever touched my 
 life with so much of warmth, and was a part of it like the 
 love of my own mother, as McBurney. 
 
 "After I was called to Newburg, when I visited New 
 York, I would stay here in this room. There was always 
 a place for me. I have spent many nights here on this 
 lounge, and shall never forget his conversations before 
 retiring and again in the morning. The best opportunity 
 to talk with him was when he was shaving. He would 
 stand and listen with only an occasional 'well, well!' until 
 he had heard the whole story out. I shall never forget 
 the prayers we had together.* I always felt stronger after 
 hearing him pray. 
 
 "I also remember something of the struggle through 
 which he passed when Mr. Morse was married. He 
 seemed to feel as if he were left alone. 
 
 "In 1881, on the voyage to the London conference, I 
 spent five as sick days as I ever experienced. McBurney 
 helped me up on deck in the morning, and down again at 
 night. He saw that I was placed where I could get fresh 
 air, himself covering me from the cold. When the 
 weather did not permit my being out, he secured for me 
 a well-ventilated place; then he removed my shoes and 
 chafed my feet with his hands. 
 
 "Our hobbies brought us together. He was keenly 
 concerned about the foundation of the historical library, 
 
 264
 
 McBurney' s Last Days 
 
 and had tried to do something of the kind himself. He 
 was also deeply interested in my connection with the 
 Springfield school. 
 
 "I remember he was always looking after young fel- 
 lows. One time at Newburg he went out of his way to 
 speak with kindly interest to one of the boys who was 
 filling the lamps. He always insisted on the last ten 
 minutes at secretaries' conferences being given to the 
 younger men for questions. He seemed to have a special 
 concern for the diffident ones. Years after our first meet- 
 ing he told me that what impressed him most at that time 
 was my great awkwardness, and how little I seemed to 
 have the qualifications for the secretaryship." 
 
 George A. Warburton said: 
 
 "All I remember of the first occasion on which I saw 
 McBurney was the cordiality of his greeting and how 
 busy he was. I wondered how a man who was so busy 
 could ever stop to speak to me. 
 
 "I have always been impressed with the deep serious- 
 ness of his religious life. In his thought about the Bible, 
 and his love of hymns, he was like the type of Methodists 
 that I knew many years ago. My mother was always 
 fond of quoting Wesley's hymns, and I loved to hear him 
 quote those hymns. That was one bond of union 
 between us. 
 
 ' ' I felt very, very warmly attached to him. It seemed 
 to me that he was a man with whom one could differ 
 without in any way losing his confidence or his affection. 
 Indeed, I have sometimes thought that it was really a 
 means of increasing it, provided the difference was honest 
 on both sides." 
 
 H. O. Williams said: 
 
 "I first met McBurney in 1881. I was conducting a 
 boys' meeting, and a man came into the room very quietly 
 and sat down. I did not know until the meeting was 
 over that it was McBurney. He at once impressed me 
 with the great sympathy and love he showed for the boys. 
 He got hold of the hands of those little fellows, and 
 seemed interested in every one. 
 
 "In 1882 I stopped in New York as I was on the way 
 
 265
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 to attend the secretaries' conference at New Haven. As 
 I came into the association rooms, McBurney came out 
 of the office. I was surprised that he remembered me. 
 Locking his arm in mine, we walked across the floor. 
 Looking at my feet, he said, 'Are those the best shoes 
 you have? They will never do for you to wear to New 
 Haven.' I told him they were. He said, 'Well, you 
 had better go right out and buy another pair.' I 
 explained to him that I had money enough only to pay 
 my expenses to the conference, and had not counted on 
 buying any shoes. 'Well,' he said, 'I will let you have 
 the money.' But my pride would not allow me to do 
 that. He saw that he had hurt my feelings, so he took 
 me into his office and we had a long talk. He said that 
 secretaries must be very careful about their personal 
 appearance in dress, and talked to me very kindly. 
 
 "Another thing that struck me was the dispatch with 
 which he could get rid of a man when he was busy. He 
 could shake your hand and shake you out of the office at 
 the same time. 
 
 "What impressed me more than anything else was the 
 deep prayer life of the man. Again and again when I 
 have been in his office, he talked of praying about the 
 problems in our work. He said that we did not pray 
 enough." 
 
