World's Young Women's Christian Association. See Young Women's Christian Associations of the U. S. A.

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Young Men's Christian Associations, International Committee of (org. 1851, inc. 1883), 347 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. Executive agent of the International Convention of Young Men's Christian Associations of North America. Consists of local units in cities, towns, and rural communities, with many branches at railroad and industrial centers, in schools and colleges, at Army posts and Naval stations, among Negroes and other well-defined groups, including boys in their teens-all seeking to promote the social, physical, educational, spiritual, and economic welfare of men and boys. Affiliated with the International Convention and Committee are State and Canadian Con-r ventions and Committees. These supervising Committees and local units are operated under specially trained secretaries.

The local units maintain club houses which serve as centers from which their community activities are conducted, where gymnasium and club room facilities are offered, and where classes in various courses of study, open to the public, are held. Hotels for men are maintained in a number of cities. State and regional secretaries direct local work and tie it up to the national program.

Central office maintains separate departments or service bureaus with specialists in charge and with representatives in the field for the assistance and guidance of local groups and of separate Association units, as follows: Army and Navy Work, Boys' Work, City Work, Colored Men's Work, County Work, Educational Work, Industrial Work, Physical Work, Race Relationship Work, Railroad Work, Religious Work, Student Work; Building Bureau, Business Bureau, Friendly Relations Committee, Financial Service Bureau, Bureau of Records, Secretarial Bureau, and the Hospitality League. These departments and bureaus as well as the Association of Employed Officers, the Association of Boys' Work Secretaries, the Conference on the Association Profession, Commissions on Relation to the Churches, on Conservation of the Values of War Work, on Selecting and Training of Community Secretaries, and on Occupation of the Field conduct special work as indicated by their titles; many of them hold annual and other conferences for the discussion of their own particular problems. National organization promotes "keep-fit" campaigns and movements for clean speech, clean habits, and clean sports among boys and men. It is also administering a limited number of collegiate scholar

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ships to discharged service men. It conducts United Y. M. C. A. Schools, giving home-study courses in accounting, advertising, agriculture, architecture, auto mechanics, banking, bookkeeping, building contracting, business English, business law, civil engineering, concrete engineering, drafting, electrical engineering, electricity, English, factory management, farm motor mechanics, foreign langauges, illustration, letter writing, machine-shop practice, mathematics, mechanical engineering, plumbing, poultry husbandry, radio operation, salesmanship, steam engineering, stenography, surveying, and over one hundred other subjects. For further information apply to local Y. M. C. A., or address the office of the United Y. M. C. A. Schools Department at 375 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y. Representatives of the Permanent Committee on Vocational Training visit colleges and summer schools and make reports. This committee directs the educational work of the Association through its colleges, summer schools, and training centers. The international Y. M. C. A. College at Springfield, Mass., offers training for executive or secretarial leadership, or for leadership in physical education. The Association College at Chicago, Ill., with its summer school at Lake Geneva, Wis., and the Association College at Nashville, Tenn., with its summer school at Blue Ridge, N. C., offer similar courses of training. A number of summer schools located throughout the country serve primarily for continuation study and secondarily for introductory or preparatory study for leaders in Association work. The Federation of Training Agencies in connection with the Secretarial Bureau has drawn up a two-year standard course of instruction to be followed in training centers which provide preparation or supplementary training for local Association workers. International Committee promotes the organization and carrying on of the Young Men's Christian Associations in foreign countries, and interests local American Associations in the support of trained American secretaries for these foreign groups. Publication department, known as the Association Press, issues leaflets and pamphlets, free, or for sale at nominal prices, and posters, photographs, and exhibit panels which may be borrowed. Also publishes books and pamphlets on Americanization, Bible study and religion, boy life, camps and social events, community life, country life, health, industrial topics, play and recreation, sex education and hygiene, vocations, and similar subjects; for sale at varying prices. For complete list see Catalogue of Publications, free on request. Association Press issues the following

