YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN AS SOCIATION. The Young Women's Chris tian associations in the cities, the colleges and the rural communities of the United States are organized into a national association called the Young \'omens Christian Association of the United States of America. The National Board is the executive body of this associa tion, chosen to carry out the policies adopted by the voting delegates at the national con sentions, which are the regular business meet ings of the National Association. The 30 National Board members and the 15 auxiliary members are elected by the conventions; the 11 non-resident members are chosen each by her own field committee to represent that par ticular section of the country. The National Board appoints a committee of 40 or more members III each field to have the responsibil ity for organizing and aiding in the develop quarters of these field committees are in Phila delphia, Richmond, Cincinnati, Chicago, Saint Louis Dallas, Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, man Francisco and New York City.
The name Young Women's Christian Asso ciation has been known in the United States since 1866. When the first organization bear ing this tide was formed in Boston, it had the same objective, the same evangelical church membership basis, the same combination of volunteers and employed working forces as obtain to-day. The first student association, Normal University, Illinois, dates from 1873. Without tracing history, in this connection it should be said that each united with other associations subsequently formed. The stu dent and many city associations on the evan gelical basis (according to which only associa tions in which the right to vote was held by members of evangelical churches were received into affiliation), united in electing the •Amer ican Committee with headquarters in Chicago; the Women's and Young Women's Christian Association of many other large cities holding various forms of charter united in the Interna tional Board.
In December 1906, after 18 months of con structive negotiation, the present national movement was formed of all local, city and student associations affiliated with either body which wished to come in on their then exist ing basis, with the understanding that all associations in the future should have the evangelical church basis. Very few failed to
avail themselves of this privilege. One hun dred and thirty-two associations were repre sented by .392 delegates in that first convention, which voted Policies for immediate action and elected the National Board. This board at once elected as president, Miss Grace H. Dodge, who had been chairman of the Joint Commission which had effected the union. Six years later, members of this board and a few other friends gave site and funds for the erec tion of the present headquarters building at I.exington avenue and 52d street, New York City.
The scheme of organization is as follows: The resident members of the National Board are assigned to committee work under eight departments —.field work, department of method, foreign, secretarial, conventions and conferences, publication, finance and (dice. Each department has an envloyed executive and other stall secretaries. The other depart ment applies scientific management to the work of all the other departments. The publication department edits and publishes The Association Monthly, technical leaflets, Bible study texts; handles printing of the other departments; fills orders for books. The finance department makes the budget and secures the money. In 1915 the conference department conducted 15 conferences with delegates, two camp councils for high school girls and six for in dustrial members, attended by 1,358 girls. The secretarial department conducts a graduate training school in New York City; prepar atory training centres in different parts of the country prior to this year's course; and a summer school with graduate courses for phys icel directors, house secretaries and lunch room directors. The number enrolled in the whole training system for 1915-16 was 141. A bureau for placing association secretaries is also part of the work of this department. The foreign department co-operates with the World's Young Women s Christian Associa tion in sending American secretaries, 38 in number, to India, China, Japan, South Amer ica and Turkey. The field work department correlates the work of the 11 field committees before mentioned with the work at headquar ters.