 H. P. Andersen said: 
 
 "I do not recall one point during the three years 
 when I was intimately associated with him where we dis- 
 agreed. I suppose he was peculiarly tender to the young 
 and inexperienced. He counseled most wisely and sym- 
 pathetically, and was exceedingly helpful spiritually. It 
 was customary for him to hold a conference of the 
 secretaries of New York City from month to month in 
 this room. As we gathered together around the table, 
 he showed a wonderfully close insight into the mind of 
 every man. He would draw us out and advise us in the 
 frankest kind of way. 
 
 "He was very particular about the appearance of 
 things. He would come down to the Institute, run his 
 finger along a table or chair, and then show the dirt on 
 his finger. He would not say a word. 
 
 266
 
 McBurney* s Last Days 
 
 "The supreme moment in my acquaintance with him 
 was at the time when, after three or four years of work, 
 my health had broken down, and it became apparent that 
 I must leave New York. It was supposed that a per- 
 manent lung trouble had developed. I came to this room 
 to counsel with him, and I recall how the tears trickled 
 down his face. He showed to me that day a heart of 
 love that no one has shown me except my own mother. 
 We had a long conference and then knelt down and 
 prayed together. 
 
 "I remember in giving his advice about the best way 
 in which to deal with men, he said, 'The first thing is to 
 get under a man's vest. ' This was always his method, 
 to get at a man personally, and win his love and his sym- 
 pathy. The power to do this was, I believe, his supreme 
 quality." 
 
 John Glover said: 
 
 "I came to New York in 1883, and called at the 
 Twenty-third Street building to learn of a suitable board- 
 ing-house. I had met McBurney once. Upon entering 
 his private office, I found him so occupied in writing that, 
 without looking up, he said in his blunt but kind way, 
 'Well, what can I do for you? Be quick, for I am very 
 busy. ' When I told him what I wanted, he threw down 
 his pen, put his arm around me, and led me into an outer 
 office where he introduced me to an assistant, from whom 
 I secured the desired information. It was in such a 
 kindly way that I did not feel that he wanted to get rid 
 of me, and I went away feeling that I had one friend in 
 New York. 
 
 "Afterwards when I became one of the secretaries of 
 the international committee, I roomed in this building. 
 He often called me up to sit with him while he was 
 dressing. I could never understand why he showed a 
 preference for me. I often went out walking in the park 
 with him. I remember his sitting down beside a young 
 man who was a perfect stranger, and his asking, 'Where 
 do you live?' in such an unobtrusive manner that the 
 fellow could not have done anything else but answer. 
 
 "One thing I remember very gratefully about 
 McBurney was his courtesy to my sister when she was 
 
 267
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 here in New York. He showed the quality of a true 
 gentleman. She has referred to this frequently since, 
 and it made an impression upon her such as it has upon 
 some of our secretaries. Being a bachelor and not a 
 ladies' man, it was the more noticeable. 
 
 "During his last illness, he sent for me frequently to 
 come to the hospital. I was much impressed with his 
 sweet endurance." 
 
 F. G. Banister said: 
 
 "I think that the last public meeting he addressed 
 was the men's meeting at the Harlem branch, the third 
 Sunday in December, 1898. Throughout the address he 
 seemed to feel that his work was nearly done. I shall 
 never forget how he stood before our men and told the 
 story of the gospel. He plead with the men to give their 
 hearts to Christ, and seemed to desire that every word 
 should count. Three or four of our men that afternoon 
 yielded their lives to Jesus Christ." 
 
 Henry M. Orne, who was the last speaker, 
 was for nine years McBurney's close associate 
 in the management of the New York associa- 
 tion, and has been chosen as his successor. Mr. 
 Orne graduated from college in 1878, and came 
 to New York to enter into business. His em- 
 ployer, as a Christmas present, presented him 
 with a ticket of membership in the Twenty-third 
 Street association. He relates: 
 
 "One evening McBurney came up to me soon after I 
 joined the association, put his arm on my shoulder in a 
 friendly way, and said, gently, looking straight in my 
 eyes, 'Do you love the Saviour, my boy?' From almost 
 anybody else I would have resented the question, but 
 from him, in the way he asked it, I did not. I realized 
 then that he had formed a bond of sympathy between us, 
 and that whenever he would ask anything of me, I would 
 respond and love him. 
 
