Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-17
WV. CA. A GROWING ORGANIZATION

The Young Women's Christian Associa-
ton is to have building of its own. For
/ over six years now the
Working for local branch of this or
N.u How. ganization has been
NC" none' steadily growing and
drawing nearer to the goal of building
of its own with all the broader opportuni-
ties which that will afford. AS yet the
project has gone no further than q tenta-
tive selection Of the site and a general
outline of what the building is to be, but
the movement itself Is sufficiently tangi-
BILE to even the most casual visitor at the
| association offices. The whole member
| ship of the Y. W. c. A. is out for build
ing. from the president down to the new
| est of the 2, 400 members who constitute
the strength of the organization here.
| A whirlwind campaign is to be conduct
ed. to extend over probably no more than
ten days. During that time the Y. W. c.
A. army will be out in force scouting for
| all the stray dimes and nickels, dollars
and bills to be found. Four hundred
thousand dollars is the amount which the
claim. the Washington Young Women's
Christian Association building should be
everything that is modern.
The proposed site Of this building is on
the southeast corner of 18th and l streets.
This, it is believed. will still keep the Of
fees sufficiently within the business sec
ton to be readily accessible. The general
outline of the building calls for eight
stories and q roof garden.
I'VE want the new building. said Miss
Florence NJ. Brown, the general secre-
tary of the association, Ito be the clear
ing house for all work for women. We
want to make it fill place for women
that no other building does
The new building will contain gym
nasium, 10 fill an urgent local need; a
swimming pool and bowl
Building ing alley. There is to be
r..4, general recreation hall.
a place where moving pic
lures can be shown, for instance. or little
entertainments, given. In addition, there
will be an auditorium. to serve as a
meeting place for women's organizations
generally. There will be a lunchroom,
larger. of course, than that now at the
present quarters.
Then comes don't in the plans.
They do not want a lobby entrance.
That's the difference between men and
like to come in and sit around; women
don't. They would rather have a coy
place less public In this way not only
space will be saved. but the usual club
like entrance avoided.
Provision will also be made for 100
sleeping rooms These will be largely
for transients. who come here to see the
National Capital. but with such moderate
means that the usual course open to Wis
itors is precluded. This will open field
nf ,x-hi cI,
incessant demand. Letters constantly
come to the association asking If a party
of, say, ten girls can come here and find
proper lodging facilities and at the same
time be chaperoned. Or sometimes it is
a party of teachers who must needs keep
within certain specified sum of money.
There are now no accommodation for
such as these.
There is yet one other feature which
this new building is to contain, and one
which perhaps rightly deserves final men,
ton. This is plan to have a series Of
coy. attractive little parlors at the dis
posal of the girls. Here. with both pri-
vacy and yet the proper guardianship.
they can entertain their man friends. OF
all the many phases in the life of the
working girl, the girl living alone or the
girl who comes here for a short time
with which the Y. w. c. A. has dealt,
this is among the most important.
AS the actual planning of the building
draws nearer several other distinctive
features will probably be added. which
will tend toward making the association
headquarters the mecca of girls but now,
however. the one big thing which the
association is interested in is the raising
Of that 100000.
1t was seven years ago in February
that the local branch of the Young Wom-
ems Christian Association
Present was organized by the ma
tional committee of that
VAACeAS' body. 1t was not, however,
until the following December that the as
ISOLATION opened its headquarters. At
that time Miss Anna Cassler was the gen.
eral secretary At the end Of a year Miss
Florence NJ Brown came to Washington
as the general secretary, and since that
time has been one of the prime movers
in the work here. The other local Off
GERS are Mrs. William Hamilton Bayly,
president; Miss Elizabeth F. Pierce, vice
president, Miss Margaret r. Fox. treas
urer: Miss Ludema Sayre, extension sec
rotary, and Miss NJ. 0. Buckingham. as
sistant secretary. Miss Alice NJ. Holmes
is the special director of the religious
work.
All OF the WOIIleU illeTcStcu III the NOik
here in an executive way are peculiarly
fitted for their respective tasks. They all
have the rare gift of understanding girls
and of bringing out their friendship.
But it is not only so far as PERSONAL
ties go that these women are SO suited
for the work. One and all. they have
had wide experience regarding girls in
all their varied phases. Mrs Bayly is a
member of the executive committee of
the Red Cross. president of the Pierce
Guild Of the Foundlings Hospital and in
terested in several other philanthropc
undertakings Then. too. she is the or
eanist at ST. Paufs Lutheran Church.
Miss Pierce is the president of the Dis
trict Foreign Missionary Societies of the
NJ f. Church and chaplain general of
the National Society of the d. a. r. She
is also a member of the chld's labor
committee of the ID. A. r. And i'll
similar manner the others are equally
fitted.
Since it's organization here the Y. w.
C. A. has branched out step by step,
feeling it's way along financially and
gradually working it's way into the
reach and help. One important step
which has been rewarded with great sue
cess is the lunchroOm and the CAFETERIA
Both these places are run with the idea
of bringing what is most nourishlns and
appetizing to the girl of little means.
Both places naturally had to be self
supporting, but beyond this point they
have gone but slightly. 1t Is estimated
that almost five hundred persons are
served daily at both places and that the
amount of profit per person IS thTee-
tenths of cent.
Working among so many girls 1t does
not take long to find out their various