Yiddish, the traditional daily language of most European Jews for centuries, became an important vehicle for promoting social and political activism among the predominantly Eastern European Jewish immigrant population in the United States. The Yiddish-language daily press covered the spectrum of ideologies, from traditional to radical, and featured political essays, literary criticism, and serialized novels. Published in New York, the "Forward" had a circulation of over 149,000 by 1916. One of its most popular columns, the "Bintl Brief", dispensed advice to Jewish immigrants struggling to adjust to their new country.