 "He had a knowledge of young men's hearts and a 
 
 268
 
 McBurney' s Last Days 
 
 sympathy with them as had no other man I have ever 
 met. As I recall my feeling toward McBurney at that 
 time, I can easily understand how so many men say that 
 he was a father to them. Not having any children of his 
 own, he made all young men children to himself. He saw 
 something to love in many young fellows with whom 
 others would not feel drawn to shake hands, or even 
 exchange greetings. It was this great volume of deep 
 love in his heart poured out towards those he met which 
 drew from them an allegiance to himself, and which 
 reminds me of the effect of the realization of God's love 
 to men when they discover and accept it. I became as 
 loyal to him as a young man could be to anybody. As I 
 look back, I can ascribe the beginning of my great inter- 
 est in the association to the few words spoken to me by 
 McBurney. 
 
 "In 1889 I was called by the finance committee to 
 help McBurney in the finances of the association. When 
 I came to talk the matter over with him, it was in this 
 room. He sat at this table writing letters, as he often 
 did at night, and he wrote all the time we were together. 
 He told me what would be expected of me, and said that 
 he had confidence in me, and knew that I had been loyal 
 to him in the past. Then he said, 'Now, Henry, you 
 will find I am a great bear. I will be very rough with 
 you at times, and I want you to know that in advance.' 
 I replied, 'I do not think you will be you never have 
 been yet.' 'I will be,' he said, as he raised his head, 
 'you will have to bear with me, my son.' So 1 came on 
 April 15, 1889. 
 
 "His generosity with money was a marked character- 
 istic. Once he came out of his office indignantly shaking 
 his fist he was so moved, and said of a man who had just 
 left, 'I could do nothing with him.' I asked, 'What 
 were you trying to do with him?' He answered, 'I 
 could not persuade him to take any money. He is in 
 abject circumstances and needs it, but I could not pre- 
 vail on him to take it. ' It grieved him to the heart. He 
 was like a father with a child too independent to accept 
 his loving gifts. 
 
 "In the summer of 1889 this building caught fire and 
 almost ruined his library. He felt so grieved you would 
 
 269
 
 Life of Robert R. McBurney 
 
 have thought it was his house builded with his own 
 hands." 
 
 Mr. Orne then told of a disagreement be- 
 tween himself and McBurney at a meeting of 
 the directors concerning the repair work to be 
 done on the room. This resulted in their re- 
 lations becoming so strained that Mr. Orne 
 thought best to hand in his resignation. 
 
 He said: 
 
 "I wrote a letter of resignation and started to the 
 telephone to find out if the president of the association 
 was at his office, intending to deliver the letter at once; 
 but before I had signaled, McBurney followed me, put 
 his arms around me, and with tears in his eyes he drew 
 me on to my knees with him and began to pray. 
 
 "Now, what could you do with a man like that? Of 
 course we were reconciled and understood each other 
 better for the experience. We never had any real diffi- 
 culty again. I was frank in telling him what I thought, 
 and he was the same with me. 
 
 "He had a strong yearning for companionship, and 
 seemed to enjoy talking about men he knew. All the 
 time there was appreciation on my part of his superiority 
 and his hold upon my affection which I was afraid to let 
 him see. I felt that if he knew how much I loved him 
 and would do for him, he would claim more and more; 
 and it seems to me now I selfishly withheld the manifesta- 
 tion of love for him that I feel I should have given. He 
 required much because he gave much." 
 
