Raleigh High School - Excelsior Yearbook (Raleigh, IN)

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Her deep Christian faith has been able to keep Hull' House out of the hands of capital and labor. After she delivered her graduating essay, Cassandra, she entered upon her preparation of the great life work she was to do. She decided to take up medi- cine as her profession and the poor as her clientage. Therefore, the next winter was spent in a Woman 's Medical College, of Philadelphia. Unfortunately, in a few months, the spinal trouble took a serious turn and she became an invalid for many months. Upon the advice of the doctor, she left America for a two years' stay in Europe. Upon her arrival in England with Miss Starr, another wretched picture presented itself, which increased her desire to help the miserable poor of the slums of the city. In the East End, she saw half-starved, poverty-stricken women begging with hands extended for half-decayed vegetables. Wher- ever she traveled after this, even among the cul- tured people, she seemed to see empty hands stretched out appealingly to her for help. So great an impression has the scene left that even today the sight of uplifted hands revives the memory of that miserable scene. Between trips to Europe, she went one summer to visit some farms in a Western state, where she held mortgages. It was after a long drought, and the farmer were in a terrible condition, their fam' ilies were suffering from extreme poverty. With a desire to help them, she withdrew her investments rather than take any of their money for her inter- est. It seemed as if such conditions as these were continually being thrown in her path to lead her on for the great work she was to do for the poor through the Hull House. At last, the turning point of her career came, when she, with other members of her party, attend- ed a bull fight in Madrid, Spain, and because it was a survival of mediaeval times she lingered long after her sickened companions had left. That even- ing, as she thought about the scene she had wit- nessed, she was disgusted to think that she had wit- nessed it without a tremor. This, combined with the misery and suffering of the poor which she had seen in the last few years, she resolved to ask the advice of Ellen Gates Starr about a settlement house. To her great delight, Miss Starr entered heartily into the plan. Miss Addams immediately left for London, to visit the People's Palace, to gather suggestions for her settlement house. In 1889, Miss Adams and Miss Starr selected an old homestead in Chicago, which they called the Hull House, in respect of Mr. Hull, who erected it. This house had been used as a home, the office of a fac- tory, a second-hand furniture store, and its attic was supposed to be haunted. The present owner, Miss Helen Culver, gave a free leasehold of the entire building. The house was then repaired and other buildings added until it now comprises thir- teen buildings. The object of Hull House, as writ- ten in their charter, is To provide a center for a higher civic and social life, to institute and main- tain educational enterprises, and to investigate and improve the conditions in the industrial districts of Chicago. Hull House has done even more than this. It has entered into the lives of the poor and ignorant and kept alive humanity which all too often is destroyed by never ceasing poverty. Hull House was furnished as any other home. It was in the midst of colonies of Italians, Germans, Jews and Page twenty three

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I a ls W Page twenty fear was forever dispelled when one day he doffed his hat to her, bowing low in courtesy as he passed her in the street. Close by the Addams homestead stood the great iiouring mill owned by her father. On the bank of the mill-stream she and her step-brother built a sac- rificial altar, to which sacred spot they carried dead snakes which they anointed with sweet cider. One day when Jane Addams was not yet seven years of age, she drove with her father through the poor district of Chicago. Until then, the city had always meant beautiful houses and splendid shops. As she looked at the miserable huts, she earnestly exclaimed, Father, why do people live in such horrid little houses so close together? Her father explained the condition as best he could. When I get big, she replied, I am going to live in a great big house right among horrid little houses like these. Miss Addams has fulfilled this youthful promise with Hull House, which has since 1889 been ministering to the needs of the poor among whom it is built. Jane Addams, while yet a mere child, attempted to read her father's library, beginning with Pope's Iliad. This proving unsatisfactory, she began to read the History of the World. She next read Plutarch's Lives, with a reward of five cents for each life she could report on to her father. As a stimulus for more reading, her father gave her twenty-five cents for every volume of Irving's Life of Washington she read. This early reading de- veloped into a real liking so that she made a very successful reading of Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. -two - In 1877, Miss Addams entered Rockford Semi- nary. She was one of the first four youngpwomen to receive a degree upon its becoming Rockford College. While hcre, she met Ellen Gates Starr, with whom developed a life long friendship, and who, along with Miss Addams, became the co-found- er of Hull House. Miss Addams early took for granted the fran- chise for women, about which her father had talked to her. This belief developed as she grew to wom- anhood, as was shown by her election in 1912 to the vice-presidency of the National Woman's Suf- frage Association, and her activity in the first convention of the Progressive party. Govern- ment, she holds, is in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the diseases that enter into our homes. It has to do with the educa- tion of our children and the living conditions of our men and women. That women can successful- ly deal with subjects of the government is shown by the work of Jane Addams at Hull House. When Rockford Seminary was allowed to enter the oratorical contest of Illinois, she was chosen to represent her school as the champion of the Wom- en's Cause. At the close of the contest, it was found that she ranked fifth, which was not easily forgiven by her angry schoolmates. No doubt but that all bitterness of the decision has been wiped away by the after career of the Winner for Woman Suifrage. While at Rockford, Miss Addams was prevailed upon to enter the church. Although she was a firm believer of God, she did not become a member of the Presbyterian church 'until several years later.

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French. The conditions of the neighborhood may be understood from a single incident. Miss Addams was appointed garbage inspector, which resulted in her discovery of a pavement eighteen inches under- ground in a narrow street which no one remembered ever to have been paved. This and other improve- ments reduced the death rate of the ward from third to seventh among Chicago wards. That Hull House was established to improve the poor is portrayed in a little incident when the manufacturers oiered Hull House 350900, enabling it to become a large institution, if the poor of that district would cease asking for shop reforms. Was it received by Jane Adams? No. She answered that she and her friends were not interested. in exalting Hull House, but that they were interested in protecting their wretched neighbors from un- desirable working conditions. To know the real work of Jane Addams, one must visit Hull House and get an insight into the changed environments and lives which sl-e has up- lifted, and the thousands whom she has touched. That all Chicago loves Jane Addams was shown in 1913, when a banquet was held for her just before her departure for a four months' vacation in Egypt and Italy. Twelve hundred guests assembled at this banquet. At the close of the banquet, twelve hundred voices sang to the tune of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean : Jane Addams sails over the ocean, Jane Addams sails over the sea, VVe're glad she's to have a vacation, But bring back Jane Addams to me. Page twenty-four HNVe'll lend hcl' to Greece and to Egypt, Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome, We'll lend her to Europe and Asia, So long as we get her back home J The Peace Dove will perch on her shoulder, All Europe will dwell in accord, The Turks will go back to rug-making, The Balkans will put up the sword. What abeautiful life is hers, and how well she has fulfilled her mission. LEONA MULL. 3 li