Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-08-22
AMONG THE FREsH-AIR CHuDREN.
How they Enjoy Themselves aud what
they say about Country Life.

tnPN say HDbuI NbunITN
As our readers will remember, the first
detachment of "Fresh-ar children" ar
rived in this vicinity Il week ago last Fri
day, and were assigned tn the hospitablc
people of Charlotte, Shelburn, Willston
and Burlington. There were one hundred
and twelve of them, boys and girls, and
they are divided up as follows: Shelburn,
20, Williston - Charlotte l2 and Burling-
ton =. Shelburn is the banner town of the
county in this good work. and its kind
hearted people deserve the greatest credit
for the way in which they have opened
/ their houses and their hearts to the little
ones. A representative of the FREE PRESS
had the pleasure, yesterday, of making Il
trip to Shelburn with Mr. Edgar Beck
with General Secretary Of the Y. NJ. &. A.,
who has the work for this vicinity in
charge, and of visiting several of the
homes where the children have been re-
ceived. The general verdict was exceed
ingly favorable to the little guests. Near
~ all of the families with whom they have
been placed have become sincerely attach
ed to the children in their charge. Almost
without an exception, they are reported to
be grateful, obedient. neat and careful,
and their happiness and daily improve
mpnt in health make ii II pleasure to have
them about. The FREE PRESS representa-
tive saw seven or eight parties of the
Fresh-tir children, and III every instance
they were well-behaVed, as neat, ruddy
and happy as one could wish children to
he. Some of them looked almost us if
they had been born and brought up in the
country, and il was hard to tell the little
metrupOlitanS from the sturdy young Yer
mOntcrs with whom they were playing.
Quite Il number of them report that they
have been into the country every summer
fpr several and their byult h
full faces and sturdy limbs confirm the
story. Many of them came from quite
comfortable homes : they are by no means
all street children \ little fellow at Rev.
Mr. Dibble's. in Shelburn, is quite Il bril-
liant performer ON the piano, and came
provided with as complete wardrobe of
his own as most well-todo Vermont pa
rents can afford for their children. The
majority of the children, however, though
perfectly respectable. are evidently from
of clothing when they arrived, and the
kind people with whom they are stopping
have spent II good deal of time and labor
!, in fitting them out with "A substantial
, wardrobe. The Improvement in their
physical condition., even within the few
days since their arrival has been wonder
full Pallid faces have become brown and
? rosy : muscles have thickcned up, and
t puny limbs have visibly increased their
, growth. 1t is wonderful how quickly
country life ; how their appetites grow
how they revel in milk and fruit
and all the beautiful products ofthe farm.
Il certainly thought" said one gentle
man, that my boys would kill themselves
: eating apples. They must have eaten
T. half bushel the first day, but it didn'
4 make them sick, 1t seems to agree with
them" 1.-The children are no trouble to
, us ut all, - said lady. I'VE just let them
run ont doors, and they climb the apple
4 a. i.
e A number of little German girls arc among
/, the children in Shelburn and their tiaXeI
hair and fair complexion make them ap.
pear very attractive. All in all, the chill
dren are AS pleasant looking a little com
| pany as is often met with. They are very
. dutiful and atfectionate. Nearly every
day they sit down-those of them who
know how to write-and pen long and
: wonderful letters to their poor toiling par
= ents in the hot city Here is one little ef
, fusion which good fortune threw in tn,
SHELBURN, VT. Aug. lO.-Dear Mamma
and Papa: We are having IA nice time ou
}. here. We roll all around in the grass an,
: in the evening we see the cows getting
V MIXED. Mr.. Weed has twenty-thre'
!, cows, and about seventy-five chickens
. eleven little turkeys. four big turkeys, ter
I little pigs and six big ones, and two littl,
e colts ten big ones ten calves. nineteeI
t yearlings We live mile and half from
"a the village and are going tochurch to-day
We have a hammock to swing in WI
:, play hde-and-go seek. We are going t,
u have two nice dresses made like Il mothe
hubbard, and have a nice hat. | hav
my tidy about half way done. We eat al
the apples we want. We are six in tn
'e family now. SO will close my letter b.
II saying,
N Your little girls,
n Minnie and Louisa.
:. Another, a postal card, read I'VE farm
~ ers are real rich. We have fiocks of shee
It and horses and dogs, and lots of apples t
u eat And another: 1--WE have lots c
i horses here, and a colt He kicks lk
fury
some or their sayings are bright an
~ laughable also; especially that of the littl
u girl who went to another house to see he
N brother, and informed him she had ''jIls
il been out picking eggs \ little boy, VIII
H. went out into the field where the me
NJ were digging potatoes, remarked that i
~ never knew where potatoes were kept b.
AZ fore.
The first detachment of these fresh-a
children return to the city on Friday
lie this week. Most of them are very SORT
al to go, and are counting each day that +
-, mains to get the most pleasure possib
~ out of it. 1t is expected that there will
in another detachment sent into this vicini
he some time in the last of August or first
no September. The town of Essex is to
nc the place where most of them will
90 domiciled, but all who desire to aid in ii
re work, wherever situated, can do SO by sen
ay ing their names to Mr.. Edgar Beckwit
nv at the y. NJ. {. \. rooms in this city III
he project thus far has been great success
- and the good thus done has been far in e
- cess of any Inconvenience which may ha
e. been sustained, We hope that all WI
er possibly can will help the managers of Il
re project in their efforts
ORR pIZZIE tnRNER
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