foreigner with the twang of his mother tongue still much in evidence. His was the difficult task of keeping his fellow church men in church in a neighborhood where there were many agencies that worked to keep them out of it. His enthusiasm was inspiring and his sincerity is evidenced by the fact that his is one of the most successful foreign language churches in New York City. A clergyman in an Italian Baptist Church in New York City, who has done much good work among his adherents, wrote the Committee a pathetic letter asking advice how to deal with two of his congregation who seemed to have "lost their heads on the subject of Bolshevism." There are, of course, many other cases in which excellent work along educational lines is being conducted through the churches. Details of their activity will be found in the succeeding sections of this report, dealing with church activities. Several of the foreign language churches try to conduct classes in English, but they do not seem to be very successful on any substantial scale. This is due in most cases to lack of funds and lack of trained teachers, as well as to a lack of knowledge and experience in the educational field. There is no lack of good intention. The church can without doubt be most effective in promoting the education of the foreign-born adult by encouraging their attendance upon the evening public schools or factory classes. While the leading Protestant denominations have foreign language churches, it will be noted from the reports of their pastors that they number among their members only a small percentage of the foreign colonies in New York City. Therefore, at best, they could not be counted on for an appreciable amount of Americanization work, even if it were expedient for them to do it. The Protestant Teachers' Association of New York City says that there are 860,000 children in New York City, who never attended any Sunday school or receive religious instruction in any church or synagogue. These children furnish excellent recruiting material for the Socialist Sunday Schools.* A report from the Ohio branch of the Council of National Defense voices a situation which existed in Ohio during the war, and which we have shown in a previous chapter of this report also existed in New York City and elsewhere in New York State. The report says: "In sections where work with which we are connected met any anti-American activity, the apparent leaders, See report on Socialist Sunday Schools, Addendum, Part I. were in many cases ministers or other religious leaders of denominations opposed to the war or composed largely of first or second generation immigrants from the enemy country." We have shown in Part One how the sentimentality of many clergymen has led them from pacifism into liberalism and thence into radicalism. This process explains the curious attitude which is found to exist in a number of New York churches. The survey of this Committee has revealed that many churches feel the need for giving proof to the dissatisfied element of the working class, that they do not represent capitalist interests, but that they have deep concern for the interests of the less fortunate. Unfortunately in many instances this interest is manifested in lending sentimental encouragement to subversive and revolutionary groups, and also a tendency on the part of the churches to engage in scientific research and in the propounding of solutions for economic problems. We here wish to draw attention to activities such as are carried on by the Rev. Percy Stickney Grant at the Church of the Ascension in New York City, and to the activities at the Labor Temple, which is conducted under the supervision of the New York Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church. Their report says: "The institution stands as one of the most emphatic instances of what might be called the socialized church." Indeed, it would appear that it is more "socialized" than "church." It conducts open forums every Sunday evening and, according to the Director of the Temple in testimony before this Committee, most of the audience are radicals who are allowed to give voice to their theories freely. The Director further stated that in the district where it is located, "the Christian approach must be unconventional, friendly and obviously sympathetic with human problems." In trying to be "sympathetic with human problems," this church as well as some others has allowed its audience to divert it from its legitimate purpose. This is one of the instances referred to in various places in this report where actually subversive activities masquerade under the name of Americanization.* • Since the preparation of this report the activities carried on at the Labor Temple have been most forcefully brought to the attention of this Committee. The program of the Labor Temple for the past year may be divided into three categories: First, the Christian work carried on under the title of American Interna. tional Church. Second, Educational work carried on under the direct auspices of the Temple's management, and d. MISCELLANEOUS In the following chapter we have discussed the advantages of concentrating the work of Americanization in the public schools or under public educational supervision. This is the judgment of the Committee after reviewing the efforts of both public and private agencies throughout the country. We feel, however, that we should give credit to some of the private enterprises at work in the following summary of their activities. For a full