 McBurney died near the close of the nine- 
 teenth century, and at the end of the first half- 
 century of the history of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association. It is difficult at this 
 early date fully to estimate his career, and 
 chiefly because it is still impossible to measure 
 the real significance of the association move- 
 ment in modern life. But a few things stand out 
 
 270
 
 McBumey's Last Days 
 
 clearly already. He will certainly be looked 
 upon as the pioneer in this cause, the apostle to 
 the young men of his generation. As the as- 
 sociation increases in power, his statesmanlike 
 qualities and foresight will receive a larger 
 and more appreciative recognition. By his 
 friends he will be remembered as the loving, 
 devoted servant of Jesus Christ, the faithful ad- 
 viser, and the inspiring leader. In New York 
 City he will be cherished as the one who de- 
 veloped one of its most important and beneficent 
 institutions. He was the great general secre- 
 tary. His impress upon the secretarial brother- 
 hood can never be effaced. This influence will 
 abide. In the future records he will stand be- 
 side Sir George Williams as one of the chief 
 figures in the work which God has so signally 
 owned, and of whose foundation and beginnings 
 he was himself such an omnipresent part. 
 
 271
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 At a meeting of the board of directors of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association of the city of New York, 
 held at the general office, March 15, 1897, Mr. Morse 
 and the recording secretary were requested to prepare a 
 minute to be spread upon the records of the board in 
 commemoration of the long and valued services rendered 
 the association for thirty-five years by General Secretary 
 Robert R. McBurney. 
 
 In commemoration of the fact that its general secre- 
 tary, Mr. Robert R. McBurney reached his sixtieth birth- 
 day on the 31st of March, 1897, and the thirty-fifth year 
 of his connection with the association as its chief employed 
 officer, the board desires to place upon its minutes an 
 expression of their profound appreciation of the remark- 
 able and invaluable service which he has rendered to 
 young men and the Young Men's Christian Association 
 of this city, and to the entire brotherhood to which the 
 association belongs. 
 
 As early as the year 1854, at seventeen years of age, 
 he first entered the rooms of the association on the even- 
 ing of his arrival in the city. Eight years afterward, in 
 1862, his connection with the association as its employed 
 officer began. 
 
 He was elected director and recording (virtually 
 general) secretary in 1862, and in 1866 (April 2), when 
 the western branch rooms were opened, that work of 
 extension began which has been steadily pressed for- 
 ward for the past thirty years without serious draw- 
 back. 
 
 When he became its employed executive officer in 
 1862, the association had 150 members, was occupying 
 three small rented rooms, and expending in its work 
 annually $1,700. Now, with 7,309 members, it carries 
 on its work at fifteen points, owning nine buildings, 
 valued at $2,000,000, and expending annually in its 
 diversified work $175,000. 
 
 272
 
 Appendix 
 
 While Mr. McBurney has appreciated at its just value 
 the machinery of the organization, its buildings and its 
 equipment, he has always given the place of first impor- 
 tance to that part of the association work which consists 
 in the hand-to-hand effort connected with personal inter- 
 course, Bible study and teaching, and all those spiritual, 
 quiet, Christian activities growing out of a living faith 
 in Christ, and a supreme purpose to lead young men into 
 His fellowship and service. 
 
 His personal influence exerted incessantly these many 
 years upon the lives of young men, one by one, has 
 endeared him to a great multitude, many of whom are 
 now honored and useful in professional, business, and 
 church life, and all of whom value him as a friend asso- 
 ciated with what is best in their character. 
 
 Beyond the limits of New York City his influence has 
 been felt throughout the association brotherhood in a 
 very remarkable manner. His name is almost omni- 
 present, and represents one of the most important per- 
 sonal factors in creating or shaping the following features 
 of the association movement: 
 
 i. The first distinctive association building, in 1869. 
 
 2. The first practical demonstration of the fourfold 
 work physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual. 
 
 3. The resolutions of the international convention, 
 (1) creating state and provincial organizations, (2) adopt- 
 ing the evangelical test of membership, (3) locating the 
 international committee in New York City, (4) appoint- 
 ing the November Day and Week of Prayer for young 
 men. 
 
 4. He secured the money necessary to put Robert 
 Weidensall in his field as senior secretary of the inter- 
 national committee. 
 
 5. He enlisted Richard C. Morse as first general 
 secretary of the international committee. 
 
 6. He was first chairman of the international com- 
 mittee's subcommittee on its work in foreign lands. 
 
 7. He was the earliest and strongest leader; in fact, 
 the "father" of the New York state organization. 
 
 8. He was the most influential member of the gen- 
 eral secretaries' conference and association. 
 
 9. He was the counselor and helper of the founder 
 
 273
 
 Appetidix 
 
 of the Secretarial Training School at Springfield, Massa- 
 chusetts. 
 
