Warm Christmas

A scrap drive is the sort of thing most students file away with the things they'd finish when they tie loose ends before leaving college. These days, that eventuality may arise rather often, and, just as before, the scrap solicitors are just as eager to accept the old clothes as in past years.

And most students would never bother to find out exactly where the clothing would go to, and what it would be used for. It is part of the general lack of knowledge of the surroundings of the College that is prevalent in a town such as Cambridge, and because of it, misunderstanding may arise between town and gown.

Cambridge, being a heavily industrialized town, has more than its share of impoverished or needy citizens. A visit to the environs of the Lever Bros. plant would be enough evidence to convince the skeptic of this problem. And these needy are benefited only slightly by the increase in war jobs, since some form of physical disability often prevents any form of labor.

Here Phillips Brooks House steps in every year, with its old clothes drive, aimed at the comfort of as many as can be helped by the discarded suits, clothes, sweaters of Harvard men. Apart from the general sentiment, the clothes are genuinely appreciated, especially during a winter when fuel oil will be rationed. Thus, helping the old clothes drive, either by donating or soliciting, is a contribution to the welfare of the Community surrounding the College.