New Britain herald., 1917-04-19


 courses in domestic science and do- of our city, the committee did not try tc build up classes in those arts at our Y. w. c. Az. but advised ours girls to take advantage of the night school courses so there would, be no of work. The class work for the past winter consisted ing courses in basketry taught by Mrs. c. F. Hale, and in first aid to the injured taught by Dr. F. J., Mann. Miss Ruth Loomis has been the in-@ structor in English to the foreign women. This class for the foreign women includes several nationalitiesA Persian Assyrian, Armenian, German. Swedish and Austrian. They have made unusual progress and the cons fusing words sweater" and sweet heart" was seized upon as a huge joke. on the confused member of the class.
 A circulating library of $50 good books for girls of all ages and the best magazines on the reading table, add their share to the educational aa well as to the recreational advant- ages of our endeavors. 1.200 books were taken out last year.
 Clubs in Charge of Work.
 Education through Recreation and Recreation through tEducation,- ia the motto for our girls work. Our girls work is for school girls and industrial girls from twelve to eighteen. years of age,-and is conducted in groups or clubs,-each club in charge Of club leader,-and following a program of work best adapted to the girls of that group. There are five groups of Camp Fire Girls, three pa- trols of Girl Scouts and three General clubs. These three kinds of clubs have on their programs of work courses in, cooking, sewing, beadweaving, basket- ry, stenciling, first aid. home nursing, astronomy. dramatics, dancing, swim- ming. Bible study. and talks on health and nature. Not least among club ac- tivities is the love for hiking of. which a great deal is done at all sea- sons of the year. One need only at-, tend club meeting or join on a "club hike" to realize what this work Is doing for the growing girls of our city. And the best thing about these 130 club girls is that their work il self-supporting.
 To the untiring efforts and patiences of our club leaders we owe the suc- cess of our work among adoiescent girls. A club girl .wl1o left town some time agO,-wrote where I live now Is all right, only. there is no Y. w. C.. A. and no Camp Fire Girls.-and am lonely without them" Most Of sourA club girls would feel the same way without our Y. w. c. A..
 Sixty of our club girls and assbcia- tion members spent their vacations ak Y. w. c. A. camps or camped in groups at various places under Y. w. c. A. leadership.s The Isfkoodah club camped at Lake Congamond,. the Ramona club at East Hampton, the Northfield club at East Northfield. Mass, the Aokiya and Chahpahwee clubs at Brookside Lodge, Chester. Mass.-and three delegates represent ed the association at the Easter City Conference at Silver Bay, Lake George, New York ~Et8 fEa The spiritual needs of the girls ares met not only through Bible claesesS and Vesper services.-but through alls our departments do we keep in minds the soulsa as we'll as the mind and body. -and yet we are sure that on thej camping trips and at conferences,- the living together with '.The God or the Open Air" does much. in bringinaS the girls In contact with the highest and best in life. The spirit of th@ campers indicates that this is so.
 Outgrowing Buildings.
 We are rapidly outgrowiig cufs buildings,-in> fact there are evenirgs when we have so completely outgrownf our present headquarters, that wes have to ask some of our groups to- meet at another time because of lack, of room,-To us the dining room for a class room.-and club room for at bedroom on the same night,--are not. unusual occurrences. Fortunately we.+ are eiastic,-and find ourselves meet-e ing untold emergencies.
 During the winter months as many as BIO girls have come to the Y. W. e. A. in one week for classes and cluhe only.-making total of about 800 individuals and often more, going in and out of our building. The steady and healthy growth of our members4 ship speaks for itself On Aprf1 < 1916 our membership numbered 7s6.E During the year 152 namex wereS dropped. owing greatly to removals, from town. but at the same time s14ls new members were added. so that ours mbership is now 95s,-and mem-si bership of which 2 very large pers cent. keeps in vital touch with all the affairs of the association. St Travellers Aid.
 As cooperating agency the Y. W, C. A. is often called upon to give Travellers Aid assistance by meeting foreign women at the station and con- ducting them to their destinations,---s, the destinations always proving to be 2 more or less of huge puAxle before; they are reached, and excitement and darcrers accompanying these for. eign gins without friends arA likefM@