/ a.v> The Administration of the City Association The Administration of the City Association National Board of the Young Women's Christian Associations OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 600 Lexington Avenue New York 1916 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/administrationofOOyoun The Administration of the City Association Objective of the Young Women’s Christian Association In the suggested constitution for Young Women’s Christian Associations in cities, the purpose of the Asso- ciation is summed up as follows: “The immediate purpose of this organization shall be to advance the physical, social, intel- lectual, moral and spiritual interests of young women. The ultimate purpose of all its efforts shall be to seek to bring to young women such knowledge of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord as means for the individual young woman fulness of life and development of character, and shall make the organization as a whole an effective agency in the bringing in of the Kingdom of God among young women.” This, the underlying purpose of the Young Women’s Christian Association, becomes the determining element in problems of its administration. If the far objective of the Association is the develop- ment of Christian character, its administration must be in the hands of women who are willing to relate every part of the work intrusted to them to this great central purpose. And, as a further means of unifying those who seek to work out the purpose of the Association, it seems 3 wise to limit the management of its affairs to members of Protestant, evangelical churches, that is, those churches entitled to representation in the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ. These are days in which we hear the church reaffirm in new terms and with new emphasis the necessity for testing the every-day life of a person or a group of per- sons by the standards of Jesus Christ if the Kingdom of God is to be realized upon earth. The Young Women’s Christian Association, by its spiritual objective, assumes the responsibility for building these ideals of Christian character into the lives of the girls and young women of a community, and of making that community itself a force for righteousness. Therefore, it must enlist as leaders only those who are committed to this far-reaching program. Its Volunteer Workers The Young Women’s Christian Association is a co- operative institution, an associating together of women from many different kinds of environment. Great com- panies of its membership are those who are employed in the world of business and industry, contributing to the Association through committee work their experience of women working together. Others of its members have more leisure, and to them the Young Women’s Christian Asso- ciation presents a variety of tasks calling for many kinds of gifts. The volunteer worker, as she is called, has a contribu- tion to make quite distinct from that of the employed worker. The efficiency of an Association must always 4 depend to a great extent on volunteer rather than on paid service. As a member of the community of which the Association is a part, each volunteer worker will, of course, feel a keen responsibility for making the Associa- tion a power, and to that end, she will direct all her energies when she begins her work in the Association. The volunteer worker gives permanence and stability to the work of the Association, for the employed staff may change its entire personnel many times during the term of one member of the board. As a member of her church and of certain philanthropic and social clubs, she can naturally relate the Association to the interests of the community, for she sees the Association as an integral part of it. She is also able to enlist other workers and secure gifts of time and money. Too much cannot be said of the necessity of continually drawing into the resources of the Association new workers who will add their own ideas as to what the Association might be to the community. This will protect a board from the danger of being too satisfied with the achieve- ments of the past, and insure steady progress toward a work which shall increasingly adapt itself to the growth of the community of which it is a part. The Administrative Force The usual administrative force of an Association con- sists of a board of directors, a board of trustees, standing committees and an employed staff. The board of directors is the executive body of an Association. Responsibility for the election of the board rests with the active member- ship of the Association and should not be looked upon as S a mere formality. The management of the work is en- trusted to them, but it is a stewardship for the whole mem- bership. The responsibility of the board includes not only the supervision of existing work but also its extension throughout the community. This implies the proper hous- ing of all activities and the engaging of qualified trained workers to develop them. It is the responsibility of the board continually to re- late' the work of the Association to the needs of the com- munity. Conditions change and methods which were prac- tical in previous years may have to be entirely discarded. It is only by continual vigilance that it is possible for the Association to keep up with rapidly changing social and industrial conditions which to a great extent should deter- mine the nature and methods of Association work. The ideal Association is not necessarily the Association which has all lines of work symmetrically developed, it is the As- sociation which