The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-10-09
SAYS AMERICANS
SHOULD BECOME
AMERICANIZED
Continued from page y
and should measure up to that res
possibility.
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AFTERNOON SESSION
Singing under the direction of
Charles F. Ernst, representative of
Community Service Inc, was a fea-
ture of the program and will be con-
| tinued at future sessions of the con-
ference.
The 9Th Annual Conference of
Social Work in Vermont opened
Wednesday afternoon at 200 o'clock
with an attendance of 1876. A fine
program was carried out and it is
to be regretted that more were not
present.
President K. r. B. Flint of Nor
witch University, presided.
Miss Marion Gray of Rutland,
Field Secretary, Vermont Y. w. C. A.
was the first speaker and gave splen-
did resume of Social Work for Girls
in Vermont during the past year.
This is the first year that work of
this kind has been taken up with
Vermont girls and the results have
been most gratifying. Miss Gary
stated thot it was easy to visualize
the unsocial nature of the background
for social work for girls in Vermont.
1t is as Joseph Lee says, Country
people live so far apart that they can
not meet and city people live so near
together they cannot breathe" In
Vermont's distribution of population
less than dozen centers have a
population over 5000, 20 towns,
population of from 1000 to 5000; 81
total town populotion of 1000 to
1000; 140 have a population of less
than 1000 and SO have less than 500.
A trip thru the northern part of the
state showed or one highway in
State showed on one highway in a
distance of Ia miles, between two
towns there were IA houses, of
which were vacant. In several in
stances the average was only one
house per mile and the life in the
homes as barren as the farming OPP
portunities were difficult. Certain
sterling qualities if they still be in
herent, are called out by such en-
vironment and make the challenge all
the bigger that the young life shall
have opportunity to overcome its
limitations. On the other hand two
roads leading thru fertile river val
legs showed from three to six houses
to mile. These figures will give
some idea of Vermont's distribution
of populotion. If geography has left
US scattered and kept US in an area
remote from seething numbers and
acute conditions, if it has made us
one of the strategic quiet places of
our land today, it has also bred in
our youth certain qualities of grit and
initiative that should be more largely
turned back on our own conditions.
The quality of material is suffi-
cient determinant for social work
among our Vermont girls. Obviously
this work cannot be done with the
stress on local organization, it must
be done with cooperation and service,
with the girls themselves rather than
with any organization that shall be
created.
The first effort to bring Vermont
girls together was made last May
when 356 girls from Sc towns in Yer
mont were brot together and met
other girls and strong leaders and the
three-day meet did world of good
and the influence of that conference
will not spend itself for many day.
In similar way the camp opportun-
ity, as far as it concerns Vermont
girls is an insistent one for any
movement concerned with girls. The
girls which these camps seek to
touch are not able however to bear
the expense and this type of camp
must be underwritten. There is an
insistent demand, on the part of par
ents as well as on the part of girls
for well-organized camp and those
interested in girls are challenged to
meet it constructively.
A special leader was furnished this
summer for general recreation and
20 communities had her services The
uCltldiIu anu lCopOiIoC elSSOIuSN Ci'Ao
special leader indicates that perma-
nent place should be accorded this
plan.
There is every reason to believe
that whatever conference, camp and
recreation plans have been inaugural
ed for Vermont girls are capable of
development and that the continued
cooperation of all interested agencies
is assured. Certain other plans are
taking form, which have an immed-
late relation to the point of discus
sion.
Since one must look at the question
of social work for girls somewhat
from the viewpoint of the agency
avowedly specializing on it today, a
brief outline of the purpose of the
Y. w. G. A. in Vermont is given:
about Vermont girlsx
First, to strengthen the influences
about Vermont girls which may make
for Christian citizenship. Second, to
count as only one of the several units
with closely related purposes, with
them to develop social consciousness