description of their work as given by themselves, the reader should study Sub-section III of Section III of this report. Third, meetings held by outside organizations who rent the halls and other private rooms either for mass meetings or for private meetings of Labor organizations. The Committee has nothing to do with the first part of this program. The second part of the program has been carried out principally by one Dr. Will Durant, who has been excluded from the public schools of New York City because of the radical doctrines he espouses. In the course of the past year he has spoken particularly upon revolutionary subjects and is announced to give a course of lectures on Lenin. His point of view may be gathered from a letter addressed by him to Rev. Kenneth D. Miller, in which he says: "The purpose of the lectures on Lenin is to contrast him as a couciliatory moderate with the extremists like Zinovief and Bucharin, to show that he has realized frankly the impossibility of communism, and to use the magic of Lenin's name on the East Side as an argument for moderation. Indiscriminate hostility to the Russian Revolu tion would be an absurd policy at Labor Temple: A discriminating support of its moderate elements as against its wilder factions is an aid to American peace." It is unfortunate that the Committee of the New York Presbytery in charge of this work appears at the time of writing this note to approve the work of Dr. Durant in spite of his support of Lenin. During the past year the halls of the building have been thrown open to demonstrations and mass meetings for the I. W. W. and other subversive organizations. A typical example of some of the activities that fall into the third category above mentioned may be found in a leaflet announcing meetings for the months of November and December, 1920. If the reader will consult the index of Part I of this report he will find statements relating to the subversive activities of most of the persons whose names appear in this circular. The Committee does not wish to imply that any of these lectures will violate or have violated any of the statutes in the books of this State. but the program here carried on is effective to defeat any attempt at Americanization carried on in this district. The leaflet above referred to is as follows: The American Defense Society is committed to the upholding and promotion of the American spirit and to the defense of America from attacks from within. The Society appears to awake to the menace of radical activities in this country and has attempted to combat them through the dissemination of pamphlets which it publishes from time to time and through correspondence with public officials and leaders in the community. The American Federation of Labor passed a resolution in June of 1919, in which they took the stand of being in favor of making English the sole language for instruction in the common schools and of providing ample facilities for teaching English to foreigners in our public schools. The American Red Cross, through its foreign language information service, informs the alien in his own language about the government and laws of this country, what the government expects of him and what it offers to him. It clears up his misconceptions The first Comprehensive Presentation of COMMUNISM from its beginnings; a Brilliant Analysis in an unprejudiced manner of all its aspects. by LINDLEY M. KEASBEY, PH.D., R. P. D. Professor of Economics and Noted Lecturer Nov. 14 COMMUNISM IN THEORY and PRACTICE. Nov. 21 ANCIENT COMMUNISM. The Ideal Republic and the Relatively Best State. Nov. 28 MEDIAEVAL COMMUNISM. State and Church. Dec. 5 MODERN COMMUNISM. The Industrial Revolution. Dec. 12-COMMUNISM and SOCIAL DEMOCRACY. and adjusts his difficulties, in so far as their facilities will permit It also attempts the equally important task of giving the native born accurate information on the foreign-born groups and to overcome foreign prejudices and misunderstandings which stand in the way of the foreigners' assimilation. It cooperates with the American press and with the foreign language press in the gathering and distribution of news about foreign institutions and the institutions and laws of the United States. The Boy Scouts made a good record during the war. Because of this and because of the principles on which their organization is founded, they are recognized by the American Legion and by the Director of Citizenship of the Department of Labor as being exponents of the principles of good American citizenship. The Girl Scouts are equally sound and American. The Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York has adopted a resolution to support Americanization bills and other educational bills designed to reduce illiteracy. WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 8.15 P. M. The New Science of the Unconscious Presented in a Simple, Clear and Popular Manner. by ANDRE TRIDON Brilliant Lecturer and Author of " Psychoanalysis and Behavior," "Psychoanalysis; Its Theory and Practice," etc. Nov. 17 THE UNCONSCIOUS and ITS MYSTERIES: or What Is Psychoanalysis? Nov. 24 THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS: or Suppressed Desires and their Dream Gratification. Dec. 1 PROBLEMS OF CHILDHOOD: or Heredity and Sexual Enlightenment. Dec. 8- DUAL PERSONALITIES: or the Jekyll and Hyde case in Actual Life. Dec. 15 LOVE, NORMAL and ABNORMAL. - LABOR TEMPLE AUDITORIUM SINGLE ADMISSION 35c COURSE TICKET $1.25 AUSPICES-THE FINE ARTS GUILD Four Mondays - Two Fridays |