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periodicals: American Youth, monthly except July and August, $2 a year; Association Men, monthly, $1.50 a year; Association Men (Students' Edition), monthly, $2 a year; Association Seminar, monthly, $1 a year. Membership includes local and State Young Men's Christian Associations in this country, and foreign groups, whose individual membership is composed of boys and men in sympathy with the ideals of the Association. Supported by contributions and by membership dues. Committee on Friendly Relations Among Foreign Students (org. 1911) seeks to promote international friendship and good-will by welcoming and serving students from abroad irrespective of race, color, or religion. Aims to give to students in foreign lands accurate information and sound advice regarding educational opportunities in the U. S. Students giving the Committee advance notice of their plans to come to America, including name of steamship, port of arrival, and probable date are met at pier on request. Committee assists students in finding hotel accommodations, purchasing railway tickets, handling baggage, and otherwise aids them. Does not loan money or make any guarantees regarding employment for self-supporting students, but endeavors to discover opportunities for students to enable them to earn part of their expenses. Through the Associations in different colleges and universities, the Committee plans social activities for foreign students. Traveling secretaries visit foreign student centers and work through Y. M. C. A. groups, college faculties and townspeople, to make the best provision for the needs of the foreign students. Issues El Estudiante Latino-Americano, monthly during the college year, particularly for Latin-American students and those interested in them; Christian China, monthly during the college year, prepared by the Chinese Students' Christian Association, especially for Chinese students; The Philippine Herald, monthly during the college year, published for Filipino students by the Filipino Students' Federation; Hindustan Christian Student, published for Indian students, obtainable from the editor, J. D. S. Paul, 1122 Yale Station, New Haven, Conn. Besides the administrative staff of American secretaries, the Committee has special secretaries for Filipino, Latin-American, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian students. Supported by contributions and by the International Committee of the Y. M. C. A.

Young Men's Hebrew and Kindred Associations, Council of (org. 1913), 114 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y. Serves as a central

body for federations of local councils of Young Men's Hebrew Associations and affiliated Jewish organizations located throughout the U. S. Seeks to standardize and develop their work for Jewish boys, girls, young men, young women, and adults. Supervises the work of local branches whose activities are mainly recreational, religious, social, and educational, and which also conduct social service work varying according to community needs. Field workers from the central office organize and advise local groups and assist them in membership and financial campaigns. Council publishes pamphlets and the Y. M. H. A. Quarterly Letter; available to all interested persons and organizations. [The Merger of the Council and the Jewish Welfare Board (for description of which see elsewhere in the Handbook) was authorized at the last convention and will be completed in 1921. Work is to be enlarged.]

Young People's Union of America. See Baptist Young People's Union of America.

Young Women's Christian Associations of the U. S. A. (org. 1873), Headquarters, 600 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y. To advance the physical, social, intellectual, moral, and spiritual interests of young women. Unites in one body the Young Women's Christian Associations; establishes, develops, and unifies such Associations; participates in the work of the World's Young Women's Christian Association. Holds a biennial national convention in April of the even-numbered years. National Board serves as the executive committee; it has special commissions to study problems of leadership and to establish standards for city Associations. It also has National Departments which conduct special work as indicated by their titles: Conventions and Conference, Field Work, Finance, Foreign and Overseas, General Administration, Office, Publication (Women's Press), Publicity, Research and Method, and Secretarial. Through these departments, work is conducted along the following lines: city, town, county, and district work; work for students, girls in their teens, foreignborn, colored, Indian, industrial, business, and professional women; health, religious, general, and vocational education; pageantry and drama; housing, cafetria, room registry; employment; business methods, research, and law-reporting service. Field Committee organizes and advises in the development of work of local Associations throughout the U. S. which are affiliated as autonomous

bodies and, for administrative purposes, are grouped together into 11 fields, each with a central office. Local Associations usually have the following committees conducting special work: Economic, Employment, General Education, Girls' Work, Health Education, Hospitality, Industrial, Religious Education, Room Registry, and Service. Y. W. C. A. Homes maintained in cities throughout the country serve as centers for local activities of the Association and offer other community interests. These centers usually provide gymnasium and swimming facilities, operate cafeterias, serve as club centers, furnish living quarters for girls at reasonable rates, and maintain investigated, approved room registries for girls who live outside the Association residence. The buildings are also social centers for girls and women. Educational and vocational classes in various subjects are held in the centers. Division of Work for Foreign-Born Women conducts travelers aid, Americanization, and educational work among foreign-born women and girls, and holds international institutes. Girls' Reserve Movement includes girls in grade schools, high schools, and continuation schools; it serves as an apprentice opportunity for girls later to become members of the Y. W. C. A. Student Associations in colleges and universities conduct special activities similar to the national program. The National Association publishes bulletins, pamphlets, and booklets on religious and social subjects, free or for sale; The Association Monthly, $1.50 a year; Foreign-Born (a bulletin of international service), monthly, $1.50 a year. Membership involves privileges of and responsibilities to a local Association. Active membership is based upon membership in Protestant Evangelical Churches except in student associations where an alternative basis exists. The National Association is supported by contributions from individuals and local Associations, and by income from its revenue-producing departments.

Západní Česko Bratrská Jednota. See Western Czech Fraternal

Union.

Živena, Benefit Society of Slovak Christian Women of the U. S. A. (org. 1891, inc. 1895), Pres., Mrs. Paulina Novomeský, 175 East Kinney St., Newark, N. J. A mutual benefit and educational organization, operating only in the U. S. The Supreme Assembly supervises branches in local communities and upon request sends a worker to organize a new branch. Contributes to patriotic causes in this country as well as in Czecho-Slovakia, and assists social and com