Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-03-22
YOUNG GIRLHOOD
AND THE Y. ". C. A.


The adolescent girl--that women il.
embryo-is coming into her own as q
national asset and a national respon-
sibility Communities are realizing
more and more thar what they are to
day depends largely on what their girls
and boys were Yesterday; that the
girl is mother to the woman quite as
much as ever the boy was father to
the man.
During the war the younger girl was
more than a unit in her house or
school. She became a national entity
alongside her older sister in the second
and third lines of defense.
Out of this mobilization for service
sprang girl consciousness, which did
not end with the war The Y w. c. \.
early sensed the demand, both from the
girls themselves and from their com
munities. that wartime organizations
should be conserved for peace-tine
progress.
The girl--outreaehings Of 4 decade
or more intensified by the war, have
illuminated in the Girl Reserves, a cen.
tralized. countrywide organization,
which epitomizes the girl movement TO-
day.
The Girl Reserves as such came into
existence in the fall of 1918. Since
that time the organization has quad
rupIed it's membership, until it now
numbers eighty thousand girls between
the ages of twelve and eighteen-the
teen age girl in the grade school and
high school. and the Young employed
girl.
The object OF the Girl Reserves
movement is to give girls, through nor
NAL, natural activities. the habits, in
sights and ideals which will make
them responsible women, capable and
ready 10 make America more true to
its best hopes and traditions. Though
working for honor points. for health,
the Girl Reserve becomes physically fit,
through reading the right kind of
books through storytelling, informal
discussions, classwork and hand work
she learns: through parties, rallies, ex-
hibits, games, music and dramatics;
she has good times through develop
ment of character standards, personal
service. community service. community
betterment, cooperation in her home,
in the church. in the community, she
strives toward an ideal and serves.
The unit of organization is the corps
made up Of ten TO twenty girls under
the direction of a competent leader
called an advisr. Two or more corps
make up a company. All the com
panies andfcorps in community make
a division.
In Annapolis at present. there are
eight corps, counting the West Anna
polls and Passport groups These, to-
gether with the girls in the county,
make the enrolment 1872 girls.
In interpreting the Girl Reserve slo-
gan, purpose and code special stress is
laid upon the fact that ito face life
suuarely' and TO find and give the
best" to be earnest in purpose, "gra-
cious in manner sincere at all times,
all involve willingness to make the
most of ones self This means work
ing at all things long enough to really
finish them and staying by thing until
it is really completed. What the world
needs today is girls and women VINO
are not mere drifters and players. but
who can be relied upon TO finish
piece of work and by so doing add SO
much more to their own worth.
The spirit side of the Girl Reserve
movement is a vital part of the entire
work. Too much stress cannot be laid
upon this at this particular time, for
girls are needing and will continue to
need in the difficult years of the re-
construction period all the props" and
helps for right thinking and living
that can be given them.
The crown of one gay little hat is