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Show JANE ADDAMS TELLS STORY Explains "Devil Baby" Myth I , of Hull House to Conven- j I I tion Delegates. PLEA FOR IMMIGRANTS ; Strange Stories Originate in Primitive Minds and Should I be Explained Away. Chicago. .June 16 The story of the "Devil Baby" of Hull House was told I by the head of that social center. Jane Addams, to tbe convention of the General Federation of Women's Clubs here today. The story was told in connection : ( with a plea that club women extend the hand of fellowship to immigrant fl women, and especially the oldei worn en. Miss Addams said that the origin or-igin of fairy stories seems to have been with primitive women who invented in-vented them to Influence to gentler ways their brutal lords and masters. "There was of course no devil i baby, but such currency did the story : have that for six weeks the ordinary 1 activities of Hull House were almost suspended while we explained to hun-1 hun-1 dreds of ignorant inquirers that it II j w-as all a fairy story," said Miss Ad-' Ad-' dams. "Finally we placed detectives at work and we found two versions. The Italian version was that a Chris , tain girl married an atheist, who, at ! I the culmination of an assault on his : j wife, tore down a sacred picture and i j declared that he would rather have ; a dev il In the house than his wife. I 'And when a child was born ' ran the j story, "lo. It was a devil with horns H i and hoof? and tail complete.' Jewish Version. "The .Jewish version differed but little." continued Miss Addams. "It concerned a father whose wife had borne him seven daughters and on the approach of the eighth he swor he would rather have a devil in the house than another daughter. And the story, like that of the Italians, concluded with the birth of the devil baby In both cases the frightened parents had brought the imp to Hull House. ' Miss Addams explained thit the -tor e, like the old ialry stories, orlg- inated In the primitive minds of women wom-en who desired to influence their men I folk or their daughters The sacrilege of the Italian version, or the brutality brutal-ity of the Jewish, the speaker said, entailed the retribution of a devil child. The detectives found that im- i migrant mothers were trying to persuade per-suade their daughters- against unorth-odoxy, unorth-odoxy, or doubtful conduct, by threat-eniug threat-eniug them with impish progeny |