New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-20
FROM THE CITY'S SLUMS.
.,x p,cTuRE OF THE HOMES OF THE FRESH
AIR CHILDREN.
xu,r A TENEMENT DISTRICT LOOKS LIKE
woEK OF GREAT cHARrY-pAIAEIA0
INCIDENTS OF LIFE AMONG
THE Poor

II Air Fund, the part OF many peepe thel0 =
r. ~. seaI OF speculation. Some persons thnR "'~'
" the bcneacisres of the Fund are erphans' o'n.S
~ nat the children picked up out OF the
go, ,ndIscrimnately and shipped of to the coz Try
,,pt,,s notice. while still others, especially those
~ ra not familiar with the conditions OF city me-
Inc that The TTibuhe's little charges are HV'n
.,.,,ons and can be had for adoption at the pleas
= - their hosts. In correction OF these erroneous
-, We simply say that the benefcsries OF The IND
70 FnDd are without exception poor little boys ara
- unAer twelve years old who attend the various
scsay-schoos OF the city and who live IN the tene
,eYt districts Of this great city. ..
tenement house, TO person who mas never
,i,ed large city would indeed. be curiosity. 10
nth fe query Is often put 70 the children ana 'heh
eadants while in the country, What is tenement
sttctla Well 10 give word picture OF the average
,epement-hOuse and make Il appear 70 the fes"er as
n rcaIly is would demand the pen Of an Irving or
pickens Yet remembering the story of the holeo
French artist who failed to achieve success until ne en-
hac,d the advice Of the critics to devote less one 10
sstas and more TO bold rugged outline on the canvas
the writer is prompted few simple ronsh suohes'
permitting the readers imagination to supply per
,pective and detail to the sketch Of
Running of from the BOwery In the dfecuoh OF hdSV
River are score or so of streets within whose con
-, 90 ,bo cr,ire civilized world This
district in the past years has sent thousands
A children for a fortnghts outing uncer the
auspices OF The Tribune Fund. For CURIOSITY
ks on one of the hottest days last week the writer
RS ted this section Of the city passed through the
streets and into many Of the houses. This is what he
s,v. Fufbv cutters and ash and garbage barrels at
every second or third door. some of them OVERCOMING
aintIp the atmosphere with their VILE noXious doors
,srts. trucks building materials and broken boxes
crowdinc the wav: Bedlam's share Of noises. the
atter Of the elevated road the screams Of children in
MAY mothers calling 10 little ones ont OF the upper
windows drivers yelling at horses, and hucksters
ShoutiDg their wares; slovenH women, dirty, gutter
becrIrned children, viie-mouthed lazy men at every
corner houses four and five stories in height, packed
fom Garrett 10 cellar with human beingshaf of them
stood back the reartenements,' with no way OF
seeing out except to look straight u-some had not
been naiuted since the day of their building and the
vhitewash used sparngly; all had lew ceilings, none
had bathing facilities from ten TO twenty families In
each house each family generally with suite OF Two
~ ,br-e small rooms: cellar apartments especially
dark and uninvlting; families blessed with many
children: no carpets furniture rckety, chairs beng
especially untrustworthy; no separate sleeping apart
ueuts for the sexes. children generally sleeping an the
Aoor and prefe-rng it TO sleeping five six in bed
washing baking, ironing, sleeping ana eating Ill the
same apartrents-the shOebenoh. the dining table ana
the bed stand "eIbow TO elbow true case OF " the
pg In the parlor7 the small portcoes on the outside
covered with bedding. tubs and truck natlonahues
crowded together without discrimination. and every
sect and shade of religious belief represented zen
sa,oors can he counted to every one mission chapel
IN short the environs like Dryden's comedies in Mr..
Ioveps opinion make IT advisable to "put cothesph
m vour nose before you start 70 wade through tne
such Is a glimpse into the haunts and places wmcf
our little FrslAir boys and girls arc fated 10 can
shome.s Do you wonder at our eagerness 10 sivo
them q change1 Are you surprised that these HUE
fellows often have their ideas OF Heaven ana tHe
country confounded The old adage says Goa
made the country man the town" SO far as fresh
air and healthful environment co. man hasn't I'M
nroved much on Gods work. Hence our desire u
get the innocent those who are not responsive lor
their troubles and mIfortunes. out OF mans WORK o
Gods That we are succeeding in great measure
at least We are assured by the constant stream OF
little pilgrims going countryward during the last tIee
weeks.
The total number of parties for the three weeks
is egty-six Of which thirty were sent out during the
week Just closed The total for the week was Lee
children. Counting in the Day Excursions OF "ihch
there were three the grand total Is 49ol persons gwen
an. outing by The Tribune Fund
The work Of sending out the babies shows No signs
NJ decrease orders are coming In daily for children
to entertain The various points Of the compass seem
TO vie with each other The invitations cover vast
scope of country, from the White Mountain region
in The East TO the Aleghanes in the West from Mary
land in the south to the picturesque lakes OF Canada
TO the North. Today's excursions viii DC
ticketed 10 the following places AueeahS'
n V: Romulus v Y; West Farlee. Vt;
Logan, Penn. Altamont, Y. Y; Hunter, n. Y;
Aurora, y. v; Houghton Farms, N. Y. Cohocton,
n Y; CIymer, y. V, and Centralia, n. Y. In ad-
dtion there will be large party on the Erie Rail
road composed Of over 200 special children going TO
some thirty or forty towns in Western NewYork and
Northern Pennsylvania. The party to Logan, Penn,
stow
Junction, but Mr.. Moors, the accommodating super
interdent OF the Sunbury and Lewiston Division, that
the children might avoid night ride, has consented
70 run special train for them this evening from
LewistOwn to Logan.
Although thousands of little ones are in the
country for fortnights pleasure yet the children
going to-day are needy as any who have preceded
them We shall cite only three families who are repre-
sted in todays parties The first s that OF Two Little
beyond tbe city limits. Their father Is consuuiptve,
uEs6ie to do any work. The mother works BY the
VIZ The country these two little grs, and nine
years old respectively could hardly contain them
selves They have talked about nothing else ever
shoes and clothes. their own were worn Out Each
day these two children get their dinner It the school
along home for the Of the family OF six 70 SUD
sIst UPON There are two other lttls girls who live
IN wrefched basement in Osnnon-st. Their father
on umbrellas and the mother earns IL" oIngs
each eay BY WORKING On IN. a f%o rooms Te
furniture Is diIapldated and broken down, and the
whole air Of the place is that OF extreme poVGr.y,
The third is that OF a little Chic WHO h'Ss
on the fifth floor Of a rear tenement y, m
Rvineton-st There are seven children IA te n@ ~
Tie father has been Ill since early in the winter lie
does MOI work and probably viii not get well, since
he has consumption. The family occupy two rooms.
one bed and crib; the father sleeps on the noor
IL case OF sickness the accommodations are simply
terrible. The mother and the fourteen yeaFoh support
the family by making paper boxes They ", are PAD
Al the rate Of 100 boxes for five cents ms means
that the Joint labor of mother and daughter brlngs
u about thirty cents per day. present, the teacher
says the family are still 80 so behind IN their rent
They often 90 without food 10 eat that they may be
able 10 meet the rent Before warm weather set in
Two Of the little boys had to remain in the house all
oas-they had no shoes 20 wear. The little fellows
Noeld climb up into the window ana cry pteohsY iof
permission 70 20 down stairs The teacher wishes 10
SEND these Two little fellows to the country-uey are
SIX and four years u age. They have never been
away IRON home, for a single night, and they are
!oAth 10 leave their mother for the big world beyond