At the conference of 1878, in Geneva, a man in the prime of life, and partner in a leading banking-house of that city, was chosen president.  He spoke with almost equal ease the three languages of the conference—­English, French, and German.  Shortly after that convention Mr. Fermand gave up his business and became the general secretary of the world’s committee of the Young Men’s Christian Associations.  He traveled over the whole continent of Europe, visiting the associations, and then came to America to make acquaintance with our plans of work.  Now stationed at Geneva, with some resident members of the convention, he keeps up the intercourse of the associations through nine members representing the principal nations.  I have spoken of the three languages of the conference.  It is a wonderful inspiration to find one’s self in a gathering of all nations, brought together by the love of one person, each speaking in his own tongue, praising the one name, so similar in each,—­that name alone in each address needing no interpretation.

[Illustration:  BUILDING OF THE Y.M.C.A.  IN NEW YORK.]

The conference meets this year, in August, at Berlin, when probably as many as one hundred delegates will be present from the United States.

But inter-association organization has gone much further in this country than elsewhere, and communication is exceedingly close between the nine hundred associations of America.

The first conception of uniting associations came to the Reverend William Chauncey Langdon, then a layman, and a member of the Washington Association, now rector of the Episcopal Church at Bedford, Pennsylvania.  Mr. McBurney, in his fine Historical Sketch of Associations, says:  “Many of the associations of America owe their individual existence to the organization effected through his wise foresight.  The associations of our land, and in all lands, owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Langdon far greater than has ever been recognized.”  Oscar Cobb, of Buffalo, and Mr. Langdon signed the call to the first convention, which assembled on June 7, 1854, at Buffalo.  This was the first conference of associations held in the English-speaking world.  Here was appointed a central committee, located at Washington, and six elsewhere.

In 1860, Philadelphia was made the headquarters.  The confederation of associations and its committee came to an end in Chicago, June 4, 1863, and the present organization with its international executive committee was born, with members increasing in number.  The committee now numbers thirty-three, two being resident in New York City.

In the year 1865, a committee was appointed by the convention at Philadelphia.  The president of this convention became the chairman of the international executive committee, consisting of ten members resident in New York City, and twenty-three placed at different prominent points in the United States and British Provinces.  There is also a corresponding member of the committee in each State and province, and means of constant communication between the committee and each association, and between the several associations, through the Young Men’s Christian Association Watchman, a sixteen-paged paper, published each fortnight in Chicago.