The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-11-21
WHAT TVS WOMEN DID.
Their Practical Work to Elevate the Poor
Girls of Chicago.

Their Practical Work to Elevate the Poor
Girls of Chicago.
A prairie girl a few years ago went
to Chicago She scarcely TIPPED the
scales at 100 pounds. She went to
one of the darkest parts of Chicago
and lighted her lamp. She did not
organize a society, but she secured
the companionship of sympathetic
friend, who believed in her expert
ment. She secured rooms and began
work. She had no more ordination
than did the woman who left her
watering pot and went to preach the
gospel after she had met Jesus But
this young lady did not attempt to
preach so much as to practice. Very
soon her light began to spread and
to kindle, and a month ago when l
visited Hull House was astonished
at two things-first, at the radiating
influence and varied activities of this
settlement, and, second, that it should
have all been brought about by these
two brave little women.
1t is but five years since these two
residents began their work, and now
it is estimated that 2, 900 people come
to Hull House each week, either as
members of clubs or organizations
or as parts of an audience. One hun
dred of them come as teachers or lee
turers or directors of clubs. There
Us charming library. Two hundred
and fifty students are enrolled in the
college extension course There is a
geading room, and books of the pub
lie library are accessible to the neigh
borhood.
There is studio and an art exhibit
room, in which two exhibits each
year are given of pictures carefully
selected for their artistic excellence
and loaned by friends of the settle
ment. A chorus of 500 working peo-
pie are learning to sing. There is a
large gymnasium, and every Sunday
Afternoon free concerts are given for
the development of musical taste.
Around the corner is another
house, managed by cooperative
boarding club for young women,
called the Jane club. The club num-
bers 80 members, and for SO a week
good board and wholesome comfort
are enjoyed. Then, there is the large
coffee house, with its New England
kitchen outfit which is not only
open every day from 6 in the morn
ing until IL at night and furnishes
q clean and attractive lunchroom,
but whole rivers of coffee and soup
flow every day to neighboring fac
tories. There is fine play yard for
children, public dispensary, Hull
House labor bureau, a temporary
lodging house and whole regiment
of boys and mems clubs of all sorts,
q free kindergarten and nursery,
several children's clubs and chill
dren's dining room. There are clubs
for cooperation, for the study Of So
cial science and the study of nature.
Indeed it is hard to catalogue all the
activities. and interests Of this ex-
traordinary settlement.
One thing is clear to the visitor
that a man never started this enter
prise, though men are now allowed
to assist in conducting its activities.
Everywhere the graceful hand and
refined spirit, domestic instinct, ar
tistic feeling and intuitive perception
of woman are manifest. And all this
set going by two little women with
out even a committee or board of di-
rectors to manage them! Perhaps
that was one reason of their success
How far this little candle has shed
its beams! But it is not candle, but
an electric light. There are miles of
nerve in the helix and an immeasur-
able force in the motor, and they
have brought this region of Chicago
into electrical connection with 1000
other hearts and lives, and right here
in this neighborhood the benevolent
illumination of all these batteries of
individual and social power is focal
lied. To visit Hull House is a mag
nifcent lesson in the power of per-
sonality A man who established the
first social settlement of which we
have any record spelled the name
Adam with one I'd" But after see.
ing all that this little prairie girl had
accomplished felt that Miss Jane
Adams had a perfect right to spell
her name with two The devil is the
only person who ought to object
christian Register.