FOREIGNERS IN DAYTON,
AN INVESTIGATION
BY
ALICE M. DOREN
YOUNG WOMEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
IMMIGRATION AND FOREIGN COMMUNITY DEPARTMENT
DAYTON, OH
FOREIGNERS IN DAYTON
AN INVESTIGATION
By Alice M. Doren
Secretary of The Immigration and Foreign Community Department,
Young Women’s Christian Association
CONTENTS
I. FOREWARD
II. POPULATION OF DAYTON, NATIVE AND FOREIGN
Census of 1910
Figures of 1917 “to be added” [written in cursive. EH. ]
Location of foreign communities and distribution of nationalities
III. PUBLIC AGENCIES TOUCHING FOREIGNERS
I. COURTS
a. United States District (Naturalization).
b. Police
c. Juvenile
2. PUBLIC SCHOOLS
a. Day schools
b. Night schools
3. PUBLIC LIBRARIES
4. CITY WELFARE DEPARTMENT
a. Vital Statistics
b. Legal Aid
c.State-City Employment Bureau
5. MONTGOMERY COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY
IV. PRIVATE AGENCIES TOUCHING FOREIGNERS
I. Associated Charities 6. Churches
2. Visiting Housekeeper a. American Catholic; Parochial School
3. Visiting Nurses b. Foreign Catholic;
4. Playgrounds c. American and foreign Protestant
5. Jewish work 7. Young Men’s Christian Association
8. Young Women’s Christian Association
V. NATIONALITIES
I. Hungarian 4. Greek 7. Lithuanian
2. Rumanian[sic] 5. Syrian 8. Bohemian
3. Italina 6. Polish 9. Others
VI. WHAT TO DO
i. Strategic Points for Work
2. An “AMERICA FIRST” Campaign
3. Community Houses
4. An AMERICAN FOREIGN-LANGUAGE SERVICE BUREAU
I.
FOREIGNERS IN DAYTON
No survey of foreigners in Dayton has ever been made, and there is no census of foreigners since the federal census of 1910. In order to proceed intelligently with welfare work for foreign women and girls, to bring to the knowledge of the public generally, and particularly to inform those interested in the proper assimilation of immigrant aliens in our midst, this investigation has been undertaken. The time allowed being insufficient for exhaustive research, the findings are offered as a report in general of conditions among foreigners in Dayton, the ultimate object being the acquisition of information concerning women and girls. The inquiry sets forth the total population, native and foreign, as given in the United States census of 1910, with the distribution and approximate numbers of the various nationalities in the city; the agencies, public and private, operating among foreigners, including a partial report of the first years work in this field of the Young Women’s Christian Association; some facts relating to the different nationalities here; and a few suggestions as to the things most necessary to be done immediately. It will be borne in mind that we are only just beginning to touch the problem.
Our problem of immigration in Dayton is simple, as yet, compared to that of the cities of large foreign populations on the coasts, the lakes, and inland cross-roads of travel. It is simpler because we are younger and less congested. We have wider and more open streets, lower and smaller buildings. In general, each little home has its own plot of ground to admit air and sunlight. Our tenements are not so forbidding as abodes for the human race as those in older centers. But, in an industrial city of over 120,000 where more than one-third of the population is foreign-born, or of foreign parentage, we should recognize that we have a foreign problem; and with the high standards of efficiency for which Dayton is advertised, we can not ignore the actual living conditions and proper American education of so large a percentage of her people. We have it in our power to make Dayton a model cityin[sic] her provision for her foreign population. It is only a question of fair treatment and just civic recognition. We have the intelligence and we have the means; we must have the will and the thoroness[sic], and model conditions for our coming American can be achieved. Without this fairness and thoroness in protecting and educating the foreigner, our municipal house-keeping will be sadly defective. The problem of the immigrant is a new and vital factor in our urban life which demands adjustment with the other social problems of the complex system of today; but the women and men of Daytoncooperating [sic] thru public and private agencies, can convert one district after another.
II. POPULATION OF DAYTON, CENSUS OF 1910
In the absence of more recent figures, we take as a starting point the census of 1910. Doubtless many foreigners answered the call to their colors at the outbreak of the war, and we should expect to find material changes and increase in seven years, and since the flood, in a prosperous manufacturing city as Dayton is. In 1919 the total population was 116,557. Of these, native, and white foreign and mixed percentage, 25,559
Foreign-born white 15,847
Chinese and Japanese 28
Negro 4,842
Note that foreign-born plus those of foreign parentageare [sic] 39,434 say one-third of Dayton’s population. Out of 38,000 (round numbers) males of voting age, 21,000 are native white and native parentage; 8,000 of foreign of mixed parentage; and 7,300, or 19.2 percent are foreign-born white. We do not know how many of these 7,300 are naturalized and can vote.
