ABSTRACT
Jane Addams wanted to welcome immigrants and help them adjust to American life, but she also wanted to preserve 'old world' cultures and educate the young to appreciate their parents' heritage. In 1889, with Ellen Gates Starr, Addams opened Hull House, a 'settlement house' designed to educate the poor and meet their needs. 'Yet', Addams remarked, 'far beyond its direct educational value, educators prize it because it so often puts the immigrants into the position of teachers, and they imagine that it affords them a pleasant change from the tutelage in which all Americans, including their own children, are so apt to hold them. The flexibility and responsiveness characteristic of Addams and her companions in the general conduct of Hull House extended to their educational programmes. Addams directed some criticism at professor- lecturers who could not adjust to their initially eager audiences at Hull House.
