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THE MAIL--

To the Editor of the Crimson, Dear Sir,

As a graduate of Cambridge University visiting this country and a member of the Secretariat of the British Student Christian Movement I read with great interest your editorial on Monday, February 7, entitled "The Student Friendship Fund", The great contributions by American students to the needs of the students of Europe in the years following the War evoked their appreciation and lasting gratitude.

In your editorial you seriously question the first aim of the S. F. F., namely, the stimulation of international minded ness, The fact that the Peace Treaties were signed about seven years ago does not mean that the effect of the War is not still felt in Europe, especially among students. There are at the moment some 10,000 Russian students exiled from their homeland, many of whom are to be found in the universities of Europe trying to carry on their studies against tremendous odds. It is these students whom the S. F. F. is trying to help in their hour of great trouble. Further, in France, owing to the fall of the franc there is great poverty today among thousands of French students. It was at the suggestion of the German students, who from bitter personal experience knew the tragedy of the French students position, that the S. F. F. assumed the responsibility of raising *5,000 this year to aid French students. These are only samples of the needs that the S. F. F. is trying to meet and can be verified quite easily by any who care to do so. As a visitor, it seems to me that this country affords the greatest opportunity in the world today for the cultivation of international friendships. The method of the S. F. F. in its attempts to accomplish the same is to assist foreign students in need and to put them in touch with the best in American life.

While your criticism concerning the lack of adequate information about the activities of the S. F. F. may be correct, the absolute necessity of keeping down overhead charges makes it difficult to advertise extensively, but full information will be furnished gladly to any who make inquiry to The Student Friendship Fund, 347 Madison Avenue, New York City.

You are quite right in taking the position that the S. F. F. has no right to appeal to Harvard University as such through its Student Council to support an avowardly Christian programme. On the other hand it cannot be questioned that the present world situation makes an appeal to Christian students for the furtherance of the aims of the S. F. F. entirely justified. I feel sure that there are many in Harvard University who will lend their support to this attempt to foster "some sort of intelligent cooperation and understanding" among the students of the world on this basis.

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I shall be grateful if you will allow space in the columns of The Crimson for this attempt to clear up what I conceive to be a slight misunderstanding of our purposes. Yours sincerely,   A. Ambrose Reeves,   General Theological Seminary,   New York City

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