"In our experience of eighteen years at No. 8 State street, we reached in the neighborhood of 8,000 people annually; on Ellis Island in the neighborhood of 10,000. During this time we missed a good follow-up system! When the alien had left the station at Ellis Island, in most cases, all trace of him disappeared, in other cases extreme difficulty was experienced before one could obtain further information. For this reason, of learning further concerning the activities. of foreigners in this country, we highly and urgently recommend some follow-up system,' whereby missionaries and other interested parties be supplied with necessary documents, etc., to keep the alien on record, and so do our country a great service. We firmly believe that missionaries could serve in this capacity to a great advantage for our country, and so aid greatly in the discovery of undesirable persons." 8. DUTCH REFORMED Letter from the Rev. T. McB. Nichols, West End Collegiate Church, New York City, December 31, 1919: "Replying to the inquiry regarding work carried on by the Dutch Reformed churches among foreigners, I would say that at Knox Memorial Chapel, 405 West 41st street, we have an Italian congregation and at the Harlem Collegiate Church, 269 Lenox avenue, a special work is being done among the Japanese." 9. RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS Letter from Miss Anna L. Curtis, secretary, Religious Society of Friends, Brooklyn, January 13, 1920: "In reply to your letter of the 22d of last month, let me say that this particular meeting of Friends does no work with foreigners, as foreigners. That is to say, if in our efforts to help our poorer neighbors, we find a foreigner who needs help, we try to give it, no matter what the nationality. We very often meet with foreign-born, but for some reason, very few who are not able to speak English fairly well, so that they do not come within the scope of your inquiry. "A very important thing, it seems to me, in dealing with foreigners, is to show them that we Americans appreciate what they have to bring us from the old world. The children in school so often learn to despise the old home that the parents believe that America has only contempt for it. This feeling is a strong obstacle to unity. Make them feel that we appreciate their art, whether in weaving, embroidery. or painting; their literature, whether serious writing or folksongs; their music, their traditions. If you accept and dignify this background, the spiritual heritage of the foreigners, you will do far more to make them good Americans than if you ignore it." CHAPTER VII Settlement Houses 1. UNITED NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSES OF NEW YORK a. List of Officers and Members UNITED NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSES OF NEW YORK, 70 Fifth enue, New York City. Judge Thomas C. T. Crain, honorary esident; Miss Harriet T. Righter, president; Mr. Gaylord S. hite, first vice-president; Mrs. Cyrus Sulzberger, second viceesident; Mrs. Max Morgenthau, Jr., third vice-president; Mr. enry W. Taft, fourth vice-president; Miss I. M. Cammann, cording secretary; Mr. George M. La Monte, treasurer; Mary lizabeth Barr, executive secretary; Mr. Harold Riegelman, unsel. Following is a list of members of the United Neighborhood [ouses of New York: Armitage House, 451 East 121st street. Bowling Green Neighborhood Association, 45 West street. Christodora House, 147 Avenue B. Clark House, 283 Rivington street. Eastchester Neighborhood House, Tuckahoe, N. Y. East Side House, 540 East 76th street. Education Alliance, 197 East Broadway. Emanuel Sisterhood of Personal Service, 318 East 82d street. Federation Settlement, 240 East 105th street. Free Synagogue Social Service, 36 West 68th street. Greenwich House, 27 Barrow street. Haarlem House, 311 East 116th street. Hartley House, 413 West 46th street. Henry Street Settlement, 265 Henry street. Hudson Guild, 436 West 27th street. Jan Hus Neighborhood, 351 East 74th street. Meinhard Memorial House, 100 East 101st street. New York Child Welfare Committee, 70 Fifth avenue. Riis Neighborhood House, 48 Henry street. Settlement and Church of All Nations, 9 Second avenue. Stuyvesant and Ninth Streets, Stuyvesant and Ninth streets. White Door Settlement, 211 Clinton street. School Settlement, 120 Jackson street. b. Americanization Program Letter from Mr. Harold Riegelman, December 30, 1919: "In accordance with the assurance of co-operation given by the Special Committee of the United Neighborhood Houses of New York, these suggestions are made with respect to the work of the Lusk Committee in the preparation of recommendations tending to further a broad, sound Americanization program within the State of New York. "It need hardly be said that the following remarks do not cover the field but are confined to those matters with which the Neighborhood Houses are in most intimate contact and are further limited by your intimation that the final reccmmendations may not seriously conflict with programs already adopted by existing departments of the state government But it is felt that much can be accomplished under present laws through the exercise by those departments of a discre tion already vested in them. It is not understood that the only measures in which your committee is interested are those necessitating the enactment of new laws. "For the sake of clarity this report is divided into two main headings, Specific and General. The former includes constructive suggestions which are favored for adoption. The latter covers considerations which should qualify any proposals submitted to the legislature or departments. "A. Specific.-Americanization is an educational process based upon precept or instruction and actual experience. "I. Instruction.-Efficiency of instruction varies with the personality of the teacher and the method of teaching. "(a) Teachers: "1. The profession of teaching will not attract and hold the required number of high-type men and women, unless compensation is sufficient to provide a decent living. The compensation is at present insufficient and should be materially increased. "2. Teachers cannot throw the requisite zeal and enthusiasm into their exacting work if in addition thereto they must turn to other employment in order to eke out a living. "3. Night school teaching requires exceptional ability to hold interest and impart instruction because of the fact that persons attend such schools generally after a hard day's work. Consequently, their minds are not normally receptive. Such people are chiefly drawn from the foreign-born population. It should not be necessary to employ in this work men and women who have been teaching the major part of the same day and must be fresh for similar work the succeeding day. "(b) Methods: "1. The proposal is favored that factory workers. who need instruction should be taught on factory time. To accomplish this, there should be educational qualifications fixed, and unless factory employees are able to qualify, the employer should be prohibited from engaging them unless |