Harmon for Mott

When an international social-religious corporation accumulates some $318,000,000 worth of property, extends its ministrations throughout 56 lands, gains 1,600,000 members, its structure may well become as complex as that of any Big Business. So may its executives tend to be dynamic, important personages--in contrast to the London draper who founded the Young Men's Christian Association in 1844. Nothing demonstrates the Y. M. C. A.'s world position today more than the calibre of Dr. John Raleigh Mott, identified with it ever since he became a student secretary in 1888 when he was graduated from Cornell. Dr. Mott resigned last November as "general secretary" of the International Committee (TIME, Nov. 16). Because many Y. M. C. A. leaders are bright, aggressive Northerners, some were surprised to learn last week that Dr. Mott's successor was a young man who had not only been born in Mississippi but had lived there most of his life. Nevertheless, Y. M. C. A. has long been aware of 37-year-old Francis Stuart Harmon: for the last two years as the youngest president the National Council ever had; and lately as Dr. Mott's choice. Last week Mr. Harmon was unanimously elected to be general secretary. Mississippi has been the scene of his Y. M. C. A. work and his career, save when he left the State to get an education at the University of Virginia and Harvard Law School. In Mississippi he was assistant attorney general for two years, made a creditable showing running for Congress against a seasoned Southern politician. James William Collier (now chairman of the potent Ways & Means Committee). Secretary Harmon has not made himself rich; much of his Y. M. C. A. work he did without remuneration. A heavy debt contracted in his family led him to give up a law practice, take over (with his brother) the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American. Like few other Southern editors he has consistently stood forth against lynchings, convict-floggings, local misgovernment.

In 1889, North American Y. M. C. A.'s began sending out, in response to repeated calls from all over Christendom and Pagany, secretaries to initiate, guide and counsel local movements. Principle was to build them up, then turn them over to local secretaries. Today 600 native leaders and 100 Americans carry on the work. Particularly proud of its Chinese record is Y. M. C. A. In the Cabinet of ex-President Chiang Kai-shek two years ago, six of the members were former Y-secretaries. Said Secretary Harmon last year: ''We regard this work as an invention in the realm of social and spiritual life just as much as the telephone and electric light is in the scientific life, and these secretaries are trained technicians who are installing the system."

The Y. M. C. A.'s foreign affairs, built up by kinetic Dr. Mott, will be Secretary Harmon's chief concern. Recent news of these have not been cheery. Last fortnight the Bucharest club, haven of Badminton players, was to be closed (TIME, Jan. 18). More alarming was a report in The Christian Century last week of the annual Student Christmas Rally in Tokyo. Established in 1925 with Dr. Mott as speaker, it had been regarded as the keystone of the Japanese Student Christian Movement. To the first rally came over 3,000. Last Christmas, to hear Dr. Yoshimune Abe, president of the National Y. M. C. A. Council, dean of Aoyama Theological School, came 150.

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