 10. He has attended every meeting (save one) of the 
 world's conferences of the association since the year 
 1872, and always as an invaluable leader in the American 
 delegation and in the conference. 
 
 The board places upon its minutes this brief and 
 imperfect minute of the extraordinary service rendered 
 by its general secretary during his unexampled term of 
 service with profound gratitude to God for his abundant 
 blessing upon his servant during these many years, and 
 with the earnest prayer that Mr. McBurney may receive 
 increasing tokens of the Divine presence and favor in the 
 good work to which he has consecrated his life. 
 (Signed) 
 
 Bradford K. Wiley, 
 
 Recording Secretary 
 
 274
 
 INDEX 
 
 Ballard, Frank W 53 
 Boston Association 
 
 founding of, 29 
 
 influence upon New York 
 Society, 31-34 
 Bowne, J. T., 247-248 
 Brainerd, Hon. Cephas 
 
 plans for revival of Associa- 
 tion, 53 
 
 chairman of Army and Navy 
 Committee, 61 
 
 moves McBurney's re-election, 
 67 
 
 member of Building Commit- 
 tee, 73 
 
 investigation of the social con- 
 dition of young men in New 
 York, 75-79 
 
 influence upon McBurney, 88 
 
 leader in international work, 
 158 
 
 McBurney's tribute to, 158- 
 
 159 
 
 presidentof Philadelphia Con- 
 vention, 162 
 
 address at the Albany Con- 
 vention, 167-168 
 
 elected member of Interna- 
 tional Committee and Chair- 
 man, 169 
 
 article on Evangelical basis, 
 180 
 
 resolution on Evangelical 
 basis, 180-181 
 
 suggestions regarding 
 World's Conventions, 215 
 Chamberlain, Rev. Jacob, 223- 
 
 225 
 Chicago Association, 84, 193, 
 
 200 
 Cities, relation of their growth 
 
 to the Association, 24 
 Colgate, Edward, relation to Re- 
 vival of, 1857 
 
 Colyer, Vincent 
 agent of New York Associa- 
 tion Army Committee, 47 
 letter leading to formation of 
 Christian Commission, 48 
 Comstock, Anthony, 107 
 Confederation, The, 36-38 
 Crosby, Rev. Dr. Howard, 
 second President of New 
 
 York Association, 36 
 opposes the Confederation, 
 
 37-39 
 chairman of Committee on 
 
 Evangelical Test, 184-185 
 Deane, L. L., relation to Re- 
 vival of 1856, 42 
 Dodge, Wm.E., 58 
 chosen a director, 66 
 president of Association, 71 
 conception of the aim of the 
 
 Association, 72 
 his relation to the building 
 
 movement, 73-74 
 incorporation of the term 
 
 physical in the constitution, 
 
 appointed building trustee, 
 
 82 
 lays corner-stone, 82 
 European Work 
 World's Conventions, 211-212 
 Amsterdam 1872, 213-214 
 Hamburg 1875, 216 
 Geneva, 216 
 London 1881, 220 
 Evangelical Test 
 broader basis in New York, 63 
 Paris basis, 174 
 early American practice, 175 
 debate at New York State 
 
 Conventions, 176-177 
 Mr. Brainerd's article, 180 
 resolutions at the Detroit 
 
 Convention, 180-182 
 
 275
 
 Index 
 
 adoption of basis at Portland 
 
 Convention, 183-185 
 results, 186 
 
 Evangelical work for all classes, 
 192-193 
 by State Committees, 106 
 McBurney's paper on, 196-200 
 Mr. Moody's view of, 205 
 
 International Committee 
 office in 23d st. building, 87 
 location in New York, 168-169 
 
 International Conventions 
 Philadelphia, 1865, 161-165 
 Albany, 1866, 165-169 
 Montreal, 1867, 169-173 
 Detroit, 1868, 180-182 
 Portland, 1869, 183-186 
 Toronto, 1876, 201-203 
 Philadelphia, 1877, 225-226 
 
