Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-22

tee and the International board con-
soldated, the specific objects being TO
unite in one body the Young Women 5
Christian associations of the United
States to establish, develop and unlty
such associations; to advance the phy-
steal. social intellectual, moral and
spiritual interests of young women
to participate in the work of the
worlds Young Women's Christian as
sociations." While this is technically
the second biennial of the newly fed
Grated associations, 1t is really tne
first since the union became a 1act
and the members of the national board
were elected
Each association, no matter how
small, is entitled to one delegate at
this conference, with an additional del
| egate for every 100 voting members.
The legislation effected will have a
far-reaching influence on the work OF
the various associations that are IN
all parts of this country, and in for
eign lands, too, for good work is being
done over sea by secretaries sent out
through the foreign department. The
program will embrace reports or all
! kinds. IT will provide for addresses
| from a number of men and women
on subjects bearing on the assocla-
tion's work. Special hours for the
study of the problems arising in speci-
|
| for.
There is possibly no women's organ
| ization in the country, outside the
| General Federation of Women's Clubs,
| that has so representative member
| ship as have the Y. w. G. A. Almost
| every denomination of the CHRISTIAN
| religion has members in the organlza-
| ton, and each girl, through contact
with girls of other sects, grows broad
err sweeter, more tolerant. There is
no calling that has not contributed
members to the helpful circles of the
order, where they may lend their own
influence and receive that of others.
The college and university student,
the factory girl, the teacher the shop
the musician, the housewife, the law
yer, the trained nurse and the physi-
| clan are among the members.
| When the national board of thirty
members was created and entrusted
with all the various branches of de-
velopment that the united associations
meant to follow, one of it's first under
| takings was to have a systematic
study made of the conditions In this
country affecting womanhood and girl
hood. An expert staff of able investi-
gators, under Dr. Annie M. MacLean
of Adelphi college, Brooklyn, under
took the work, and the results Will
be offered at the present biennial. An
association extension department has
been created and its plans are far
| reaching and comprehensive. Co
operating with local organizations this
| committee will attempt to adapt the
| associations to phases of community
life to which it has not yet been
adapted. 1t means to extend existing
lines of effort until thousands of other
women are brought into realization of
the potent force that Christianity has
| in the general uplift. There are nearly
100000 women in the Industrial oc-
equations alone, such as saleswomen,
laundry workers. telephone and tele-
graph operators and those engaged in
| manufacturing and mechanical pur-
suits. All these the associations ex-
tension department hopes to reach In
| time.
Already progress has been reported.
While there are only eighty-nine asso-
Citations doing the special extension
work referred to, there are nearly 49,
900 women and girls reached weekly
through classes and meetings and over
5000 of these are club members. Los
Angeles had the first department store
work by the Y. w. G. A., beginning
two years ago. Rochester has a club
established with this especial work in
view Washington has done some work
among cash girls and has plans for a
more extensive campaign. The study
of the general extension committee
will be directed toward the needs of all
industrial workers in every section Of
! the country, and especial pains will
be taken to note the nationality of
workers, their living conditions and
the nature of their occupations.
Telling work among the mill villages
of cotton manufacturing states of the
south has been reported, North and
South Carolina, Alabama. Georgia and
Virginia leading. So potent an in1u-
ence has this movement already be-
come in some of the mill towns that
thirty-five delegates went from the
mills to Asheville, N. c., not long ago