We do not keep girls from going to public schools, but on the contrary are instrumental in getting many of them to go. If they do not go immediately after coming to us, they go later when they have acquired enough English so that they do not feel ashamed. Many of them, especially the Scandinavians, are well educated in their own language, but when they come to this country, not knowing any English, practically the only thing they can do for a living is domestic work. They are much desired in this line and earn more money at it than other nationalities. They lead an isolated life, however. Many girls who are members of the Institute afterwards go to the International College in Springfield, Mass.

All our courses are free with the exception of such as first aid, cooking, etc., where a nominal charge is made to cover the cost of materials consumed. The membership fee to the Institute is $1 per year. This charge is not prohibitive, for most of the girls earn good salaries. Many work at dressmaking, and they earn $30 per week and even $40 or $50. Several who are expert cigarmakers earn $50 a week. Most of them do not know how to spend it, however. Still there are exceptions, for one of our Italian girls bought $3,000 worth of Liberty Bonds.

We have a chorus for singing and teach the American songs, including the "Star Spangled Banner."

We also have a number of racial leagues-Italian, Greek, Hungarian, Armenian and Scandinavian. We have monthly meetings, to which the girls bring their men friends, and we have prominent speakers-one American and one from the nationality concerned.

We have no standard requirements for teachers, but their ability to teach is considered before their actual knowledge of English, though of course they aim to get those with the very best command of the English language. We make it a point to have teachers who know the language of the pupils whom they teach.

While some of our girls go to college, we haven't enough colleges to give courses for the many foreign students who have a great desire to learn. We will have to build special schools to teach adult foreigners. We cannot get pupils into our schools as long as we use little children's seats. We haven't the right type of teacher now in the public schools. The majority of our public school teachers are foreign-born and it would be better to have American-born. Most of our teachers are Jews. There are

racial reasons why Italians or Greeks do not want to study with them or have their children study with them. They do not feel that these Jewish teachers can give them American ideals. The American-born teacher is best, that is, after a teacher of their own race, but there are not enough of these available. The foreignborn teacher who can speak perfect English and who in addition is a good teacher, is very rare. We prefer a good teacher, even if the English is not perfect. We aim to teach American ideals, not only language.

There is a great craving among our foreign-born girls to meet real Americans. Very few of our girls have married Americans. Greek girls marry Greek men, but Greek men marry Irish and Americans. Italians and other races mix but many of the girls marry Americans. It is usually the foreign men who marry the American girls, but the foreign girls marry foreigners, even though these men are not of their own race. The reason for this is that the man is in business and has more contacts and more chances to meet American girls than the foreign girls have to meet American men. Also, it is the man who makes the choice, and the fact that many foreign men marry American girls probably shows that they all would like to intermarry with the Americans if they had the chance.

One of the objects of the International Institute is to find the right sort of American contacts for our foreign-born girls. They all want to learn the English language well enough to be able to meet Americans, but the right kind of Americans do not want to meet foreign people. We are now trying to get a group of American girls to come to parties and mingle with the foreign girls. While these girls want to adopt American customs, they hate the term "Americanization." They call it the "White Plague." One Armenian paper stated that Americanization means making people over into something where none of their national characteristics will be left. In a series of lectures recently given on the subject, one speaker said, "Go home and never speak another word of Italian in your families." Adult people always speak their native language at home, and it is unreasonable to expect them to do anything else.

Hanging on the wall at the International Institute in a conspicuous place in the reception hall is this motto:

"THE GOOD CITIZEN SAYS

"I am a citizen of America and an heir to all her greatness and renown.

"The health and happiness of my body depend upon each muscle and nerve and drop of blood doing its work in its place. So the health and happiness of my country depend upon each citizen doing his work in his place.

"I will do nothing to desecrate the soil of America or pollute her air or degrade her children-my brothers and sisters.

"I will try to make her cities beautiful and her citizens healthy and happy so that she may be a desired home for myself now, and for her children in its days to come."