 Jessup, Morris K., 
 
 opening 23d st. building, 83 
 president of the Association, 
 107 
 
 Langdon, William Chauncy 
 founder of the confederation, 
 
 36 
 relations with Dr. Crosby, 
 
 36-39 
 London Association 
 
 visited by Mr. Petrie, 28. 
 Manierre, Benjamin F. 
 first acquaintance with Mc- 
 
 Bumey, 20 
 frees association from debt, 
 
 49-53 
 secures McBurney for associa- 
 tion, 55 
 McBurney, personal appear- 
 ance, 5 
 love of young men, 6 
 love of the Scriptures, 7 
 love of hymns, 7, 13 
 knowledge of men, 8 
 business ability, 9, 69 
 birth, 10, early surroundings, 
 
 16 
 ancestry 12, education 15 
 early religious influences, 13 
 arrival in America, 17 
 early employment, 18 
 unites with St. Paul's Church, 
 19 
 
 meets Mr. Manierre, 20 
 early Christian effort, 20-21 
 service in great revivals, 43 
 out of employment, 52 
 becomes librarian of New 
 
 York Association 1862, 56 
 personal work, 58 
 training for future work, 59 
 seeks to enlist in army, 62 
 resigns and enters business, 
 
 66-67 
 returns to the Association, 
 
 68-69 
 suggestions for inaugurating 
 
 the physical work, 72 
 first international convention, 
 
 73 
 
 commencement of building 
 movement, 73 
 
 investigation of social con- 
 dition of young men, 75-79 
 
 contribution to the building 
 movement, 86 
 
 thoughts of the ministry, 88 
 
 his home, 88 
 
 his share in introducing the 
 four-fold work, 91 
 
 his interest in the social work, 
 92-94 
 
 introduces the gymnasium, 95 
 
 his interest in the library, 98 
 
 his ideal of religious work, 
 99-102 
 
 as a personal worker, 93-94, 
 103-104 
 
 as a Bible teacher, 105-106 
 
 his efforts against vice, 106 
 
 the White Cross Movement, 
 109 
 
 relation to the Moody Meet- 
 ings, 111-112 
 
 securing the tower-room, 117 
 
 fiftieth birthday, 119 
 
 trip to the Holy Land, 120-123 
 
 letter to George A. Hall, 121- 
 122 
 
 becomes Metropolitan Secre- 
 tary, 126 
 
 his relation to student work, 
 127 
 
 the educational work, 129 
 
 boys' work, 130 
 
 276
 
 Index 
 
 the West Side building, 130- 
 
 I 3 I 
 
 relation to the securing of 
 
 money, 134 
 relation to fellow employees, 
 
 135-136 
 his conception of the object of 
 the Association, 139, 141-142 
 views on social features in As- 
 sociation, 140 
 finances, 142-143 
 centralized control, 144 
 settled principles, 145 
 his Evangelical views, 147 
 views on the Bible, 147-148 
 views on an Association paper, 
 
 149-iSo 
 politics, 1 50-1 5 1 
 as a writer, 152 
 his " Conversations of Jesus," 
 
