Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-12-08
STUDY OF ALIENS.
College Men Follow immigrant
Trail to Its Beginning.
SCHEME OF THE Y. M. C. A.

Experience OF Students While Getting
First Hand Knowledge of Siovae
Races In Europe-To Become Seers-
tares In Coal Mining Regions.
Or +. A. Steiner Of Iowa college,
Grinnell, la, author of the most inter-
estins books in print which give the
Intimate story Of the European immi-
grant TO America, lately landed in
New York from Europe. where he led
a party of recent college graduates
from Texas to Pennsylvania in q
study of the immigrant In his home.
The men were sent out by the Penn
sylvania state committee Of Young
Mems Christian associations to spend
year abroad, on their return to take
positions as general secretaries Of
Young Mems Christian associations In
the coal mining regions of that state.
Their trip became missionary jour
ney from the start. With their popu-
lar songs and hymns, unbounded good
nature and unobtrusiye interest In ev-
erybody, they made their influence
wholesomely felt. When on the streets
Of Rotterdam young man greeted
them with these words: Boys. you
were a godsend to me. l came on
board ship drunk after terrible spree,
and l want to tell you that your life
In the steerage has made such an i'm
preston upon me that when l return
to the States l wish to join the Y. NJ.
G. A."
Their plan was to discard railroads,
so they bought bicycles and wheeled
up the Rhine and pedaled up the Car
path1an mountains to get into close
touch at the source with the vast
stream Of humanity which is pouring
into their native land.
Under the lead of DR.. Steiner, who
was born in Austria and commands
nearly dozen European languages
and dialects. the college boys" stud
led the language, customs and coun-
try, worked In the harvest fields and
gathered fruit In the orchards with
the peasants, learned the villagers
folk songs in the evening and In their
turn sang the college and church
hymns. They found friend in ev,
cry returned immigrant, and the ma
ttyes to whom America was the
promised land" received them with
open arms. DR. Steiner said that i'm.
mediately when they learned that he
was European born they gave their
attention to the boys, the real Ameri.
cans. They had for their schoolmas-
tiers in mission school where they
stopped in the heart of Poland, Rus
slams, Lithuanians, Poles, Bohemians
and Jews, the very best type Of men
whom they needed to know
Commissioner Robert Watchorn con-
siders this movement Of the Y NJ. c.
A. the most significant In Its possibili.
ties Of influence among the immi-
grants from Europe of any the or
ganization has undertaken. These
men will know the people with whom
they are to live and serve as secre-
taries Of associations in the mining
field Of Pennsylvania. Other such
training expeditions directed by Dr.
Steiner will undoubtedly follow. The
students will spend the balance of the
year in Europe with the Bulgarians,
ltthuanians. Austrians and Ia Italy,
from which countries come the great
er bulk OF the Immigrants to America.
The International and world commit
tees Of the Y. NJ c. A. are stationlng
men at the great ports Of debarkation
Of the old world, who are distribut
Ing literature about America and III
Productions nf Tie \ NJ G. AS In
seventeen different languages par:
IL Il hnin OF intnan,.. h,.rinniny from