The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-02
RED CROSS CONFERENCE

] RED CROSS CONFERENCE
 A Community Study institute is be- ing held now in Washington by the civilian relief department of the Ameri- can National Red Cross for the pur- pose of instructing field representa-
 tives from all the divisions as to how
 to conduct a we'll planned study of the
 social aspects of any community, so
 that needs of the community may be
 best determined
 Miss Margaret F. Byington, director
 of field service of the national depart
 ment of civilian relief, is director of
 the institute which is the first of it's
 kind to be held by the Red Cross and
 which is attracting attention among
 social workers everywhere. Miss By
 ington is a social worker of note, and
 was one of the committee who con ducted the famous Pittsburg survey several years ago. She is the author
 of several books and pamphlets on sociological subjects, chief among which is, What Every Social Worker Should Know" used as a textbook in many colleges.
 Many well known economists and sociologists are assisting Miss Ewing
 ton in lecturing to the students at the institute chief among them being Prof c. J. Galpin of the department of agri- CultQi anu IOl. O. lJ hOi dl Ol lllt Red Cross, both great authorities on rural sociology Miss Springer of the children's bureau and Miss Ellis of the national child labor committee, who did field work in Alabama two years ago, and pr. Branson of the University of North Carolina, MT. Shelby Harrison of the Russel Sage Foundation, pr. Neill--of-the bureau of education, F. c. Croxton of the Ohio Institute of Public Efficiency, Dr. J. G. Townsend of the United States public health service have all addressed the institute.
 The students are drawn from all sec tions of the United States Every di- vision of the Red Cross, except two, are represented From the gulf di- vision come four field workers Miss Mary Mcleod of Mississippi, Miss Susan Chilean of New Orleans. Miss Hortense Bissell and Miss Amelia Worthington of Birmingham
 As part of the course the week of December 1 to s will be spent in field studies, conducted by the students themselves Three types of community have been chosen, seach of which had applied to the Red Cross for a. survey in order to determine the best peace time activity for the local Red Cross | chapter. Perth Amboy, N. J has been | selected as an industrial type; Frede- | rick county Virginia, of which Win | chester is the county sea, will serve l as sample of an entirely agricultural l community; while Danville Va, in | Pittssylvania county, will be a mixture l of the other two. The students have 1 been divided int othree groups. pr. | Steiner will direct the Perth Amboy | group. on which the gulf division i; :! represented by Miss Susan Chilean Professor Morgan will have charge | of the survey at Winchester, where Miss Mary Mcleod will represent the | gulf. Miss Bissell and Miss Worth ington will go under Miss Byingtons direction to Danville.
 Many interesting social deveolpment- ments are looked for as the outcome 1 of this month of study and field work , The plans have been carefully pre- pared, and it is hoped that as a result | of this experiment a definite outline for community study for Red Cross | chapters will be evolved MT. Burr | Blackburn, formerly of Birmingham, is 1 handling the publicity for the depart ment of civilian relief at national head 1 quarters .s,.r