CHAPTER IX

Young Women's Christian Association

1. THE BALLARD SCHOOL

YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION, 600 Lexington avenue, New York City-Ballard School, Jeannette Hamill, director.

The Ballard School was organized in 1872 and until 1917 was known as the Educational Branch of the Young Women's Christian Association.

Courses are offered, for a nominal fee, in stenography, typewriting, secretarial work, bookkeeping, arithmetic, penmanship, filing, business law, foreign trade, advertising, multigraphing, banking, elocution, dramatics, public speaking, parliamentary law, Bible study, French, Spanish, Italian, handcrafts, fine arts, commercial art, current topics, drafting, designing, dressmaking, embroidery, millinery, cooking, home nursing. There is also a course in English for the foreign-born who have been in this country for six months or over and know some English. Before they know some English, they are sent to the International Institute. Following is a roster of the foreign-born students enrolled in the Ballard School in October, 1919:

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR YOUNG WOMEN, 108 East 30th street, New York City, Mrs. Francis M. Bacon, chairman; Mrs. Dunlevy Milbank, first vice-chairman; Mrs. William Fellowes Morgan, treasurer; Mrs. William E. Baker, secretary; Miss Edith L. Jardine, general secretary.

The Young Women's Christian Association in New York City exerts a special effort toward the foreign-born women of the city through the International Institute, whose general policy is outlined in the following article, "Ideals of the International Institute for Foreign Born Young Women in New York City," by Miss Edith L. Jardine, general secretary:

"Above every vital piece of work there is an ideal which gives purpose, direction and harmony to all that is accomplished. The ideal of the International Institute, briefly stated, is the conservation, for their own sakes and for the sake of America, of the young women who immigrate to cur shores.

"The International Institute in Manhattan has had contact with some 20,000 young foreign-born women during the seven years of its existence, and it has become a familiar friend and confidant of a sufficiently large and varied number

of them to have an understanding of their difficulties, problems, needs and aspirations.

"The status of foreign-born women has undergone many changes since the International Institute was established. Then young women were immigrating in such great numbers that they could not be assimilated socially or industrially. Now, owing to labor conditions, there is a shortage of women workers, and there is great competition for the services of foreign-born women.

"It is of interest to note that a new avenue of immigration has opened up, bringing us thousands of women and girls of a different type-of the Latin-American races of South America, and of the Latin and native races of the West Indies.

"From the knowledge which the International Institute has derived from this work, it is able to assert that the great majority of the foreign-born women who have come to us have made good' in the sense of supporting themselves, taking advantage of every opportunity afforded them, overcoming obstacles and resisting temptations.

"Whatever value most people place upon our young women of foreign birth, it is unquestionable that we have been almost entirely dependent upon the work of their skillful hands. Therefore many of us have thought of them or have considered them from a somewhat selfish and restricted point of view, that of the employer.

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The majority of Americans have had no opportunity to know foreign-born women as the workers of the International Institute know them. The majority have the same qualities as other wholesome, lovable girls, with gifts and graces which make them delightful friends and companions.

'Immigration may wax and wane and profound industrial changes may take place, but surely such work as the International Institute carries on will always be needed in order to bring closer together for their mutual benefit the women of all races who meet and commingle in this country."

(The above article is from the July-August, 1919, issue of "The W," published by the Institute.)

In an interview with a representative of the Committee Miss Edith L. Jardine, general secretary of the International Institute, said, in substance:

"The Institute exists for the protection of the foreignborn woman. We help to get the girls employment. We have a boarding home which accommodates thirty-three, and we expect to have one which will house seventy-five as soon as we can find a suitable building. Girls are brought to this home by the Travelers' Aid Society.

"In the past seven years we have reached 20,000 foreignborn women, and last year we reached 2,000. We had 500 enrolled in classes and sent many more to the public schools. The girls usually come to us for a year and then go to the public schools after they know some English. We have no figures showing the number of girls we reach of the various nationalities, but I would place them in the following order: Italians

Danes
Norwegians

Swedes

Russians

Greeks

Armenians

Syrians

Hungarians

"We have an Italian community center on East 45th street, a Russian community center on West 45th street and an Armenian center on East 26th street. At the Italian center we have a pre-natal clinic and a children's clinic. We expect to start a class there to teach English to men in the neighborhood, the men themselves having asked for it when they saw how much the women of their race were benefitting by the work of the Institute. A Hungarian center will be started in Harlem. During the war the Hungarians kept away from us, fearing that the Americans did not trust them. All these various centers are in the nature of club rooms and are open for evening activities. During the day the neighborhood visitor had her office there. We employ a staff of twenty visitors - all foreign-born. We use them for teachers also if their ability is sufficient. In the work of visiting, a circular printed in the language of the foreigner is left, telling the woman of the Institute and asking her to come to us for help of any sort. These visitors used to make 6,000 visits a year when immigration was unrestricted. Four thousand girls were reached during 1918. During the four summer months of 1919, 976 women were reached by 2,916 visits."

The International Institute offers the following courses:

Elementary Course

Mondays and Fridays, 7:30 to 9 P. M.

A class for beginners who are given instruction in pronuncis tion, conversation, reading and writing.

Secondary Course

Mondays and Thursdays, 7:30 to 9 P. M.

Individual instruction for those who have some knowledge of English.

This course gives special attention to grammar, composition. business and social letter writing, civics and American history.

Cooking and Home Making Class

Tuesdays, 7:30 to 9 P. M.

A course of lessons in American cooking.
Pupils can learn to cook their favorite dishes.

Dancing Class

Wednesdays, 8 to 9:30 P. M.

Instruction is given in correct social dancing. Popular national dances will also be taught.

Educational Dramatic Class

Thursdays, 8 to 9 P. M.

The pupils learn English poems and short plays. Special instruction is given in the use of the voice and in English pronunciation.

Singing

Fridays, 8 to 9 P. M.

Chorus singing of the Lest American and popular songs.
Concert with prominent artists once a month.

These classes are held from October to June, two nights per week. Five hundred students registered in the fall of 1918, and most of them saw it through. A few transferred to classes other than those in which they started, but all remained active members of the Institute. No girls are taken into our classes who are of public school age. They range from 16 to 30 years of age, most of them being between 18 and 24.