Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-13

one object of home missionary work
among the immigrants. number of i'm
portant recent publications. Including
Prof. Edward A Steners On the Trail
of the Immigrant" John r. Common
Races and Immigrants in America. and
Dr. II. B. Crosses The Incoming Mil
lions" have been designed chiefly for cir
culation among church people.
Another tangible evidence of the wide
spread increase of interest in the iWmi-
grant is the growth of mission churches
for foreign-s speaking persons. and the
great increase of Colporteurs to distr1-
butte literature among such. At present
this is the most accented feature OF the
home mission work now being carried on
by the great denominations. The care
fully organized agencies of these denOml-
national boards are at work systematcal-
y stirring up the interest in this theme.
IT the newcomer is not given reighborly
welcome. and assisted to become
law-abiding American, tie fault will not
be with the officials of the churches.
Undoubtedly it is true that to some
extent the churches are being scared
into this extraordinary activity. They
see visions Of he crowding out of the
even as scores of individual churches
Eave been crowded out of the DOWN
town sections of the great cities by
the tide of alien population. The ques-
as What shall we do with the immi-
grant?' but What viii the !mmi-
grant do with us?" The tendency to
concentrate in the great cities (rnore
speaking immigrants settle in Is per
cent of the territory of the United States
and the increase of crime by aliens are
subjects which press themselves upon the
al IGNITION of the serious minded.
The thousands of study classes in the
churches of America which are now
considering this question are one of
TIE important influence beneath the sur
face of national life which yet powerfully
affect destiny. Because the Christian SEN
timent, which still doIn mates the country
when it is eXerted, s concerned over
the moral betterment of the immigrants,
there is bound to be a steady lifting up
of all the standards affecting them.
Among the men and women who per
sonify Christianity's welcome to the
strangers at Ellis Island, and the other
principal ports of entry into America
may be found representatives. OF the Y
M. c. A. This is a new departure for the
association. 1t is only the beginning of a
work from which great al viii be
heard later. Now these special secre-
tar!es busy themselves looking after the
welfare of young men, citizens in en-
bryo. They give them cards of intro
duction to the Y. NJ. c. A. in the towns
to which they are going. Then they in
form the secretary at the point of des-
tination to be on the lookout. Ambitious
plans, which contemplate the corrallng of
a large proportion of the immigrants
through the new work of associat ons
scattered over the land, are being con-
sidered.
The association has had the foremost
authority upon the immigration question,
Prof. Edward A. Steiner. at work during
the past summer making special in
vestigatlon of the whole subject. in re-
spact to its possibilities as Y. NJ. c. A.
field. The international committee has
within the past few months put another
expert. DR.. Peter Roberts, personally in
charge of a department of work among
aliens
In Canada similar efforts are being put
forth in behalf of the immigrants bound
northwest. Trains and boats are met at
Quebec and elsewhere, and refreshments
supplied to the strangers. During the
rush of a few years ago a Y. NJ. c. A.
tent was established at Winnipeg, and it
did a land-officc business. In the coal
regions of Pennsylvania associations have
been openad for the forPignspeaking men.
and because of their educational features
these are regarded by the INN grants as
an incaculabe boon.
There is abundant evidence that at last
the Christian agencies of America have
awakened to their peculiar responsibility
for educating and AmericaniZng the in
creasing myriads of foreigners who an
nually come to these shores. The forty
representatives of religion at Ellis Island
typify movement which will bear watch
ing.