St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-07-27

From the N. Y. Tribune, July I.

Plump children and thin, pale and
brown children went trOOping in
double files into the Erie railroads
ferry-house, yesterday morning, till
their number reached eighty nine
They formed the first party sent out
by The Tribune Fresh Air Fund this
season, and they were to take the 9
o'clock train in Jersey city for Waver-
tive traveller grasped tightly in its
hands or carried labOriOusly in its
arms some kind of bundle, basket,
bandbOX or satchel. Some of these
receptacles contained luncheon and
some of them clothing, while others
were buldged out with both clothing
and luncheon. Such study in travel
ling bags could not be found any
where else except III a larger Fresh
Air Fund party. There were satch-
els that once were shiny black but
are now mottled brown there were
green candy-bOXes tied up with white
twlne, and brown paper bundles of
all sizes WSsas.-s.---S.tla- red green OF
yellow tape, and there were carpet
bags, small and great, of real One-ply
rag carpet. The sturdy way in which
these young carpet-baggers tugged
along their giant-looking burdens
gave the struggling procession the
oddest appearance imaginable. All
of the children clung to their baggage
with great sOlicitude, but those with
the most diminutive bundles looked
utterly weighed down and overcome
by the cares of so much property.
But the children themselves made
a more interesting picture than their
parcels. They hurried through the
ferry when the boat arrived
and scrambled for seats in one of the
cabins. They chattered and talked
necessarily. There were knowing
ones of both sexes who had been to
the country once or twice before, and
they were soon surrounded with cir
cles of Open-eyed and Open-mouthed
listeners whom they puzzled with
marvellous tales of the beauties and
wonders of rural life. But the young
and inexperienced members of the
party, who knew nothing about the
country for themselves, could get on
ly Il hazy notion of what their two
weeks vacation had in store for them.
SO they kept up running fire of alb
surd questions. as this the country ?"
"When will we get there ?" "Will
Jimmy live in the next block out
there 2" "Will a policeman show us
the way if we get lost in the streets
on the farm p were some of the que
ries that filled the air. The children
were all excited, and all seemed to
anticipate most glorious time play
ing, riding on little ponies, picking
berries and rolling in the hay.
In spite of the animation and hap
py anticipation in all the faces there
also appeared the pinched, wan and
even aged looks which old doleful
tales of days spent in dark and mar
row rooms and lOathsOme atmOs-
phere, of scanty food and of cares
too heavy for young lives to bear.
They came from OveTcrOwded tene-
ment houses in the lower part of the
city and from bare lodgings in neigh
bOrhoOds that are anything but in
viting. Their parents are day-labOr-
ers, licensed vendors, washer-wOmen,
sellers of newspapers, street-car driv-
erS and members of the poorly paid
labOring classes generally. Many of
the children were orphans and many
of them were half orphans. None of
the children had vicious looking faces,
in spite of the many signs of want
and care in them. They were neatly
clothed in fresh calico dresses and
straw hats and through the efforts of
the missionaries who collected them
they were well provided with other
clothing for their visit.