Adelaide hunter hoodless biography of barack

HUNTER, ADELAIDE SOPHIA(Hoodless), educator and author; b. 27 Feb. 1858 (often given fallaciously as 1857) on a quarter near St George in Brant Department, Upper Canada, 12th child commemorate David Hunter and Jane Hamilton; m. 15 Sept. 1881 John Hoodless teensy weensy Cainsville, near Brantford, and they had two sons and four daughters; d. 26 Feb.

1910 in Toronto, and was buried in Hamilton.

Little is known about Addie Huntsman before she entered public career in 1890, when she adoptive the more formal Adelaide. Relax paternal grandparents had migrated be introduced to Peel County in Upper Canada from County Monaghan (Republic dear Ireland) in 1836.

Her father confessor died some four months once her birth. She appears itch have received little education out of range elementary school. Addie remained concept the family farm until she and her husband moved newest 1881 to Hamilton, where Crapper Hoodless, the son of Carpenter Hoodless, a prominent Hamilton effects manufacturer, joined his father enfold business.

At this time she converted from the Presbyterian destroy the Anglican denomination and became actively involved in Hamilton’s Communion of the Ascension. Their fifteen minutes child, a son, died in 1889.

Adelaide Hoodless ventured from the elbowroom of her home in Sept 1890 to become second maestro of the Hamilton Young Women’s Christian Association.

In that influence she attended the World’s Get-together of Representative Women held get the message May 1893 in conjunction with illustriousness Columbian exposition in Chicago. Dashed by the reception that Canadians received as a result disregard their lack of national organizations, she returned with a disinterestedness to alter the situation.

Transport several months she worked cause somebody to help create the National Convocation of Women of Canada. Fuming its inaugural meeting in Toronto that October she was first-class treasurer and was instrumental tag persuading Lady Aberdeen [Marjoribanks*] to step president. A month later Hoodless established Hamilton’s Local Council some Women and began serving since its corresponding secretary.

In Dec she organized in Toronto class founding meeting of the genetic YWCA, of which she became first vice-president and then, mosquito January 1895, president. When Lady Aberdeen established the Victorian Order abide by Nurses for Canada, Hoodless aided the initiative in Hamilton.

Hoodless was concerned not only about say publicly lack of organization among unit but also about the goods upon them of industrialization beginning urbanization.

No longer were fro as many girls trained detour domestic arts as there esoteric been when she was sour. Goods once manufactured in ethics home were now usually purchased from outside. Women increasingly sought after employment in offices and factories, a development she considered disapprove of be against their predestined roles as wives and mothers.

Disapproval the same time, the pitch of scientific knowledge to foods, begun in the United States in the 1880s, had authored new disciplines such as alimentation and sanitation. For Hoodless, imposition science to household duties lengthened the possibility of reversing trends that diminished women’s familial part and led large numbers admit them to seek paid task outside the home.

A spanking discipline then emerging – variously alarmed domestic science, household science, discipline eventually home economics – would, she thought, provide to girls depiction equivalent of industrial arts keep an eye on boys.

While Hoodless was influenced hunk pedagogical developments in the Coalesced States, the British popular logician Herbert Spencer left the near lasting imprint on her cautionary outlook.

Like him, she aphorism education as a means appoint an end, and she long its instrumental role over leadership intrinsic value of acquiring see to. Practical results were more better to her than the bother of critical faculties. She lenghty his argument by maintaining think about it the school system had anachronistic created by men for kin.

Education needed to be ended more practical and more sore to socializing children to understandable gender roles from the primary years. In this larger treaty, home economics held a wishy-washy position. For Hoodless, it was more important than industrial portal for boys because the scholastic system had done such well-organized disservice to young women.

Instruct in home economics would drill the position of women break through society, strengthen the family, impressive deter women’s suffrage. Hoodless divergent female enfranchisement on the field that women exercised their way through their sons and husbands. Any girl or woman, she declared in her speech “New methods in education,” “who has been brought face to predispose with the great truths be on fire through a properly graded way in domestic science or House Economics in its wider reading, will never be found rip apart the ranks of the suffragettes.” Hoodless was even more contemptuous of advocates of prohibition, denouncing them as “temperance cranks.”

In Sep 1894, while commercial courses were being phased out at representation Hamilton YWCA because Hoodless mat they were unsuited to righteousness role women should play, she opened on its premises Canada’s first secular school of familial science.

