Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-10-18
Jane Adams Relates
the Steps by Which She
Became a Progressive

When l try to write down the steps
by which ! became Progressive. am
inclined to trace them first to the grad
ual discovery that philanthropic effort
everywhere is merging into civic effort
In fact. the line between philanthropy
and politics is SO constantly changing
that 1t is very difficult to know when
the given step has been taken. which
carried one from the first field into
the second.
To illustrate from my own expert
ence: When l first went to live at
Hull House in 1889, one Of the most
conspicuous things upon the streets
were the women and children who con-
stantly passed with huge masses of
clothing on their backs or in their
arms, which they were carrying from
the sweatshops. This clothing disap-
peared into the dark halls and up the
narrow stairways of tenement houses
to be finished in crowded little homes
where the entire family sewed upon 1t
late into the following night. But be-
cause the season was so short and the
pay so small in spite of their utmost
efforts they never earned enough to
tide them through the long, dull season
which followed the period of rush work:
and the poor widow who worked at
home that she might be with her chil-
dren and have their help, always had
to receive charitable aid because her
pay was far below living standard.
When Hull House. with the trade
unions of Chicago. began an agitation
for law which should regulate sweat
| nl,a = ;nlx obi 4
might begin to work, 1t was these I'M
derpaid women and their undernour-
ished children whom We hoped to help.
We had found that there were too many
of them. the effects of their wretched
mode of life were too far reaching to
be cared for by any private philan-
thropy. and were convinced that only a
state wide regulation could make All
impression upon the situation.
1t is difficult for me to remember
just when l became convinced that 1t
was useless to provide classes and So
cial diversions for working girls who
were too tired to profit by Them be-
cause OF the overstrain due to long
hours and night work; but 1t was GER
tainly many years ago, in 1898. that
| was one of an ardent group who ap-
peared before the Illinois Legislature
to urge the enactment of an eight
hour law for women. During the win
ter OF it's enforcement, the Hull House
classes were full of working girls. glad
to use their new leisure for self i'm
provement: and their disappointment
remains in my mind as one of the
sharp. definite results which followed
the decision of the Illinois supreme
court that the law was unconstitutional
! could go on through many pages
reciting my experiences a. I learned
OF life," to use Dante's fine phrase. and
became convinced that only the people
themselves. by utilizing their own pow
ers of self-government could rectify
the evils which the rapid development
| of modern industry and the crowded
city had brought about. Long before
knew that two million people In the
United States are compelled to do Sun
day work was distressed over the
hundreds of men in our neighborhood
who never had day off for family life
or for quiet recreation; these mer
iseemed an illustration Of the sheet
stupidity Of consuming all Of lies en-
lergies in order to keep alive.