No. 9 -- 21 July 1931

Mr. N.A. Hughes,
C/o Young Men's Christian Association College,
5315 Drexel Avenue,
CHICAGO. Ill. U.S.A.

My dear Noel,

By yesterday's mail we received your letter posted at Suva, in which you describe the happenings at Auckland. We were very glad that Mrs. Kirk established contact with you and showed you some courtesy.

When your letter came, Keith was very wrath that you did not give any particulars concerning Stan. Kirk. He was naturally anxious to know where Stan is and what he is doing.

I also had a letter from Mr. Drew telling me that you had gone through the building and had met a number of the staff men. I, too, am sorry that you did not meet George Adair. George is one of the finest fellows in our Movement in the Dominion and is doing a remarkably fine piece of Boys' Work, perhaps the best in the Dominion.

We had a letter from Cli. Willis and also from Irven Herbert. They gave additional particulars concerning your time in Sydney.

You will be surprised to hear that the Herald published your photograph on Wednesday of last week, together with a paragraph informing folk that you expected to land in Canada on Friday or Saturday last. We have had quite a number of comments from various folk who saw the paragraph.

Mr. Barker of Suva was good enough to send me a letter also, in which he mentioned that you had visited the Guild Meeting at the Mission and also that you met Mr. McMillan. I am glad you had this opportunity of meeting these good friends as they are splendid folk. McMillan is an exceptional man, and I am very sorry that he left our Movement, to go into Government service.

It is hard luck that you did not arrive at Suva until dark. I had a similar experience on my first visit there, but tried to make up for it by seeing all we could in the few hours at our disposal.

The kiddies, of course, are just full of questions regarding your trip and eagerly await the arrival of your letters. I think they will be writing you by this mail, so that you may have quite a budget from the members of the family.

Ruth started at the Hospital on Wednesday, the 15th. She is enjoying the work, although the hours are long and the work exacting. A rather strange incident occurred on her first day in the hospital. Someone went through her purse and stole her money, and a string of beads, so that I was surprised to find her at the office the next morning asking me for money as she was stony broke. I suppose it is a good thing, as it will make her careful with regard to the disposal of her goods. She will perhaps put things away in future and not expect everybody to be absolutely honest.

Rex has been down Gippsland installing some talkie apparatus, but this week is unemployed again. He is, however, expecting to start on Monday of next week.

I had several letters in reply to those I had sent to America. Stanley Brent of Vancouver, regretted he could not see you, as he would be out of Vancouver, but he was making arrangements for someone else to show you courtesies.

R.L. Ewing, of New York, forwarded letters from Mr. Brentley, Activities and Personnel Secretary for New York. Bentley said that he would do all that he could to help you find an opening and he thought it wise for you to keep in touch with Chicago, as that would be the logical place for you to locate. Mr. Ewing evidently wrote to Mr. Glen. O. Pierrel, Assistant Secretary, Y.M.C.A. 19 South LaSalle Street, Chicago. Pierrel said that he would do his best to help you, although he was not very hopeful of locating anything, because of the fact that the Chicago Association is already over-manned in relation to the funds they have to spend. He would make enquiry especially among the Camp Directors, to see whether they might use you, and at least provide room and board.

Naturally I am hoping that Laurie Bowen and Clive Glover have been able to do something in this direction for you. I think it is quite probable, Noel, that you will have some difficulty in securing remunerative part-time work, if I judge correctly the tenor of the letters I have received. I do think, though, that you should concentrate upon the Chicago situation, because of its possibilities for the future during your college work. With a few good friends such as those to whom I gave you cards, I think you should be able to locate a useful job.

Ralph Cooke, a the Chicago Men's Hotel, will I know, do his best to assist you.

Now, just one or two things concerning the work here. We had a wonderful night on Saturday, when the Suburban Clubs had their "Get Together" social. There were about 475 present and it was a great show. I am enclosing a copy of the programme.

The Suburban Club Leaders' Training Corps is doing splendidly and we have over 40 fellows enrolled in it in preparation for service in their own Church Clubs. I think you will find this to be something quite out of the ordinary and not many of the American Associations are doing similarly.

The Suburban Scheme for raising finance, instituted by Mr. Crosby, is steadily gathering momentum, and I hope it will be useful to the Association in providing additional revenue.

