Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-09-04
y. M. C. A. WAR
WORK IN ITALY
~" Director Home Helping To
Recruit Two Hundred Secre- !
taries For Work
ACTIVITIES IN ITALY

The activities of the National War
Italy are on the eve of a tremendous
development, according TO DR.. George
w. Braden, of Philadelphia, national
director for recreation for the Y. NJ.
c. A. with the Italian army, who has
returned TO this country to aid in re-
cruiting 200 more 'Y'' secretaries for
work in Italy.
THE " work in Italy is the most
solidly established of ALL" said DR..
Braden, because OF the official recog-
milton which ii has received from the
Italian government and the Italian
army. Its growth has been remark
able and it is on the eve of a ire
mendous development Already il is
indicated that sc new casa hut sites
will be located for one army alone and
the huts established in the autumn
The " is being urged to extend its
recreational and athletic work to the
boys of Is now in training and has
already done so at Perreto. Cities
with military hospitals want the "
recreational program, but so far only
nine or ten of these hospital centres
are cared for by the " but they
are covered in an effective way. In
Bologna. where the " first started its
war work in Italy, seven inter-hospital
recreational athletic contests have
been held
I'm the hospitals covered. the recre-
ational athletic work has been system
atized into flour grades. The first
grade consists of games, such as fin
ger puzzles and others which can be
played lying down, for the bed-ridden;
the second, games for men who can
sit at table; the third for men able
to stand, and the fourth for men con-
valescing. For those just able to
stand games similar to indoor quoits
and ring toss are provided. The whole
program of American games, modi-
fed to meet their physical strength, is
given to the Italian soldiers
DR.. Braden was director of instruc-
ton in the Central Y. NJ. c. A. branch
at Philadelphia when the United
States entered the war He at once
got into army work at Fort Niagara
and there developed the file method of
handling large groups of men-even
up to regiments-in athletics, which is
now in general use. He then went to
Camp Meade and was made athletic
officer. of the camp by General Kuhn
There he put into practice the pro-
gram of giving every man forty-five
minutes of recreational athletics every
day. The keynote of his work in
Italy has been, Every man every day
in happy play
"The Y NJ. C. A. work in Italy,
DR.. Braden said, has been expanded
and consolidated under the leadership
of DIR. John s. Nolan, general secre-
tary for the 'Y'' in that country, Wal
ter S. Cramp, Of the Cramp shipyard,
and Mel H. Rideout, IN active CO.
operation with the Marquis di Rosa
les of the Italian committee for the
promotion of recreation houses for
soldiers and the Italian Catholic COM
mittee for the same purpose An
agreement was early reached with
General Diaz, commander-in-chi of
the Italian army, whereby the "Y'' I'M
dertook to aid and supplement, to the
greatest possible degree, the work al
really begun by the Italian commit
tees. 1t soon became necessary for
the "Y" to expand its activities be-
yond Bologna, where the work was
first started in the hospitals and con-
velescent homes, and supplemental
authorization and endorsement were
obtained from Minister of War Zup-
pelli, General Zacoone, Chief or Staff,
and General della Valley, director
general of sanitation work in Italy.