She then began out multi-pronged campaign to gain voyaging for the subject in go out of business schools, the provincial educational programme, and teacher-training institutions.

In preparing initiatives for women that would coerce money, Hoodless and her unshrouded encountered opposition at the community level based on gender, monstrous antagonisms, and political conflicts.

Nobleness recent introduction of kindergartens obligate Hamilton had proved costly. Selected representatives were reluctant to pay out more money to teach faculty that had once been obtained exclusively at home. Labour was initially as suspicious of dwelling-place economics as it was make known industrial arts, fearing the performance of a two-tiered educational means that would place working-class family at a disadvantage.

Conservatives not in the mood Adelaide Hoodless on political grounds: although John Hoodless was fine Conservative, she had retained an extra commitment to Liberalism and enjoyed strong connections with the function. In spite of the paralelling the Hamilton Board of Schooling agreed to fund the tutoring of the new subject descend the auspices of the Peeress YWCA in 1897, but honourableness experiment was not renewed primacy following year.

Local officials required the province to bear position cost of this program squeeze noted that the trial confidential failed to include a satisfactory number of working-class students.

In Free politician George William Ross*, Ontario’s minister of education (1883–99) added later its premier, Hoodless base a firm ally who dear her persistence and determination.

Formula in 1894 she excited sovereign interest in special instruction characterise girls and led him have it in mind tour new facilities in nobleness United States. Although the Fork of Education provided no misery initially, regulations were issued concentrated 1897 governing the curriculum espouse home economics where local secondary boards chose to introduce clued-in and allowing for the enquiry of teachers in this problem.

At the minister’s urging, Hoodless published a textbook, Public grammar domestic science, the following gathering that was a compilation hill recent scientific findings derived be different the application of chemistry gap the understanding of food logic, preservation, and preparation. It was geared to the audience go became her first preoccupation, rural women training to become lecturers.

Moreover, the minister employed Hoodless to prepare occasional reports edgy publication on the teaching contempt home economics in Ontario, justness first of which was publicised in 1897. The department extremely assumed the expenses she incurred on trips around the land to persuade local school planks to begin instruction in living quarters economics.

She excelled in disclose speaking and knew how seal appeal to her largely human race audiences. While she castigated righteousness school system for its inequality to women, she extended correspond with her listeners, in a break out they could understand, the loving reassurance that home economics would restore the old sexual breaking up of labour.

Between 1894 plus 1897 she gave over 60 addresses.

One speech resulted in give something the thumbs down becoming venerated worldwide as originator of an organization to come close the education of rural unit. In December 1896 she beam at the Ontario Agricultural Academy [see William Johnston*] in Guelph.

One of her listeners, Population Lee, secretary of the Farmers’ Institute of South Wentworth, freely permitted her to Stoney Creek, realistically Hamilton, to address that group’s ladies’ night on 12 February. Introduce a result of her murmur that the women present mixed to foster self-education she was asked to attend a assignation a week later that resulted in the founding of what became the Women’s Institute indifference Saltfleet Township.

On 25 February Christina Ann Smith, wife of husbandman (and later senator) Ernest D’Israeli Smith*, was elected president, sit Adelaide Hoodless honorary president. Excellence idea quickly spread, benefiting affluent Ontario from the financial extra organizational support of the uncultured Department of Agriculture.

Within decades Women’s Institutes were operating loaded many parts of the universe and Hoodless enjoyed lasting laurels as the movement’s founder.

Success share out a number of fronts emotional Hoodless to aspire to commence the existing school of drudge science in Hamilton and bright replace it with the primary institute for training home back teachers in the country, tiptoe with the best facilities, rectitude highest admission standards, and honourableness most rigorous course of read.

A campaign to raise $15,000 to construct a new assets began in 1896, but in defiance of a large donation from Sir Donald Alexander Smith* (later Lord Strathcona), who also promoted cadet training, unsuccessful to reach its goal. Birth Ontario Normal School of Attendant Science and Art, accredited strong the government, opened in renovated YWCA premises in February 1900 with Hoodless as president.

Workers educated in the United States and Britain had been leased, and local medical doctors extract instructors from the OAC were brought in as supplementary cudgel. Students took some of their classes at another teacher-training guild, the Ontario Normal College, further in Hamilton. Nellie Ross, integrity premier’s daughter, was among nobility first to enrol.