I would suggest that any copies of printed matter we may send to you might be useful to the College Library. They always seem anxious to get samples of this kind and I would suggest that perhaps it would be helpful if you passed it on to the Librarian after you have finished with it. The July issue of "Manhood" was sent direct to the College. The careful perusal each month, will give you material for talks, especially as you speak at groups in the Associations. It is by this means that you may be able to pass on to other Associations some of the matters which may be of interest to them, seeing that the work describes conditions in Australia.

Mr. and Mrs. Harrison left us on Sunday, after some 6 1/2 weeks with us. He has secured an agency for Gippsland, and will be travelling in that area. It is possible that they may return to us again a little later on.

Keith tried yesterday for a job with O.Gilpin who advertised for a Customs Official. There were about 100 after the job, including in the number some who were licensed agents, so that Keith does not imagine he has much chance of securing the job.

I hope you have not forgotten to send your address to the College authorities, so that mail matter can be forwarded to you, and time saved in that way.

We have not yet been able to dispose of the Amplifier, although we have had one or two nibbles, but nothing that we could finalise upon. By the time this reaches you, you will be well on the way towards entry to College.

I hope it has been possible for you to continue some degree of study in preparation for the entrance examination the College authorities will require.

Many new experiences have fallen to you in the past few weeks and you may now be feeling the strain of continuous travel and the high pressure of the Conferences. A week or two in a Boys' Camp will be splendid preparation for your entry to College. I hope it has been possible for some of our friends to make an opening for you in this direction. Please be good enough to secure a complete set of the reports of the three Conferences and post them to me without delay. I will see that you are reimbursed for the cost of postage, etc. Maybe you have thought of this, while you were at Conference, but if not, be good enough to secure copies and send them on to me. See that they are securely packed, otherwise they will reach here in a very dilapidated condition.

And now, my boy, we all send our loving regards. We are not forgetting you before the Throne of Grace. We sincerely hope that you will capitalise every opportunity presented to you and make it count in the preparation for your future life work. So much depends upon your ability to do this if success is to be achieved. You know I have constantly spread the gospel of "hard work" as the main condition in achieving success. I am confident it still holds good. You are not likely to have too much time on your hands at College, seeing you have got to earn your way through.

If you are stuck at any time, of course you must let me know and I will do my best to help you, but in view of the further reductions we have just had here in salaries, I do not want you to make any claims unless you are really in need, but if you are in need, please cable immediately and I will do my best to help you.

With warm love from us all,
Yours affectionately,
Dad

No. 8 -- 9 July 1931

Mr. N.A. Hughes (of  Melbourne, Australia)
C/o Central Y.M.C.A.
2200 Prospect Avenue,
CLEVELAND. Ohio. U.S.A.

My dear Noel,

Your two letters from Sydney and Auckland reached us safely, also the wire which you forwarded just prior to sailing. Naturally we were glad to hear that you had had such a thoroughly happy time in Sydney and that the Herberts and the Willis's gave you so much of their time.

I am very delighted to know that you were met at the station and that right through, the folk in Sydney were cordially helpful. It is also cheering to know that the "Y" folk looked after you so well.

We quite expected that you would have a rough trip across to New Zealand. There happened to be a very heavy Nor'easterly blow which we knew you could not escape. However, we were pleased to learn that you successfully negotiated the trip without seasickness.

I am sorry to hear that Alec. Moodie had such a bad time, but he quite expected the sea would upset him. In a letter I got from him he said he hoped you were a good sailor as you would then be able to look after him!

You evidently did not have many on the ship with only 26 in third class.

I hope you had a good time at Auckland, Suva, Honolulu, and at the other places you called at. Naturally, we are awaiting eagerly the news of your experiences at each of these places. I am afraid the account of your eating on ship board indicates that the Union Company are not likely to make anything out of one passenger at any rate -- Perhaps between Moodie and yourself, it is about equalised.

I was very glad to hear that you were able to get some solid study in on the way over to New Zealand, and hope that you have been able to continue that with some degree of regularity.

Under separate cover I am sending to you a copy of a letter from Edith. I think you will be able to follow it all right. Joyce will be writing to you shortly and of course so will the others, as soon as we get your new address.

You will be surprised to learn that Ruth has already received her call to the Homeopathic Hospital. She leaves business today, and commences at the hospital on Wednesday next, the 15th inst. She will spend the few days completing the making of her outfit and getting everything in readiness to move out.

