The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-07-22
Town TOPICS.
The Fresh Air Children.
A LETTER FROM REV WILLARD PARSONS
TO REV o. W. BARKER EXPLAINING
HOW TIE CHILDREN ARE SELECTED.
New 7 Ork Tribune.

NN" Va hs u aiS los 1880
Rev o. W. Barker, Newtown, Conn.
My Dear Mr. Barker: A few words
showing something In which the Tri-
bune Fresh Air work is carried on will be
OF interest to your people, who showed
such generous hospitality for the chill
dren laat year, and from whom we ex.
pect good things during the present sum
mer. | am often asked, "How are the
children selccted?" / have on ny books
the names Of missionaries and other
workers, from at least hundred organi.
z!tions, who are at work among the
poor. These organ1zatioDs are mainly
mission Sunday school, industrial school,
dYspensaries, hospitals and bands of
rained nurgee. These people apply to
me asking to be allowed to send q GER
tain number OF their poor children to the
country. They select few from their
large number. When | receive the re-
port from the committee in the country |
call on some of these different organiza-
tions TO supply the children, dividing the
task among them according to the num-
Der OF children that they have TO send,
and using as much judgement as possi-
BILE TO know whether they are children
likely TO suit in this particular plsce.
The more information about the place
and children from theae different organi.
cations the better | can make the aelec-
Clone, but the work has grown to such
large proportions that lot very much
can be done in this way. The people
Who select the children are devoted, con-
secrated worktr3 among the poor. Their
time ig given up to WORK among them.
They are striving their best to make in
co gooo men and women these boys and
girls with whom they come in contact.
Usually they do MT have much agsis-
tance from the parents, although some
times poor child may have the noblesU
a0d best parents, buC sLiIl unable to do
for them as they would like. | don /
know where one could GLd 8 more con-
secrated band Of workers than this same
band who select children for the Fresh
Air Fund outings. They have zeal and
they have devotion. There sre none Of
them iDfallible, few people are, but the
errors they make are rather Of Judge
ment than Of intention. They have an
personal know ledge of the home
and its surroundings, and this fortnight
outing, they claim, is one Of the strong
est il fiuences they have to bring to bear
Tor the benefit and uplifC Of the family.
The ideal child that is sent into the coun-
try is full Of gratitude ana makes as lit
tie trouble to its hoct as possible. Un-
fortunately the children We send are not
IDEAL children. They are boys and girls
Just like other boys and giGls and should
be judged by the same standards. One
Of the chief difficulties have had to ov-
5rcome in the work is that OF these chill
dren persuading the people in the coun-
try that they are not poor children and
belong to a well-to-do class.
began this work in 1877. The first
party of nine children were among nv
own people in Sherman, Penn. l watch
ed very carefully each child to see Its in
huerce upon the country children and
country children iLtluence upon them.
E1o days after the children had arrived
Cne Of my parishi0ners came to me say
Tag That she felt she was being imposed
upon. inquired what was the matter.
She said, 1.-The children l have in my
family are well dressed. They have en-
broidery on their petticoats, they claim
they have left their best clothes at home
and see 10 charity of my taking them
into my home. l see no reason why |
should entertain them rather than that
they should entertain me in the home;
from all appearances they are better of
than | am" | chanced to know the ex-
act condition Of the family. 1t was this
The father had been sick, confined to the
bed for three months. There were five
and the only bread winner was
the mother, who had not only the care
of her sick husband, but must earn suf-
ficient money for her rent, her food, and
ner clothes. This she did by finishing
gentlemen's fine shirts, for which she
received three cents for each fine shirt
fnished. Now" | said, "you can
Judge for yourself whether it is charity
or not to receive these children into your
homes for a fortnight.'' Children have
been sent to this town every year since
1877, and no stories of the children have
ever done further harm. This was the
first case of Dragging that came to my
notice, and it was the first party of chill
dren in 1877. have been meeting the
same things ever since. In hundreds of
cases where the poverty Of the children
has been questioned | have investigated
and find almost without exception, the
children that brag the most have the
most to conceal. l could multiply in
stances by the score. [ have many
times brought to the city committees
from the country, who doubted the pow
erty of the children, in order that they
might visit each home from which the
children came. The result has always
been the same. The committee have
gone home with knowledge of the pow
erty and wretchedness existing in the
homes they had little idea of.
Why then do these children brag about
their surroundings and put on airs? For
the same reason that you and I and al.
most everybody else, when we 60 among
strangers, try to put our best foot for.
ward. The silly stories of our own chill
dren everybody receives for what they
are worth, but the same sort of silly
stories from my poor children are swa'
lowed by the incredulous without ques
tion. Before the children go they ART
q 90 nfnnd nv q nh vsiaisn ond sffa ybva;