 x 53 
 
 service outside the Associa- 
 tion, 153 
 
 his private life, 153 
 
 his recreation, 154 
 
 books on work for young men, 
 156 
 
 tribute to Mr. Brainerd, 158- 
 
 159 
 
 his leaderhip, 159 
 
 as a speaker, 160 
 
 first convention, 161 
 
 chairman of Nominating 
 Committee Phila d e 1 p h i a 
 Convention, 161 
 
 suggests topics on work for 
 young men, 163, 164 
 
 proposes plan of convention 
 procedure, 165 
 
 day of prayer for young men, 
 166 
 
 relations with H. Thane Mil- 
 ler, 167 
 
 location of the International 
 Committee in New York, 
 168, 169 
 
 memberof International Com- 
 mittee, 169 
 
 secures money for Charleston 
 (S. C.) delegates, 170 
 
 Mr. Miller made president at 
 Montreal, 172 
 
 his service in organizing con- 
 ventions, 172 
 
 views of the Evangelical 
 basis, 176 
 
 organizes the New York 
 State work, 176 
 
 urges Evangelical basis at 
 New York, 176-179 
 
 first vice-president of Detroit 
 Convention, 180 
 
 resolution on Evangelical 
 basis, 182 
 
 secures funds for first Inter- 
 national Field Secretary, 183 
 
 nominates committee on 
 Evangelical basis, 185 
 
 proposes Mr. Morse as editor 
 of The Monthly, 187 
 
 first acquaintance with Mr. 
 Morse, 188 
 
 friendship with Mr. Morse, 
 189-192 
 
 his estimate of Mr. Moody, 
 
 . IQ 5 
 his paper on Evangelistic 
 
 work, 197, 200 
 his defeat at Toronto, 201-203 
 controversy with Dr. Mun- 
 
 hall, 204 
 interest in the student work, 
 
 206 
 interest in finances of the 
 
 International Committee, 
 
 207, 208 
 relations of State and Inter- 
 national Committee, 209 
 attendance on World's con- 
 ventions, 211, 212 
 Amsterdam conventions, 213 
 friendship with Sir George 
 
 Williams, 214, 215 
 assists in establishing World's 
 
 committee, 217, 218 
 M. Fermaud, 219 
 at the London Convention, 
 
 1881, 220, 221 
 comments on World's work, 
 
 221 
 influence upon European 
 
 work, 222 
 young men in unevangelized 
 
 lands, 223 
 
 277
 
 Index 
 
 interest in the work in Japan, 
 224 
 
 chairman of Committee on 
 foreign work, 226 
 
 outlines policy for foreign 
 work, 226-228 
 
 resignation from International 
 Committee, 229-234 
 
 his contribution to the Secre- 
 taryship, 236 
 
 relation to his fellow secre- 
 taries, 237, 238 
 
 organization of the Secre- 
 taries' Conference, 238 
 
 Conference papers, 240 
 
 his idea of the Secretaryship, 
 241-244 
 
 defeat of the White Cross 
 movement, 244, 245 
 
 resolutions at Selma, 246 
 
 the training school at Spring- 
 field, 247, 248 
 
 last work, 249 
 
 goes t o Presbyterian Hos- 
 pital of New York City, 250 
 
 taken to sanitarium at Clifton 
 Springs, 250 
 
 resigns as Secretary of New 
 York Association, 250 
 
 resignation not accepted, 250, 
 251 
 
 death, 252 
 
 funeral services, 252 
 
 memorial service, 257 
 
 providing a memorial, 257 
 
 final memorial service, 258- 
 271 
 McConaugly, David, 229 
 McCormick, Richard C. tour of 
 
 associations, 39-42 
 Miller, H. Thane, president of 
 Albany convention, 167 
 
 relations with McBurney, 167 
 
 president of Montreal Con- 
 vention, 171-172 
 Moody, Dwight L. invited to 
 New York, ill 
 
 evangelistic work, 112 
 
 effect of meetings on Associ- 
 ation, 113 
 
 his conception of the Associ- 
 ation, 193, 194 
 
 his service to the Association 
 cause, 195 
 
 changed view, 205 
 Morgan, J. Pierpont, chosen 
 member of board, 65 
 
 proposed plans for enlarge- 
 ment, 66 
 
 member of Building Com- 
 mittee, 73 
 Morse, Richard C, General 
 Secretary of International 
 Committee, 158 
 
