New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-27
NOT PROOF or TOTAL DEPRATITK

Children of six years are not 9royerblal FOR the
clear ideas winch they possess OF the world about
them. Some of the stories told by children who
have received the benefit of NE TmBUNE's Fresh
AR Fund have produced an Impression
III some minds that care.esSness has been
shown by the visitors III the selection Ot those who
are to be sent away INTO the country; but the IN
yestlgation of individual has shown that
there is seldom any cause of complaint. 1t
would be strange if out of hundreds of
children lew were not found win
proneness to exaggerate but the htt,e people
often get the credit of untTuthtulncss when their
intention is no lest. 10 take a case when mas
JUS been inquired into. One Of the girls who was
sent INTO Connecticut lew weeks ago was Lena
Prelss, who lives al No. 10 GTahan-aV BI0Oklyn
" Ien she reached her destination III the country,
it was LIscOV cred that she made statements winch
gave an impression that her parents were at least
she had piano at home, that Aer
iather made So week, and that
she was RECALLED with ice-cream almost every day
1t was at once concluded that Lena was either TELL
lng gross uutrubs else had no business 10 be en-
Toying the benefits of the Fresh AIR / una. The
poor nttle gIIl sick w.ule away, ana on her re-
turn last Friday q reporter of The RIBUNE went
with her 10 her home, which IL IN tnat part Oh
brooklyn where the goat and the costing roam
without let nindrancc. The reporter, unexpected
palace, sOTeiy grleved when he louhd hinlself
climbing the second flight OF stars ID barren lene-
cnt-h0use, to be ushercd into an interpreted room
tecDy lighted by a kerosene lamp that was J ISL
visible to The naked eye. The room was furnished
with a wooden table and two three chairs, while
through The OpeU door OF small room adjoining APP
The family consisted of father, mother and nve
children, one Of whom was seventeen days OLD. Mrs.
Press with some effort, tOttered into The living
room and welcomed Lena, explaining to the reporter
that the little girls paleness was due to her Illness
whlIe III the country.
The reporter after time inquired OF Lena
where the piano was that she had told her
companions Of expecting her to look crestta len and
confused. 10 his establishment she exclaimed
pointing ceilingwaTd, " On, there IL lsV The re-
porter gazed vacantly upward and saw piano. IN
deed lust eight inches IN length. OF the klnd that
can be- obtained at any toy shop for trivial sum-
Repu scd in this quarter he tried another question:
mere dad Lena geJ the ice cream that she had told
aboutf On, there man at the corner who
sold il III little plates, and she went there some
times The man was of those open-alT
vendors who sell sO-called leo cream for a
few pennies plate. This threw some
light upon tho situation. The visitor
was now prepared TO believe thai Herr PRESS earned
SO a week. 1t appeared however, that he was
peder of candies and popcorn and that the average
irult OF his weekly toll was II or -. tie goes out
every morning with IL basket his arm, to sell his
candies TO the petty dealers, VINO retail them 10
school children At the present season, however,
bis income is scarcely anything Mis-. PRESS her
sell, when she Is well, peddles yarns and wOollen
tus from house TO house 1t is not an evidence oil
total depravlty a child of years that her ideas
of the difference between ~ and SO were a lttle
misty and is il moi clear that Lena PRESS deserved
the bounty vi the Fresh Air Fund if any one ever