The National Board will be at home on Thursday afternoon, December 4th, from three until six, to friends. and local Association members in New York and its vicinity. The Board wishes also to extend a most cordial invitation through these columns to any member of any local Association elsewhere who may be in New York on that date. This is the first anniversary of the dedication of the National headquarters, and it is hoped that every Association member will feel a renewed interest and pride in the building which means so much to Associations everywhere. One of the most interesting foreign student Associations is in Naples, Italy. Recently new headquarters have been secured on the Vomero, with a glorious view overlooking the city. Small parties of Association members visiting Naples can secure rooms there. The pension rate of these rooms is 7 SECRETARIAL CHANGES Keep your copy of the Association Year Book up to date by noting therein all secretarial changes. FIELD Inez Beebe, formerly general secretary at Kansas City, Mo., to be student secretary for the Texas State Committee. LOCAL GENERAL Lena Brokaw, formerly general secretary at Richmond, Va., to hold the same position at Jacksonville, Fla. Willie Fagan, formerly student secretary at the State Normal School, Athens, Ga., to hold the same position at the Alabama Girls' Technical Institute, Montevallo, Ala. Mabel Gaines, to be student secretary at the Southwestern Texas Normal School, San Marcos, Texas. Mary Hansen, formerly temporary assistant at Tacoma, Wash., to be acting general secretary at Great Falls, Mont. Letitia Jenkins, to be general secretary at Chester, Pa. Mildred Jones, formerly student secretary at Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., to hold the same position at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill. Elsie D. Landfear, to be branch_secretary of the Warner Branch at Bridgeport, Conn. Edith Lehman, formerly general secretary at Haverhill, Mass., to hold the same position at Bay City, Mich. Morna Michael, to be student secretary at the State Normal School, Athens, Ga. Mrs. E. N. Phillips, to be general secretary at Phoenix, Ariz. Ruth M. Reed, formerly general secretary at Elgin, Ill., to be acting general secretary at Lancaster, Ohio. Clarinda C. Richards, to be general secretary for Greene County, Tannersville, N. Y. Ethel N. Shepard, to be general secretary at Worcester, Mass. Marion Shepard, formerly acting general secretary at New Bedford, Mass., to be general secretary at Jamestown, N. Y. Margaret Williams, formerly nounced as physical director at Council Bluffs, Iowa, to be general secretary at the same place. DEPARTMENTAL an Mrs. James Alward, to be cafeteria director at South Bend, Ind. Olive Bannister, to be educational secretary at Pasadena, Cal. Ruth Benson, to be educational and extension secretary at Colorado Springs, Colo. Margaret A. Bicking, to be extension secretary at Evansville, Ind. Jessie Bidwell, to be assistant membership secretary at Cleveland, Ohio. Mary W. Bolan, to be physical director at Laurel, Miss. May H. Breckenridge, to be physical director at Pasadena, Cal. Clara Brewster, formerly physical director at Des Moines, Iowa, to hold the same position at Omaha, Neb. Ida J. Britton, formerly cafeteria director at Jacksonville, Fla., to be business secretary at the same place. Eleanor Brown, to be physical director at Keokuk, Iowa. Irwin L. Caton, formerly physical director at Augusta, Ga., to hold the same position at Philadelphia, Pa. Mignette Chapman, to be domestic science and art director at Binghamton, N. Y. Edith Chase, to be house secretary at Albany, N. Y. Lenore M. Chubb, to be physical director at Lancaster, Ohio. Mrs. Louise S. Clark, to be room directory secretary at Los Angeles, Cal. Jane Cooper, formerly domestic science director at Wilmerding, Pa., to be second assistant in domestic science at Pittsburgh, Pa. Elsie M. Cragin, to be assistant vocational secretary at Los Angeles, Cal. Hattie Craighead, to be domestic science director at Worcester, Mass. Stella Creighton, to be assistant secretary at East Liverpool, Ohio. Ruth Cummer, to be assistant extension secretary at Cleveland, Ohio. Alice Davis, formerly physical director at El Paso, Texas, to hold the same position at Dallas, Texas. Willie Greene Day, to be domestic science director at Columba, S. C. Lillian Farley, to be domestic science director at Victor Mfg. Co., Greer, S. C. Leona Fette, formerly physical director at Peoria, Ill., to be assistant physical director at the Recreation Center of the Metropolitan Board, New York City. Berenice Fuller, formerly junior secretary at Indianapolis, Ind., to be assistant secretary at the same place. Amy Garner, formerly announced as Amy Gomer, to be physical director at Evansville, Ind. Margaret Giere, to be office assistant at the Central Branch, New York City. Mary Gillies, to be assistant