NEWS FROM THE BRANCHES

Ann Arbor Branch, Ann Arbor, Mich.-The Ann Arbor Branch of Collegiate Alumnae gave its annual tea for the Senior girls of the University recently. The attendance of college girls was unusually large.

The Civic Committee of the Branch has recently presented to the city council a petition requesting the oiling of the streets of Ann Arbor, next summer. In this petition they secured the co-operation of several other women's organizations of the city. This committee is also taking as part of its work the education of the public in regard to motion pictures.

Bloomington Branch, Bloomington, Ill.-The Bloomington Branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae brought Miss Carolyn A. Wilson to the city for a lecture recently. Miss Wilson has become widely known through her war articles contributed to the Chicago Tribune. She was in Europe when the war broke out as Paris correspondent of the Tribune, and was retained to report war news. She was in five of the belligerent countries and suffered arrest and imprisonment while in Germany as a suspected spy in the employ of the French government. Since her return to America she has embodied her experiences in a talk which illuminates while it entertains.

Last spring the branch made enough from Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst's lecture to form the nucleus for a scholarship fund which is now increased. This fund is to aid some girl from the Bloomington or Normal High schools who desires to take a college course but cannot do so without financial assistance.

California Branch, San Francisco, Calif.-On February 24th California Branch gave its annual reception to the senior women of California and Leland Stanford Junior Universities. The guests of honor were Mrs. Phoebe A. Hearst, President and Mrs. Benjamin Ide Wheeler of the University of California, President and Mrs. Ray Lyman Wilson of Leland Stanford Junior University, and Miss Ege. dean of Mills College. The hostesses were the officers and directors of the Branch.

"The Maker of Dreams," a one-act play was given and there was a program of music by Branch members.

Detroit Branch, Detroit, Mich.-The Detroit Branch participated in a large mass meeting held recently to consider the question of an industrial training home for women prisoners in Michigan. Other organizations interested were The Girls' Protective League, the Detroit Business Women's Club, the Twentieth Century Club, and the D. A. R.

It was argued that it is the state's duty as it is her economic safeguard to give women prisoners a training that will fit them for a useful life after they have left the prisons.

Dr. Mary Thompson Stevens, chairman of the Penology Committee of the Detroit Branch is to frame a resolution expressing the sentiment of the meeting and this will be sent as a follow-up to a bill introduced at Lansing two weeks ago.

Central Missouri Branch, Columbia, Mo.-The Central Missouri Branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae has a committee on vocational advising, of which Mrs. A. H. R. Fairchild is the chairman. This committee conducts a series of weekly talks before the Missouri University women on vocations other than teaching, and its members act as counsellors for them. Vocational questionnaire cards have been collected from the women to aid in the work. The committee is in co-operation with the Kansas City Collegiate Alumnae Vocational Bureau in the matter of placements.

Mohawk Valley Branch, Utica, N. Y.-Several lines of activity have been started by the Mohawk Valley Branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. One is that of "Better Films for Young People." The chairman of the committee in charge corresponded with many experiments in this field in other cities. It was found that all kinds of organizations were concerning themselves with the moving picture problem and that all considered it a most important and worthy work for us to undertake. Through the National Committee on Films for Young People we secured Miss Mary Gray Peck who, on Feb. 8th, lectured on this subject before an audience comprising representatives of many organizations concerned with social betterment throughout the Mohawk Valley. As a result of this meeting there will be appointed a local committee to affiliate with the National Committee in furthering this work in our vicinity.

Mohawk Valley branch will continue the prize-speaking contest for high school girls inaugurated last year. There will also be given for high school girls and preparatory school girls. a "College Day" reception. This will be held during the college spring recess to allow undergraduates to be present and add their vivid touches of local color.

Two of our greater ambitions are as yet unrealized. One is a scholarship in some college for a girl from our district; the second is a social survey of the city of Utica. But we shall achieve them both.

New Haven Branch, New Haven, Conn.-The New Haven branch was entertained at its last meeting by a play of Ludwig Fulda's, "Chums," which was presented by some of the branch members. Our semi-annual plays are among our most cherished institutions, and we indulge our generosity by bringing a guest or two. "Chums" is a very merry play and was merrily acted, but the "feature" of the afternoon was a short address by Mr. Pflieger, an appeal for help for the starving children in Belgium. Mr. Pflieger is a Yale Senior but is a native of Ghent, Belgium. One of the members of the A. C. A., who prefers to remain anonymous even among the members of the New Haven branch, offered to double any sum raised among the rest of the members, for this purpose. Many therefore who were not prepared to donate cash at the moment, signed slips, mentioning the sums they were able to give. All these pledges are not yet in but the total sum collected amounts to $550, which means that we shall be able to send more than $1,100 toward the Belgian Children's Relief Fund.

