Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-04
BUREAU OF VACATIONS
AIDS SOUTHERN WOMEN
Object OF Organization Is to Espc-
ciaily Help Those OF
Virginia.
WIDE FIELD is COVERED
Also Designed to Assist Girls Who
Wish Satisfaction OF Being Able
to DO Some One Thing Well and
Increase Interest OF Own Lives.
ny DIR. o. l.. HATCHER.

!
began TO bring the Bureau of voca-
! tons into real publicity. the Question.
What Is the Bureau Of Vacations for
| Women has REQUIRED with increasing
frequency. and even some Of those who
could answer 1t in general way have
whispered TO us confidentiaIly that they
needed better understanding of what
we were about. This is natural enough
I with anything as new as our work
i still is.
| In the largest sense, We are an organ
! ization created 10 give Southern women
! especially those in Virginia. as good a
chance as women in other sections Of
/ the country are having at occupations
/ which are interesting and otherwise
! desirable. We are here TO counteract
the tradition that any educated woman
who must earn her own living must
choose between teaching and stenog-
/ raphy. and TO show her tina, there ARC
really hundreds of other possibilities
! from which to choose according 10 her
individual tastes and her time and
money for preparation. We arc equally
available for assisting girls or women
of means who do not have u earn
their living. but who want the salts.
| faction OF learning TO do some one thing
we'll both to increase the interest Of
their own lives and TO make some def
mite contribution TO the community to
which they belong. 1t Is our business
| 10 keep as fully informed as possible
OF the vocations now being followed by
women In different parts of the coun-
| try-a task necessarily unending. of
course--to study ;hos. vocations best
adapted 10 Southern women and south
! ern conditions. and IN the light Of
this study. 10 advise women who con-
( suit us.
/ STUDY voc ATION~
FROM ALL ANGLES
I We find OUT where training FOR Diff
.erent kinds IF professional and other
work may he had. the time il requires.
It's cost. the financial prospects for
those who are expert in II. the hest
places for pursuing il, etc. etc. We
study the financial advantages of one
occupation ia contrast with another.
the opportunity for initiative. the
i nea!thfulncss, etc. and we try to pro-
I mote those which admit OF much
7 personality and as much fresh air as
possible For this reason We are espe-
cialiy interested in developing exccu-
artistic. dramatic. athletic or other
rccrea,ional interests. In guiding many
TO outdoor occupations, and, in con-
neciion with this. To the scientific
study of the growing o: flowers, fruits.
vegetables. TO specialized farming OF
other sorts. 10 landscape gardening.
etc.
one OF our - tasks IS 10 explore
nj Ia ip INT,
cational training OF the higher sort
such as the public schools cannot un-
lertake to offer We have found. as
was 10 be expected, n very limited num-
Der There are many business col
! leGes and other organizations training
! for sccretarial work of the stenographic
! sort. but all need TO stiffen their re-
Gu!remonts in knowledge of English as
prerequisite for their work, and none
which train for specialized secretarial
work. such as is given at Simmons's
College. Boston. or Drexell Institute,
Philadelphia. have been discovered. Ii
ought 10 be possible for the Bureau of
Vacations to assist in bringing about
changes In both these directions here
in Virginia. Similarly no resources
have been discoverGble for training
women to be expert In the scientific
growing of outdoor things. such as is
available at the remarkable school of
horticulture at Amber, Pa. The short
winter course recently established at
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute for
farmers and their wives suggests the
beginning of such expert training, as
does that in school gardening at some
OF the normal schools, but woull need
to be much more specialized and to he
carried further.
MORE WILL COME WHEN
FUNDS ARE PROVIDED
beginning has been made in train
| ing for certain forms Of ommercialized
ART. bat much more is needed and will
come when money Is provided for IT,
Training I'm modern methods of social
work. in medicine. law, architecture
and landscape gardening. and in scores
OF other vocations open to women else
where is entirely lacking I'm Virginia
| In some of these fields the necessary
expensiveness of providing tho train
ing makes 1t undesirable to attempt Il
AT many points in the country: others
OF the vocations may not be best for
our women to follow; in others it is
highly desirable that as soon as pos
sible Virginia women should be sa.ed
| the expense of going elsewhere for the
training.
Our work is noncommercial, not being
designed to yield profits to any one. or
TO become. even ultimately, entirely
self-supporting. 1T carries. along with
its resea rch and advisory departments.
one for binding work for those well
equipped to do 1t. and charges in this
both a minimum fee for registration
and small percentage for the posi-
tion secured. 4 large proportion of the
time spent in consultations and an
equally large amount spent In CORE
spondence goes to those with whom
there is no question of registration. and
we are seriously considering the advisa-
bility Of aboltshlng the registration fee
entirely, siuce 1t bears no appreciable
relation to the expenditures involved
for the bureau. and at times prevents
the understanding Of the aims OF our
work.
The bureau aims to keep In touch
with the senior classes and alumnae
associations OF the women's colleges
and to develop helpful influence in