2. Read the text about Jane Addams, “the mother of social work”. Have you know this name before? Jane Addams – Mother of Social Work

Growing up as the eighth of nine children in rural 1860’s Cedarville, IL, Jane Addams described herself as an “ugly, pigeon-toed little girl” with a crooked back. Surgery eventually corrected her congenial spinal defect, but not before Jane identified herself with the misfits and victims of society. The “horrid little houses” in the slums nearby Freeport shocked her and got her wondering about what could be done to improve them. She was six years old at that time.

Jane was blessed with a father whom she adored and who impressed her with his virtues of tolerance, philanthropy and his strong work ethic. He was a man of influence himself, an owner of grain mills, officer in the Civil War, State Senator for 16 years and personal friend of President Abraham Lincoln, also from Illinois. John Addams encouraged his daughter to pursue an education. Her schooling emphasized social responsibility and passion for culture and good works. For a while, she set her sights on becoming a doctor and stayed at the school for another six years.

After school Jane and a friend from college, Ellen Starr were touring Europe and Britain when she visited London’s East End and Toynbee Hall. Toynbee Hall was a “settlement house”, ministering to the needs of London’s poor. They decided to bring the concept to America, and found a decayed mansion on Chicago’s Halstead Street originally built by a merchant named Charles Hull. Hull house opened its doors for all those who cared to enter on September 18, 1889. So great was the need for basic social service that 2,000 people a day asked and received help. The old mansion grew to include many firsts for Chicago, including a playground, gymnasium, citizenship preparation classes, public baths and a swimming pool. It led to the enactment of the first factory in Illinois, the first tenement code and was the birthplace of four labour unions. Hull house became a national historic landmark in June of 1967.

Jane Addams made her childhood dream of improving living conditions for the poor come true. She didn’t make it to Oslo for the Nobel Prize, though, as her health had begun to fail by 1931. When she passed away on May 21, 1935, a train carried her from the funeral services at Hull House to rest in Cedarville, the place where she grew up and began her life’s passion of service. So great has been the lasting effect of her works that Jane Addams has been described as one of social work’s “founding mothers”.

(Adapted from Shepler, J. (1999)).

Vocabulary

ugly	безобразный
pigeon-toed	с пальцами ног, обращенными внутрь
surgery	хирургия
misfit	несоответствие
victim	жертва
slum	трущоба
bless	благословить
responsibility	ответственность
merchant	торговец
pursue	следовать
health	здоровье
resultant	равнодействующий