relates itself to the community in such a way that the girls of the community have the greatest pos- sible chance for the abundant life. The Organization of a Board of Directors The board should be widely representative of the women of the city. Different denominations, different neighbor- hoods, different spheres of life, different ages should be represented. Women from the professional and business world should be chosen as well as women from the home. As the work demands much time, the majority will come from those who have more time at their disposal than women who are employed ; but it is possible to secure the services of certain professional women, doctors or faculty 6 members, who can arrange their work so as to attend board meetings. There might also be women with knowledge of the business world gained either through managing their own business interests or in superior business positions, such as managers of trust funds, women in banks, private secretaries in large corporations and independent owners of business. Their judgment is of great value to those less experienced. It is particularly important to supplement the experi- ence of older women with the enthusiasm and more modern viewpoint of younger women, especially with young college graduates who have been interested in student Association work. The “Alumnae Record,” taken by the National Board in selected colleges, has been the means of furnish- ing many Associations, as well as other organizations, with enthusiastic volunteer workers. Every woman on the board should be chosen for a defin- ite responsibility. It is not a body of women chosen merely to represent churches or certain groups of influential peo- ple. A board of directors is a body of picked leaders who should have definite qualifications for definite lines of ser- vice and who are to be entrusted with large responsibilities. These responsibilities involve not only a thorough knowl- edge of the work of a particular committee, but also a general knowledge of the entire work, past and present, to enable them to vote intelligently on every question which may arise in board meetings and to meet outside inquiries concerning the Association. It is a necessity of intelligent leadership to have a thorough understanding of the eco- nomic and industrial conditions in the community and of 7 the work of all organizations which touch the interests of young women. The best method of organization in use in Associations today is that which divides responsibility, making every board member either an officer of the Association, or chair- man of a committee, or in large Associations where the departmental system prevails, chairman of a department. There might be an exception to the rule such as a woman long active in the Association and no longer able through age or illness to carry responsibility, whose general coun- sel is, however, invaluable. When an office is vacant or the chairmanship of a cer- tain committee is to be filled, an effort should be made to find as the new board member, the woman who is best pre- pared for this particular responsibility. It may be that the woman wanted is doing an important piece of work elsewhere, but if she becomes convinced that the old work will not suffer by being given to another, and that no one else can so well start the new work, she may accept the opportunity. Women are apt to respond to a definite de- mand, when merely asking them to give up a cherished work to accept new responsibilities would be quite hope- less. The greatest mistake of all in securing a board mem- ber is to urge her to become a member of the board with the promise that she will have little or nothing to do. She might reasonably ask, “Why become a member, in that case?” The quality of work done by a board of directors de- pends in the last analysis upon the personal qualifications of the members, aside from the special gifts and training 8 that enable a woman to be an effective chairman of a given committee. It is not enough to say that she must be a Christian woman. There are certain Christian women who are not good board members. She must be able to work well with other women in co-operative effort. Bishop Hen- drix has said, “The measure of self-dedication is our abil- ity to work well with others. ’ ’ This is largely a Christian grace, but it is also a matter of temperament. The indi- vidual type of worker has her place but it is not on a board of directors, for this is team work and each piece of work must be related to the whole. Another essential qualification of a board member is a genuine interest in girls and a capacity to understand them. One is reminded of a woman who said that in her town the employed girls would make no use of an Asso- ciation because in their free evenings they liked best to sit down and read to their grandmothers! The woman who is to direct Association work must also be able to carry responsibility. This implies the ability to think independently of others while learning all that others can teach, discrimination in the selection of workers for particular pieces of work and an ability to inspire fellow-workers, appreciating fully their share in the work. She must be faithful to carry to a successful issue any undertaking, and perhaps not the least of her qualifica- tions must be the courage to rise after defeat and rally her committee to fresh endeavors. Technical questions as to elections, the number on the board, and the duties of officers are determined by the constitution adopted. Usually the board is elected at the 9 annual meeting by the active membership. The names are