Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-19
OMAHA GETS Y. VIC. A. SCHOOL
City Will Become National Training
Center for Secretaries.
BRINGS BIGGEST WORKERS HERE
COmpIetion OF New BuiIdinE Gives
Local Association Superior Pres
tise ana Make This
Possible.

Omaha Is TO be made a national training
center for secretaries FOR the Young
women's Christian association and so will
become one OF the most important associa-
ton centers Of the United States.
Plans which ave been under considera-
ton for some time crystalized this week,
when the local association accepted the
proposition by the state association COM
mittee that Omaha accept the training
school. ."o,
The school win be conducted on the in
stitute plan and will be held during nine
months OF the year. There will be three
terms Of twelve weeks each--fall. winter
and. spring. 1t is expected the work will
open soon after the first Of the year, the
completion OF the new Young women's
Christian association building, making it
kpossible to locate this important branch
In Omaha.
The scope Of the work will be more than
local or statewide. as Illinois, lows and
Missouri have already signified their in
t~entinon of not opening training schools IL
the Omaha association becomes a training
center. While definite plans for the school
have not yet been formulated It probably
will be conducted on the institute plan,
with lectures in the morning by the ma
tional secretaries and others provided for
this work. and practical association work
afternoon and evening.
Brinss Biggest workers Here.
The advantage to The local association
and association work ct this vicinity will
be great as it will not only bring to
Omaha some of the foremost national
secretaries for lecturers, but will enable
associations OF the vicinity in need Of
trained workers to have first choice from
the students.
The training center is an innovation in
association work that has grown out of
the consolidation Of the two former ma
tional organizations of Young women's
Christian associations, the American Com
mittee and the International Board. The
training school of the American Committee
located at Chicago is this week moving to
New York city. where 1t will be housed in
the national association building. This
leaves the west without a training school
and necessitates candidates for graduation
going to New York, a rather expensive ex-
pertinent for many young women. as ex-
p~erience has proven that many who under.
take the training are wholly unsuited for
association work and so drop out after a
few months. To meet this, the national
training department recently asked the
various states to institute training centert
where preliminary training might be taken
Local Becomes Responsible.
Local associations accepting these eenter'
assume responsibility, cooperating with
the state association and, Of course. oper,
atine under the general supervision of th'
national, which Win provide nationa
workers as speakers and to meet otheI
demands. After taking the course in tn,
training centers. young women may so oil
to the New York school for final training
and graduation will assurance that the!
will be acceptable. The action of Illinois
Iowa and Missouri regarding a training
center in Omaha mA9sbe counted an envi
able compliment to the local work, as al
these states are we'll organized ard hav
city associations that could well provid
training. When Miss Caroline B. Dow o
New York. dean of the new national train
ing school. visited the Omaha association
; last March she pronounced 1t one Of tn
best in the country and 1t is probabl!
} upon her recommendation that the neigh
boring states eoncede the proposed train
ing center to Omaha,
A committee of three has been appointe,
from the local association, consisting o
= Mrs. ]. w. Hansel. chairman; Mrs. J. n
Akin ana Mrs. F. P. Loomis, to confe
with the committee from the state assocla
ton at Lincoln. Mrs. Z. E. Barber, form
erly Miss Margaret Kyle, one OF the ma
) tional secretaries, is chairman of the com
mittee at Lincoln and a conference of tn
Q two committees will be held within a fey
f; days to work out further details for tn
conduct OF the Omaha training center.