Census of 1910, foreigners in our ten wards:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
482 554 4162 898 1917 672 784 2293 1145 860
The numbers of nationalities represented in Dayton as reported in the 1910 census were
Austria 660 Italy 356(now 3,000)
Canada 552 Russia 1,526
England 461 Scotland 140
France 93 Sweden 42
Germany 5,816 Switzerland 118
Hungary 2,761 (now 5 to 6,000)Turkey 215
Greece 47 (now 700) Others 175
Ireland 974
There was no mention seven years ago of Syrians who today number 150; of Dutch, today about 100; of Serbs, today 100; of Bulgarians, today 100; of Poles, today, 1600; of Rumanians, today about 3,000. Note also that Greeks have increased from 47 to 700 tday; Hungarians from 2,700 in 1910, to between 5,000 and 6.000 today; Italians from 356 to 3,000.
LOCATION OF FOREIGN COMMUNITIES AND DISTRIBUTION BY NATIONALITY
1. The one unadulterated foreign community in Dayton is the Hungarian colony in North Dayton. The whole of north Dayton may be regarded as the largest foreign community in the city, although it is perhaps half American. The “Colony” is composed of five or six hundred Hungarians, one hundred Rumanians, and other nationalities living in an enclosed area bordering on Leo Street, north side. When it was started fourteen years ago by a Hungarian Jewish agent of the Barney and Smith Car Works it was considered Dayton’s jumping-off place. It is still on the north boundary of north Dayton. Hungarians were the first to settle here and had their uprisings and downsittings regulated by the chapel tell and the will of this Jewish agent. Today, the gates are left open, and any one may walk thru a foreign village whose heart and center is Moskowitz’ saloon and clubhouse. Moskowitz, the old-time agent, is still in charge, tho inclined to be more conciliatory to educational influences. He has managed the business of all the foreigners, arranging their arrivals, their employment, their housing, their buying, drinking, and all their interests have always his interests! The foreigners [word “foreigners” was penciled in] even receive their mail, and cash their checks at his bar!
During the winter of 1916-17 the Y.M.C.A. conducted an evening English class for men, had Sunday night lectures by representative citizens, with moving pictures on profitable subjects, free to all the people, in the club hall over the saloon. The president of the club presided. The full attendance of men, women, and children at these entertainments shows the genuine appreciation that exists [“that exists” is penciled in]for wholesome recreation, a thing [“a thing” is penciled in] which is conspicuously absent among foreigners nominated by liquor dealers.
Outside the colony anywhere in north Dayton live foreigners of many nationalities. Their residence begins immediately after crossing the Keowee Street bridge. Turning west, some of the streets are almost wholly foreign; others, in either direction, are foreign and American mixed; such as Herman, Webster, Taylor, Herbert, Kiser, Daller, Earl, Ohio, Air, Leonhard, Warner, Notre Dame, Leo, Alaska, Valley, Lucaswitz, etc.
Besides the Hungarians in the colony, and those scattered throughout North and east Dayton to the number of two thousand or twenty-five hundred, there are three thousand Hungarians on the west side. North Dayton also contains five-sixths of the Poles, two-thirds of the Bohemians, all but one or two families of the Lithuanians, most of the Dutch, a large percentage of the Austrians, Greeks, Italians, Turks, Croatians, Bulgarians, Russians, and Serbs. Outside of the work of the Y.M.C.A., occasional attendants at American churches, and the two public schools, there is no organized welfare work for foreigners located in this our largest foreign community. In this connection, however, two much praise cannot be given to the valuable services of the visiting nurses, and visiting housekeeper, a part of whose time is devoted to the great needs of the district.
2. The foreign community second in size is on the west side, westof [sic] Broadway and north of Third Street. Here are about six thousand foreigners, of whom are between two and three thousand Hungarians, an equal number of Rumanians, with Poles, Greeks, Macedonians, Serbs, Croatians, Bulgarians, Turks, and Russians, in much smaller numbers. The Holy Name Catholic Church on Dale Avenue forms the center of the Hungarians. Across the street from the Catholic church is the Hungarian Baptist Mission, and on the next block on Blaine Avenue, is the Hungarian Reformed Church. The Rumanians have their St. Gabriel’s Greek Catholic Church on north summit Street near Fifth.
It is in this locality of the west side, because of the greater congestion, and because of the fact that the Y.M.C.A. had started[handwritten: “work”] in this section, that the Young Women’s Christian Association chose to begin work for foreigners.
