The House on Henry Street
THE HOUSE ON
HENRY STREET
BY
LILLIAN D. WALD
With Illustrations from Etchings and Drawings by
Abraham Phillips and from Photographs
NEW YORK
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
Copyright, 1915,
BY
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
November, 1938
Printed in U. S. A.
TO
THE COMRADES
WHO HAVE BUILT THE HOUSE
Much of the material contained in this bookhas been published in a series of six articlesthat appeared in the Atlantic Monthly fromMarch to August, 1915. And indeed it wasdue to the kindly insistence on the part of theeditors of that magazine that more permanentform should be given to the record ofthe House on Henry Street that the story waspublished at all.
During the two decades of the existence ofthe Settlement there has been a significantawakening on matters of social concern, particularlythose affecting the protection of childrenthroughout society in general; and anew sense of responsibility has been arousedamong men and women, but perhaps moredistinctively among women, since the periodcoincides with their freer admission to publicand professional life. The Settlement is initself an expression of this sense of responsibility,and under its roof many divergent groupshave come together to discuss measures “forthe many, mindless, mass that most needshelping,” and often to assert by deed theirfaith in democracy. Some have found in theSettlement an opportunity for self-realization[vi]that in the more fixed and older institutionshas not seemed possible.
I cannot acknowledge by name the manyindividuals who, by gift of money and throughunderstanding and confidence, through workand thought and sharing of the burdens,have helped to build the House on HenryStreet. These colleagues have come allthrough the years that have followed sincethe little girl led me to her rear tenementhome. Though we are working together ascomrades for a common cause, I cannot resistthis opportunity to express my profound personalgratitude for the precious gifts that havebeen so abundantly given. The first friendswho gave confidence and support to an unknownand unexperimented venture have remainedstaunch and loyal builders of the House.And the younger generation with their giftshave developed the plans of the House andhave found inspiration while they have given it.
In the making of the book, much help hascome from these same friends, and I shouldbe qui