| Scope and content |
In his memoir, Eugene E. Barnett includes genealogical material on the Epperson and Barnett families; accounts of his father's circuit riding; childhood experiences in Leesburg, Jasper, and Tampa, Fla.; curriculum, expenses, and experiences at Emory College, Vanderbilt University, and the University of North Carolina; and accounts of the YMCA, its missionary emphasis, conventions, and training. He describes his work as the general secretary of the YMCA in Hangchow, China, from 1911 to 1920 and as the national executive from 1920 to 1936. He provides physical descriptions of Shanghai and Hangchow; describes the nature of the grassroots YMCA work in Hangchow, the anticipation of the collapse of the Ch'ing Dynasty, and the establishment of the Republic of 1912. He provides some analysis of the YMCA's Chinese leadership, the YMCA's criticism from fundamentalists, and its eclipse during the economic depression of the 1930s. He describes the cultural life of China and the anti-American sentiment of the 1920s, provides analysis of Christianity and indigenous Chinese religions, and discusses various topics related to the response of those in China to World War I and the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Eugene E. Barnett Memoir (#379), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Mr. Doak Barnett, Brookings Institute. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Dr. Burton Beers, N.C. State University. |
| Biographical note | Eugene E. Barnett grew up in Florida; studied at Emory College, Vanderbilt University, and the University of North Carolina; and spent 26 years as an official with the YMCA in China. |