3. East Dayton, that is, east Monument Avenue, east First, east Second, east Third, east of Keowee Street, --Crane, Findlay, Sachs, Springfield, and many other streets in the neighborhood, are rapidly filling up with foreigners of mixed nationality. The majority are Catholics, but the Catholic priests in most of the parishes visited appear ignorant of or indifferent to their presence with them. The Polish priest is an exception in being interested in the Americanisation of his people. The people themselves are too apathetic in the matter, and not yet awake on the educational side. In this locality, the Springfield Street Settlement House which, under Mrs. Palmer, has done so much for the Americans of the neighborhood, has offered the Y.W.C.A. the use of its equipment for domestic science work among the foreigners, and the first steps for organizing a foreign mothers’ club have been taken.
4.Most of the Russian Jews are in south Dayton east of Brown Street in the neighborhood of Wyoming Street and Wayne Avenue where the two orthodox synagogs[sic] are located. Dayton has a wellestablishet [sic] Jewish population of 4,500 thruout [sic] the city; but only about 200 Jewish immigrants of the last five years. Dayton Jews have plans for a community house to be erected in this part as soon as they can be relieved of the European war burdens which all have been carrying since the beginning of the war.
- In the region of south Brown and Hickory Streets, south Main Street, and Burns Avenue, there is a small and scattered colony of Syrians, a few of whom have been here 18 years. They are Roman Catholic. No welfare work has been done for them.
- In Edgemont there is a small colony of Austrians, and some Italians.
- The Italians are scattered everywhere thru the city. The largest number are living in the east central streets of Bainbridge, Commercial, Montgomery, and McDonough.
III. Public Agencies
The chief public agencies visited are: The courts, the public schools, the public libraries, the City welfare department, the Montgomery County Humane Society.
I. The COURTS.
The United States District Court. Naturalization.
We have in our city one of the United States district courts of which aliens may receive naturalization. To become a citizen of the United States, an alien must first “declare his intentions” to become a citizen, at which time he takes out his “First papers.” In the last year from April 22nd, 1916, to May 3rd, 1917, there were 427 aliens from 22 different countries who asked to take this first step. The second step toward naturalization cannot occur until five years have elapsed after taking out “first papers.” This is called the “Petition for Naturalization”. During the same period of a little more than one year, 133 petitions for naturalization, or “second papers” were issued at our federal court.
After the second papers have been issued, 90 days must elapse beforethe [sic] applicant can be examined and have it determined whether or not he or she is qualified to be made a citizen. If the applicant passes the examination, he or she receives a “certificate of Naturalization”, when he or she becomes a citizen with the full rights and duties of an American. If a man is married, his wife and minor children also become citizens automatically when he is naturalized. During this past year preceding May 7th, only 32 received certificates of naturalization. Many come up for naturalization and fail to pass. Thirty-two is a very small number in one year to become citizens out of the large foreign population Dayton has. The number ought to be brought up into the hundreds, at least, by there instructions upon our [not sure if I have this right! Hard to read the copy] Constitution and citizenship, in night school or other classes. Perhaps no work in the teaching of citizenship to foreigners in this country is equal to that of Mr. Eyler’s in Cincinnati. There the classes continue thruout [sic] the entire year, and pre-suppose at least two years of night school study in English. The regular course is three months four nights a week, two hours a night. Cincinnati has not so large a foreign population, proportionally, as Dayton; but in nine months of last year they had an excellent enrolment of 285 men and women in citizenship classes alone.
The question of citizenship is one which should be agitated vigorously, to get foreigners who intend to remain in this country to qualify; for to do so is in every way a benefit to them; and to preserve our institutions, the naturalization of foreigners is imperative to us. Many foreigners neglect to learn English on first coming to America, and then grow more and more indifferent, until often they have been here a generation and are still ignorant of language and customs. Therefore it behoves [sic] Americans to look them up early on their arrival, and introduce them to our schools.
b. Police Court.
The immigration work of the Young Women’s Christian Association is of course carried on in the interests of foreign women and girls. In visiting the Police Court, I find that cases of foreign women coming before that court/are comparatively rare. Some cases do not reach the policewomen, but are handled directly by the men officers. I was referred to the police matron and learned of her that she had had only nine cases from January 1st to May 10th. Of these, one was for destruction of property while drunk; one for selling liquor without a license; and seven for coal-stealing. Five of these latter had been brought in early one morning in May. Only one of the women could speak English. Her testimony sounds very reasonable, and her misdemeanor seems most natural under the circumstances. She explained that the weather was so cold, coal so high, and they saw so many others doing the same thing who never got caught. She could name persons who had their sheds full. The matron thot [sic] these women would not repeat the offence.
