The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-04-19

door for the strange colored woman,
the single girl or woman worker to
whom in some cities a bed is her onYy
home (and sometimes it to be shared
with others).
Most of these plans I have success
fully tried OF before in private ad-
junct in connection with my mission
airy headquarters in other sections of
the country. Rev. and Mrs. F. B.
Woodland of Buxton perhaps know Of
the Young Woman's Christian Indus
trial Mission we conducted in connec-
ton with our work in Lynchburg, Vir-
ginia, in 1910.
In case of this present undertaking,
after laying my plans for private
work, from observation and investiga-
ton | was impressed with the state
wide need in that direction, and :
call to broaden its scope to that larg-
er field of usefulness, thus, set to
work to interest and enlist friends Of
kindred spirit over the state to aid
me in the founding of larger instl-
tuition than / had in mind at first.
Mrs. John d. Rockefeller, Jr., chair
man of the Housing Committee Of the
War Work Council Of the Y. w. C. A..
in her booklet of suggestions being at
this time distributed to 1000 manu-
facturers in this country, states: ''This
is not simply war problem, but has
been one of the most pressing and
acute questions for all working wo-
| mo for.
comfortable and attractive the living
quarters may be, the girls will not be
happy and contented unless there is
adequate provision for social and rec
reational life. For the last fifty years
one of the chief activities of the
Young Women's Christian Associa-
ton has been the providing of proper
living conditions for young women
Commodious building and extensive
system of the Young Women's Chris
tian Association is. not the considera-
ton in the venture we shall make at
our little quarters in Keoluk. Lack
of specific definite training required
for the development Of that work
would make the attempt impractical
at this verge, especially among the
classes Of our people whom desire
most to reach, the unframed. 81
mean to try out q plan more with
9in the grasp Of my peep4e. OF course,
our future vision is in time to nave
the building and the correct organic
alton all right; (surely there should
be at least one concrete Negro insti-
tuition of some kind in the whole state
of Iowa after all Of these years) q
building of brick or stone, donated by
the white people with all of their
centuries of advantage) to the colored
people.
But my conviction from certain
knowledge about the real work Of the
Young Women's Christian Association
is that our people are not prepared
for the organization of that work
among the colored, right away.
An organization in name where the
work is not being thoroughly and
properly carried out, would be I'M
worthy and not credit land to con-
duct well regulated Y. w. C. A., it
requires preparedness on part Of the
prospective membership.
In 1913 was serving as assistant
superintendent of Foreign Missions
in the State of Texas, making head
quarters at Houston, when nearly one
hundred of the most representative
and wealthy Negro women Of the
place formed club and raised few
hundred dollars for the purpose of or
ganizing a Young Wonen's Christian
Association. This done, they sent for
Miss Eva Bowles of New York, who is
the National organizer for the col
ored, to "come right down and organ
ize Y"
What Miss Bowles did was to come
down and give us very instructive
and practical talk, setting forth in full
the detailed work, asking the club to
take up instructions covering about
two or three years time, when they
would be ready for organization. Miss
Continued on Page 2.)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS