The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-17
SUMMER OUrIAGS
a Brief Account OF the Fresh .
Fund Charity.

a Brief Account OF the Fresh Air
Fund Charity.
BROOKLYN, \. Y, May 16.-Now that
spring is fairly here and summer advancing
with such rapid strides. one cannot but
think Of "woods and streams and forest
glades,n the ssashore and the mountains; of
happy escape from the heat. dust and din of
ths busy city to the stiffness and freshness
Of the country. Does IL ever occur TO the
favored ones OF the earth who. at the ep-
preach OF the first warm days, can pick and
choose the place in which they will be most
comfortable and happy, how many of the
city teileFs cannot escape even for single
day from their smoky factories and dingy
workshopsl Yet there are Thousands OF
such, and hard as is the winter for them to
endure, the summer is greater trial
still 1t is at this season that
little children die daily by dozens, and the
whole city lifts up Its annual wall over the
great infant mortality" There are larger
children still, armies of them, working
from dawn to dark, who, Ia all their poor
little pinehed lives, have never seen q tree
or q blade OF grass beyond those which
grew along the city streets. 1t was this
realization which SO moved upon the tender
and sympathetic heart Of a minister in a
little Pennsylvania town that fourteen
years ago he came to New York, gathered
up a few Of these forlorn children and took
them back with him to his own people
Each one staid two weeks during the heat
of summer, then returned to the city while
others took their places. Sixty, In all, thus
had a vacation ID the country. The lead
ing newspapers became interested in the
plan and the efforts which were made 30
carry 1t on during the next few years The
fresh air fund, as il was named, appealed TO
everybody who read about tit was so
amazing to learn that for the little sum of
So a poor child could have O whole
fortnight of fresh air, good food land
enough of it Tor the first time in their liveS),
comfortable bod and lots of fun among
clean and respectable people, differing in
that respect from most of the persons with
whom their lives have been. Money poured
In for this purpose from all directions. All
over the country this interest showed itself
in all sorts Of entertainments given-many
OF them by children--to raise money for
this cause. Already 100000 has been
spent, not one penny Of which has been
asked for. The railroads make reductions
in their fare, aud In these fourteen years
over 80, 900 children have thus had the bens-
fit of a breath of country life. They
have been received in families who
have been glad to do this much for the
poor little waits, aud in maRy cases these
NANAsAs EOSRA hA'c OSNSAAAR ASAJ
taehed to the children.
The physical and mental good which has
thus been accomplished no words are
adequate TO express. Many sickly, delicate,
and even apparently dying children have
been, a. 1t were, entirely mado over by
these two weeks of change Of air and food.
As for the mental and moral improvement
it is, in the majority OF cases, almost start
ling. Isn't it an inspiring fact that similar
M nrfz hau hoe az II. -
large eitiesl A fuller account of this most
interesting mission work can be found in
SeribneT's Magazine for April, written by
the originator of the scheme, the Rev. Wiz
lard Parsons.
The brave and hard-working English
woman, Mrs Annie Besant, has been among
us for nearly three weeks, and will return
home in few days, She, too, has for many
years bean missionary, though her work
cessful as that OF the protector Of the fresh
air fund. Not long after her marriage, on
account Of osrtain honest doubts which
arose in her mind concerning orthodox
religion, she was publicly repudiated by her
husband, O Clergyman Of the Church of
England, and her two children taken away
from her. In her suffering and despair she
turned to other suffering women, the op-
pressed and,outcast OF the earth, and devoted
~ uGlpiDk UttGul. E1E6 IlL6TAllY
went about doing good" but she did il in
her own way. asking no favors or ad vice OF
any one. She helped the famous Charles
Bradlaugh in the fght he was making for
freedom of conscience for all men, and as
he was, on accounteof his atheistic belief.
one of the 'degpised and rejected she
brought even more odium upon herself. But
she has never fiiuched in her honest convic-
lions or in her efforts for the poor. She has
CotI 60 he.
l2O,0OO woInea FROM dire poverty and hun
ger, from unjust employers and abuse of all
kinds. In America sac has leceured several
times upon the iaborquestion in Europe, of
which she is qualified to speak. She is a
fine looking woman of medium size and
hight, with iron gray hair, and dresses
simply in black. Her face shows her
to be, what she is, woman of
sorrows and acquainted with griefs, but she
has made her troubles prove not a him
dranee, but help to herself and others.
But the pity of it, that any human soul
should find this life only one long erucifix-
ioa, because of its honesty and the courage
to declare It. Our pilgrim fathers were
honest and courageous also, else they would
never have crossed the ocean which lay be
tween the land Of persecution and that Of
liberty. We honor them--but that is
because they believed as We do. When are
IHch 10 grow ColSTauk OF UDOS6
who believe differentlys Religious perse-
cution Is destined to cease from the face of
the earth just as surely as the earth contin-
ues to revolve around the sun, bus " hat
years Of misery must first be lived through
Every few days some shining light of the
church attracts public attention from the
fact of declaring himself unable to believe
some Of the dogmas he is required to
preach. The church was never so disturbed
in its foundations, and this disturbance will
continue until 1t can 'provide things honest
in the sight OF all men," and until the poor
sinner is as much an object of tenderness
and sympathy as the rich one.
Between the Roman Catholic church, in
whose eathedrals the pauper has as warm a
welcome as the millionaire, and the Saliva
ton Army, whose ministrations are for the
lowest. poorest and worst criminal classes,
there is q great gulf.
Archdeacon Farrar publicly confesses
that the church Of which he is certainly an
honored representative has never been able
TO put the teachings of Christ into practi-
cal use, and that it is less likely to do SO in
the future.
When each member of each church hos a
special message for his less fortunate
brother or sister then shall we begin to real
ize what is meant by the words, "Peace on
earth and good will TO men,"
ELEANOR KIRK.
AN FpITApn lin A pnIlA1EIpNlA