Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-03
THE MOTHERS PICNICs.
One-Day Outings of the City FoIb That Do Them a World
 of Good. a

'Yes," said the settlement worker. according to Youths Companion, "ou1 fresh air children were success-they always are. It was joy to see the difference it made in some of them: poor little thin, weak, whining, whey faced midgets when they went, with hardly spirit to be naughty; and 8 pack of whooping brown imps that nearly drove the conductors crazy on the way home. 1t was positively as ex- hilarating as it was exhausting to have to quench so many pranks. Those were whole, monthers, mostly, with few fortnighterss and occasionally one- Weeker or so. Of course, the just-for- the-days don't show it so much; al- though it's surprising the virtue, there is in a four hours layer of sunburr. Y She paused to smile and then added:
 When it comes to one-day outings, the people it does the most obvious and instant good to are the mothers. Not the mothers who accompany babies or sick children, either, but the middle aged and elderly women, who are coaxed and scolded by us, and often fair ly coerced by their husbands and older children, to leave their families for single day and accept our invitation to picnic in the country.
 'The first mothers picnic we gave was a triumph, but it was all could do to keep the tears out of my eyes while I was serving sandwiches and telling funny stories to amuse our guests. They had been exchanging news on the way, you see-quite without self-pity and with not much pity for one another; it was too much the usual thing-and the revelation of what seemed to me their perpetual imprison- nent at hard labor in a lot bounded by poverty, toil weariness and monot- ony, diversified chiefly by births, deaths and lost jobs, upset my nerves.
 Three of them had not been outside the city for more than ten years; one for IT; and the way those women rev. eled in the glimmer of the lake and the greenery of the trees shall never for get.
 'One enormous Woman-we had longed for a derrick in getting her on and off the cars-began to whimper softly like a big baby when we got fairly into the grove, and suddenly sat herself down plump on the pine-needles, although there was comfortable broad rustic seat at hand. Then she apolo- gized in advance, very flustered and meek, for the trouble she knew. it was going to be to get her up again.
 But I ain't set on them sweet smelly things since I was no bigger'n my Name is now, and just had to do it. I'm awful sorry she explained.
 Well, of course her foot went to sleep and she got cricks in her knees, and burst both sleeves of her gown when we pulled her up; but we didn't mind, I poor soul. She was so happy she dropped occasional unconscious tears into her teacup all supper time; and whenever she could hear bird sing she couldn't hear anything else, and 1t was no use to talk to her. -t.
 There was another woman who never, since the age of IT, remembered, except when she was sick, eating more than two meals she hadn't prepared I herself; and another who had never seen pond outside park; and another who said she could name three kinds of wild birds-sparrows, squirrels and peacocks. I think I never saw score of people as happy as that picnic party; and I know, after the first, was never happier myself"