By the way you did not say whether you had received the watch I posted to the "Niagara". I registered it so as to be sure of its reaching you.

Miss Pollock has given me the names of a couple of her relatives who are in California. I am enclosing the names so that if you ever get the chance of making contact with them, I hope you will do so. At any rate, I think it would be a good thing for you to drop her a line C/o Ballarat College, Ballarat, thanking her for her thoughtfulness. It is possible that Miss Pollock will be making her way towards America next year.

I had a short bout of illness and was away from the office for a week and a half. The old trouble of last year asserted itself and I felt the wisest thing was to go to bed, and the Doctor confirmed the wisdom of having done so, otherwise I might have had another bout of pneumonia. I came back to work on Monday and am steadily gathering strength. I lost a good deal of weight again, but that is to be expected.

Keith has not been able to secure anything so far, although he has been following up a few advertisements and making contacts with firms. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison are still with us and this makes the fifth week, I think, they have been staying with us. He has not been able to land anything yet, but has one or two prospects which he hopes will t urn out alright.

We have not been able to sell the amplifier. Jack Walsh had one enquiry, but the fellow sheered off and did not come down to brass tacks. I know how important it is that we should dispose of this machine as quickly as possible, and you can be sure I will do my best to see that it is sold, and the proceeds forwarded to you.

Rex finished up at the Radio Corporation last Friday, and procured another job at the Eclipse Radio, where he was testing speakers. He has just called in to say that he was paid off this morning, so that he is again out of a job.

I have had several letters from some of my American friends, advising me of the desire to help you secure a job immediately after the conferences. John Cook has I think already written to you C/o the Association at Vancouver, outlining the steps he took to endeavour to help you. I hope something may have eventuated from his overtures. I should judge that there will not be a great deal of hope among the Eastern Associations, but something may have eventuated from his letters.

I also had a letter from Laurie G. Bowen, Boys' Work Director, Lincoln-Belmont Department, (Y.M.C.A., 3333 North Marshfield Ave., Chicago, in which he states -- "it may be that we can use him here  for a short period in August, and then send him out to camp with some of our boys for a period or two. College does not open until about the 3rd week in September so that we will have to hustle around and see if something can be secured for him through September. The employment situation in Chicago for the past year has been terrifically bad, and a good number of men had to leave College because of retrenchment plans made necessary by the abnormal depression. We have one graduate in our building who is only too glad to get a job as night Secretary at the paltry sum of 100 dollars a month. His duties consist of a period on the desk, followed by a period on janitor work, and supervision of the boiler room". Laurie ways that he will write you at Vancouver.

Mr. Ralph W. Cooke, the Assistant Secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association of Chicago, in a letter dated June 5th, said -- "We will be very glad to serve him in any way possible. On account of our enforced staff reduction, we may find it difficult to place him in the Association, but I will ask Mr. Hatherway and Mr. Pierrel of our General Office to give the matter attention in the hope that we can be of some service. Please say to your son that I shall be most happy to meet him."

Fred J. Smith, of Central Branch, 40 College Street, Toronto, said -- "I assure you I will do everything I can to make his stay in Toronto pleasant, and if there is any possibility of having him work in for a month or so on our desk, it will be done."

Mr. R. L. Ewing, Activities Director, William Sloane House (Y.M.C.A.), 356 West 34th Street, New York, wrote under date of June 4th. "I am immediately taking up the matter with the Personnel Secretary, New York City, and have written to Mr. Glen. O. Pierrel, the Activities Secretary at Chicago. I will also send a letter to the General Secretary at Cleveland, Mr. A.G. Knebel."

I have sent you these quotations, so that you might understand the situation, and that overtures are being made on your behalf. If I might express an opinion, I hope it might be possible for you to get a job in the Chicago Associations as that will not necessitate additional expenditure in travelling.

Then again, if you could get a job in Chicago, it would help you to become used to the conditions prior to your College work, which will be of distinct advantage, and it might also be of further assistance to you in securing a permanent job at one or other of the Associations.

Matters here at the Melbourne Association are moving along much the same as before, although there is no change in the financial situation. To the end of June, we have gone back £1720 which is, of course, far worse than any experience we have had hitherto. There are sure to be further reductions in some of the salaries, including my own, but this we cannot avoid in view of the difficult situation the association is facing.

All the folk at home are well, I am thankful to say. Mother is keeping up splendidly, although this morning when I left she was feeling a little out of gear, but I hope that will pass away quickly.

