New-York tribune., 1900-07-22
CHTLDREN'S HOUSE PARTY
TWO HUNDRED GUESTS OF THE TRIBUNE
FRESH AIR FUND ONCE A FORT
NIGHT AT ASHFORD Hill


They have told their friends at home of the
size OF these country mansions and have not
always been believed. If they should tell these
same friends that one OF these homes eutertafns
two hundred guests at time throughout the
summer it is not hard 10 imagine the laughter
with which the statement would be greeted
And yet such a place exists. It IS the home At
Ashford HILL n Y. where The Tribune Fresh
Air Fund sends two hundred guests every fort
/ night OF course they are diminutfve these
fresh air guests. They are all children from the
( tenement districts Of New-York City for it Is
the business Of The Tribune Fresh Air Fund to
send this sort Of children away from their not
! tenement homes and off 10 cool places in the
/ the country They so for a fortnight. thousands
/ OF them every sumner and they are all IictIe
children under twelve years of age So they do
not take Up much room Therefore The Tribune
Fresh Air Fund does not brag about its big
house party. It points only to The before and
after Of its little guests What the life Of the
/ tenement child Is i'll such weather as prevailed
/ last week is told only too well in the citys
mortality tables. The life Of the little guest at
Ashford Hill is not exactly the same.
To begin with, the scene is a little different.
Instead Of block after block Of sitting. closely
packed tenemeRts Of brick, there is an open
/ farm of seventy-fve acres 1t is right on the
top Of Ashford Hill, which is near Ardsey,
N Y The surrounding country is a success
sion Of hills and dales. covered with alternate
patches Of woods and fields In plain sight of
| the hill the St Andrews Golf Club has recog-
nized the beauty Of the region and has estab-
lished there its golf links. As place for a good
view this country is deserving Of its fame, bat
/ the cream Of the whole region is the top Of
Ashford Hill There stand five cottages. far
above the surrounding country. and every breeze
that blows by gives them some of its refreshing
coolness- The largest of the five houses is 50
/ spacious that Il is hardly q cottage. It is the
old Niele homestead, and the entrance TO il runs
between two high stone gates, which are hanked
/ by weeping willows the growth OF slips cut
from the willows overhanging NapOleon's tomb
al st Helena IN this house IS the big dining
room, where the two hundred children all eat at
/ the same time, All Of the cottages, as we'll as
the big house" contain beds for the children.
and each bed is a white, neat little affair. with
plenty OF room around it and generally near
window.
Eating and sleeping are the chief uses of the
houses al Ashford Hill, for the children are
there for fresh air and they spend most Of tks
time OF doors. This begins before o'clock n
the morning. when breakfast is finished The
whole two hundred Of them run out into The
sunshine then, and the days work for the at
/ tendants has fairly begun.
There are twelve attendants at the home six
men and six women. all OF whom have had ex-
perience with children and they perform the
I task Of keeping the children out of harms way
and giving them at the same time sucA a
continued picnic Of fun as they viii neveF 9r-
get After breakfast the boys run of and nave
a ball game. The girls go swinging in the dozen
or more big swings provided. or else they take
walks through the woods and fields and gather
berries, apples OF wild flowers Dinner at i 80
O'Clock brings the whole company togethoz
again. and then they are of once more the boys
to a brook about mile away FOR a swim and
the girls for a long afternoon Of fun OF their
own kind. Supper is at 8 o'clock. and that
leaves about an hour Of daylight. which Is used
in playing games and singing songs All the
/ children gather on the pig rock top of Ia
hill. and the sound Of their childish voices o0S2
be heard miles away. The minute il becomes
dark all hands are sent to bed for long sleep.
That is the way The Tribune Fresh Air Fund
/ carries on its house party. On rainy days they
play in the barn, sunny days they do the
things just spoken Of and, rain shine, they
have more fun and receive more physical benefit
from one day at Ashford Hin than from ons
year Of the poor little lives they lead in the
! tenements of a big city.
The Ashford Hill home is owned by the ChUrcs
OF the Holy Communion Of this city and is given
10 the use OF The Tribune Fresh Air Fund every
summer free Of rent Two hundred children are
| summer. In addition TO the Two hundred ChiI-