The National tribune., 1910-08-04
PEOPLE.

Miss Jane Addahs. who has won in
ternational reputation by her magnifi-
cent work at Hull House. Chicago. es-
tablished in connection with Miss Ellen
Gates Starr, in 1888, has recently been
given the degree of master of arts by
Yale University. While other colleges
and universities in the country have
conferred degrees of honor upon wo-
men. this is the first time Yale has done
SO. Miss Adams twas born in Cedar
vile. ILL.,, in that memorable year OF
1860 when the white heat of mems
passions was, about TO burst into the
red flame of civil war. At 21 she grad
uated from college, and after two years
| in Europe and an additional year IN
Philadelphia entered upon the work
which has made her name a synonym
| for the highest and noblest endeaVer,
crowned by the richest of results. Miss
Addams is an easy and pleasing lectur-
er and charming writer, whose arti-
cles on sociological subjects appear
| from time to time in our leading maga-
zines. The current number OF the
American contains most interesting
contribution by her, in which she dis
cusses some of the many problems OF
her work or the problems of Poverty.
The difficulties experienced by the poor
working woman, with worthless,
drunken husband. in attempting TO look
/ after family of half-grown girls ana
boys is presented as one of these, ana
Miss Addams tells the pathetic story of
meeting such a woman, and, upon in
quiring for the family, being told in
bitter tones that every one of her chill
dren except a daughter was in Jail for
some offense. Altho this woman, by
leaving the home, was able to make
what she called big money" She had
found she could not be both provider
n nd lnft ftnt- L. obi Id RI
dams also tells of another poor woman
whom she ran into late. one afternoon
scrubbing the marble tiling of one of
! Chicago's big buildings. As the wo-
man arose to her feet to greet her she
was SO drenched from chin to feet that
Miss Adams inquired the cause. 1t
seems this poor woman, large, healthy
creature, had nursing baby at home.
from whom her work separated her for
some six hours, and all the time she
was on her knees, her mothers milk
mingled with the very water with which
she did her scrubbing, while at home
her little baby was screaming for the
nouriShment she was obliged to let go
to waste. Miss Adams calls particular
attention to the dangers which assail
Those young girls who are compelled to
work all night in some of the factories.
Such girls, returning to their homes in
the early morning, exhausted, debili-
| tated, are in exactly the physical and
mental condition to yield to the sug-
gestion that a little stimulant. or a
turn in the dance hall, is just what they
need to brace them up" These are
some of the problems of poverty"
which Miss Adams has encountered
aid which at present seem so impossi-
BILE to solve satisfactorily: but wonders
are being accomplished by such earnest
women as Miss Addams, Miss Miner,
etc, and the person of optimistic out
look fully believes in wonders yet to
come.
Would the statement that one Joseph
Thomas had recently died at the good
old age of S3 convey anything in par
ticular to your mind? 1t is pretty safe
to say 1t wouldn't. tho you might rack
your brains for half hour in trying to
place the aforementioned individual. 1t
Is possible that some of the oldest in
habitants," assisted by the magic word
"balmoral," might have an illuminating
CLEAN, but for the younger generation
nothing but Egyptian darkness could be
expected. Well, I will tell you who this
Joseph Thomas was. 1t was he who
invented one of the most grotesque
styles ever adopted1by foolish and lovely
woman, namely, the hoopskirt. This
odious fashion prevailed during the Pc
riod between 1860 and 1870, and gen.
orally over rthe hoopskirt was worn
what was then called the "balmoraf'
skirt, a gayly-striped affair very much
in evidence. Thrilling. indeed, are the
stories told Of the women who took
their walks abroad in these fitting
things, of the scenes that ensued at
church and theater door, etc. A little
Imagination is all that is necessary
Modesty demands that we stop right
where we are. About the time Johnny
was buckling on his sword, getting
ready to 'go to the war;" his fair Julia,
or Jennie, or whatever her name may
have been, was not feeling real COM
Portable or stylish Till she buckled on
4 her hoopskirt, and II is pretty safe To
say that when, after bidding her fond
and fearful farewell. he watched hcI
from the car window as his train pulled
out, 1t was not of her dearly-loved face
that he had the last glimpse.
The attitude of France toward the
woman suffrage movement seems to be
rather different from that of England
or America. All classes of society are
engaged in this war, not only the work.
ing and middle-class woman, but the
intellectual rich. those representatives
of that fashionable and exclusive neigh.
borhood made famous In French novel.
from time immemorial-the Faubourf
ST. Germain. French women have al
ways been interested in politics ant
nave always OecH BOOu tdfkeTS. DuT'
ing the days Of the salons" their bril-.
liancy and wit became proverbial
French women are remarkably clever
and tactful. In the suffrage movement
they have employed none of the mill
tant methods of their English sisters
There seems TO be in France now
among the men a silent acquiescence IL
the idea that the franchise will be Civ.
en-. and that before very long. The
French writer, Jean Finot in speaking
on this subject, paints g. glowing pic
ture of the immense benefits to the
, state which would surely follow SHOULD
women be allowed the ballot. AlcohOl
ism, criminality, the squandering of the
Nations money and all the many poll
tical and social evils which have OBJ
z scured the fair face of the body politi,
: will, according to this enthusiast, grad
Hally disappear under the magic touci
Of the woman with a vote in her hand
! Even war, he thinks, will be no lOnge
l Waged under her influence, and all thi
!, with no diminutiOn of her femininity
r but, rather. with her Womanhood en-
e hanced and deepened.
Some one comes out with the propo
sition that the great stretches of unoc
I cupied land lin the West and South b,
: filled with wild animals from Africa t,
, provide future food for our vast popu
! lation. He says there are at leasta2,
/ varieties of these wild animals, VIII,
' would thrive in this country, all goot
> eating. In the Rockies there is a grea
. domain, not III unlike that now occupied
| by these African animals, and the sam,
is trne of the swamp lands of the South
VI, -