SOCIAL SERVICE COMMITTEE

A week before the opening of College, application blanks were sent out to all the settlement houses at which Harvard men worked during the college year 1920-21. Thirty-three of these were returned with requests for workers. The Committee during the first few weeks concentrated on stirring up interest and enlisting men for volunteer social service work in all the institutions from whom requests for workers had been received. On October 5, 1921, a conference was held at the Phillips Brooks House. The following men spoke: Mr. F. Lauriston Bullard, Charles K. Cummings '23, James J. Lee '24, Corliss Lamont, Chairman of the 1921-22 committee, and R. P. Bullard '24, Secretary of the Committee.

The Secretary has consulted many men since the beginning of College from all departments of the University.--The men who had expressed their willingness to work if opportunity was offered were first called to his office. Other possible workers were interviewed from time to time. C. H. Hawes '23 and Haven Parker '22 very kindly assisted the secretary and the chairman in holding regular office hours for enlisting men.

As a result of the canvass to date 325 men have enlisted in regular volunteer work. They have worked in many different capacities through various institutions, especially in settlement houses, churches, educational clubs, Welfare Societies. Boy Scout organizations, and hospitals. Under W. S. McClellan 3M., medical students were enlisted both as club workers and as speakers. This volunteer work was as usual the most important and most successful work of the Social Service Committee. This opportunity for college men to help in settlement work in Boston and vicinity is one of the greatest which Phillips Brooks House extends. Handicapped through lack of experience the Secretary has been rather slow in getting under way, but reports of this work received by telephone and mail have been very assuring of the good work done by Harvard men.

Early in October entertainment blanks were sent out to the Settlement Houses and community centers. Eight replies were received and to date eleven entertainments have been given. These entertainments consisted of music, speaking, recitations, wrestling, tumbling, and sleight-of-hand. Two have been especially successful. On January 16 a troupe of five men presented an excellent program at the United States Public Service Hospital at Roxbury. The second was given by a group of 14 men at Thompson's Island in Boston Harbor on Friday evening, March 24. The appreciation and praise of these entertainments has been great. Morgan Harris '24 deserves much credit for his kind and ready assistance in this work.

The fall clothing collection, held during November 7 to 11, brought in 835 articles of clothing, one ton of magazines, and 202 books. Credit is due Belden Wigglesworth '23, who had complete charge of this collection. The clothing, in addition to being distributed to students in the University was sent to the Morgan Memorial of Boston, the Salvation Army of Cambridge, the Cambridge Welfare Union, the North Cambridge Community Church, and the Robert College of Constantinople. The text books were placed in the Phillips Brooks House Loan Library, while the magazines were sent to hospitals around Boston. The Spring Clothing Collection will be held from April 10 to 14.

With Richard Chute '22 as Chairman, the Welfare Committee continued the good work of its previous year when it was organized for the first time. At Thanksgiving this committee distributed twenty dinners to poor families in Cambridge. It was decided that at Christmas the committee should distribute shoes and stockings to poor boys of Cambridge rather than the customary Christmas dinners. Twenty-five boys, whose names were suggested by the Cambridge Welfare Union, were each given a pair of shoes and two pairs of stockings. The distribution was carried out on December 22.

The Spring Dinner and Conference was held on Friday, March 31. The speakers and subjects were as follows:

Mr. Robert Woods (head of the South End House): "The Future of the Settlement House and the College Man."

Mr. George Batchelder '19: "Social Service from a Graduate's Point of View."

Mitchell Gratwick '22: "My Experiences."

Corliss Lamont '24, chairman of the committee, presided. The heads of the various settlement houses were present and met a good number of student workers to talk over the year's activities. The speeches were very interesting for the 70 men who had gathered at the dinner.

An attempt is being made to organize clubs among the boys in Harvard Square. It has seemed best to do this work through the Cambridge Social Union, the only settlement house near the square, and on Monday a conference was held with Professor J. H. Beale, president of the Social Union, to determine how this work may best be done. KENNETH B. LUCAS '23 Chairman