submitted by a nominating committee or by any group of members wishing to submit independent nominations. The board members are usually elected for a term of three years. It is customary to divide the board into three groups so that the terms of only one-third of the members expire each year. It is wise to limit the number of suc- cessive terms that may be served by any one member. One Association limits the term of office for officers and chair- men of standing committees to seven consecutive years, providing for re-election after two years if it seems desir- able. In the interim between elections vacancies are filled by the board. The number of members varies in different Associations from fifteen to thirty. The officers are usually elected immediately following the annual meeting for a term of one year. A stated number of absences from board meetings without a sufficient excuse is usually con- sidered equivalent to a resignation, and no false feeling of delicacy should prevent the board from considering it as such. Board membership is not an honorary office but one involving work and responsibility. Board Meetings A successful board meeting pre-supposes careful prep- aration. In some Associations the executive committee, made up of the officers of the board, sometimes including certain heads of departments, meets regularly before the board meeting to go over the committee recommendations and systematize the business. Care should be taken not 10 to have the committee large and cumbersome. Seven or eight members should be sufficient. The danger of these regular monthly meetings of the executive committee is that things may be settled there which should come before the whole board. The advantage is that many details are disposed of, some actions are re- ferred back to the committees and the business to come before the board is simplified. The executive committee has the power of the board in the interim between meet- ings, and may decide matters of such urgency as cannot be postponed for the decision of the regular meeting. It may not, however, reverse any action of the board nor ex- pend money unless previously voted by the board. There is generally an agenda for board meetings which outlines the important business to be considered. This is sent to each board member a few days before the meeting that she may be prepared to enter the discussion and to vote in- telligently. The time and conduct of board meetings is fixed in the by-laws. Almost without exception these meetings are monthly, generally held early in the month, and they fol- low the usual order adopted by all executive bodies. Vari- ous experiments are being made, however, in the matter of presenting reports of the work and in bringing to the board the needed information in the most telling manner. In a small Association each committee reports directly to the board through its chairman who is a board member. The results of the committee meeting are summed up in definite recommendations where the action of the board is necessary for the accomplishment of plans. In a large 11 Association where one line of work, such as the religious work, could not be earned by one committee, but must be distributed among a group of committees, such as relig- ious meetings, Bible study, missionary interests, with some sub-committees, such as the fellowship or hospitality, the committee on music, etc., the whole group of committees is included in the religious work department, with a chair- man for each committee and a head for the entire depart- ment. The woman at the head of the department repre- sents it on the board and presents recommendations from the group of committees under her supervision. The heads of departments are appointed by the board as the work de- mands. The presenting of secretarial reports is an important matter. The general secretary usually presents her own report, and the reports of the department secretaries are included in the report of the board representative for that department. A very good plan adopted by many small Associations is to have each department worker, such as the physical director, present the report of her own work in person to the board after which she withdraws. This plan brings the board member into touch with the person- ality of employed workers in charge of the various lines of work. In large Associations this plan would clearly be impossible for lack of time. The best device is to have one department worker speak to the board each month, not offering a detailed report of the month, but presenting in a ten-minute talk, perhaps, her conception of the possi- bilities of her department and her plans for accomplishing these ends. She might well give concrete instances of the 12 effectiveness of the department, pointing out practical ways of co-operation on the part of volunteer workers. With this plan, in the course of a year the board would come in touch with each employed officer at the head of a de- partment. The secret of a successful board meeting lies in keeping to the consideration of large interests, leaving all details to the committees appointed to deal with them. If the president is a good presiding officer using parliamentary procedure, if the reports are concise, the recommendations definite, and the discussion held to the point, a great deal of business can be accomplished in two or two and a half hours. The board that gets sidetracked on some matter of detail, such as the manner of serving lunch or the kind of covers for the couches in the rest room, is the board that feels the necessity of unduly long meetings. Althpugh the