BROOKS HOUSE SOLVED SERIOUS WAR PROBLEMS

At the annual dinner of the Phillips Brooks House Association held in the Union last night at which the officers of the Standing Committees rendered their reports for the past year it was shown that the work of the Association had increased, and had adapted itself very successfully to war conditions in the past year, especially in connection with the military and naval units at the University. That Americanization at home and reconstruction abroad are the two great post-war problems facing the college man was also emphatically brought out. The reports follow in full:

Report of the President.

The purpose of this report is to outline the more important activities and the general work of Phillips Brooks House Association during the period in which the retiring cabinet has held office but not in any way to review the more special activities of the Association's special committees and constituent societies, whose work is presented in their respective reports. The question that invariably arises at the end of the year is whether the Brooks House has been as successful as usual; and if the test of success is to be found in the ability to adapt itself to meet new and constantly changing conditions and in the amount of good done by the organization, certainly the results are encouraging. Never before has the House itself been used by so many people and by so many organizations as during the period covered by this report; and in spite of the fact that so large a proportion of men formerly associated with Brooks House have been absent in service and that the support given by the undergraduate body naturally diminishes in proportion to the decrease in enrollment, nevertheless the activities of the association were successfully adjusted to meet the special needs growing out of the unusual war conditions in the autumn and the equally difficult period of transition to a normal basis that followed the Armistice. But it is more fitting to outline in a general way the year's activities and let the actual facts prove the success or failure of the Association's efforts.

Among the more important activities carried on last spring was the annual Class Day Spread, held on June 18, and conducted along the same lines as in previous years; about 200 were present. The Hut and Canteen for the Naval Radio School were operated with notable success by the Association under the supervision of A. Beane, the retiring graduate secretary, until August, when the work was taken over by the Y. M. C. A. In addition to this it should be added that Brooks House itself was used as a Hostess House, Information Bureau, and reading and writing room for all men in army or navy uniform until February of this year.

When College opened last September the Association was confronted with changed conditions and new needs. The officers and members of Executive Cabinet of the Association were largely absent in service; and in place of the usual Freshman class the newly organized S. A. T. C. occupied the Freshman Dormitories--the Marine Section and Naval Unit occupied other University dormitories. Accordingly, a special War Cabinet under the presidency of R. H. Howe '19 was constituted to carry on the activities of the Association. H. M. Thurston '16 was appointed Graduate Secretary, October 25. It was necessary to procure a place for recreation, hospitality, entertainment and opportunity for reading and writing for the men in the various Harvard army and navy units. Through the interest of President Lowell the Speakers' Club at 39 Holyoke street was given the Association for this purpose, and Mrs. Gulick, who had been in charge of the Naval Radio Canteen, very kindly consented to take charge of the canteen, and rendered a valuable and efficient service. Mrs. E. C. Moore also served as treasurer and aided considerably in making the canteen a success. In this way several hundred men were served daily. Moreover, in order to provide additional entertainment for the men in the service, the Hasty Pudding Club was secured through the courtesy of Mr. A. H. Parker '97, and the 47 Workshop agreed to put on one play each week. A number of very successful performances were given before large and steadily increasing audiences.

The annual Freshman Reception was held on November 13, when President Lowell, Professor Moore and Arthur Beane spoke to about 200 men, and at two other meetings for Freshmen Dr. Fitch and Dr. Fosdick addressed those members of the class not in uniform.

The results of the Harvard United War Work Campaign conducted under the auspices of the Brooks House Association were most satisfactory, for counting the subscriptions made by members of the Faculty, a total of just under $40,000 was collected. The Red Cross Membership Campaign, conducted by T. R. Thayer '21, during the last week before vacation, enrolled 400 as members.

Mention should also be made of the Thanksgiving and Christmas entertainments which were carried out this year, as in the past, with marked success, and of the revising and enlarging of the register of rooms and lodgings available for students, in anticipation of the large number of men returning to College after January 1.

