BROOKS HOUSE MAKES FOR HUMAN PROGRESS

I am sometimes asked to explain what Brooks House "does". That is hard to answer. The output of a machine or a factory is a tangible thing; that of a church or a university is largely intangible. Brooks House is in the latter class. It "does" things only in a sense that it builds character and offers a man a chance to serve his fellow men. It is for men who are more interested in "giving" than "getting", for those who think more of "community service" than "self service"

When the House was dedicated in 1900, three words were selected to denote its functions: Piety, Charity, Hospitality. I can express it in no better way. All three of these attributes are found in the life of a well-rounded man. It is the function of Brooks House to be a medium for the voluntary expression of these ideals on the part of men in the University.

Religious Field Well-Covered

From a religious point of view Brooks House is undenominational and non-sectarian. Its ten constituent societies and committees cover almost the entire field of religion and social service effort. Needless to say, no religious ualification is necessary for participation in the work.

Brooks House is perhaps best known because of its work for new students, the main features of which are the New Student Committee, the distribution of the Handbook, the information Bureau, the Monday night meetings, and the social service work. Receptions to new students this year, at which the work of Brooks House was explained, were attended by over 1000 men. The student working his way has been helped by the distribution of clothes and the Text Book Loan Library. Already this year over 900 college books and 200 law books have been lent.

The man interested in religious meetings may attend the weekly meeting on Thursday night or the meeting of the St. Paul's Society or the Catholic Club besides the daily and Sunday services at Appleton Chapel

For the man who wishes to express his religion whatever it may be in service for others, the opportunities are almost limitless. Last year over 400 men participated in some form of social service work and at least twice this number could have been used. This work consists mainly in leading boys' clubs of different kinds, teaching English to foreigners, and, for law students, free legal advice to the poor. In addition, almost every week in the college year a free entertainment is given in some settlement house. Besides these opportunities to help, other students do their bit by serving on various committees, which, among other things, collect money for the support of the work, old clothes for the poor, and books for the Loan Library.

Twenty years ago, all the philanthropic work in the University was done by several scattered organizations, with lack of coordination and cooperation Today all these societies and committees are housed under one roof with all the efficiency and economy resulting form centralization of effort and administration. Twenty years ago, this work was confined to the College. Today Brooks House has self-supporting organizations in all the graduate departments of the University, each of them a Brooks House in miniature.

The Work is not Petty

Materialists and believers in biological processes of improvement have had no share in the growth of this work. It has been done largely by men who believe fundamentally in the might of spiritual forces and in the bigness of small things. To some students it may seem almost petty to go to a settlement house once a week and there meet with a group of boys whose appreciation may be expressed in "razzing" and "rough-housing". A graduate who had some such job when in college told me recently that every year he has received appreciative letters from all the members of his group, most of whom have now become good citizens. Seemingly insignificant incidents like these make for human progress far more than big organizations or even the work of statesmen. William James has the right idea about progress when he wrote: "I am against all big successes and big results: and in favor of the eternal forces of truth which always work in the individual and immediately unsuccessful way--underdogs always, till history comes, after they are long dead, and puts them on the top."

Any man in the University who wants to do his "bit" for the cause of human progress will find the latch string always out at Phillips Brooks House.