Northfield Branch, Northfield, Minn.-This branch has established a loan scholarship in each of the two colleges of Northfield, St. Olaf College and Carleton College. The winner of the scholarship in Carleton for the second semester is Miss Emily Brown of the senior class.

At the February meeting of the branch Dr. Clifford Crump of the Department of Astronomy of Carleton spoke on education in South America as he saw it during a six months' visit. The effort for better moving pictures, which took much time on the part of a branch committee last spring, appears to be meeting with success. A group of local business men have arranged to use the Auditorium for daily moving picture shows at

ten cents. The films are from good companies and the members of the A. C. A. are urged to support the venture.

Philadelphia Branch, Philadelphia, Pa.-The mid-winter meeting of the Philadelphia Branch was held in February at the College Club. Miss Edith Sheldon gave a report of the work of the Volunteer Social Service Committee. Literature has been sent to College Club members and others interested and a number of volunteers have been given occupation and are working well. Several are doing friendly visiting for the Society For Organizing Charity, the Social Service Department of the University Hospital, and similar organizations.

Miss Vida Hunt Francis spoke with great enthusiasm of the plans for the Washington Biennial and of the unusual opportunities this meeting offers. A committee was appointed to arrange for the entertainment of homeward bound delegates passing through Philadelphia.

The business meeting was followed by a conference on the Relation of the Philadelphia Branch to the National Association and to the Local Clubs, led by Miss Beale, Miss Francis and Miss Snyder. The Journal serves a real purpose now by keeping members in touch with the colleges and work among the Branches.

The Philadelphia Branch is interesting High School girls in college work, and encouraging them during the difficult preparatory period. We are trying also to interest all college women near us to impress them with the duty and privileges of membership in the Association.

Pueblo Branch, Pueblo, Colo.-The Pueblo Branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae is only six months old and its members are few as yet. Nevertheless there are many college women who are eligible in this city and we hope to increase our numbers as rapidly as possible. None of our plans has been completed, but we have made a beginning in three lines of work. The most absorbing one, to which we are giving most of our time and energy is vocational guidance, particularly for high school girls. The other two lines are better moving pictures and a scholarship fund, and we hope to report something concerning those in the near future.

San Jose Branch, San Jose, Cal.-Although the San Jose

branch of the A. C. A. cannot claim the dignity of age, we feel that we have made a reasonably good record in the eight years of our existence. We are an offspring of the most valued and efficient of the California Branches and are indeed proud of our kinship to it. Since our organization we have borne full share in this community in the human welfare activities that are the deep concern of all right thinking people. San Jose is situated but a short distance from the University of California and is still nearer to Leland Standford Jr. University, so we have a membership larger than we could otherwise hope for, having over one hundred members, twenty of them associate members.

One of the worthy accomplishments of our first year was the work of a committee under the leadership of Miss Gertrude Rowell of the San Jose State Normal faculty, which took the initiative in organizing a free clinic for tuberculosis patients in San Jose. This clinic was successfully established, has increased each year in the scope of its usefulness and is doing splendid work through the gratuitous service of some of San Jose's leading physicians.

Another committee has raised money for a Student Loan Fund by means of which a few girls are aided each year over times of stress.

The great exposition of 1915 brought to Santa Clara County on account of its proximity to San Francisco, the imperative duty of providing protection to the strangers within its gates and particularly of safeguarding unprotected girls. A committee of this branch took the initiative in this work, and co-operating with some of the public spirited people of the county, was responsible for the establishment of the very efficient Traveler's Aid Society of Santa Clara County which has become permanent.

The Social Service committee of this Branch assisted by citizens and the city council rendered San Jose and vicinity a very distinct service by establishing in the city a hotel for the unemployed and a free employment bureau. This is solving satisfactorily the tramp problem which is a grave and perplexing one in California in winter. At the solicitation of the chairman, Miss Clara Smith, who prepared a plan showing the location of the vacant lots in the city, the county Board of Supervisors is to put these lots, 2,000 in number, in the hands of the unemployed for cultivation. Besides materially improving the appearance of the city they will increase the food supply.