Occasionally cases of immorality and other troubles get into this court, but foreign women are here conspicuous mainly by their absence, and their number is insignificant in presence of the 1600 cases in all handled by the policewomen in 1916. But this information which apparently reflects credit on the foreign women must be supplemented by testimony from an intelligent Hungarian as to the presence of flagrant immorality among certain nationalities, due in part to entirely different standards and a different code for correction in their native country; and certainly it is very largely due to the fearful congestion of their living here. Along with the statement from an eye-witness that thirty men and women, married and single, were sleeping in five rooms, it is not so surprising to hear also the appalling statement that there is not a little girl of ten years among the Rumanians who is “an honest girl” ! Think of such a situation with soldiers and an increased number of workmen in our city!
c. Juvenile Court.
The record of 1915 sh—d [sic]cases of delinquency of foreign children of foreign parents, 46; of American children, i.e., those born in American of foreign parents, 44; total, 90 children of foreign parents in 1915. The probation officer estimated cases of foreigners to be from 20-33 percent of all cases.
The Probate Court I have not inquired into. I know of one sad case of a Hungarian mother gone hopelessly insane from drink, committed to the State Hospital. Her two small children were sent to the House of Detention until they could be sent to the Children’s Home.
2. PUBLIC SCHOOLS
a. Day Schools
There are in the public day schools, excluding the count of the kindergartens, 716 foreign children, of 18 different nationalities.
They are
Italian Russian Jew Austrian English
Greek Lithuanian German Scotch
Slav Hungarian French Irish
Pole Rumanian Swiss Canadian
Russian Italian [mentioned again. –eh]
I am surprised that the number is as low as this, but the kindergarten would raise it materially. The total enrolment of our day schools is 19,100. If we subtract 1,100 for the kindergartens in the 25 schools the 716 foreigners are about 4 percent of the 18,000 remaining. The schools having the largest number are the Allen in north Dayton with 209 foreigners, where Germans, Hungarians, and Russians lead (this is 28.1 percent of the entire enrolment); and the Webster in north Dayton with 125. The Edison on north Broadway, west side, is third with 168 foreigners.
b.Night Schools
The public night school is in one centrally located school, the Stivers Manual training High School, a most beautiful and splendidly equipt school. There are three classes which are in operation six months of the year from October until March 23rd on three nights a week. These classes are for beginners, intermediates, and the teaching of citizenship. There were 155 foreigners enrolled in all classes last year. About one-fifth of these were women.
3. PUBLIC LIBRARIES
The Public Library offers 5200 books and periodicals in twenty languages:
German Dutch Russian Servian Portuguese
French Italian Armenian Croatian
English for Foreigners Bulgarian Danish
Yiddish Spanish Lithuanian Swedish
Classic Hebrew Greek Bohemian Polish
This is one-sixteenth of the total 85,000 volumes in our library.
Among the many foreign readers the Yiddish are the most conspicuous for number. Our libraries are on the alert to furnish and help foreign-speaking patrons to find the books they can read; and are ready to install branch libraries with foreign-speaking attendants in any of the schools in foreign neighborhoods, as soon as the school authorities can provide for them. The librarian will cooperate with leaders of the various nationalities in giving entertainments in the assembly rooms of the Branch Libraries, the programs to be suggested by the leaders themselves. The librarians are always ready to help in providing improving recreation.
4. CITY WELFARE DEPARTMENT
a Vital Statistics
Vital Statistics taken from the Board of Health records for 1916 show in the first 1,000 of the 3,500 birth certificates, 140 childrenof [sic] full foreign parentage, and 50 of foreign and American parentage, totaling 190, or 19 percent of foreign or half-foreign parentage out of 1,000 births. The ages of the mothers range from 15 to 40. The number of children of these same mothers ranges from 1to [sic] 11. Of the 190, 48, or nearly 25 percent of the deliveries were performed by midwives and 142 by physicians.
b. Legal Aid
No charge at all is made to recipients of legal aid. By eliminating certain types of cases, the office feels it comes near to serving those who are really unable to pay. The cases eliminated are: (1) Domestic relations-divorce, alimony, non-support, which are referred to the Court of Domestic Relations and the Humane Society; (2) Cases of property owners and store-keepers; (3) Damages to property; Personal injury cases are referred to Workmen’s Compensation thru the State Industrial Commission; (5) Criminal cases; (6) Cases wherein an attorney for reasonable service can receive a reasonable fee.
Report of legal aid to foreigners for the year 1916:
Out of a total of 1,027 cases handled are 86 for foreigners in eleven languages: men 66; women 20. The eleven nationalities are as follows:
Hungarians 28 Greeks 9 French 2
Germans 32 Italians 3 Swiss 1
Austrians 1 Rumanians 1 Irish 1
Russians 7 Servians 1
Character of foreign complaints:
(1) Work and labor; inability to collect pay on quitting job.