custom of opening meetings with prayer is universal in the Association movement, the need is often felt for more time for prayer for definite objects. Is it not possible for Associations to provide for monthly meet- ings between business meetings for prayer alone? Of all the administrative forces the board of directors is the most important, for to them is committed the de- velopment of the Association. They elect the board of trustees, appoint standing committees and engage secre- taries to assist in the work, but the final responsibility rests with them. The Board of Trustees The board of trustees is usually a small board of both men and women elected by the board of directors and 13 having the same qualification concerning church member- ship as the board members. They hold the title of the real property of the Association and all trust funds, and exer- cise the usual powers of trustees determined by the laws of the state in which the Association is located. Their ad- vice is sought on all unusually important business under- takings, and their co-operation has made many large pro- jects possible. Standing Committees The standing committees of the Association are ap- pointed by the president, and their chairmen designated by her, for the term of one year, subject to the approval of the board of directors. Their grouping, if the depart- mental plan is necessary, their size, and their personnel, are dependent upon the character of the work. The use of a committee is to facilitate the sub-division of the work, providing for groups of workers to take charge of the de- tails of every part of it. A tendency noticeable in Asso- ciation work is toward fewer standing committees and more special committees appointed for a certain service which can be accomplished in a brief term. The weakest link in the administrative system is apt to be the committee. Its importance is often underesti- mated. A part of its work is irsurped by the board of di- rectors and a part by the employed officers, while most' of it remains undone to the detriment of the whole Associa- tion. The committee system offers an unequaled oppor- tunity for interesting a large body of women and employ- ing their diversified talents in the upbuilding of many useful agencies. The work of the board requires only a 14 small group, but committee work may be indefinitely ex- tended. Only women of executive ability can be used on a board, including the chairmen of committees, but among committee members many women who work well under di- rection may be enlisted. It is impossible for any board to carry detailed responsibility for the many lines of Asso- ciation work. The elaboration of plans should be carried by committees. Some Associations have developed plans for members’ councils. The council is in no way a duplication of the board of directors, but is an elected body, representative of the different groups in the Association, for the purpose of discussion. Its powers are usually limited to recommen- dations to the board. It is desirable that the council should be directly represented on the board, probably by its chair- man. The number on the council would vary according to the size of the Association, but as it is a discussion group, it should probably never in any case be more than thirty. Selection of Committee Members To the president and general secretary of an Associa- tion is given the responsibility of studying the tastes and inclinations of women, securing the services of those whose experience has fitted them for carrying the heavier bur- dens, and drawing out with fine discrimination the latent ability of the younger women. A young woman can so be placed that her interests and powers will develop until she becomes a woman of influence in Association life. Avoid the traditional type of committee workers. Too long have we been making up our religious work commit- tee of middle-aged women, burdened with home and church 15 duties, and sometimes marked by a certain type of piety not attractive to girls. The poorest missionary committee is one made up of presidents of church missionary so- cieties. Too long have we been putting on our social com- mittee young society women who think the work is merely getting up entertainments for working girls. Too long have the house and cafeteria committees been composed of busy home-makers who visit the building once a month when the girls are not there, interview the matron and consider their work accomplished. Let us have some young women, together with the older women, on our religious work committee, who can meet girls on their own plane of experience. Let us get together a missionary committee of young women to whom missions is a fresh and fasci- nating field. Let its enlist, beside the girls of leisure, the most trained and mature judgment on our social commit- tee. There is no field where more original and constructive work must be done and done soon. Let us have on our house and cafeteria committees, in addition to the experi- enced home-makers, some household economic enthusiasts, to whom a lunch is not simply food served at noon, and who study the boarding home and cafeteria in their rela- tion to the large economic questions of the day, the housing facilities of the city and the weekly wage of girls. The secret of all good committee work is to find the right women, then trust them with real responsibility. If it is important to have on the board of directors only women who have the same ideas in regard to the essen- tials of the Christian faith, it is no less important to have the same unity in the standing committees where