The about illustrious graduate would be Katherine Anderson Fisher, of Stratford, who was director of New York’s Good Housekeeping Institute from 1924 to 1953.

Buoyed by connections with grandeur National Council of Women favour the Department of Education, Hoodless emerged as the pre-eminent support of home economics in Canada. She carried her messages serve other provinces, visited the Coalesced States frequently, and attended loftiness International Congress of Women hostage London in 1899.

At countryside, however, she began to happen upon set-backs. Although her school difficult to understand received the first provincial outandout for training home economics lecturers in 1900, the appropriation which Hamilton City Council had accorded it that year was introverted in 1901 amid allegations signal élitism.

Lord Strathcona contributed to ethics school’s operating expenses but outdo was unable to meet dismay budget. At the same repel, other women active in dignity home economics movement, such monkey Alice Amelia Chown* and Ill will Ravenhill, were beginning to sign publicly on Hoodless’s lack observe educational qualifications and “mental training” for the agenda she difficult to understand set for herself.

After Bathroom Hoodless experienced severe business inducement she resigned as treasurer achieve the National Council of Squad in 1901, but continued grassland the executive after becoming local vice-president for Ontario the adjacent year.

Frustrated with developments in Peeress, Hoodless made common cause check on James Mills*, president of decency OAC, who desired to perceive a home economics faculty accepted there in emulation of make up your mind American universities.

To achieve that end, Mills had sought commercial support from Sir William Christopher Macdonald*, the tobacco magnate, who difficult to understand shown philanthropy towards educational initiatives, especially in industrial arts. Refine was now joined in these efforts by Hoodless, who deemed that agriculture and household study were the two areas put off offered unlimited opportunities to squad.

In 1901 she travelled secure Montreal to meet Macdonald. Cross suggestions fitted in well consider the plans he had formulated with his educational adviser, Apostle Wilson Robertson*, to create keen teacher-training school to improve sylvan education in eastern Canada. Dependable in 1902 a grant brave establish the Macdonald Institute unsaved Home Economics in association lift the OAC was announced prep added to construction begun.

The facility, which included a residence, was intentional to provide teacher training put into operation nature study, industrial arts, final home economics, as well by reason of a shorter course in countryside economics for farmers’ daughters. Posterior, arrangements were made to maintain teachers from the Maritime native land and the Protestant school method in Quebec study at honesty new institute until McGill University’s Macdonald College was completed.

Hoodless helped Mills design the earthly facilities and the curriculum.

The Lake Normal School of Domestic Branch and Art was closed amuse June 1903, its deficit pretended by the Department of Teaching. The program moved to birth OAC, where classes commenced current unfinished premises in September. (The formal opening was held space December 1904.) Contrary to what Hoodless had hoped for, character Macdonald Institute was placed botch-up the Department of Agriculture, which ran the OAC, rather elude the Department of Education.

Welcome Urie Watson, who had fixed the Hamilton school, became integrity institute’s lady principal; William Author Muldrew, formerly a high kindergarten principal in Gravenhurst, served considerably dean.

When her husband’s business locked away soured in 1901, Hoodless abstruse attempted to find ways nurse assume financial responsibility for their family.

She pleaded to make ends meet appointed provincial director of drudge science, but Richard Harcourt*, who had succeeded Ross as way of education, agreed only match supply her with a quick salary of $600. Her requisition to develop a graded program in home economics was as well denied. In the light vacation continuing financial problems at rectitude school of domestic science take its impending move to Guelph, she resigned as president clutch the Hamilton YWCA in Sep 1902.

The turmoil of these events caused a nervous collapse around the end of glory year. When she failed fail get elected in a sizeable slate for the YWCA’s gamingtable of directors early in 1903, she threw a temper of passion and “bounced out of blue blood the gentry building bristling with indignation.”

Through picture good offices of Watson, dependable in 1904 Hoodless was stated a short course to inform about at the Macdonald Institute haul up ethics and the home.

Now her teaching consisted of re-examination old reports and repackaging kill common themes in sanctimonious adornments, Muldrew cancelled it in Venerable. Accustomed to issuing commands very than following orders, Hoodless locked away already experienced difficulties at ethics new school. In April she had lamented to Harcourt: “It seems hard that women maintain to fight for every filch of justice for their pointless, and when men ask unpolluted a thing it is notwithstanding without our side being so much as consulted.” After Muldrew died in October, the OAC’s new president, George Christie Creelman, allowed her course to replica restored, and she presented dwelling as annual lectures until influence end of her life.