membership secretary at Los Angeles, Cal. Margaret Goodrich, to be domestic art director at Albany, N. Y. Virginia Hamilton, formerly physical director at Newburgh, N. Y., to be assistant physical director at St. Louis, Mo. Kate M. Heacock, to be extension secretary at Lincoln, Neb. Anna S. F. Hennings, to be house secretary at Portsmouth, Ohio. Oril E. Henthorne, to be religious work director at Los Angeles, Cal. Leila M. Hickcox, to be house secretary at Bay City, Mich. Essie M. Hoag, formerly business secretary at Sioux City, Iowa, to be assistant secretary at the same place. Erma A. Hoopes, to be cafeteria director at Wichita, Kans. Marion Hopkins, of the National Training School, 1913, to be special worker at Jacksonville, Fla. Nelle Houston, formerly general secretary at Missoula, Mont., to be assistant and business secretary at the West Side Branch, New York City. Beatrice A. Hunt, to be domestic science and art director at New Bedford, Mass. Isabel Hunt, formerly assistant extension secretary at Grand Rapids, Mich, to be extension and membership secretary at Jackson, Mich. Ella Jones, to be house secretary at Muskegon, Mich. Margaret M. Jude, formerly assistant physical secretary at Nashville, Tenn., to be physical director at Chattanooga, Tenn. Josephine Kelley, to be assistant secretary at Lynchburg, Va. May Kelly, to be physical director at Cincinnati, Ohio. Verna Kerley, to be domestic science director at Monaghan Mills, Greenville, S. C. Edith Lee, formerly assistant secretary at Easton, Pa., to hold the same position at Wilmerding, Pa. Marguerite Leith, to be physical director at Athens, Ga. Miss Lenox, to be physical director at Columbus, Ohio. Evangeline Long, to be junior secretary at Lincoln, Neb. Grace McElree, to be physical director at El Paso, Texas. Miss McGinnis, to be assistant secretary at Dubuque, Iowa. Pearl McLin, to be cafeteria director at Jacksonville, Fla. Mrs. Gertrude Madison, to be cafeteria director at Jersey City, N. J. Ruby Marcum, to be physical director at Tampa, Fla. Mrs. Jean Martin, to be domestic art director at Minneapolis, Minn. Hazel Matthews, to be physical director at Fort Worth, Texas. Mrs. Gertrude Myers Meyer, to be office secretary at South Bend, Ind. Ruth Moerdyke, to be industrial and extension secretary at South Bend, Ind. Mary C. Murray, to be physical director at Bar Harbor, Me. Alberta V. Newton, formerly assistant membership secretary at Los Angeles, Cal., to be registrar at the same place. Miss Nimms, to be lunch room director at St. Paul, Minn. Elizabeth Otte, to be domestic science director at Albany, N. Y. Edith Patton, to be physical director and office secretary for Greene County, Ohio. Frances B. Philo, to be physical director at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Henrietta M. Poole, to be house secretary and cafeteria director at Williamsport, Pa. Mrs. M. U. Pou, to be house secretary and cafeteria director at Tampa, Fla. Sue Price, to be physical director at New Orleans, La. Nellie Reinhold, to be domestic art director at Erie, Pa. Lucy Richardson, to be assistant physical director at New Orleans, La. Mrs. H. E. Robins, formerly house secretary at Jacksonville, Fla., to be dining room manager at the same place. Marion Rome, to be physical director at Albany, N. Y. Anna Salmon, formerly employment secretary at Scranton, Pa., to be business secretary at the same place. Ruth Sheldon, formerly swimming teacher at Omaha, Neb., to be physical director at Nashville, Tenn. Elizabeth Slack, to be domestic science director at McKeesport, Pa. Bernice Smith, to be religious work director at Aurora, Ill. Elsie Smith, to be physical director at Fresno, Cal. Lilian Smith, to be cashier and bookkeeper at the Harriet Judson Home, Brooklyn, N. Y. Nancy Smith, to be house secretary (Ward Annex) at Nashville, Tenn. Edith Stauffer, formerly extension secretary at Erie, Pa., to be assistant extension secretary at Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Ralph Taylor, to be house secretary at the Harlem Branch, New York City. Frances L. Toy, to be assistant industrial and extension secretary at South Bend, Ind. Florence Van Duyne, to be domestic art director at Newark, N. J. Margaret Van Fleet, formerly general secretary at Knoxville, Tenn., to be religious work director at South Bend, Ind. Cora Varney, formerly general secretary at Everett, Wash., to be financial secretary at Los Angeles, Cal. Mrs. E. T. Vaughan, to be cafeteria director at Charleston, W. Va. Edith Walker, to be office secretary at Omaha, Neb. Adelaide Whitcomb, to be house secretary at Pasadena, Cal. Sadie Williams, to be house secretary at Warren, Ohio. Mary Wybrandt, to be cafeteria director at Dubuque Iowa. Official Organ of the National Board of The Young Womens Christian Associations of the United States of America Volume VII. DECEMBER, 1913 Number 11 O A CHRISTMAS MEDITATION NE of the