New-York tribune., 1903-07-31
bhOWN CITY CHILDREN
Se0eraI Hundred NorU Home.
Tanned by Countrg Sam

oo.,, rs "ot city is better and happier now bv
several hundred brown and chubby bots ana a,rls ns
60. 4 Oot4'lues 10 improve parties of children
sent Out earlier in the season bv The 7rrib,, rT.
AIR Fund, return home. or course ,i+b ~ 80
@ oIen pleasure is mingled regret at leaving the
resh' green country.
.Tl oi"l,aily mat returned yesterday from Port
-AAesany, Penn, reported an esnec,s1i,, r,o5 49,
Fort Allegant is a pleasant co,,r+ ,,,, - c
""out twenty hundred inhabitants and +La vii
.,, lthe Fesh Air children. They did practically
,]s 'i'ins IN their power to make the time pass
Ior their twenty city guests. Two of the
parry were Kept for longer visit and many or
'ne hostesses wept when they saw their cbargas
~ ~ Ioi nome. Most Of the children were invited tn
return next summer 1 ~
- an the gieeful tales told of the visit that of
lhe grand picnic held on the village recreation
grounds seemed TO give the greatest io ,rt
" 4ioie party was there. and many of the small VIII
iaeers joined in the sport. watermelons and ice
~ S.eaih aoounded for brief space and then disap-
Peaieu. Ihen came games till the children were
"eaIieu and went to bed to dream of riding on q
sed OF Ice cream in boats OF watermelon rinds
yesterday The Tribune Fresh Air Fund sent chill
80, ~ 70 HFe dlHerent places for two weeks vaca-
to"- Inc destinations were Utica, Ilion. Esperance
CtieoHia ana Hyde Park. all in this State These
children all went into private homes and IN the
indJoIlty OF cases the hosts are farmers Such
homes are manifestly the favorites with the New
York Fresh Air children
MISS Gertrude Curran. Of Utica organized the
party at that place; Francis J. Eaton, at Ilion;
GRACE Eaton, at Esperance, and Mrs A. r RapeI-
yea at Hyde Park, The guest at Oneonta is a
poor widow, who went to join her little boy al
ready there, and will stay the rest of the summer
She lost her husband four years ago, and has been
supporting herself and children since then by doing
washing. Then her health failed. and it became
necessary for her to submit tc serious operation
AS soon as she began to recover some kind friends
IN Oneonta invited her and the little boy to spend
the summer with them. The boy went three weeks
ago but it was not until yesterday that the mother
was strong enough 10 take the Journey. The sum-
mers rest should put her in condition to care for
her family again
There are many such cases. of honest. hard
working people, who through misfortune are I'M
able to for themselves and families The
common idea that all the East Side poor are in
variaby in their condition OF helpessness through
either vice or laziness, and that they all
to shift their burdens to the shoulders of the
In many cases there marked exceptions
r A case IN point is that of a woman with large
Tribune Fresh Air Fund had arranged to send
one of the children TO the country. A little time
husband went back to work Now. many of her
ne1ghbors were accepting the kindness Of the fund
not so with her. Honest pride to the front
She wrote, thanking the worker who had arranged
to send the boy, but added that her husband was
and send the child herself.
Another little girl presented herself for a trip
and wonderfully made" The industrious mother
collected odds and ends of cloth and made this
little dress constructed out OF six distinct pieces
dent sent for the child took the dress away from
her replaced it with full suit of splendid store
clothes and kept the little patchwork dress as a
souvenir.
1t is these cases of honest deserving persons,
the Tribune Fresh Air Fund workers feel the most
satisfaction in helping.