(2) Of women for arrears in payment for board and room.
(3) Landlord and tenant. Landlord raises rent and does not improve property.
(4) Domestic relations. Referred to Court of Domestic Relations and Humane Society
c. State-City Employment Bureau.
Applications from foreign men average 18 to 20 percent; applications from foreign women average 5 to 8 percent of the total number. During two months the number of women applicants was 22, or 8 percent of all women applicants. There is no interpreter in this office.
5. MONTGOMERY COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY
The total number of complaints for the year 1916 was 625. Complaints of foreigners, 260, or 41.7 percent, in 8 known, and some unknown nationalities.
Irish 42 Polish 9
German 111 Austrian 2
English 10 Hungarian 30
Jewish 9 Others 39
Italian 7
Nature of complaints:
(1) Non-support and abandonment 356[numbers are not clear on copy.—eh]
Children involved
(2) Abuse and mistreatment 138
Children involved 168
p. 8
(3) Immoral conduct of parent 43
(4) Destitution 23
iv. PRIVATE AGENCIES TOUCHING FOREIGNERS
i. THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES
Statistics for 1916017.
Number of families assisted, 52. Persons involved, 236.
Nationalities, 12.
German 13 Slavish 3 Rumanian 2
Polish 11 Russian 2 Mexican 1
Hungarian 11 Italian 2 Syrian 1
Lithuanian 3 Irish 2 Japanese 1
The average relief to each family was $21.54 in groceries, coal, and special relief.
2. Visiting Housekeeper.
One-third of the visiting housekeeper’s work is in foreign families. She has made 746 visits in foreign homes in the last year, in north Dayton, the east end, and on the west side, mainly. Miss Appenzellar enjoys her work among foreigners, and finds them open-minded and more responsive in taking suggestions than her American families. At every point she feels the need of a community house and practical house-keeping center. At present, she is preparing for the expected food shortage by offering thruout the city demonstrations of the canning and preserving of vegetables and fruits. Among those given for foreigners was that at the Edison School for the west side for which an interpreter was provided.
3. Visiting Nurses Association.
Foreign patients cared for during 1916, men, women, and children total 172.
Visits of nurses to 112 patients in 15 nationalities.
“ “ visiting housekeeper 21 “ “ 10 “
“ “ 2 dispensary 39 “ “ 8 “
During the summer months a milk station and baby clinic is conducted at the Edison School in the west side foreign district. The nurses find their foreign patients teachable and appreciative of their services.
4.Playgrounds.
Of the 21 playgrounds of the city, three are in neighborhoods of foreigners. These are on Benn Avenue, on the west side; Walters Grove, in north Dayton; and in the neighborhood of Springfield Street Settlement House near Irwin Street in east Dayton. There are some bad dumping-grounds at various points in the city that are ideally located for playgrounds, if the city would force the owners to clean up. One disgraceful spot is a large area, the interior of the two blocks bounded on the west side bounded by North Summit, Negley Place, Falkner, and River streets, owned by M.S. Bonn. The homes of hundreds of little children open out in the rear to this ground which is a wilderness of dump heaps and miscellaneous refuse, revolting to the eyes and an unsanitary breeding-place for flies. Those living in the houses adjacent complain of the bad smells and the flies. The man who owns the land, owns many of the houses abutting it, and neglects their repairs as he does the vacant ground, at the same time advancing the rent. The poor people have no other place to go. No other houses are to be had. They are obliged to endure the dangerous steps, the leaking roves, unsanitary back yards, and the whole vista of ash heaps and garbage at their back doors, tho they pay for wholesome and respectable surroundings but do not enjoy them. The visiting housekeeper says it is futile to urge cleanliness inside and about the house, when their constant outlook is this degrading spectacle. The situation admits of entire transformation at not excessive cost. It is patent to the most casual observer that the ground should be leveled off and at least made wholesome and decent for the crowded population living on its border. Since the land is private property, it becomes a question of the city’s requiring the owner to clean it up.
5. Jewish Work.
Dayton Jews are conspicuous among our most progressive and philanthropic citizens. Their societies reach out to all their people. Of the reformed Jews of the Temple there are the B’nai B’rith; and the B’nai Ashuro; the Young Men’s and the Young Women’s Hebrew Association; the Jewish Charities; the beneficial societies of the two orthodox synogogs, the House of Jacob, and The House of Abraham, of which there are three in each, one for men, women, and children. A visiting committee of the Young Men’s Hebrew Association conducts a class in English for twenty-four Jews at the Patterson School night class in English for twenty-four Jews at the Patterson School during the past year. The Jews themselves “rush the process of citizenship,” and of all our immigrants, need the least stimulus toward self-improvement educationally. They are eager for the privileges which were denied them thru unsympathetic governments in the old country. There are only about 200 Jews who have come here within the last five years. Dayton Jews have plans for the erection of a community house in the southeastern part of the City after the war.