With the opening of College after the Christmas recess the work of the War Cabinet was taken and continued by the Executive Cabinet with the vice-president acting as president in the absence of R. Emmet '19. The first work of the Cabinet was to conduct a brief financial campaign in the University and Graduate Schools. The amount collected in this, together with that of the smaller campaign held last autumn, was $4,690, a total greater than even last year's subscription of $4,346.44. Such results are very gratifying, but one cannot help feeling that, if the number of contributions indicates the amount of interest and sympathy in the student body for the work of the Association, there ought to be 2000 instead of 550 names on the list of those subscribing. Another year special emphasis should be placed, it seems to me, not only on raising a large sum of money from the undergraduates but particularly on getting every one to contribute something, however small, to the good work of the Association.

The plan instituted last year for promoting discussion and thought among the students on present day political, economic, and social questions was renewed this year with equal success and interest. Weekly Discussion Groups, led by a professor or instructor, have been held since the beginning of the year under the direction of the Christian Association of Brooks House with entirely satisfactory results. A series of discussion meetings, called "A Forum for Harvard Men," were begun on February 11, when Professor Wiener talked to 160 students on "Bolshevism" and subsequent meetings were addressed by Professor Munro, Professor Carver, President Eliot and others.

What promises to be one of the most prominent activities of the Association was initiated in March in the reorganization of the Harvard Mission in the form of a committee to arouse and maintain interest among the undergraduates and alumni in opportunities for foreign reconstruction work. The project was initiated as a result of the visit of Dr. R. M. Story '08, head of the Y. M. C. A. in Siberia, to Cambridge on March 12.

Among the lesser activities should be mentioned the revision of the constitution of the Association by a special committee acting with the Graduate Committee and the report made on the League of Nations Conference held in Boston by P. Hofer '21, who was present as a delegate of the Association.

Such in outline was the work of Phillips Brooks House Association during the past twelve months. Too much credit cannot be given to the Graduate Secretary, H. Thurston '16, who, as author of every new plan, has been solely responsible for the success of the Association's efforts; to W. Tibbetts '17, for his valuable work as Associate Graduate Secretary; to the members of the War Cabinet, whose time and energy enabled Brooks House to carry on its good work in a most difficult period; and to my own associates of the Executive Cabinet for their faithful co-operation and interest in the year's success. In commenting upon the situation, I can make but one suggestion and repeat the appeal that is almost annually made for wider and more active interest in the work of the Association among the whole undergraduate body, for on this alone depends the success or failure of our good work.  J. G. COOLIDGE '20.

Report of the Treasurer.

As the fiscal year for Phillips Brooks House Association does not end until June 1, it is impossible at this date to give a complete account of the finances for 1918-1919. The particular character of the year's expenditures merely will be noted.

As in 1917-18, the items listed under "Military and Naval Aid" were numerous and large. The Y. M. C. A. Hut at the Naval Radio School, which had been doubled in size and operations since the last treasurer's report, cost $213.91 to be maintained from June 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year, to August 1, when it was taken over by the National Y. M. C. A. During the summer $255.61 was expended on stationery and entertainment for the R. O. T. C. in the Cambridge barracks and at Camp Thayer.

At the beginning of the College year in September our credit in the bank was $4,203.50: Heavy expenditures in connection with the S. A. T. C. and the Ensign School were foreseen throughout the coming year. In view of the fact it was decided to launch a financial campaign before the small nucleus of Harvard men in the S. A. T. C. left College for training camps. A brief drive among the disorganized conditions of the University during the formation of the S. A. T. C. netted $1,698.76.

Expense in connection with the S. A. T. C. and the Ensign School were as follows: the operation of a canteen in the Speakers' Club at 9 Holyoke street cost $517.19. Entertainments on five evenings consisting of 47 Workshop plays given in the Hasty Pudding Club at 2 Holyoke street amounted to $334.31. Notepaper and envelopes for the corps came to $225.83. In all, the military and naval items amounted to $1,547.35.

In addition to the heavy military expenditure there were the usual items of postage, printing, office expenses, telephone, salaries, entertainment, and house committee, etc.

