Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-23

structors. in the employ of the city. at hasa
| especially to teach them. This move. in
Iact moi only embraces the free bathers at
the public baths. but some very sane and
conservative men. connected with New
YORK board OF education are maintains
ing that every school-attending young one
In New York, boy and girl. should be
taught how to swim, in properly-construct-
ed plunge tanks in the easements of the
schools This idea has received far
w'der and more urgent broaching since the
Generai Slocum disaster. the list Of casual-
ues OF which might easily have been cut
oien attending that Inflated excursion been
given early instruction I'm the art OF pro-
terting themselves in the water.
me pubic baths OF New York are NOT
only godsend for the working bows and
men who rush to them by the tens of thous-
ands during their brief noon recess often
sacrin@ng their noon meals for the sake
OF ccciing plunge, but they are a mighty
me thing Tor the girls and women. At tho
outset the patronage OF the public baths by
the female sex as compared to the males
was IN the ratio OF about one to twenty. but
now nearly an equal number of girls and
women as boys and men avail themselves
OF the GOODNESS and cleanliness OF the public
baths 1t Is no unusual thing to see tho
mother or seven or eight young children
making Tor the public bath with her brood.
This year separate evening hour has been
established on the women's sides OF tho
public baths for The shop girls. who now
mock to the baths literally by the tens OF
thousands.
Other Big Helps.
One is almost tempted to speak OF tho
fresh air funds for New York children as
innumerable. The average man on the
street Is lucky If he gets through a single
business day without at least two or three
perfectly legitimate solicitations to con-
tribute a mite toward the maintenance OF
some sort of fresh air fund for the chill
dren. and 1t must be put down to the
credit of this average New Yorker that no
contributes to no other form of charity
with the same cheerfulness as he does to
any object which looks to the increasing OF
the health and happiness of children So
many are these fresh air funds of New
YORK that II is no exaggeration to state
that literally every poor child in New York
city has from half a dozen to a dozen fine.
rollicking boat excursions in the course Of
the torrid summer with all that Is implied
by one Of these trips In the way of cake
and ice cream and candy and merry-go-
rounds and music. Not only is provision
made for taking all OF the poor children OF
New York on these day-long trips. but the
charitable persons Of the town have UNDER
taken to see to IL tnat thousands of tho
poverty-environed young ones have their
turns of from a week to fortnight every
summer at lodges built for them at the
seashore or In the elevated counties of up
per New York state. The railroads give
these outing parties of young ones free
of the town willingly contribute to their
maintenance while they are lin camp" The
idea has been expanded this year to give
the over-burdened mothers of the young
ones the privilege of accompanying their
children on these outings.
Mention of these outings for Ne children
reminds one that a number of the great
department store firms of New York now
maintain large seashore establishments for
the enjoyment of their armies OF employees,
especially of the young women employed
in the stores They are given two weeks
leave of absence with pay. and at the Same
time they entertained, free of charge
as to every imaginable comfort, for. their
fortnight off at the seashore homes of the
firms employing them.
Free Ice, Too.
1t is pretty safe assertion that New
York's middle-class people, those who are
not so circumstanced that they need to
avail themselves of charity. go through
their summers with far less ice than the
most poverty stricken people of the town,
who would themselves never be able to
purchase cents worth of ice. The free
ice funds are almost as numerous as the
fresh-air funds, and it is said on good au-
thorty that the big ice companies of New
York sell at least one-h half Of their product
to the benefactors of the poor who chip in
toward furnishing free ice in the tenement
districts of New York. The free ice waa-
OnS are rumbllng through these tenement
streets at all hours of the day and night,
and if the other supplies Of the poverty
stricken were as liberal is the ice which
comes their way during the heated spells
they would find themselves in the lap Of
luxury.
Fresh pasteurized milk at the cost of it
at the upstate dares is furnished by tho
glass bottle In the poor parks all over
the city of New York by benevolent indi-
viduals, and thus an incalculable amount
of sickness and suffering among the East
Side infants is assuaged.
New York takes care of its poor There
issno manner of doubt as to that point.
New York's rich take care Of themselves,
as a matter of course. The middle-class
folk of small incomes and of n pride which
precludes the possibility of their accepting
any form of charity, are the actual suffer-
ers in many respects in New York, espe-
cially at time, as now, when the prices
for the things which they eat are little
less than incredibly and criminally exorbi-
tant G. l.. G.