delightful things about Christmas is that we all forget that it happened last year, and year before that, for more than nineteen hundred dead yesterdays. And we and our neighbors are today as submissive to the Christmas alchemy as though for the first time its magic was in the air. Like little children we look to the world's high holiday, wondering what it will bring to us. Down through our years we have shared in a Christmas spirit, as we called it, that was wont to come when the lights were high and the crowds were great, when homecomings were mysterious, and every family supper party was a group of loving conspirators. And it was easy to be glad when all the world stood hand in hand about the cradle of an ancient joy. This year it shall be for us more than a festival of color and song, more than a chance to share in the world's goodwill gladness. We will await the breaking of Christmas morning in our own hearts. Perhaps it will bring our larger birth-right, the "such-asl-have-give-l-thee" spirit. Perhaps the quiet sorrow of the world, never so insistent as at the time of the year when children laugh, shall sound for us the Christmas overtone— "For it is he that shall save his people from their sins." Even a greater gift may come if we, Christmas bankrupts, spending ourselves and receiving in turn the spirit of giving more, shall somehow open the heart of one person or two to the richer music of the advent song: "Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.' T An Anti-Luxury Movement* Blanche Geary HERE are doubtless many present who remember the quotation from Arnold Bennett's "The Human Machine": "Few things would surprise me less, in social life, than the upspringing of some anti-luxury movement, the formation of some league or guild among the middling classes (where alone intellect is to be found in quantity), the members of which Iwould bind themselves to stand aloof from all the great, silly, banal, ugly and tedious luxe-activities of the time, and not to spend more than a certain sum per annum on eat ing, drinking, covering their bodies, and spot of the earth's surface to another. being moved about like parcels from one Such a movement would, and will, help towards the formation of an opinion which would condemn lavish expenditure on personal satisfaction as bad form." Bennett was a good prophet and not so very venturesome had he but known that one organization was maturing plans whereby public opinion might be induced to move, and, with all its marvellous strength, lift on high new standards condemning much that springs from selfishness and is the outward and visible sign of bad form. ficient people, but no great organized body has yet set itself deliberately to work to battle with these conditions or to live by wiser and more righteous standards. The Commission is convinced that it is possible to define saner standards for the multitudes; that the Association, as a splendidly organized distributing force, has the means, if it will use them, of bringing these standards speedy recognition by the country at large. Little by little, public opinion, which is already half persuaded, can be convinced, strengthened and finally induced to make its powerful voice heard. My purpose now is to take it for granted that, as keenly interested Association people, you have read and studied the report, you are convinced that the Commission is on the right the good work in every possible way, road and that you want to help along remembering, of course, that the Richmission's program as national policy mond Convention accepted the Comfor a period of five years. I confine myself first to a few words on what we can do as women, individually and organized, to further the Commission's efforts to bring about a more serious consideration of efficiency. As individuals, we can begin by thrashing out the question of our own efficiency in the light of a few leading questions in self examination, such as these: Some time ago the Commission on Thrift and Efficiency was appointed by the National Board to study conditions and to evolve remedial suggestions. The study of conditions carried with it the interesting task of assembling the infinite variety of opinion common to men and women of many minds that something must be done to check extravagance and encourage and secure efficiency. A grow-sult ing body of opinion realizes that individually, municipally and nationally, we are an extravagant and an inef *These notes are excerpted from a longer paper read by Miss Geary at the Central City Conference at Lake Geneva and at the Eastern City Conference at Silver Bay, where she represented the Commission on Thrift and Efficiency. Are we getting and giving the re- limit? Is our work well done, judged by ability as God sees it? How far are we testing ourselves for unsuspected ability? Whose higher standards of efficiency are we studying and adopting? |