The annual financial drive was made from February 11 to 17 by three competing teams composed of Sophomores under Junior captains. To this the returned members of the College and Graduate Schools responded generously with $3,036.58, which sum although $1,026.27 less than the collection of 1917-18, was very encouraging from a little more than half-filed University. It must be remembered, too, that the $1,698.76 taken in last fall was in large part given by the Harvard men in the S. A. T. C. Thus the total collection from the University for the year was $4,735.34, exceeding the 1917 figures by $672.49.  D. C. HAWKINS '20.

Librarian's Report.

There are several divisions of the Phillips Brooks House Library which must be included in this report. They are: The Text Book Loan Library, the Randall Library, and the St. Paul's Society and Christian Association reading rooms.

Although the College was in the hands of the government, there was the usual rush at the beginning of the year and the library was accordingly open every day for about the first ten days after courses began regularly. During the rest of the year it has been opened three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The courses did not regularly begin until the tenth of October and the decrease of regular students at the College was tremendous, yet the total number of books issued was scarcely 100 less than the year before, a total of 497 being issued. Of this number 96 were law books, issued to men of the Law School. This is an entirely new feature in recent years and was made especially effective this year by the generous gift of several volumes by Secretary Ames of the Law School.

The total number of volumes in the Loan Library is nearly 3,000. This sounds like a large number, but many, probably over half of these are out of date and the need for new books is as great as ever. The need for new books is really greater than ever, as the clothing collection last fall netted scarcely any books at all. A great deal more is expected from the collection this spring.

The Randall Library, which contains books on Missions, Social Service and Religion, has had the addition of 26 useful volumes, 12 on Social Service, 4 on Mission and 10 on Religion.

It might be appropriate to add that these books may be drawn by any student of the University, for two weeks and renewed on the expiration of that time. These books are of great value and interest, particularly to those men who are in charge of boys clubs and it would be well to publish this fact more broadly.

The Reading Room of the Christian Association has been used and thoroughly enjoyed by the men of the Radio School until February 1, not only as a reading room for all the current literature to which the organizations of Phillips Brooks House subscribe, but also as a writing room. Now that its usefulness in this respect is over, we sincerely hope that the Reading Room will continue to be used by men in the University.

J. MURRAY STEELE, JR., '21, Librarian.

Christian Association.

The activities of the Harvard University Christian Association during this most unusual of College years, in which we have changed from a war to a post-war basis, might be plotted mathematically by a curve which begins below the line, but gradually reaches a considerable height above it; and the same I believe, is true of most other College activities.

Our delegation to the college men's Y. M. C. A. conference at Northfield last spring was the smallest we have sent in some years, consisting of only eleven men, three American and eight foreign students, under the leadership of J. O. Crane '21. However, other college delegations were reduced proportionately, so we need not feel that our poor showing was exceptional.

During the fall team, the S. A. T. C. period, only two of the newly elected officers were in College and the Association was in a disorganized condition; but even if our organization had been complete, we could have done practically nothing, judging from the reports I received of conditions prevailing here.

At this time, the Association suffered a great loss in the death of one of these officers, D. Withington '20, our vice-president.

After the signing of the armistice and discharge of men from the S. A. T. C., and the return of old men to College all College activities began to revive; and we held our first Christian Association meeting on Sunday morning, January 12.

During the next two weeks the president appointed the chairmen of the standing committees, and this cabinet filled the two vacant offices by electing C. P. Fuller '19, vice-president, succeeding D. L. Withington '20, and O. C. Stamper '21, treasurer, to succeed Roger Clapp '19, who had not returned to College. So by the first of February the Association was completely reorganized and was functioning normally.

Although war conditions have handicapped the present cabinet more than any previous cabinet, and although it has been working together for only two months and a half, that is, since the middle of January, nevertheless, I feel that it has done remarkably well, owing to the enthusiastic, efficient, and conscientious way in which the committees have gone about the solution of various problems.

The following brief sketches of the work of the different committees is taken