History of the Young Women Organization

Founded in 1869, the Young Women organization was originally known as the Young Ladies'
Department of the Cooperative Retrenchment Association. Brigham Young, the second President
and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called together daughters
and their mothers for a special meeting in the parlor. Following family prayer, President
Young addressed his family. Among other things he said: "I desire to organize my family
into a society for the promotion of habits of order, thrift, industry, and charity; and,
above all things, I desire them to retrench from extravagance in dress, in eating and
even in speech. The time has come when the sisters must agree ... to set an example
before the people of the world worthy of imitation. I want you to set your own fashions
... and set the style for the rest of the world who desire sensible and comely fashions to
follow. I want my daughters to learn to work, and to do it.

"I have long had it in my mind to organize the young ladies of Zion into an association so
that they might assist the older members of the Church, their fathers and mothers, in ...
teaching and practicing the principles I have been so long teaching. There is a need for
the young daughters ... to get a living testimony of the truth. I wish our girls to obtain
a knowledge of the Gospel for themselves... . We are about to organize a Retrenchment
Association, which I want you all to join, and I want you to vote to retrench in ...
everything that is bad or worthless, and improve in everything that is good and beautiful.
Not to make yourselves unhappy, but to live so that you may be truly happy in this life
and the life to come."

Retrench - means to cut down or reduce. (Dictionary.com definition)

The Young Women organization has been referred to by several different names throughout
its existence:

• 1869 - Young Ladies' Department of the Cooperative Retrenchment Association
• 1875 - Young Ladies' National Mutual Improvement Association
• 1904 - Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association
• 1934 - Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association
• 1972 - Aaronic Priesthood, Young Women
• 1974 - Young Women

This international organization is the oldest and largest organization of its kind
for teenage girls. (Source: LDS.org
--> Serving in the Church --> Young Women --> Introduction to Young Women --> Young Women History)

1916 BEEHIVE REQUIREMENTS

In 1916 every female over fourteen was a Beehive girl until she entered Relief Society; there were no Mia Maids, Gleaners, or Laurels. The following are twenty out of the three hundred seventy-three requirements possible for a Beehive girl to earn her awards:

1. Care successfully for a hive of bees for one season and know their habits.
2. Give the distinguishing characteristics of 6 varieties of hen and cattle and tell the good and weak points of each.
3. Exterminate the mosquitoes over an area of 1/2 mile square by pouring a little kerosene on the surface of all standing pools of water twice each month during April, May, or June.
4. Make two articles of underwear by hand.
5. Cover 25 miles of snowshoes in any six days.
6. Learn to float in Great Salt Lake and propel yourself 50 feet.
7. During three consecutive months abstain from candy, ice cream, commercially manufactured beverages and chewing gum.
8. For one month masticate your food so thoroughly that it slips down without any visible effort at swallowing it.
9. Successfully put a new washer on a faucet.
10. Care for a least two kerosene lamps daily.
11. For three months take care of milk and cream from at least one cow and see that the pails, pans, strainer, and separator are thoroughly cleansed.
12. During two weeks keep the house free from flies or destroy at least 25 flies daily.
13. Have your toilet moved to an isolated place in the garden.
14. Whitewash your toilet inside and out.
15. Know and describe three cries of a baby.
16. Without help or advice care for and harness a team at least five times; drive fifty miles during one season.
17. During 2 summer months clean ice chest thoroughly twice a week.
18. Discover ten reasons why the Columbine should be made the national flower.
19. Clear sage-brush, etc. off of one-half acre of land.
20. Know 6 blazes used by Indians.

TIMES HAVE CHANGED!

Source: Becky's World of "Son" Shine - she
says she got these from the YW Resource Room in Salt Lake City

More Resources

• Some more
  history of YW Articles I posted in the forum - has the full text of a number of
  articles.