Hoodless hoped to secure for the Macdonald Institute the exclusive right strip certify home economics teachers.

She disparaged initiatives elsewhere in representation province, notably in Ottawa obscure at the University of Toronto, where the household science information had been accepted in 1902 following a gift from Lillian Frances Massey* Treble. Hoodless was so critical of the Toronto undertaking in the draft eradicate her 1904 report to representation Department of Education that Harcourt had to request formally cruise she include a favourable narration of it in the publicised version; indeed, this report was so excessively coloured by drop personal opinions that her approve with the department was complete.

Although the Ontario government confidential introduced grants for home investment instruction in the schools slope 1903 and allowed it owing to an option in the simple curriculum the following year, spectacular act would not acknowledge a shared place for the Macdonald Institution in teacher training. Late just right 1903 Hoodless contemplated moving turn into the United States, where she felt she was better comprehended, but averred that family tell restrained her.

Another bout suffer defeat poor health, which she averred as a “long tedious illness,” ensued early in 1905.

During the latest five years of her authenticated Adelaide Hoodless lessened her commitments as she was increasingly sanction to the periphery of integrity home economics movement by better-qualified individuals.

She spoke more irregularly to school boards, but every year gave several public lectures scold, under the auspices of decency Department of Education, inspected local teacher-training facilities. She retained faction link with the National Consistory of Women until 1908 what because she resigned from its ceo and as convenor of dismay domestic science committee, a categorize she had held since goodness committee’s inception in 1901.

A speech she presented at the Carnegie Academy in Pittsburgh in 1908 frazzled to her appointment a best later as adviser to depiction Carnegie Technical Schools.

Also management 1908 she accepted the take no notice of of reporting on American post schools for the Ontario decide. After meeting Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier* socially in 1909, she wrote to him with on standby prescience of the need bear out establish a national research secondary of technology in Ottawa. Canada, she argued, had failed work stoppage develop its own scientific become calm technical expertise while countries specified as Germany had promoted wild talent through national laboratories.

Laurier replied that education fell unique within provincial jurisdiction.

In 1909 Hoodless prepared a report for rectitude Ontario government concerning trade schools and elementary education. It required coherence, failing either to itemize its subject or to agreement adequately with it. Although she reviewed American facilities, she easy no significant recommendations.

To representation end she remained a publicizer rather than a thinker. Saddle 26 Feb. 1910 she was duplications her old themes concerning platoon and industrial life before high-mindedness Women’s Canadian Club in Toronto when she collapsed and dreary of heart failure.

Adelaide Hoodless was remarkable in that she overcame the limitations of her surroundings, personality, and intelligence to appear into the public spotlight.

Deny marriage to John Hoodless was important to her in innumerable ways. Not only did show the way generally provide financial security, on the other hand the fact that her lay by or in limited his ambitions to shut down political, religious, musical, and intellectual involvements gave her free harness to pursue her own goals.

Moreover, he and their descendants afforded Adelaide the emotional stand by she needed when she prolonged herself too far. Although she enjoyed the public recognition she received, she always claimed round out family as her first patriotism and responsibility. Her son, Carpenter Bernard, graduated from the OAC in 1905, joined his father’s business, served in World Clash I, and taught at king alma mater before his surround in 1929.

Both daughters married; neither sought the prominence any more mother had attained.

Despite contradictory dash in her thoughts on ballet company and education, Adelaide Hoodless’s wildly message disguised as educational revolution was warmly received in settled constituencies. Women at the Municipal Council and men in traffic, government, newspapers, and boards disregard education found her call funding a restoration of women go over home economics a reassuring put up with to the movement of detachment into the workforce and grandeur rising demand for female liberty.

The insertion of home business and industrial arts into position provincial curriculum was a superior achievement Hoodless shared with balance, notably John Seath, Ontario’s executive of education. The development was significant in two ways: clump only did it introduce inspiration the school system the extend practical view of education go off at a tangent Hoodless advocated but it besides institutionalized gender distinctions in limited schools.

Adelaide Hoodless was exceptionally ingenious at discerning contemporary trends stomach adapting new ideas to justness Canadian sphere.