the de- 16 tails of the work are planned. It is often reasoned that only the religious work committee need be so restricted. That, however, pre-supposes that religious influence is to be exercised only in that department. As a matter of fact, that is apt to be the last point of contact with the girl. The first is more apt to be through the physical or the social department, and unless these committees have the same spiritual ideal for the Association a great oppor- tunity will be lost. It seems best, therefore, to have the same religious qualifications for members of standing com- mittees to whom is committed the immediate guidance of the various lines of work, as for the board of directors. To all members who desire to be of service a share in the work can be given through special short-term committees and sub-committees. Policy As each committee faces its work, whether along re- ligious, educational, social, physical or economic lines, it should set down in black and white its definite aim and purpose and what it hopes to accomplish in a given term of years, say from three to five years. Each year this policy should be reconsidered in the light of the past year’s experience and amended to suit conditions. In some Associations the same policies have been in opera- tion for more than twenty years. Such a situation can only mean that the Association has long ceased to meet the ever changing needs of the community. It is not pos- sible to frame a definite policy without an accurate knowl- edge of conditions in the city, a somewhat clear idea of how other Associations are meeting similar conditions and a 17 definite plan of work. This sets a standard and eliminates the old emergency kind of committee work in which the committee met once a month and decided what to do dur- ing the coming month without very much reference to the work of the past year and with no definite objective in view. To illustrate, the educational committee attempts to frame a policy. They find that their knowledge of edu- cational matters in the city is fragmentary. They may not be acquainted with the evening work of the public schools, which should have a direct bearing on Association work. Their first step, therefore, will be to appoint each member of the committee a definite field of study to be reported on at a given time. They get full recent information on schools, public and private, college extension courses, the extension work of libraries and other educational agencies. They learn from the superintendent of public schools the percentage of girls who have dropped out at certain grades and the percentage of those who do not pass their grades. They know what is being done to meet the edu- cational needs of girls, and they are then in a position to decide how the Association can best supplement existing work. The committee will now be deeply interested in recommending to the board just the right teachers and leaders for this work and in watching its progress. It is their experiment; they will want to see how it works. It is upon such an investigation that a policy is worked out. Budget Every Association should have a budget, that is an estimate of receipts and expenditures based on the plan 18 of work to be undertaken during the coming year by each department. The budget should be made from the bud- gets drawn up by each committee or department. After its adoption by the board, the finance committee should see that the budget is adhered to by all departments and committees, unless through subsequent action the board permits an increase in expenditure. Committee Relationships A great problem in Association work is relating the work of one committee to another and to other organiza- tions. This is accomplished very successfully in some places by annual committee teas and dinners where all the workers come together to hear informal talks on the vari- ous departments of the work. Another plan is for the department secretaries to visit all the committees in turn, telling something of the work of their departments. The chairmen of committees might also meet for interchange of ideas. The Young Women’s Christian Association might take the initiative in increasing the intelligent co-operation be- tween the various social agencies at work in a city. Some Associations have given luncheons or teas for social work- ers, others have used successfully the plan known as “Know Your City Day.” The Relation of Board and Committees To sum up, the functions of the committee are : first, investigation along the lines of work assigned to its care; second, discussion of the problems involved ; third, recom- mendation to the board of things to be done; fourth, the execution of that work when authorized by the board. The 19 function of the board is to decide upon committee recom- mendations in the light of the symmetrical development of the whole work and of the community; to initiate new work as it becomes advisable, appointing committees to care for it; to assume the ultimate financial responsibility for all leases of property and contracts with employed workers. Relation of Employed Workers to Board and Committees The question is constantly being asked : What is the relation between employed workers and the board and committees? The general secretary is ex-officio a member of the board of directors. She is, by virtue of her office, the executive of the board of directors, just as the board is the executive of the entire Association. As the board acts for the Association between the annual meetings, so the sec- retary acts for the board between monthly meetings. It pre-supposes