Legacy Letter

A letter written to Jane Addams, seventy five years after her death on May 21, 1935.

Jane,

            Even though you have been gone for seventy five years, and I never got to meet you, I have been inspired by your life story and your life work.  The fact that you won the Nobel Peace Prize has pushed me, and makes me want to do something as wonderful as you did.  You said it best when you stated: “Social advance depends as much upon the process through which it is secured as upon the result itself.”  I want to be part of this process.  You left this incredible legacy behind that has changed America.  You were the start of women participating in improving the lives of others, the Hull House sparked the creation of many other similar houses across America, you were involved in the creation of the first juvenile court in the US, and you were one of the first female leaders of many large-scale organizations.  I think you were a truly influential woman in American history, and wanted to thank you for not only overcoming the struggles in your life but for also improving the lives of so many others.

A modern settlement house.

The Triumphs and Trials of an Activist

April 10, 1916

Florence Kelley, the woman who brought my
attention to the other needs in our community

My first work as an activist was inspired by a woman who needed the services of the Hull House, who went by the Name of Florence Kelly.  She brought to my attention the squalid work condition of children in sweatshops all over Illinois.  It was the first time it had occurred to me that I could do more.  After a time of protesting and working towards our collective goal, we received the ultimate reward.   In 1893 Illinois passed a workshop and factories bill, which banned the exploitation of minors in the workplace.  It was a struggle, but in the end it was worth it.  Like I once said: “The only cure for the ills of Democracy is more Democracy.” It has been quite a while since I last wrote, and when I did I spoke briefly of being invited to participate in another group.  Well, I did work with the group that had talked with me when I last updated, and in fact, I was appointed to their board and became their chairman.  This occurred in 1905, and was a wonderful time in my life.  It quickly led onward, to a series of involvements with larger political movements.

By 1915 I have received a number of distinctions and titles.  In 1905 I was appointed to the Chicago Board of Education, and I was made a chairman of the School Management

The Peace Palace in Hague where I gave a 1913
commemoration peace speech.

Committee.  In 1908 I participated in the founding of the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy.  I’m very pleased with this as it is very exciting to be involved in educating the next generations who may continue on the cause my friends and I have fought so long for.  In 1909 I had a major achievement, as I became the first female president of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections, and in 1910 I was the first woman to ever be awarded an honorary degree from Yale University.

I am afraid not all of my actions have been approved of by all.  There were many people who attempted to intimidate me into sweeping the Sweatshop bill under the rug, and my investigations on sanitary conditions, midwifery, narcotics consumption, and milk supplies certainly did not earn me any praise in the eyes of those I was examining.  Additionally, my more recent public involvement in the peace movement seems to have alienated some people from the philosophies I preach.  It is an unfortunate thing, but not a belief I am willing to give up.  I have now written and published a book, Peace and Bread in Time of War, which concerns providing relief supplies to the children and women of enemy countries.  Additionally, two years ago I gave a speech for peace at a ceremony commemorating the construction of the Peace Palace in Hague.  Most recently, this year I have been named Chairman of the Women’s Peace Party, and President of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.  It is an honor to be trusted by so many, and I will strive to do these roles to the best of my ability.

Reflection on the Hull House

October 3, 1904

         It has been a very busy four years since I last posted.  Ellen and I have been working at a break-neck speed to keep up with the demands of Hull House, and the increasing demands of us.  I have had invites to participate in a wider array of causes in the near future, and am

Myself.

excited to get involved with other projects.  It is like I said, “Old-fashioned ways which no longer apply to changed conditions are a snare in which the feet of women have always become readily entangled.” This is what I am combating.  With all these upcoming responsibilities it has caused me to pause for reflection in my busy life.  I have been pondering what inspired me to devote my life to this work.  I think it is a number of things. 

 

            The death of my mother when I was only two, along with my physical disability caused me to be sympathetic towards disadvantaged people, and take notice of their needs.  This is part of what drove me to open the Hull House, so I could assist the less fortunate in life.  This was only a small fraction of what caused me to become the woman I am today.  My liberal principals regarding individual rights and republican principles regarding community responsibility definitely pushed me to believe that I had a duty to help those who had less than I did, and when I was left my father’s money and returned from Europe I realized what I could do.  I am sure that my following of Thomas Carlyle’s philosophy that the rich have a duty to the lower classes also has had an impact on my choices in life.  Whatever truly has been the deciding factors that have taken me to where I am now I believe they have taken me to the right place.

