Jane Addams wrote that she moved into Hull-House in Chicago on September 18, 1889, with Ellen Gates Starr and Mary Keyser. Caught up in settling in, they left a side door open that first night. Finding all well the next morning, they took it as an early sign of their neighbors’ honesty and kindness.

Addams also recalled a first guest from the neighborhood and the lesson she drew from her: when speaking about a community, include someone who knows it from within. This is an editorial guide; follow the source for the original.