Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-07-06

girl under the age Of fourteen and any
little boy under the age Of ten found
destitute and in need of protection is
taken into the home. clothed fed and
educated. and afterward may be adop.
ted by a Christian family. It is inter
esting to note that upward of 10000
such children have been sheltered by
this home SO far.
No more charming and healthful 10.
cation could possibly be found for that
home than the corner of Woodycraft
avenue. It's windows command a view
Of Harlem River and a public park,
which adjoins the home grounds. In
the summer the noise of the little
ones at play Is frequently broken In
upon by the tuneful blast OF the coach
Ing horn. for Jerome avenue, that
tnoroughfare leading from the busy
city to the Hudson river road. is just
across the way.
In the boys room are ping-pong ia.
bles, music boxes, all kinds Of games
that are designed for the particularde de-
lights of lads. The walls are hung
with pictures they like and the great
book cases lining the sheds of the
room r filed with books that tell
interesting tales Of travel and adj
venture.
TO add TO the attraction of the
gifts, Mis- Gold arranged to have a
man come to the home three times a
week and introduce the boys to the
fascinating stories by reading aloud to
them. One afternoon is devoted 70
the smaller lads, and the other two
to the older set. Up in the kinder
garten are more evidences of this gen
erous-hearted woman's thoughtfulness.
Each airy room with Its Aquaint Kate
Greenway wall paper, is like a fairy
land to the poor child taken from the
home Of poverty and dirt. Its little
eyes are dazzled with visions Of doll
houses as complete in appointment as
any Fifth venue mansion.
The school buildings are, for the
most part. small and poorly equipped
for the carrying on OF the work.
Houses In the ne"ighborhood have an
swered for the purpose, but when
from two hundred to three hundred
children are crowded into these build
ings there Is much left to be desired
in the way of space and ventilation. It
Ia the hope Of the American Female
Guardian society and Home for the
Friendless to ecure money for the
erection Of schools designed for this
special work, and at the anniversary
of the founding of the nome the other
dass Miss Gould presented a check
for $4,000 to start a find for the much
needed school buildings.
The children gathered into these
schools represent nearly every nation.
atty, No. II for example Is made
up almost entirely of Italian children,
many Of them belonging to the sub.
way strikers. In the down town
schools are TO he found a few Chinese
and negroes. Hebrews, Russians
Poles. Swedes, Irish. German and 30
hemians.
Some of the boys who go to the
schools sell papers and black boots
out of school ours, and In this way
manage to keep themselves clothes
while they gain at least the rudiments
of an education. aud. what is evidently
more appreciated by them. are enabled
to learn an employment that Is clean
er. keeps them off the streets ant
brings good profits, Many of these
lads have Miss Gould to thank fol
the skill they have acquired in cob
bling, canning or basket weaving.
The school In One Hundredth street
received more than twenty d%isreputa
BILE specimens of humanity-rag pick
ers. most Of them-and they we're Sc
dirty that II was scarcely possible Il
tell what their natural color had been
Through the manual training classes
these boys we're able to learn a more
decent and profitable way OF earning
their living. These classes include
cobbling. chair Gaming. knife work,
basket weaving, cooking sewing ant
housekeeping. The kindergartners DE-
clay madeling, ribbon weaving. braid
ing. building and engage in other in
teresting occupations for the yer,
young. The Italians take ready Il
cobbling, and In many Of the schools
dozens of pairs of shoes are, patched