YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN AS SOCIATIONS, societies devoted to the spiritual, mental, social, and physical development of young women. The first Young Women's Association was formed in London, England, in 1855. In the United States these associations grew out of the Ladies' Christian Union of New York, established in 1858, the first Young Women's Christian Association in this country being formed in Boston, Mass., in 1866. In 1871 there were three Young Women's Christian Associ ations and 27 other women's associa tions. The associations since 1871 have held biennial conferences. There is a distinct organization of young women's Christian associations in the colleges, all smung from the first association in the State Normal University, Normal. Ill., in November, 1872. The work in Young Women's Christian Associations was at first modeled on that of the Young Men's Christian Associations, but it was found that women's needs required that it should be different. An important feature is the maintenance of boarding homes for young women. The associa tions in large cities have gymnasiums, educational classes, entertainments, lec tures, employment bureaus, etc.
The work of the associations among women is fourfold: Physical—system atic training in the gymnasium, health talks, holiday excursions, and outing clubs; social—receptions and socials in home-like rooms, boarding clubs, employ ment bureaus; intellectual—libraries and reading rooms, educational classes, lec ture courses, concerts, library, musical and art clubs; spiritual—Bible training classes, evangelistic meetings. personal work, Gospel meetings.
The association did valuable war work, especially among the women. cur ing the World War, and followLig its conclusion there was planned a world through which emergency work maintained during the war should be made permanent, and new work under taken in other fields. The War Work Council carried km its work entirely in the interests of women and girls. The organization carried on efficient service in France, Czecho-Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Belgium, Rumania, Palestine, Constan tinople, and in Russia, while it was possible to continue there. The amount expended for overseas work in 1919 was $3,000,000.