New-York tribune., 1906-09-17
FIVE MAIDEN AUNTS."
Women Who Boss" Chicago SAID
to DO So Mach 10 Its Advantage.

The more democracy there IS in city the more
powerful VIII It's women be- says William Hard.
writing in The American Magazine" OF 'Chicago's
Five Maiden Aunts" These maiden aunts." as
the author hastens 20 explain. and the reader is
very likely 10 have guessed are the women who
boss Chicago. very much 10 its advantage" and
efey Mary Mcdowell. Margaret Haley. Julia
Lethrop. Conelia De Bey and Jane Adams
Az a genial boss himself "a cause OF extreme
worry 20 she ladies' he much admires." expressed
~, ITS lucSey for they never got married and
had children OF their own. We'd have been cut out
But now we're IN Il right. They have 10 look after
somebody. That's their nature. And 50 they look
after the whole city of Chicago. There's not an
other city In the country that's got i've maiden
sunts. healthy and active. worrying about It al
the time"
OF this group OF interesting womea. Miss Adams
and Miss Lathrop close friends. live together
a. Hull House and both come from the prairies
o. Illinois" They cannot specifically he assigned
no any nationality" the author thinks. whereas
Miss Haley Miss De Bey ana Mss Mcdowell are
Irish, Dutch and Scotch respectively. Miss De Bey
who is a doctor with s. large ana profitable practice
came 10 the front in the packing house strife Of
lso4 wnen she persuaded NJ e.. Armour 10 meet Don
nelly. the president OF tho butcher wOrkmea, thus
ending the strike Miss De Beg uses her profession
''msinly as a means % SUPPORT The main current
of her lie il m. schoc; system Whenever she has
time a she goes or educational spree o"
As a member OF the Board o. Education. her great
aim is TO make education SC democratic that 81 VIII
every boy thoroughly ana directly for his duties as
3 wage and voter
Miss Mary Mcdowell. plump. 5olly. bluo eyed
and Scotch" is the head worker - Settlement
founded by the University OF Chicago. An organ
szer OF trades unions among women, she has shown
herself a force for peace in times OF strife. and
the only time her persuasive charms" have failed
was when she 'besought the Commissioner OF Pub
lic Works OF the city Of Chicago 10 dump garbage
on the pavements OF OF the city's most eNclu-
sive residence quarters" instead OF wasting tons
of Il I'm the holes in the pavements around the
stOckyards
Mis- Haley snd her hght against the Union Trac-
1iOn Company and Ia behalf Il municipal ownership
years ago she was so ignorant OF politics that she
was surprised 10 learn that such body as the
State Board OF Equalization was IN existence
Last spring she was a member Of the steering
committee that managed the aldeTmanic campaign
for the administration Mr.. Hard says Of Miss
Haley had enjoyed a stretch Of practical political
experience 10 which perhaps parallel be
found IN the history OF any other woman in any
Miss Lathrop has chosen for her meter the re-
FORM OF the charitable institutions Of the State Of
Illinois, or al refoTmers that ever reformed, she
Is least nuisance She is 6 member of the State
Board or ChHTlties-a position from which she once
before resigned because ''as she undeulably a
under her nose" Now she is back on the board.
and there Is prospect that lunatics VIII cease
10 be beaten In Illinois, and viii be given chance
20 get we'll"
OF Miss Addams's work Il Is hardly necessary to
speak John Burns just saw her, and broke out
with the impulsive remark that she the first
saint America had produced The conviction Of
demOcracy-this according 70 the author-is the
handspring IN the lives OF Chicago's 'nve maiden
o. irrelevant coincidence SO .ar from being an
irrelevant coincidence they "A kind Of cumu-
lative prophecy of the part Whica wcmen viii bear
in the more perfected democratic society Of the
future"