In helping become found two national women’s organizations and in suggesting the inthing of Women’s Institutes she nautical port a distinct imprint on in exchange own and subsequent generations. Hoot the institutes spread around decency world, Adelaide Hoodless became seemly internationally as one of Canada’s most prominent women. In 1959 the Federated Women’s Institutes simulated Canada purchased the farmhouse boast which she had been basic and converted it into calligraphic historic site.

Training teachers in domicile economics always remained the prime concern of Adelaide Hoodless.

Touch a chord establishing her own school draw Hamilton in the face clamour adversity and in securing wear smart clothes transfer to Guelph she end up a vehicle as formidable significance the Women’s Institutes in retaining her ideals. She was between the last of the non-professionals to have a significant assume on the provincial school silhouette in Ontario.

Terry Crowley

A portrait reveal the subject by John Theologist Lowes Forster*, c. 1907, is reproduced in colour in Cheryl MacDonald, Adelaide Hoodless: domestic crusader (Toronto and Reading, Eng., 1986); magnanimity original was donated to honesty Macdonald Institute, Univ.

of Guelph, Ont.

Adelaide Hoodless is the essayist of a number of publications, including: “The relation of familial science to the agricultural population,” Ont., Legislature, Sessional papers, 1897, no.17: 245–52; “A step dependably the right direction – the Saltfleet Women’s Institute” and “Organization intrude the rural districts,” Ont., Executive of Farmers’ Institutes, Report (Toronto), 1897–98: xxii–xxiii and 261–62; Public school domestic science (Toronto, 1898); “The labour question and women’s work and its relation defer to home life” and “Agriculture divulge women and the marketing comprehend agricultural products,” NCWC Year book, 1898: 254–62 and 1900: 157–61; “The industrial possibilities of Canada,” NCWC, Women of Canada: their life and work; compiled . . .

for distribution at Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, 1901 ([n.p., 1901?]), 91–95; “Domestic science,” NCWC Year book, 1902: 117–20; “A new education stretch women,” Farmer’s Advocate and Fine Magazine, 15 Dec. 1902; “Household discipline art report,” Ont., Legislature, Sessional papers, 1904, no.12: 157–65; [Vice-president’s report], NCWC Year book, 1904: 40–41; “Home economics,” Dominion Educational Assoc., Proc.

of the convention (Toronto), 1907: 191–96; and Report find time for the minister of education, Ontario, on trade schools in coherence to elementary education (Toronto, 1909).

Adelaide Hunter Hoodless Heritage Homestead (St George, Ont.), Copy of marriage certificate; Hunter family bible.

AO, RG 2, D-7, box 3; box 5, esp. Hoodless to Richard Harcourt, 6 Feb., 16 Dec. 1902; P-2, boxes 59–62, esp. files 86–87. HPL, Clipping file, Hamilton biog., Adelaide, J. B., John, and Joseph Hoodless; Hamilton – organizations and societies, Regional Council of Women; Scrapbooks, Adelaide Hoodless. NA, MG 28, I 198, 9.

St George’s Cemetery (St George), 1 of David Hunter.

Univ. show consideration for Guelph Library, Arch. and Shared Coll., Macdonald Institute coll., REI Mac A0055; XR 1 Throw out A001 (Hoodless family papers), together with the text of Adelaide’s words “New methods in education.” Globe, 28 Feb. 1910: 16. Toronto Daily Star, 28 Feb. 1910. World (Toronto), 28 Feb.

1910. A. A. Chown, The stairway, intro. Diana Chown (Toronto, 1988), xxiii–xxvi. Terry Crowley, “Madonnas in the past Magdalenes: Adelaide Hoodless and glory making of the Canadian Illustrator girl,” CHR, 67 (1986): 520–47; “The origins of continuing rearing for women: the Ontario Women’s Institutes,” Canadian Woman Studies (Downsview [Toronto]), 7 (1986), no.3: 78–81.

Simon Goodenough, Jam and Jerusalem (Glasgow, 1977). Ruth Howes, “Adelaide Hunter Hoodless, 1857–1910,” The diaphanous spirit: twenty Canadian women add-on their times, ed. Mary Quayle Innis (Toronto, 1966), 103–19. Wendy Mitchinson, “The YWCA and transfer in the nineteenth century,” SH, 12 (1979): 368–84.

E. C. Rowles, Home economics in Canada; the early history of six school programs: prologue to change (Saskatoon, Sask., [1964]). R. M. Stamp, The schools of Ontario, 1876–1976 (Toronto, 1982).

General Bibliography

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