The inhabitants of the Hull House

Touring Europe, Tonybee Hall, and Starting the Hull House

June 1, 1889

            Two years ago I went on my second tour of Europe, along with my close friend Ellen G. Starr.  While there we visited the most amazing place, called Tonybee Hall.  It was a settlement house, dedicated to helping the impoverished people of London’s East End.  It provided many services to the poor, including continued education and legal aid.  It was such an inspiring sight, and it made me want to do something.  And two years later, I’ve finally done it. 

Tonybee Hall, the inspiration behind the Hull  House.

Five months ago Ellen and I opened Hull House, a settlement house in an industrial neighborhood of Chicago where many immigrants live in overcrowded tenements with barely enough money to feed their children.  We started with a daycare for the children of working mothers, that provided a safe place and one meal for kids, so they wouldn't be left tied to table legs in empty apartments all day long, and so older children wouldn't wander the streets alone. 

Our nursery with some of our young residents.

We’ve quickly grown into a lot more.  Hull House now boasts a kindergarten, and a boys’ club, as well as a coffee shop for adults to meet and socialize at.  We have gained the support of many wealthy and middle-class women who donate not only money but also time and effort.  We have many bright young women who come in and help us teach classes and improve the lives of those who are served by the Hull House.  Just recently I was informed of the numbers of the house; we serve over 2,000 people a week.  As the House keeps expanding so do I, I have plans to take on new social challenges in attempts to improve the plights of the poor.  I am very excited by the way the Hull House has grown, and am excited to grow with it, and take on new things to improve the world.

The House.

Unfortunate Turn of Events

February 28, 1883

            I was accepted to medical school, my dream.  I was set to learn how to heal the sick and help the injured.  I showed up at the university ready to become a doctor.  Six months later here I am, lying in a bed of the teaching hospital on campus, in too much pain to move.  I always knew that the tuberculosis I contracted as a young child would eventually cause me more problems in the future.  I just didn’t know that they would show up in this ironic and ugly way.  Now instead of a student at the medical school I am a patient, in a bed all day, while my former classmates come in to observe me and check my pain levels.

            They are sending me to a different hospital for a surgery to straighten my spine, although the doctors seem confident about the results I will have my optimism remains low.  I have been bedridden for nearly six months due to my spine deformity, and it seems unrealistic that an operation will fix it.  Even if it does I am not ignorant, I know that I will be left weak and fragile.  Two things I have no desire to be.  As I keep telling myself, though, anything will be better than lying in bed twenty-four hours a day.  It is dreadfully boring and I try, with little success, to entertain myself with thoughts of what I will do when I am healed.  Currently my plans are to go to Europe and see the world, finally get out of this bed and do something with my life.  Until then, I will be here.

From College to Housewife

My graduating class and I at the Rockford Female Seminary

June 12, 1882

            What’s the point of having my degree if I’m going to sit at home and take care of children and ailing relatives?  If I had wanted to be a housewife I wouldn’t have gone to Rockford Female Seminary, much less been the valedictorian.  It took me a full year after graduating from Seminary in 1881 to even get my bachelor’s degree because Rockford wasn’t considered a college.  I want to put what I’ve learned to use, but all my family wants me to do is either marry and have kids or stay single and teach.  I feel very lost.  I wonder what Mother’s advice would be if she was still alive, if she would tell me to follow my heart and improve the world or tell me to settle down and find a suitor?

The school in 1881

A Childhood in Cedarville

My childhood home in Cedarville, Illinois.

 September 10, 1867

I’ve turned seven now, and that means a trip into town to see the doctor, a check-up on the progression of my tuberculosis.  Although my spine is deformed I am otherwise healthy, which is a good thing to hear.  Since we were already in Cedarville Father took me to one of his mills.  I vaguely remember going to the mills when Mother when she was still alive, and going into town while Father surveyed his buildings, but five years is a long time.  I’ve been down to his mills many times, but this time I noticed something.  I was tired of sitting in the storeroom so I went outside, and quickly found myself in an area of the city unlike anything I had ever seen before.  There were kids just like me, but their clothes were old and ragged, they ran barefoot in the street, and they were dirty all over.  And I couldn’t figure out where their parents were.  It was odd; I have never worn a dress with a large rip down the front, or looked as though I haven’t been bathed in weeks.  The kids did not have what I had, and it made me feel bad for them.