6. Churches.
a. American Catholic, and their parochial schools.
There is usually a small sprinkling of foreigners in all the Catholic churches, with one or more children in the parish school, whether the priest notices the fact, or not. No particular attention, however, is paid to them as such, and in some cases, the priest stated that he had no foreigners, where we had evidence that there were foreigners in the parish.
b. Foreign Catholic, and their parochial schools
I. Poles.
The Poles, numbering 1,600, wherever located thruout the city, have their membership at the St. Adelbert’s Polish Catholic Church on east Valley Street, north Dayton. The pastor, Father Rufus Baranski, is a liberally educated man and a good American, anxious for his people to learn English and American customs. He deplores their apathy and indifference in attending night schools, and their intemperance, and would gladly encourage Americanization or domestic science work among them, as indeed many of the people themselves would welcome such teaching.
Most of the Poles belong to the men’s and women’s societies in the church. The organizations for women are the societies of “The Sacred Heart”, and “Poor soulds” (for young women). The St. Adelbert’s parochial school has 80 boys and 70 girls who are taught English and Polish.
2. Lithuanian.
Seventy-five percent of the 706 Lithuanians are Catholic and belong to the Holy Cross Lithuanian Church on Leo Street between Alaska and Lucaswitz. Their church edifice is incomplete; the basement and first floor being now finished in handsome brown brick give promise of a substantial building. The congregation was organized in 1912. They have no parochial school, but send most of their children to the public schools.
3. Hungarian.
On the west side the Hungarians have their Church of the Holy Name on Dale Avenue, built in 1906. Attached to it is their parochial school of 231 children.
4. Rumanian.
St. Gabriel’s Greek Catholic Church was organized in 1916, when the Rumanians bought the old Summit Street United Brethren Church, very much to the displeasure of the Hungarian priest. For a few months the Rumanians had a Russian priest, who afterward removed to Canton, Ohio, and came to Dayton once a month to hold services. They have no school.
c. American and foreign Protestant Churches.
I. American Baptist, Summit Street.
The American churches, with the exception of the Summit Street Baptist under the Rev. O. E. Hall, have done no serious missionary work for foreigners. Mr. Hall and his people have had missions among the Hungarians and Rumanians separately, for six years. The Hungarian work was begun in the mission on Dale Avenue and Dakota Street almost opposite the Hungarian Holy Name Church, which has proven to be a most unfortunate location that has caused the Baptist Hungarians much persecution necessitating recently the sale of their house and removal of the meeting-place. The Rumanians who are Protestants have voluntarily sought Mr. Hall’s church where they have services separately on Sunday afternoons. Two promising Rumanian Young men in whom all of Mr. Hall’s congregation take great interest and pride are being educated at Dennison (Baptist) University for Christian work among their people. Educated Rumanians are not numerous, and ministers among them are scarce, so that it seems there could hardly have been a better selection of work in the investment made.
2. Hungarian Reformed.
There is a Hungarian Reformed Church of 550 souls on Blaine Avenue, which celebrated its 10th Anniversary last December. It has societies for men, women, young men, and young women. The church seems to be prospering materially, having just undertaken the purchase of the Hungarian Mission church (Baptist) which it hopes to convert into a bath and community house. The Immigration Department of the Y.W.C.A. Cooperated with the pastor’s wife in conducting a sewing school during the past year.
7. THE YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
The Y.M.C.A. have had 6 classes in four public schools this year: at the Washington, Patterson, Webster, Edison; 9 classes in boarding houses and homes; and 2 classes at the Y.M.C.A. building; altogether 17 classes with a total enrolment of 225. They have conducted lectures with moving picture entertainments on Sunday nights at the Hungarian Club in the north Dayton Colony. Besides this educational work, they cooperated with the Y.M.C.A. in all their social entertainments at the Edison School.
p. 12
8. YOUNG WOMEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. Summarized report.
I. Staff. One paid secretary, full time. 14 regular volunteer workers; 16 less regular volunteer workers.
2. Friendly Visiting
Visits, 1600
Special Cases advised and helped, 44.
Number of school notices and tickets distributed, 1100.
3. English teaching.
Number of classes in Edison School, 2, enrollment 20.
“ “ of Mother’s Clubs For English, 5, enrollment 37
Nationalities, 6 : Hungarian, Rumanian, Polish, Greek I,
Austrian I, Jewish I.
4. Educational Work, subjects other than English.
Sewing, cooking, nursing, and hygiene (maternity talks to expectant mothers), story-telling, making of Christmas presents three weeks, Red Cross sewing.
