440 RURAL SOCIOLOGY 



tions of the community, the home, the school, and the church. 

 Many other supplemental organizations are doing splendid work, 

 but the aforementioned are recognized as fundamental. It is also 

 a fact that though these are the primary institutions, they are 

 in many cases functioning inadequately, or have ceased to per- 

 form their function entirely. Again, in supplementary organiza- 

 tions which are found in country life many are overlapping and 

 even working at cross purposes. There seems to be no well de- 

 fined or unified policy. Furnishing a common platform upon 

 which the various interests of the people will find expression 

 and where these interests can come together in a democratic 

 spirit is the unifying task of the county work in organized coun- 

 ties. It stands for the elimination of waste, for the interpreta- 

 tion of the real needs after surveys have been made, for the as- 

 sumption of specific tasks by specific individuals and communi- 

 ties. It gives itself to the awakening of a social consciousness, a 

 getting together ; it seeks to supplement and not to supplant. If 

 it can persuade a leader to supervise the plan and athletics of a 

 school, or a farmer to give his boy a man 's chance, it has made a 

 contribution to the community life, and its leaders are as well 

 satisfied as they would be if a new organization were formed. 



COUNTY WORK OF THE YOUNG WOMEN'S 

 CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION 1 



JESSIE FIELD 



JUST as country life is at the very foundation of our national 

 life in many ways, so the young womanhood of the country holds 

 a place of strategic importance, both in the country, and for 

 service to womankind everywhere. The National Board of the 

 Young Women 's Christian Association with its plan of service to 

 girls and young women everywhere, realizing this, and thinking 

 ot the many girls in country communities, began about eight 

 years ago to work definitely towards making all the resources of 

 the Association available to them. 



This has been done through work in the development of leader- 



- 1 From a statement prepared at request of editor. 



