New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-02
Y.W.C. A. to Extend
Its Activities to
Assist Italians
Hostess House To Be Opened
in Rome for American
Girls Doing War Work:
Plan Broad Programme
By Grace Goulder
with the american Y. W. c. A.
n, Frdnce)


with the american Y. W. C. A.
II, Frdnce)
Neto York Tribune
Special Cable Service
PARIS, Feb. Italy is now included
in the war work of the American Y.
w. c. A.
Miss Mabel Warner, of Salina, Kan,
and Chicago, left Paris 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
tuberculosis commission. Miss War
ner has been director Of the Y. W. c.
A. hostess house at Brest.
She will open a tea room and n club
room, where the American women can
gather for social times. Rome is har-
boring refuge population of ABOUT
10000 and accommodations are diff
cult to find.
Want to Help Students
The work in Rome was started as a
direct result Of the appeal of Miss
Charlotte Nlven, one of the National
Y. W. c. A. secretaries in Italy, who
rs spending a few months in France as
adviser in the French work Miss
Niven's dreams Of Y. W. c. A work in
Italy include the maintenance of a
residence for non-Italan women who,
she feels, will come to Italy in great
numbers after the war t, study music
and art
Il believe such a project is particu-
larly important, because women from
other countries should be encouraged
to come to Italy to replace the great
numbers of German women who flood
ed Italy in the past, many of them paid
agents of their government" Miss
Niven said in discussing her plans.
Miss Niven has asked the American
Y. w. c. A. to aid the Italian assvcla-
ton in establishing a centre, 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
it, her plan would include a hostess
house for girls passing through the
city or employed there. Such a centre
would become eventually the centre
for all Y. w. c. A. work in Italy, both
Italian and foreign.
Trained Leaders Lacking
In her formal appeal for help for the
Unione Cristiana Dello Giovanni (the
Italian name for the Young Women's
Christian Association), Miss Niven has
emphasized two facts-the poverty Of
the Italian association on the one
hand. and the need and opportunity
on the other for an American pro-
gramme in Italy at the present time
an our work in the Unionc we have
lacked trained leadership as well AS
the material resources to give such
training. We have had no means to
buy modern equipment. Consequently,
we have not the visible results Of
American and British work.
Feeble as our work may be, it is
not useless. Many girls in all parts or
Italy have told US how much rns
Unione meant in their lives. Italian
girls are touchingly grateful for the
smallest efforts. They respond eagerly
to friendliness. There is no other
agency doing in Italy what the asso-
citation is trying to do"
Miss Niven has spent the last seven
years in work with the Italian women,
starting as director of a hotel or
boarding home for Italian women stu
dents at Florence. She is an American.
from New York, whore she was one
time head of the Christadora Settle
ment House.