 commentson Evangelical test, 
 186 
 
 first meeting with McBurney, 
 188 
 
 becomes editor of the Associ- 
 ation monthly, 188-190 
 
 his friendship for McBurney, 
 190-192 
 
 estimate of Mr. Moody, 195 
 
 work in Europe, 211 
 
 at Amsterdam Convention, 
 213 
 
 Hamburg Convention, 216 
 
 Geneva Convention, 217-219 
 
 resolutions regarding Mc- 
 Burney, 231-233 
 Munhall, L. W. at the Toronto 
 
 Convention, 202 
 New York City in 1850, 25 
 
 religious life in, 26 
 
 a genius for evil, 26-27 
 New York City Association 
 
 need for work among young 
 men, 26-27 
 
 the founder, 28 
 
 preliminary meetings, 29-30 
 
 organization, 31-32 
 
 constitution, 32 
 
 opening of rooms, 35 
 
 attitude toward the Confeder- 
 ation, 37-39 
 
 the Slavery Question, 37 
 
 the Fremont Campaign, 40 
 
 withdrawal of members, 41 
 
 relation to revival of 1857- 
 1858, 42 
 
 progress of the revival, 44 
 
 origin of the revival, 45 
 
 relation to U. S. Christian 
 Commission, 47, 48 
 
 278
 
 Index 
 
 condition of Association in 
 1861, 1862, 49-51 
 
 proposals to disband, 53 
 
 revival of interest, 54 
 
 McBurney becomes librarian, 
 56 
 
 the 176th Volunteers, 62 
 
 home work during the war, 63 
 
 return of the seceding mem- 
 bers, 63 
 
 the aim of work, 72 
 
 beginning of building move- 
 ment, 73 
 
 social conditions surrounding 
 young men, 75-79 
 
 act of incorporation, 79 
 
 appointment of property trus- 
 tees, 80 
 
 canvas for funds, 81 
 
 laying of corner-stone, 82 
 
 building completed, 82 
 
 opening of, 83 
 
 relation to the building move- 
 ment, 84-86 
 
 leadership in the Association 
 at large, 87 
 
 the social work, 92-95 
 
 physical work introduced, 96 
 
 educational classes, 97 
 
 the library, 98-99 
 
 religious work, 99-102 
 
 law against obscene -litera- 
 ture, 106 
 
 efforts to suppress vice, 106- 
 109 
 
 White Cross society, 109 
 
 Moody meetings, 1 1 1-1 12 
 
 results of the meetings, 113 
 
 railroad and other branches, 
 113-114 
 
 metropolitan plan of organ- 
 ization, 124 
 
 branch development, 126-127 
 
 student department, 127 
 
 educational director em- 
 ployed, 128 
 
 economic features, 129 
 
 work for boys, 130 
 
 West Side building, 130-131 
 
 features of the building, 132- 
 
 *33 
 
 the work in 1898, 134-138 
 
 New York State Conventions 
 
 first convention, 176 
 Niblo William, 98-99 
 Petrie, George H. visits London 
 
 Association, 28 
 Potter, Bishop Henry C. 
 Address at funeral of Mc- 
 Burney, 253-256 
 Revival of 1857-1858 
 first meetings in Dutch Re- 
 formed Church, 42 
 J. C. Lamphier, 43 
 financial depression, 44 
 progress in New York City, 
 
 .44. 
 origin of, 45 
 character and influence of, 
 
 46 
 San Francisco Association 
 
 building, 85 
 Shipton, W. E. influence upon 
 
 McBurney, 105 
 sketch of, 213 
 attitude toward American 
 
 Work, 214 
 opposes location of World's 
 
 Committee at Geneva, 218 
 idea of the Secretaryship, 242- 
 
 243 
 Slavery Question, The 
 discussions in the New York 
 
 Association over, 37 
 the Fremont Campaign, 1856, 
 
 4 
 division in New York Associa- 
 tion over, 41 
 resolution passed on the death 
 of Lincoln, 42 
 Stewart, George H. 
 Chairman of Christian Com- 
 mission, 48 
 Philadelphia Convention, 163 
 Stokes, James, 63 
 member of board, 65 
 building trustee, 81 
 gift to educational depart- 
 ment, 97 
 Swift, John T., in Japan, 224 
 at Philadelphia Convention, 
 225 
 Training School at Springfield, 
 247-248 
 
 279
 
 Index 
 
 United States Christian Com- 
 mission origin, 48 
 work of, 49 
 Vanderbilt, Cornelius, 115, 131 
 Vice, Society for the Suppres- 
 sion of, 75, 109 
 Webster, Henry, 102, 109 
 Weidensall, Robert, becomes 
 Field Secretary of Interna- 
 tional Committee, 183 
 at Dayton, 208 
 
 White Cross Movement, 109-110 
 Williams, Sir George, 214-215 
 
 General Convention, 218-219 
 Wishard, Luther D., Secretary 
 of Student Department, 206 
 tour, 225 
 Woods, William, suggests gym- 
 nasium work to McBurney, 
 72 
 begins instruction in gymnas- 
 tics, 96 
 
 280
 
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