Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-02-23

is Miss Jane Adams? A number of
years ago while attending a state
chautauqua assembly, and hearing the
enthusiastic comments of many Of
her admirers. asked the above CUES
tons and received this reply:
Hull House Is considered by those
most competent to Judge, the most
wonderful sociological experiment In
the world, and Miss Jane Adams b
it's originator and founder"
i knew something Of Miss Adams
fame. I knew that among the magt
who live at the present time her IN
stitution was the Mecca. the bright
and shining star which brought the
pilgrim from all civilized countries to
her doors; that the greatest orators
of all countries were delighted to have
the request come to them to address
Miss Adams people; that she her.
! self stood so high in the estimation Of
the truly great Of other countries, head
and shoulders above her country wom-
en-, that I was determined, out of 10y
atty to all my sisters who do the great
things, to attempt to answer to my
own satisfaction some such questions
as the following:
| What does Hull House stand for?
Who are the poor there, and why are
they poor? What were the motives
which inspired Miss Adams to begin
such a work?
Those have studied partially to my
own satisfaction find, on investiga-
ton, from the photograph of settle
ments that the science of sociology
has only been studied and developed
in recent years. The idea of sharing
the life of the poor by university men
owes its origin to the great spiritual
leaders of the universities of the pas,
80 years and animated from Cam
bridge and oxford. 1t was tried there
by men. The Chicago university was
the subject and teach it as science,
and in the year 1900 more than half
; the head residents of the American
settlements were women.
In Miss Adams own articles no in
ference is left that she received the
inspiration for her life work in her
, university days, but rather while she
was travelling and getting her impress
sions from the wide, wide world. II
! seems that in Europe she found a large
/. class of girls from her own country
! of only fair ability who were having
! culture heaped upon them until they
were surfeited to a point of disgust
[ She was brought into contact with
numberless fond mammas who were
spending fortunes upon daughters who
did not care for It, so gradually there
grew up into her democratic mind q
plan whereby the over-accumulation
at the one end of society for the ben
eft Of the starving ones at the other
might be formulated.
The history of Hull House is SIM
pie study in evolution. but behind THE
scenes is a master hand, a masre:
mind which we must first stop to in
vestigate before we may know what
the settlement Is
Miss Adams is a young woman
having barely reached the high noon OF
life.
When and where Miss Adams was
born is not my purpose to tell in this
article. Suffice it to say that she was
we'll born, her training having bier
begun, as DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes
(. suggested was the right way, with
her grandmother. Her parents were
people in affiuent circumstances abl'
/, to properly rear and educate theil
. daughter much better than were theil
neighbors. t
While she was a child six years o.
3 age going to church one day with he
J, father, who had caused her to fee
/, abashed because of the possession o
clothes far more beautiful than thos,
worn by the other children she In
;, quired of him what she might do {,
q make the matter right.
His reply was: "All persons shout;
y have equal opportunity in such mat
: ters as education and religion, and it Il
b stupid of one to wear clothes tina
! destroy such equality"
!, Such democratic teaching sank deel
into her plastic mind. She was fine
~ educated, and after graduating
! from Rockford college, spent man!
years in travel. For some time sh'
was a semi-invalid because of a spina
affection which developed year ate
!, she left college.