I must close now. You will be finishing the last of the Conferences shortly after you receive this letter. I sincerely hope that the way has been open for you to fit into a temporary job. I know it will mean everything to you to get a good start.

I have not communicated with the College, but I presume you have done so. I you have not, I would suggest that you write them as soon as you know something pretty definite with regard to your movements. There will be a number of matters which, of course, will be necessary for them to attend to in receiving new students, and I think you should keep them fully advised.

I have not heard from Clive Glover, but hope that he also has been on the lookout for a job for you.

You will soon finish up with all the excitement and the big meetings, and will have to face the future as a single individual. I know, my boy, that this will be a time of particular difficulty. If no job turns up, I would suggest that you make your way straight to Chicago and keep in close touch with Clive Glover, who may be able to advise you the best lines of procedure.

Pass on my regards to Alec. Moodie, and of course to any of the men whose names I have given you and you have met during the Conference. I am just aching for additional news, and will be very glad to hear that everything has worked out satisfactorily for the staring of you College work.

You know our love is yours. We are all praying that you might be wisely guided in any difficulties you may meet.

With warm love from the family and from myself,
Dad

No. 7 -- 24 June 1931

Mr. Noel A. Hughes, (of Melbourne, Australia)
C/o Central Y.M.C.A.,
2200 Prospect Ave.,
CLEVELAND. Ohio. U.S.A.

My dear Noel,

Well, here you are completing another stage in the big adventure. I hope the Conference at Toronto was of great value to you and that you made the most of every opportunity to hear the best of the discussions and to make contacts with the leaders.

Newspaper clippings from
the Melbourne Sun (22 June 1931),
the Melbourne Argus (22 June 1931),
 Melbourne YMCA's Manhood (June 1931).

Flickr

In Cleveland, I would strongly advise you to endeavour to visit most of the branches of the Cleveland Y, look over the educational work in particular and do not forget to go to the Westside Boys' Building to meet Mr. M. D. Crackel. You will find Crackel a splendid man of long experience in our work. Mr. Knebel, the General Secretary at Cleveland, has not been there for very long, but he is regarded as one of the best men in the North American work.

I had a friend on the staff by the name of Merriam. I do not know whether he is still there. You might enquire and if so, remind him of the meeting I had with him in 1917 when I was going to England and France.

The great Conference at Cleveland should set new standards in the work of the Association. The discussions centering around "Youth's search for God" should be very helpful to you in your own life, as well as in your work in the future.

I hope by this time you have been successful in securing an opening in an Association which will fill up the hiatus between now and your entry to the Chicago Y College. Perhaps Clive Glover has been able to find something for you. I know he would do his best to help you.

I am specially anxious that you should write to us immediately you hear anything regarding work, so that we may be able to write to you direct. Always give, if possible, the dates covering your movements and a specific address, so that mail matter may go direct to you.

If you are not successful in securing a job, I would suggest that you make contact with Mr. Ralph W. Cooke, the Assistant Secretary of the Chicago Y.M.  He would have a good deal to do iwth the placing of men in the Chicago branches. He may be able to find a job for you at that time. He will probably be at the World's Conference. You might make enquiries among the delegates and, if possible, locate him.

Another man I would like you to meet is Mr. HarryW. White, who is on the Foreign Department staff, located at Chicago. He is sure to be at Cleveland. I would not be surprised if John W. Cook wrote to you suggesting that you should spend some time with him at Baily Island, Maine.

If you should go to New York, do not fail to look up Eric Nicoll, Personnel Manager, Metropolitan Division, Western Union Telegraph Company, 395 Broadway, New York. Eric, you remember, was Boys' Work Secretary at the Dunedin Y during the time I was away in England and France.

I must close now. All of us are anxious to hear the news regarding your journeyings and are hopeful that you will have a wonderfully happy time. It is a great chance you have, and there  is no doubt it should be of the greatest possible benefit to you as an introduction to your College work. I know you will work hard. I believe you will face all the opportunities with a determination to make them count in your own life and in your future work. You will have many temptations to take the easy road. No success in life comes to the man who does that. There is only one royal road to success, and that is a long uphill climb in which at times you will be almost constrained to give up. That is the time to hang on. It is said that the darkest hour is just before the dawn. You  will find it so in your work.

Our love is yours,
Dad


See related post: The YMCA conferences in Toronto and Cleveland