Springfield College - Massasoit Yearbook (Springfield, MA)

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s 1 S ,y R rx A- C 'X L ' '1 '-' , ltr ' + 1' X lk ,' 1 A ' f LFUW U ' W A, L- U- v--- ly Q . 1 . shining waters of Lake Massasoit is situated the International Young Men's Christian Association College. The College with its magnihcent array of buildings stands on a bluff which overlooks the large mirror-like lake for a stretch of nearly two miles in one direction and for a half-mile in the other. There she stands, looking mutely down upon the silently moving waters of the lake, watching them as they go on and on to become the waters renewed and refreshed of a larger body of water. For one who knows the College a.nd its ideals, the lake seems a part of the College curriculum, for it expresses in silent words the College ideals. lt is slowly, cautiously carrying away the conserved debris and depositing in its place new and fresh water. Rev. David Allen Reed, a Christian minister in Springheld, Mass., conceived the idea of training Christian workers. So in 1885 this institution was organized. Because of thc great need for trained men in the Y. M. C. A. field this institution gradually leaned in that direction, and in 1890 it bore the name of the Young Men's Christian Association Training School. ln 1891 the school authorities saw the need of extending the opportunities of spe- cialization presented here to foreign students, and as a result the name again was changed to the lnternational Young Mc-:n's Chris- tian Association Training School. The school during this time was for the most part a Training School for Secretarial men in the Y. M. C. A. HI-ERE the pines stand on high, o,er the far- 14

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The College is fortunately situated in regard to these outlying communities, thus making it possible for the students to take a larger measure of work and responsibility than if the commun- ities Wcre more remote. A conference of the County Secretaries of Massachusetts and Rhode Island is held each month for the purposes of discussing the problems arising in their work, and for definite study and in- spiration. Since the inauguration of this new department, these conferences have been held in Springheld and they have extended to the Senior County Men the privilege of attending, and enter- ing into the discussions. This has proven of inestimable value to the members of this class, for it is here, as in no other way, that they are brought into vital touch with a multitude of questions and problems, many of which they will later face alone. ln agm.. n-,, I P V. 4 T... . , --i i M217-'.e,:-,it 11.51. F Z F, W- eil. I 2-55312712 l ' id . -if gfff- ' rg., r, if aft- iffy at-: ff . -V: LF. I '--. - - 51: - ,A I.. V ' e ,Q-T129 - lv, ' T ff L LLL, A . Q 1 Qi, C ll l g f ' .,,4,,'vl,j,,. ' f N ' , i C, ll 4:55 , I -, + -1541 ik Bom' Housis IN SNOW Titus 13 gb.. f' V ' , :W ,v :Fl'l..if,Q,r1,:f wa ' .V J, llgi 'il il

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Athletics had been dominant in the institution from the first but it was not until 1887 that the physical work as a profession and as a distinct course in the school was started. In the infancy ol' this department it had as its leaders such men as Dr. Luther H. Culick and Mr. Robert J. Roberts. Dr. Cfulick was a recent graduate of a medical school in New York, while Mr. Roberts Was a 1110813 popular and successful physical director in the Boston Young lVlen's Christian Association at the time his services were procured. The College has the unique distinction of being the birthplace ol' a systematic code of ethics in connection with athletics and also of having invented the game which is now so very popular, the game ofbaskct ball. Several rather striking changes have come about during the thirty years of the life of the institution, the most notable of which arc: CID lts locationg Czj the general trend ofthe courses, and Q35 its material advancement. . While the school was in its infancy it was located at Win- chester Park. Because of the need for more space in which to carry on their activities, the location was changed to the present place. The College at present is located on Alden Street and Hick- ory Street, in such a way as to overlook Massasoit Lake in two directions. Because of the natural art surrounding the College this site will undoubtedly continue to be the home of the Young lVlen's Christian Association College. The general trend of the two main courses to be taken here has been most encouraging indeed. The Secretarial Course,,the earliest of any of the College courses, has grown in breadth of vision, depth ol' insight, and in the number of students who respond to the call. Today the Secretarial Course, from the numerical point of view, has increased four-fold. This growth has been due to the splendid training to be had here and the demand on the part of the rapidly-growing Young Men's Christian Association for more men and more ellicient men. The Physical Course sta.rted in the spring of 1887 and has had an interesting growth. It has increased many fold also, and in spite of the lead the Secretarial Course had to begin with, the Physical Course is now decidedly the more largely attended of the two. As rapidly as the Young Men's Christian Association has grown and has created the need for new offices, just so rapidly has 15