Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-07-28
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
Special Correspondence.

NEW YORK, July 2lst, 1879. 4
It's fact. and most creditable |
fact. too. that among the many charities
to which New York gives princely dona-
lions year by year, none appeal SO ire
sistibly to the hearts of the liberal as
those for the benefit of the children.
Summer after Summer excursions are
given which give fresh air to the little |
ones who live and die in the tenement |
houses, ignorant of what green grass is
and of what the country is like. Every
human being has warm corner in the
heart for the little ones, and the infor-
nation which has of late years been
published of the terrible mortality among
infants has impressed upon the patrons
the fact that the children need care
more than the grown poor. Especially
in hot weather, when the well-to-do citi-
zen sends his little ones out into the
green fields or down to the seaside,
the children of the poor sicken day by
day of the Summer complaints of chill
dren, and in the close, hot rooms of the
great tenement houses they have little
chance of recovery. Stone pavements
and brick walls throw back the glaring
heat of the sun by day, and scarcely
cool at midnight. 1t is then that a few
days, or even some times few hours. of
fresh air and of plain country living
make, for thousands of babies, all the
difference between life and death.
In years past there was no chance for
the children of the poor to get away
from the city. Thousands of them died
literally for lack of the commonest gift
of nature-fresh air. But after a
time it came to be realized that nearly
one-half the deaths in the city were of
children under five years old. 1t was
known that the majority of fatal cases
among children in the Summer time
were of cholera infantum and the intes-
final diseases, and the doctors declared
that in very many of these cases fresh
air, especially at the seaside, was almost
a sovereign prescription. A week would
save life, and often, if taken in time,
a single day on the water would check a
dangerous disease. When knowing all,
this, the public realized how slight the
cost was of sending the children out for
day, Summer excursions for poor chill
dren were quickly organized. They
were successful. and the good they did
was so immense. compared to the cost
that they multiplied rapidly. Then sea-
side homes began to be the fashian, and
at the present time there are several
such.
The ChildreE's Aid Society is the
most active and effective institution en-.
gagged in this human work. Its officers
are interchangeable, and the amount o.
good it does in the prevention as we'll at
in the relief of sickness and suffering il
very great. During the Summer of 1875
for example, the Society employed ff
teen physicians and thirty eight "visit
ors" as they term the persons whose bus
mess it is to search ont and report cases
of sickness and restitution During tina
, time the institution provided treatment
for 2,279 sick children and parents
6,24S visits were made by the physl
clans, $3.50 by the visitors, $500 pre-
scriptions were furnished, 1000 sicl
were restored to health. 5.27O physi
clans orders for food were filled anc
$4,000 boquets of flowers were given t.
the sick children.
Chastine Cox, the negro who murder
ed Mrs. Hull, was on Thursday convict
ed of the crime, and sentenced to b.
hung on the 29th of August. The jur,
were out sixty-seven minutes deliberat
, ing upon their verdict-not that the,
doubted the prisoners guilt, but two o
f the jurymen were at first inclined to b
lenient, wishing to bring in verdict 0
murder in the second degree. Cox
mind was apparently free from anxiet
during the trial and the absence Of tn
jury, and he manifested no concern whel
the jury declared their verdict, and tn
judge pronounced sentence. There wa
no exhibition of mental control on tn
prisoners part. it was simply stupit
Indifference. Cox's counsel will I'm
7 doubtedly make use of the laws delay
E but it will not affect Cox's fate; th
gallows will claim its victim at the ap
pointed time, and few regrets will b
, expressed when it has made an end 0
the Hull murderer.
Speaking of judges. law, courts. etc
reminds me that number of our Judge
: are doing very little work, although the
are drawing their pay with regularit
that would be commendable, if service
: were rendered for it.
Not long ago an attempt was made b