Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-01-29
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Of Y. v. c. A. COUNCIL
Workers from All Parts of State
Meet to Learn What Has Been
Done, Plan for Further Eff
forts and Get Inspiration from
Speakers

basis but run as inexpensively to the
girls as possible, and to be located at
Camp Idylease, Grand Isle, were dis
cussed at the second annual conference
of the Vermont Y. w. C. A. council,
held in the roof garden of the Hotel
Vermont Tuesday and characterized by
Mrs. NJ. -. Chttenden, the presiding
officer. as the birthday party of the coun-
Gil. The conference was most success
full, women being present from "a cities
and towns of the State ana all enthus-
iastically interested in the work the
| council is doing.
Mrs. NJ. II. Buckham led the devotions
at the morning session, which opened at
II O'Clock, and Mrs. Chittenden told of
the purpose of the conference. Just a
year ago." she said. I'VE began our
council with just So present and now il
all are present who accepted our invita-
, ton to this meeting there are at least
" here. Our achievements during the
last year have been due mostly to the
work done by Miss Gary, to her vision
of opportunities, her grasp of details and
her A-hour day devotion to the cause
of our organization.
There are four purposes for which
we have come together: one Is that
everyone may become conversant with
what has been done; the second Is to put
before the women of Vermont a project
which will need the cooperation of every
one of you; the third is to hear Of the
work of organizations which are cooper
ating with us, and the fourth is to get
inspiration from those who have come
from away at a great sacrifice, one of
whom came at the very last moment"
LEADERSHIP IN RECREATION
Mrs. Chttenden then introduced Charles
f. Ernst, who spoke briefly on Leader
| ship in Recreation" leadership" said
Mr.. Ernst, "presupposes knowledge,
knowledge of purpose. goal. technique,
relations to other subjects, and other
purposes.
Leadership requires enthusiasm. it
requires faith, and leadership in it's
enthusiasm must be consecrated We
| often find tramps in all organizations and
we find they fail because they have not
got that conservation. leader must
have optimism and he must have vision.
| This usually comes from development,
though ii is born with some people.
| Vision means having positive ideas in
| our leadership. Leadership is patience.
Elbow to obtain and train leaders with
these qualifications is the question that
often comes up. All we need is the
| opportunity to bring those things out
| in us. The business of an organization
! like the Y. W. c. A. is to provide oppor-
tunities to bring out these latent talents
We are hampered by spirit of profess
sionalism. Amateurs are afraid to try
because they think the work should be
| done by professionals.
Training is essential to all. Charac-
| # of
in the play time. There are two classes
of people always fighting against each
| other; one wants to put all young people
| into glass case and the other wants to
let them go out and fight and thus build
up their characters
Some people say Anyone can run a
dance This is true if you don't care for
| anything but the commercial side, but
| the opportunity for character building in
| playtime requires that everything be
planned out and carried through very
carefully. ! am hoping that the Univer-
sity of Vermont will put in a course in
! training leaders
| Recreation is not a pastime. recrea-
| ton is the act of our own recreation
which is intended to express ourselves
One of the jobs of the Y w. C. A. is
| to know the girls who are tied down to
| IL
expression. Our job is to help them to
| the right kind of recreation and give
| them a chance to be happy.
! There are two thoughts ! want Ia
leave with you. Leadership must have
knowledge. enthusiasm, vision and
optimism, and recreation is not pas
time
PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING
THE only trouble with this kind OF
life" said Miss Elizabeth Van Patten.
nursing in Vermont, in discussing the OPP
Red Cross supervisor of public health
portunity of public health nurse" is that
we always seem to he very serious. There
are ten organizations in the country
based on the question of health now
| that they are all cooperating every
phase tending to the upbuiding Of our
country will be pretty well covered. This
work has gone hand in hand with very
helpful legislation.
| Last year there were soon public
nurses and the assistant surgeon gener.
al says that there arc now needed 50 Coz
| to meet the requirements Of existing
federal legislation and that Is only the
mechanical side
| "Of the opportunities of public health
nurse ] feel little need be said. but if
only bring them back to health, but you
provide for a better future health. In the
small towns the public nurse is also a
leader in social service. A trained leader
can either spoil her community or bring
1T along with her until II knows nearly
as much on the subject as she does. That
is what the Red Cross is doing. If you
get people behind you it will mean bet
ter community development than to try
to play the game alone.
Opportunity for public nurse is only
measured by her ability. Her opportuni-
ty to develop the future citizenship Is
unlimited. The nurse Is the natural lead
err in the health crusades In the schools
The teachers may be carrying on the
| campaigns well, but the children lister
a little more alertly TO Il nurse.
| AS to her personal opportunities. per
sonal contact and association with lead
ers of all public work is wonderfully
stimulating
"Training. for the public health nurs,
is a great asset There are now courses
In many of the colleges whereby cir
may enter college and take two years o.
college work with some work in a train
ing school and then two full years in the
latter and at the end of four years com,
out with her A. b. and her II. N. afte
passing the State examinations. But /
Is better to add to this course in public
health. A course Is being offered TO an!
girl who has had two years of higl
school or who has graduated from a higl
school or, better still "A CIR
who has graduated from colleg
and. who has had this pre-
liminary training. which enables her t.