that she is a woman of liberal education and powers of leadership, especially trained for Association work, and, therefore, an expert in Association matters. As such, she is depended upon by the board of directors to give advice, just as a trained expert is employed by a busi- ness corporation. To do this it is necessary that she should have the entire confidence of the board and should be fully advised of all undertakings. Almost every Association in the country expects its general secretary to attend all board meetings. In no other way could she possibly do the work for which she is employed. She does not, how- ever, vote or make motions in board or committee meet- 20 ings, but merely exercises the privilege of suggesting what she thinks desirable. As the executive of the board, she is necessarily the head of the employed staff. Every other secretary is a specialist who has been trained, for example, in a school of physical education, pedagogy or household economics, or has taken special Bible or sociological training. The specialist approaches the Association from the point of view of her own particular province. Often the general secretary alone has had Association training. She there- fore, as their head, co-operates with them all to help cor- relate the work of their departments and thus produce a strong, well-rounded work. If she is a strong spiritual leader as well as an executive, she will, through a brief daily meeting for prayer and conference and a longer weekly or monthly meeting, bind the workers together into a united staff. Each department secretary is ex-officio a member of the committee in charge of that department. She should always meet, at least for most of the hour, with the com- mittee, reporting her work in full and making such sug- gestions as seem wise. The president and general secretary of the Association are ex-officio members of all standing committees. It is only by faithful attendance at all committee meetings that it is possible to keep in close touch with the different phases of the work. Difficulties Most of the difficulties which arise in Associations are due to lack of understanding of relations. Let authority 21 be clearly located and much misunderstanding will be eliminated. If a branch secretary, for instance, under- stands before she takes her position that the executive com- mittee of that branch works under the central board and the general secretary of the whole Association, the rela- tion will be accepted from the first; but if she misunder- stands the situation and thinks the central board auto- cratic and the general secretary officious, friction is the inevitable result. Another source of difficulty is the lack of clear under- standing as to terms of contract. For this reason it is best to have either a form of contract with each worker or a letter kept on file which definitely states the length of time for which a person is engaged, the salary, the vacation period, the nature of her duties, and attendance at sum- mer conferences. Another and very prevalent source of trouble is lack of knowledge of the duties pertaining to the various offices in the Association. There will, for example, be difficulty if a board of directors expects the general secretary to raise the budget for the Association, and does not understand that that is the peculiar responsibility of the directors, and that the general secretary bears no more intimate relation to the finance committee than to the committee on physical work, and that she is not expected to do the work of any depai’tment, but to co-operate with all, her distinctive work being supervision. There will be endless friction, also, if the general secre- tary is dictatorial, if she decides things of importance with- out referring them to the proper committees, if she is lack- 22 ing in courtesy, if she lays her will arbitrarily upon her associates, not giving them liberty in the development of their department work. After all, most difficulties are due to our faulty human nature. The mingling of workers is as delicate as the com- bining of chemicals. Explosions are no less apt to follow wrong combinations. Much may be done by a wise presi- dent who studies her associates, and, when she sees a lack of understanding between certain workers, makes a new combination, placing them in another part of the work where they may give their best sei’vice. The price of co- operative work, so necessary to efficiency, is giving up some of our cherished ideas in order that the work may advance. As Christian women, this ought to be possible if the grace of God dwells in our hearts. The supreme test of our Christianity lies in just and generous relationships with our fellow-workers. There is no one characteristic that is more necessary in meeting all these difficulties than a spirit of frankness and fairness. Untold misery may be avoided if in the beginning of a complication the president of the Association has the courage to be frank. Training of Workers When women have been selected for board and com- mittee work who have been trained in church and mis- sionary work, on boards of institutions and charities, and in women’s clubs, they bring to the new work a valuable experience that enables them to take up the problems -with comparative ease. It is, however, just these more experi- enced women who most feel the need of specific training for the new work. They are eager for any assistance that 23 can be given. The most valuable training always comes through the doing of the work itself. This includes the study of situations, as well as the execution of