Smyrna times., 1919-03-19
wv, C, A. OPENS
WORK IN ITALY
-.o and Club Rooms Opened for
American Women.
charlotte Niven, Director Of ltal,
=, Work. Prepares for Influx of
American Woman Students.

,..,r is now included in the war
!, Of the American Y. w. G. A.
Miss Mabel Warner Of Salina, Kan,
= chicago left Paris a few days ago
~Pome. where she will be in charge
Hostess House for American girls
,,oved there by the American Red
80 the Embassy and the new Tu-
s.,,Iosis Commission. Miss Warner
:, been director of the Y. w. @. A
rr..tass House at Brest, France.
Miss Warner will open a tea room
,,d club rooms where the American
amen can gather for social times.
pome is harbOring a refuge population
~ about 10000 and accommodations
sre difficult to find.
the work in Rome was started as a
xreet result Of the appeal of Miss
C5srIotte Niven, one of the National
VWC.A. secretaries in Italy, who is
.nandng a few months in France as
advisor in the French work.
Miss Niven's dreams of Y. w. G. A.
vork in Italy include the maintenance
ofa residence for non-Italian women,
rho. she feels, will come to Italy in
oraat numbers after the war to study
music and art.
Il believe at this time such a project
L;,,,lo,.I,, i,,,DOI,tont haoauSa XvO-
men from other countries should be
encouraged to come to Italy to replace
4be great numbers of German women
Who flooded Italy in the past, many of
them paid agents of their govern
me0t." Miss Niven said in discussing
der plans.
Miss Niven has asked the American
Wv. C. A. TO aid the Italian AssOcia-
ton in establishing a center, perhaps
at Genoa, with two American secre-
taries, with physical and recreational
training, to act as a training school for
Italian women. In connection with 1t
herplan would include Hostess House
for girls passing through the city OF
employed there Such a center would
become eventually the center for all
wv A. work in Italy, both Italian
and foreign. ~
In her formal appeal for help for the
JniOne Christiana Dele Giovanni (tht
Italian name for Young WOmen's
I Christian Association Miss Niven ha,
emphasized two facts, the poverty O.
the Italian Association on the one hanC
and the need and opportunity on th'
other for an American program IL
Italy at the present time.
Miss Niven's favOrite way Of Illus
tratlng the friendliness Of the Italial
woman to America is by telling tn
story of the Italian mother who sal
she had taken down the picture Of tn
Madonna which had hung for man
years over her bed and was putting 1
It's place one Of President Wilson.
an our work in the Unione we hav
lacked trained leadership as well a
the material resources to give sue
training. We have had no means
buy modern equipment. Consequent
We have not the visible results
American and British work.
"Feeble as our work may be, 1t
not useless. Many girls in all parts
Italy have told us how much tn
UniOne meant in their lives. Italia
girls are tOuchingly grateful for tn
smallest efforts. They respond cage
y to friendliness.
There is no other agency doing
Italy what the Association is trying
do"
Miss Niven he's spent the past sevt
years in work with the italian W
men, starting as director Of hostel,
boarding home, for Italian women st
dents at Florence. She is an Anne
can from New York, where she w
one time head of the Christadora 81
dernent House.