Special educational clubs or circles, 12. Enrollment, 130.
5. Lectures.
Number of lectures of talks in English, 7.
“ “ “ foreign languages, 4.
6. Community Work.
Baby Welfare Exhibit with City Welfare Department and Hungarian Catholic Church, attendance 600. Two days.
Number of other gatherings 6.
“ “ entertainments, foreigners taking part, 4.
“ “ neighborhood activities aided, 2.
Red Cross Emblem Day canvass, 4 foreign women took part.
7. Recreation.
Social gatherings, 17, of which 7 were outings.
Attendance, 695.
8. Younger Girls’ Work.
Groups meeting regularly, 5.
Organized clubs, 4. Volunteer leaders, II. Membership 76.
Activities:
Cooking and domestic science, stories, songs,
Games, outings, English thru stories.
9. Publicity.
Talks presenting work, 22.
Newspaper articles and notices 70.
Many conferences with persons interested in form of social work.
10. Out of town Conventions, Visits to institutions for foreigners:
June 1916, Cleveland.
August, 1916, Chicago; Lake Geneva, City Y.W.C.A. Conference
April, 1917, Cincinnati Field Conference.
June 3-6, 1917, National Immigration Conference, Pittsburgh
“ 6-13, 1917, National Conference Social Work, Pittsburgh
**[handwritten note at top of p. 13: “Insert after 8”---erin hunt]
8. Clubs for young married women, mostly non-English speaking.
Number foreign-born American women attending, 37-41.
Years in America, 2-15.
Activities: English, cooking, maternity talks.
I think this item tells the story most pathetically for this class of women. They are wholly unlettered and home-staying: their groups must meet in their small crowded homes-often three growing families in one little cottage. Their subjects must of necessity be limited to the most fundamental and practical. With a community house, we could offer a far greater variety of subjects, activities in which even these simple women could participate: and we could brighten their lives of drudgery with wholesome recreation entailing no bad after effects. We could teach them better household management and care for their children, better sanitation, with a practical housekeeping center and day nursery.
NATIONALITIES
Hungarian
There are 5000 Hungarians in Dayton. About 2,000 are in North Dayton and east Dayton east of the Madriver bridge. About 500 live in the North Dayton colony. On the west side there are 3.000. The first Hungarians came to Dayton in 1901 and located in the North Dayton colony. They were the saloonists, Mr. Lizak and Mr. Moskowitz, and Mr. Pohl. Ever since then Hungarians have continued to come and many have grown rich. Very many own their homes and other property as well. But we have reason to believe that the more ignorant among them are frequently exploited by their own rich men—saloonists and so-called “bankers”, who borrow, or “keep” their money without paying interest. When the working-men have no place to cash their checks except over the saloon counter near their shop, they not only lose a considerable part of their wages each week but are constantly drained of their mentality and working strength which is their only capital.
A large number of Hungarians have been here a long time, say from ten to fourteen years, and are quite content to remain ignorant of English and citizenship. Ninety-seven “first papers” were issued to Hungarians during the year and ten days ending May 3rd, 1917, twenty-eight “second papers”, during the same period. Thirty-five new citizens were reported from one of their number recently.
Housing as a rule is crowded; often three growing families live in one small cottage. As many as twenty-five and thirty men and women were found in four rooms on Dakota Street, at the expense of all decency and sanitation.
Living in circumscribed colonies of foreign people of their own and other nationalities, many of the parents lacking ambition and initiative in becoming Americans, the children (obliged to attend school) rapidly advance beyond the parents, and family discipline is upset. Girls graduate to the cigar factories as soon as the law allows them to leave school and they acquire “American” exteriors, at the same time assuming a most unfilial attitude of superiority toward their elders. This dangerous state of affairs is directly traceable to our neglect in educating the parents, mothers, as well as fathers, and comes back to us in an increased number of cases in the juvenile and other courts.
Most of the Hungarians are Catholics claimed by the Holy Name Church on Dale Avenue. This church has a school with some two hundred and thirty children. There is also a Hungarian Reformed Church of about five hundred and fifty souls which has a summer school for 180 children and a small Baptist mission recently obliged to sell their building on account of the Catholic opposition.
There are eleven Hungarian societies for men and women, all of which are beneficial in character. A “Dayton Hungarian Newspaper” is published weekly, and “The Hungarian Farmer” monthly is issued from the same office.
Rumanian
Tho not mentioned as a group in the 1910 census, Rumanians now number about 3,000 in Dayton. Perhaps one hundred live in the North Dayton colony, and the rest are on the west side of Broadway and north of Third Street. Those coming from Rumania proper are more intelligent and of a better type than those from Transylvania and Bukowina, two provinces wrested by Hungary from Rumania.