plans. Gradually facts are acquired, and by relating one experi- ence to another a basis for judgment is formed. Merely local knowledge, however practical, cannot take the place of a broad conception of the whole Association movement. A worker needs this wider vision to help her interpret the needs of the young women in her own city. It is so easy to accept things as they are, and to make no effort to change them unless awakened by new ideals and a new sense of responsibility. This awakening to the great issues and possibilities of Association work is usually brought about through the in- fluence of some one already deeply interested, through reading Association literature or attending Association gatherings, whether institutes, summer conferences or great conventions. Too little use is made of the Associa- tion Monthly and the various technical leaflets on city work. The general secretary should make sure that her staff is provided with copies of all technical literature, and the chairman of each committee should urge each member of her committee to familiarize herself with all literature bearing upon the work in hand. These leaflets are the necessary tools for Association work. In some Associations the general secretary keeps a stock of National Board literature for sale for the convenience of the various com- mittees. A discussion in a committee meeting on some article bearing on the work in hand is time well spent. Many will be interested to read other magazines dealing 24 with kindred subjects, such as The Survey, the American Journal of Sociology, and periodicals related to physical, technical and religious education. The Women’s Inter- national Quarterly will keep one in touch with the broader Association work. The sectional conference, where the workers from a group of Associations come together for a two or three days’ session to hear national and field secretaries or volun- teer workers present the important lines of city work, to discuss their common problems and to come to know their Association neighbors, has proved very useful. A carefully chosen delegation to a summer conference returns so refreshed and revivified that the whole work feels the impetus. They have had a broader contact with Association work than the sectional conference affords, and to the educational advantages have been added the fine spiritual inspiration of the class and platform work. To those who attend the summer conferences and the field, national and world’s conventions and conferences comes a still wider knowledge of the adaptability of As- sociation principles and the wonderful breadth and vigor of the work. They never afterwards think of their local Association except as a unit in a great movement. Volunteer workers should consider an occasional at- tendance at one of these gatherings a distinct part of their work. It may be possible to delegate attendance to one or more members, but it greatly adds to the power of the Association if many women on the board or committees bring back their contributions from the information and inspiration given. 25 Two of the greatest needs of the administrative work are a broader conception of the Association’s responsibil- ity, which would result in a closer co-operation both within the Association and with other organizations, and a keener appreciation of the personal influence of one life upon an- other. The whole city is the field, and an Association can- not live to itself but must relate its work to all other or- ganizations dealing with young women. Not only can the Association work with other organizations, but it may take the lead in large civic movements to safeguard young women in traveling and in seeking employment, to provide better living accommodations, to encourage playground movements, and in other ways. In the largeness of the work we must not forget the infinite value of the individual, and that we deal with girls, not in the mass, but one by one. There is imminent dan- ger of our depending too much on our handsome equipment and our elaborate machinery. Mr. Fletcher Brockman has said to the Young Men’s Christian Association workers what is no less applicable to us: “There is a possibility that as we go along and become absorbed in the methods that have proved so efficient, in the equipment that has become so elegant and so admir- ably fitted to our work, the keen sense of what the methods and equipment are for may fade away from us. This is true not only of the distinctly religious idea, if I may so put it, but of the other ideas that have come into the Asso- ciation and made it so powerful. Outside of personality that is on fire, what can all of our equipment be worth? What is the need of improved methods if we have nothing 26 to use the methods on? If we have not some real over- powering and overmastering objective, there is a danger of our losing the message in the midst of many other things. There is a difference between a message and a policy. It is possible for us to lay down a policy in order to present a message, and yet never have any message to present. ” The method in itself is nothing, the result is every- thing. To miss personal helpful contact with gii'ls through Ixoard and committee work is to miss the real object of the Association. To work with gilds, not for them, is the Association ideal and it needs to be reaffirmed lest we forget it in the complexity of our organization. To give the in- dividual girl a chance for a stronger, broader, happier life, and to bring her into vital relationship with Jesus Christ, is the fruition of our organized work. 27 PALMER A OLIVER, NEW YORK