The investigation showed also that altho the boards of directors of these institutions are probably acting conscientiously and are at any rate usually men of good standing, frequently clergymen, and altho these societies are supported in good part by religious organizations, sometimes with subventions from some foreign government, due care was not shown in selecting either the local superintendent in charge of the home or the representatives that met the immigrants. Altho the boards of directors in some cases reported that they frequently inspected the homes and supervised them carefully, in many cases this supervision was greatly lacking.

Perhaps the worst charge brought against the homes was that the managers were not sufficiently careful in investigating the places to which girls who applied for positions as servants were allowed to go. In a majority of the cases investigated it was found that people, representing themselves as agents and managers of disreputable houses, were able, by payment of a small fee, to have placed in their charge for work in one of these houses as ordinary servants, young immigrant girls, who in many instances did not know the kind of place to which it was purposed to send them. Of course, it is the duty of the managers of these institutions to do what they can to secure good, paying positions for the girls who are in their care, but certainly they should exercise discretion enough not to permit them to go into houses where their morals would be decidedly endangered.

When a girl is sent for to fill a position, a home of this type ought to investigate the place before letting her engage to work there. Moreover, after the girl has been placed in a position, the home ought to see

whether she has reached the place and to follow the case up for a few weeks, in order to know that the girl is properly started in the new country. Due care has not been shown. The Immigration Commission made an investigation of the addresses of 228 immigrant girls in charge of the missionaries and representatives of immigrant homes and reported upon by the managers of these homes as having been placed. The investigation was made within seven months, at the longest, from the date on which the girls left the home. In some cases they had been gone not over a month. Out of the 228 addresses given, only 178 were really correct; 39 were absolutely false, the girls having never been at the addresses given; 8 of the addresses were fictitious, that is, there was no such place, while 3 were well-known disorderly houses.

Since this investigation was made, the Commissioner at Ellis Island has taken care to have a number of the houses investigated again; in every case he has found the charges made by the earlier investigators correct, and he has taken strong measures to prevent such abuses in the future.

Influence of Immigrant Churches

The influences for and against assimilation exercised by immigrant churches upon the immigrants may, for the sake of clearness, be classified as follows, according to their direction:

TOWARD SEGREGATION

The influence toward segregation of aliens from native Americans is quite strong and is always present, except that the Germans, Irish, English, Scotch and

Scandinavians usually settle in the native sections of the cities and towns.

Another segregating influence is the maintenance of religious separation among immigrants by denominations. The exceptions to this influence are so rare as almost to escape notice. The church denomination of the immigrant is invariably that with which he was identified before emigration from his native land. Not even racial ties are able to destroy denominational lines. Evidences of the strength of denominational rivalry constantly occur in the courts. Magistrates in the foreign sections of industrial towns state that a considerable number of cases for assault and battery, as well as for more serious crimes, arise from denominational differences that lead to personal encounters and bitter rivalries of all kinds.

A third segregating influence is racial. The denominations of each race strive to have their own separate churches. The sectarian influence frequently proves stronger than the racial, but it does not seem to be permanent in any case.

All of these segregating tendencies are further strengthened by the parochial schools. The first step toward religious segregation after a number of immigrants of a given race and denomination have settled in a community is the sending of a missionary from the ruling body to arouse interest among the settlers. Then an organization is effected, and a priest or pastor, as the case may be, is placed among them and supported by them. Services are regularly held in rented buildings, and the work of gathering funds for erecting a church edifice is begun. Frequently the members are called upon to give even more than they can afford, altho in some instances a large part of the

money is given by one man who has acquired means. Sometimes the cooperation and assistance of industrial concerns are obtained, the officials of manufacturing establishments realizing that the erection of a church means a more stable population and a surer supply of alien labor.

TOWARD PERMANENCY OF RESIDENCE

Many of the priests and pastors of immigrant churches state that they are desirous of increasing the number of persons in their parishes and congregations, and that they encourage their members to induce their friends and relatives to come to this country. This condition of affairs mainly encourages immigration, as has been before stated, but it also tends to bring about permanent residence in this country of the new arrivals. The effort of the priests and pastors is not directed to immigrants in the larger cities or towns in the United States, where churches have been already organized for the different races and denominations, but to immigrants in any locality where there are no religious organizations for the race or denomination in question, and to friends and relatives in their native land. The work of the ministers along this line seems to be actuated by at least two considerations: First, their duty in strengthening the whole church body in America by concentration; second, their desire to increase the size of their own parishes or congregations, and hence to strengthen their own churches.

From the same motives and frequently from a sense of civic duty as well, the priests and pastors do all in their power to encourage permanency of residence among immigrants. Their statements to this effect have been corroborated by the testimony of the immi

grants themselves. This phase of the work of the immigrant church not only takes the form of mere verbal persuasion, but also that of encouragement of property owning, marriage, and home making, and frequently of assisting the local benefit associations. It can not be denied that the influence of immigrant churches is strong in the two directions outlined. The logically resultant effect of the forces thus created is distinctly against assimilation. Segregation prevents the removal of such barriers to assimilation as separation from natives, and racial and religious differences among themselves.

The settling influence is, on the other hand, permanent residence on the part of the immigrants, not only in the United States, but also in a certain locality, whereby they are enabled to have their friends and relatives with them here, and to become accustomed to the local environment as well as to have a home in a definite place. The result of these two opposing influences is the growth of certain "foreign sections" of the city made up of a large number of permanent residents of all the principal races so segregated from the natives as to foster a peculiar communal life, in not only the foreign "sections," but also in "colonies" formed by individual races.

Work of Native Churches and Religious Organizations Among Immigrants

The work done by native churches among the immigrants is regarded as of a purely missionary nature. There is little tendency to promote association among natives and foreigners such as exists among natives.