Nothing I have seen in foreign housing is as bad as that of Rumanians’. Crowded in three upstairs rooms were sixteen burly Rumanian men boarders with a family of four which included two little girls under thirteen. The older girl was kept out of school to do all the housework although she had had only one year’s schooling, while her parents both went out to work. When the truant officer was sent to put the girl in school the mother, very girlish in appearance herself, came home from the cigar factory; but it was not long until the law was again eluded and the daughter sent to keep house for a married sister in Detroit. This incident is indicative in a number of ways of the simple and low standards of life of this group. They have not developed initiative or independence, and they are usually illiterate in their own language, having come from a very poor, agricultural country; but they are pleased and responsive when a kindly attention is shown them by an American. They have good strong bodies and minds only waiting for cultivation. The social unit is the family plus as many boarders as can be crowded in, ten to twenty being a not unusual number; and quite often there are houses of Rumanian men living alone, with sometimes a day and night shift to occupy the same beds. Cleanliness and sanitation are not understood by the majority, and with the exception of a few, the value of an education seems not to have occurred to them. Their indifference to citizenship is seen from the fact that out of 427 “first papers” issued this past year from our United States Court, only two were to Rumanians and out of 133 “second Papers” only one was to a Rumanian.
Formerly Rumanians attended the Hungarian Catholic Church in their neighborhood; but owing to the differences in creed (these Rumanians belong to the Greek church) and the relations of the two nationalities in the old country, they naturally could not be congenial. About a year ago the Rumanians purchased the old Summit Street United Brethren Church and thankfully withdrew from the Hungarians. A good deal of race antipathy developt [sic] at the time when in dedicating their new church, the Rumanians blessed their flag. These simple people, claiming to be descended from the old Romans, are deserving of our careful supervising help. There is much in our civilization which is altogether unknown to them and they are not strong in initiative, but where they have opportunity, they develop admirable qualities. The Rev. O. E. Hall, pastor of the Summit Street Baptist Church has long been interested in this nationality on the west side, holding separate services for them on Sunday afternoons and taking them into membership. His congregation has been educating two promising young Rumanian men at Dennison University, who expect to enter the ministry or do social work among their own people.
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Italian
There have been Italians in Dayton for twenty-nine years. In 1868 the Satalias came, and three years later, the Catalanos. Today there are about seven hundred families, or three thousand souls, the great majority of whom are Cicilians. Some fifteen families come from the state of Tuscany, Luano, Genoa, and Naples. Italians live in all parts of the city; in north Dayton, South Park, east First, east Second, east Monument Avenue, in Edgemont, Riverdale; but the largest Italian community is in the east central part at Bainbridge, Montgomery, Commercial and McDonough streets.
No Italian immigrants have arrived since the war, and only those with families in the old country returned to join the colors. The social unity is the family. There are few unattached single men here. In no foreign nationality are women and girls so closely guarded as in the Italian. If a girl be invited to a picnic, or to join a girl’s club, it is necessary to win the consent of the whole family, especially of the father and brothers; and even thru courtship there is the closest surveillance of the girl.
Italians are unusually Catholic. Many attend the St. Josephs’ and Holy Angels churches. There is an Italian Lodge for social meetings and mutual benefits which has a membership of one hundred and fifty men and women. A women’s lodge of the “Immaculate Conception” was started, but did not succeed, because as one of the women said, “the women are not used to leaving their homes much.’
Italians like America, and Dayton. It is well known how thriftily they save in order to bring their families over. Even single men try to purchase houses. Frequently leaders of working gangs board their men “three and four in a room.” But Italians are not as eager as we should like in qualifying for citizenship. Only 23 out of 427 took out “First Papers” last year; and only 3 out of 133 took out “second Papers.” Such Italian employers as Mr. Catalano, the fruit wholesaler, encourage their employees to take steps immediately for naturalization as soon as they arrive.
No efforts in social work have been made in behalf of Italians. But I am assured by leading men and women of their number that they would gladly encourage such work among girls and women. One lady suggested that lessons in good housekeeping and American cooking were much needed and would be appreciated; and several thot [sic] that social and choral clubs would be welcomed by the girls.
Greek
In 1910, there were 47 Greeks in Dayton. Today, we have 750. Of the number is one veteran of our Civil War, and one of the Spanish-American. The majority are single men. A group of six families live on Sycamore Street, and there are a few families in north Dayton. The men live on west Third, west Second, east Third, east First, east Second, east Monument Avenue, on Keowee, Herman, and other streets of north Dayton.
Greeks are usually very good business men. They begin modestly enough, and gradually establish themselves as manufacturers and retailers of confectionary, as restaurateurs, grocers, an occasional butcher, quite frequentl
