The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-04-19


in the day, and as early came the drovcs
of ragamuffins who sleep with the spar.
rows, stunted, dwarfed and decrepit lit
tie chaps, whose keen eyes glowed in
anticipation of the treat in store for
them. 1t was the motliest assemblage
ever congregated under the blue dome
Of heaven, and they were as inquisitive
and just as numerous as ants They
peeked in the flaps of the tent and look
ed at the IL big tubs already filled with
pure, sparkling water Then they swarm
ed over everything.
The active warfare against dirt did
not commence until near noon, but all
the morning there was a string Of boys
anxious to have hair cut. They bobbed
in one door of the tent, and in about 30
seconds they were shot out the other as
bald as the day they were born. Tho
three BARRIERS shouted Next gentr' and
the kids, with grin like man who
had taken laughing gas, planked them
selves in wooden chairs, and tho opera
ton commenced. 1t was not q fancy
cut. 1t was simply serviceable one. A
few slashes from the back of the neck
to the eyebrows, and the negro, Bohe-
milan or Arab came out sans hair.
Then the real work commenced. Such
dirty children! 1t did not seem possible
that human body would carry such ac-
cumulations of dirt as the dropping Of
a few rags exposed. Crime in concen.
trio rings, like the growth of trees, en-
veloped many of the applicants Clean
apparel was given to those who got
through the finishing up process, and
they were turned out clothed and in
their right minds.
The Thursday following this memo
rable washday was the time of the an
nual picnic. The organization Of cele
bration like Poor Childrens day entails
much work and planning
There is nothing in What 's-his
names Lightning Calculator" or
"Ray's Third PART that would shed
any light upon the amount Of food nco-
essary to expand the vests Of 10, 600
hungry youngsters, not one of whom
had enjoyed square meal since tho
time of the Mission Christmas feast,
and one who has never witnessed tho
storing of waits lardcr can never ar
rive at an oxact idea of the herculean
proportions of the task. Superintendent
Daniels of the Waits mission, when
questioned as to the quantity required,
said that his many years experience OF
Poor Children's days had taught him
that it took all he could get and he in
structed his coworkers to labor to that
end. A few weeks before tho picnic sew
eral thousand strawboard boxes were
manufactured and each box made to
hold enough lunch for one half starved
urohin. These boxes were nestled III
skies, incased in larger boxes and load
cd on express wagons. Each wagon was
equipped with q driver and crew and
allotted certain streets on which to
work. A house to house canvass was
made, and it was seldom that q family
refused to fill at least ono nest OF boxes.
Now, hydrant water may do to wash
down an ordinary lunch, but it takes
lemonade, with lemons in it, and sugar,
to mellow up tho picnic cake and pie.
This requires innumerable empty bar.
rels, hundreds of tin cups, small noun
tains of sugar and lemons, to say moth.
ing of the ice to cool the decoction.
It takes one person several days to
visit the ice cream establishments and
see what they will do for the waits.
They generally respond literally. Then
there are the games and prizes to look