The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1919-11-28
Y. ". C. 4. OPENS
WORK IN ITALY
Tea and Club Rooms Opened for
American Women.
AoIee Charlotte Nivsn, Director Of ltal-
Ian Work, Prsparss for tnhux q
American Woman Students.

italy IL now included In the wal
work Of the American Y. w. G. A.
Miss Mabel Warner Of Salina, Kan,
and Chicago left Paris a few days ago
for Rome, where she will be In charge
OF Hostess House for American girls
employed there by the American Red
Cross, the Embassy and the new Tu-
berculosis Commission. Miss Warner
has been director Of the Y. w. G. A.
Hostess House at Brest. France.
Miss Warner will open a tea room
and club rooms where the American
women can gather for social times.
Rome Is harboring a refuge population
Of about 10000 and accommodations
are difncult to find.
The work In Rome was started rs q
direct result OF the appeal Of Miss
Charlotte Niven, one Of the National
Y. W. @. A. secretaries Of Italy, who Is
spending q few months in France as
advisor in the French work.
Miss Niven's dreams of 7. W. G. A.
work in Italy include the maintenance
Of a residence for non-Italian women,
who, she feels, will come to Italy In
great numbers after the war to study
music and art
II believe at this time such project
is particularly important because wo-
men from other countries should be
encouraged to come to Italy to replace
the great numbers of German women
who flooded Italy in the past. many of
them paid agents Of their govern
ment," Miss Niven said In discussing
her plans.
Miss Niven has asked the American
T. w. c. A. to aid the Italian Associa-
tion in establishing a center, perhaps
mt Genoa, with two American secreta-
ries, with physical and recreational |
to act as training school for |
Italian women. In connection with 1t |
her plan would include Hostess House
for girls passing through the city or
employed there. Such center would |
become eventually the center for all
7. w. c. A. work in Italy, both italian
and foreign.
In her formal appeal for help for the
Unione Cristiana Dele Giovanni (the
italian name for Young Women's
Christian Assoclation) Miss Niven has
emphasized two facts, the poverty Of
he Italian Association on the one hand
,ther for an American program In
tally at the present time.
Miss Niven's favorite way of Illus
rating the friendlIness Of the Italian
Woman to America Is by telling the
tory of the italian mother who said
he had taken down the picture of the
MADONNA which had hung for many
ears over her bed nd was putting in 1
ID place one OF President Wilson.
"In our work In the Unione we have
acked trained leadership as we'll as
he material resources to give such {
raining. We have had no means to
NY modern equipment. Consequently
re have not the visible results of =
merican and British work. C
"Feeble as our work may be, 1t Is b
OF useless. Many girls In all parts Of s
ally have told us how much. the n
ni0ne meant in their lives. Italian
rls are touchingly grateful for the
nallest efforts. They respond eagerly =
friendlipess,
eThere Ia no other agency doing in N
ally what the association Is trying to
L."
Miss Niven has spent the past seven
.ars In work with the Itallan women,
arting A. director of a hostel, or
'arding home for Italian women stu
'nts. 1t Florence. She is IN Ameri-
n from New York. where she was .
etime head Of the Christadora Set .
.ment House, .,
- &C