AMERICANIZING THE CAMBRIDGE FOREIGN ELEMENT.

The social service work done by Harvard men in the city of Cambridge forms an important relation between the University and the town, but one which receives comparatively small recognition. Particularly significant in this respect is the educational work carried on among the Lithuanians, Letts and Poles by the Y. M. C. A. Of the 105,000 inhabitants of Cambridge, 10,000, or about ten percent., are foreign speaking, and many more are foreign with American sympathies. Politically they present a very grave problem to the city with which it is impossible to cope before these people can at least speak the language. Of course the large majority of these foreigners are of a working age, and therefore can not go to the regular schools. The city maintains night schools which are able to meet to a certain degree the demand for instruction in the districts where they are located. Outside of these, however, nine-tenths of all the instruction done last year among the foreigners was in the hands of the Y. M. C. A.

Last year there were thirty-four Harvard men who spent one night a week in this work. In all, 600 foreigners were registered in the Y. M. C. A. courses. These men attend because it is to their economic advantage to learn the language; they earn higher wages with the knowledge of English than without. Moreover, the classes are held in the very centre of the foreign districts of East Cambridge. This year the enrollment is expected to be 1000 and the number of teachers will be raised to 50. To those who are interest in social work exceptional opportunities appear in this field; experience in handling laboring men under circumstances where they are trustful rather than suspicious, the chance to take part in a work of which the results are obviously patent, and finally the opportunity to help in the work of co-operation that is going on in so many fields between Harvard and the City of Cambridge.