Evening star., 1938-02-27

y
ton, having been founded in 19l
cational Alliance. the Washington
branch is less than a year old. This is
the first survey the branch has under
taken. It will begin with inquiries at
local employment agencies as to the
deficiencies and advantages of the
country boys and girls, when it comes
to the all-important matter Of getting
work in the city. What this prelim-
mary study discloses will point the
way to future Investigations. Even
, tually it is hoped that information
can be disseminated which will help
the young people not only to improve
rural living conditions but also to
make the most of themselves whether
they stay in the country or go to the
cities.
The alliance is interested in rural
youth, both en- masse and as individ-
uals," Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle,
president of the Washington branch,
explained Their problem is both
urban and rural and is being CO..
sidered from both angles. There are
100000 more young people on farms
than are needed for agricultural pur-
suits. Three -fourths of them must
learn other vocations than farming.
Many are now drifting, partially or
wholly dependent on families unable
to support them. The larger part OF
them lack training as well as jobs.
Not all of them want to come to the
l.,,t ar%o {,,l1, al of co ~
stay in the country. It Is too much to
expect them to cope with the situa-
ton alone. They must have outside
help"
Atlantic City Meeting.
While there are number of organ
izations interested in rural youth, the
alliance is the only one devoted solely
to their guidance. During the last
week the American Council of Guild
ance and Personnel Associations has
been meeting in Atlantic City. This
council includes the National Voca-
tional Guidance Association, the Ma
tional Association of Deans of Women,
the American College Personnel Asso-
citation and several affiliated socie-
ties. The alliance co-operates with
these societies and makes use of their
findings. The program OF the alli-
ance was presented at meeting held
Thursday and will also be discussed
on the program today. when Mrs
Doyle, as representative of the Wash
ington branch. will speak.
Two of the deficiencies of the rural
youth tho ol1iopco finds oro in train.
ing and education. In a recent report
the organization called attention to
the inadequacies of the rural high
schools and pointed out that simple
shop work and basic agricultural in
struction are still denied many young
high school boys. Girls, it is said,
need more instruction in home eco
nomics and the work should be started
earlier in school life than is the
present practice. Both boys and girls
need further enrichment" of their
early school instruction. Hundreds of
boys and girls have left school before
the high school years and have been
denied any vocational instruction at
ALL That arrangements for training
for this group should be made through
rural leaders and itinerant instructors,
and through the All clubs. is the
opinion expressed by the leaders of
the alliance Establishment of junior
employment agencies in county seats
Is also recommended.
Kentucky Demonstration.
A demonstration of what can be
done along the lines suggested by the
alliance has been made in Breathitt
County, KY. Mrs. Marie r. Turner,
county superintendent, asked for CO.
operation some three years ago. In
response, the alliance called a con-
ference in Washington of Govern
ment specialists and others willing
to help. 1t was decided that Breathitt
County was typical of hundreds of
other counties, and suited to become
demonstration county. The Car
negie Corp. gave small grant and
the University Of Kentucky and the
National Occupational Conference CO.
operated, and the project got under
way.
An experimental curriculum has
been adopted for a five-year period
for the county high schools. For the
first time radio and motion pictures,
newspapers and magazines are being
brought to the pupils. They are study
ing music and art along with aca-
demic subjects and county welfare,
health conditions and juvenile delin-
quency are being approached CO.
operatively. Even the parents have
become interested and are building
paths and bridges so that the chill
dren will not have to miss school,
and are even bringing their own
problems to the rural leaders.
The demonstration is being watched
with keen interest. Mrs. Franklin
D. Roosevelt and Mrs. Henry Morgen-
thau, jr., visited the county recently
and many others who are interested
are studying its progress.
This is one of the ways in which
the alliance is working for the rural
youth in the country. The Washing
ton branch is approaching the city
side of the same problem.
The alliance has branches in Wash
ington, Chicago, New York and Rich
mond, Va. The headquarters are in
Richmond. The national president is
DR.. o. Latham Hatcher. The local
officers are: Mrs. Doyle, president;
Mrs. Hugo L. Black, first vice presi-
dent: Mrs. Cary T. Grayson, second
vice president: j. A. Lang, recording
secretary; Mrs. Cyril Smith, cor
responding secretary, and Mrs. Julian
Friant, treasurer.
X
The fifth annual poetry contest OF
the District of Columbia Federation
Of Woman's Clubs Is open to poets
in the District of Columbia and in
nearby Maryland and Virginia. A prize
Of SIS dollars will be given for the best
sonnet or sonnet sequence submitted;
$40 for the best poem of II lines or
less and IS for the best quatrain. Con-
testants are limited to 100 lines, though