Possibly the following letter from one of the International Institute girls speaks better than anything else for its success:

"It was in the second week of February, the snow falling quietly, when first I got a view of this great city where a great part of my life I may live. It looked gloom to me; with regret I thought of my town where affections and remembrance I had left, but soon afterward I discovered that here too I could have friends and enjoyment. Among other things New York City has a great human institution where girls of every nationality meet. The aim of such institution is great and greater is the task entrusted to the people who cares of such. The general secretary, the supervisor of classes, and the teachers are more than friends but sisters and advisers to us, they seek our education and happi

It may be blessed the founder of International Institute and those who have devoted their lives for its betterment. "Very sincerely yours,

"

'May 16, 1916.

MARY GRACCHI."

CHAPTER X

Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Associations

1. YOUNG MEN'S HEBREW ASSOCIATION

YOUNG MEN'S HEBREW ASSOCIATION, 114 Fifth avenue, New York City, Samuel A. Goldsmith, general secretary. Letter, November 13, 1919:

"I presume that you are mainly interested in our organizations in the State of New York. Some of the best Americanization work that our institutions do, however, is in the New England states and in the city of Chicago. In a general way, all the work of the Young Men's Hebrew Associations and of the Educational Alliances that are affiliated with our national movement, is Americanization, that is, the work of a Y. M. H. A. is an emphasis on the value of the individual. It attempts, through its various activities, whether they be secular, educational or religious or social or physical or communal, to fit the individual into the general community, so that he would be of more value to himself and to that community. For this reason, and because we have been doing this individualizing work, we have consistently told communities that this type of work was one of the highest types of Americanization work.

"In the specific work that has hitherto been called Amer icanization, our constituent associations in many instances conduct classes in English to foreigners. Even in cities having a fairly well organized night school course in English to foreigners, it is found that certain people find it either inconvenient or impossible to go to the regular night school and come to our organizations where they can be made more comfortable and where they feel more at home.

"The same type of organizations carry on classes in civics and in a general educational way attempt to acquaint the foreigner with the opportunities in America for himself and also with his rights under the law and with the machinery of the government. Growing out of these classes in civics there are classes in Americanization which follow up the man until he secures his second papers, and then continue to follow him up, attempting to organize his interest in some civic

or educational work of the institution so that he does not become lost after becoming a citizen.

"Other organizations carry on work in infant care and in hygiene and health, etc., for the adult women immigrants.

"In a general way, the associations hold public celebrations of all such holidays as the Fourth of July, Columbus Day, Armistice Day, etc., which have a patriotic tendency. On these days it is attempted to secure particularly the attendance of people who have been naturalized through the association at the celebration, and also whenever possible to have the celebration of such a mass nature that a goodly part of the Jewish community can attend.

"Through the year, the associations have a series of lectures which are open to the public and which have to do with community and civic matters, always attempting to drive home the value of citizenship in this country.

"Believing that one of the best ways to interest people in their government is to have them actually have a share in the finances of the government, we helped considerably in the Liberty Loan drives, War Savings Stamps drive, and now in the Treasury Certificate drive to interest our people in the government securities.

"Through reception now to returned service men, the associations are attempting to bring before the general community the value of the service man and to have him act as a stimulus toward further Americanization work.

"These scattered bits of work, running all the way from banquets for ex-service men to classes in English for foreigners, are in addition to a general educational, civic, physical, social program of the associations, the entire program, may I repeat, being what we term Americanization.

"We are launching again, particularly in view of the present crisis in civic affairs, a more strenuous effort toward enrolling larger numbers in all of these activities. We find, however, that it is of extreme value to term all of these activities educational, and that once the value of these educational activities have become manifest to the people who are concerned, that is the appropriate time to term them Americanization. In other words, we do not find it possible, and I believe most Americanization workers will agree, to foist upon anybody a set program. We do find it possible, how