Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-14
September. taste the delights of country or

September. taste the delights of country or
seashore for a period ranging in length
from day 70 several weeks.
But thirty-odd years ago that child Of
poverty who caught a glimpse of heaven IN
green fields, mist-crowned heights and a
vast expanSe of blue, ever-movlng wafer
was one In ten thousand-a child favored
of the gods At that time, in New YORK
city for example, where now one hundred
odd fresh air societies devote themselves
exclusively to children, there were two Or
ganlzations which took a few hundred chill
dren. ali told. during summer on day
outings; one down the bay, the otner INTO
the country. And it was extremely difficult
to induce the charitably inclined to supply
the money which was necessary to carry
on the work on this small scale. Inc pup
lie did not seem to be alive TO the fact
which the slum doctors knew only too wei
that the high death rate among their tiny
patients was due in great part to lack Oh
pure fresh air for starved little lungs.
Beginning of Fresh Air Work.
In 1874 Mrs. Arson Phelps Stokes, VINO
had been maintaining an orphans home on
her family estate in Staten Island, aban-
doned the work and turned over the home
TO the Childrens Aid Society, with the I'M
Outstanding that it would be used for the
purpose of giving Stun children an outing
This was really the beginning OF fresh air
work as we know II today, through the
many hundred societies which every sum-
ruer are the means of saving the lives of
heaven knows how many children
The initial summer home for children re-
manned on Staten Island for some years
Each summer added TO the scope OF the
work. Finally, the demand on II became SO
treat that il was deemed advisable 10 move
The home TO more spacious quarters on
Icng Island and here it now is, ideally To-
hated at Bath Beach, overlooking the lower
bay with accommodations for 400 children
livery day of the season. When the charity
WAS inaugurated only forty children could
he taken care Of over night with any de-
kree of comfort. Its growth is representa-
five of the whole fresh air movements IN
Grease.
typical OF the numerous fresh air homes
scattered about the outskirts of such cities
as Chicago. Philadelphia, Boston and Pitts
burg.
The grounds are four acres in extent;
they were purchased in 1881 at cost OF
E25OOO, but five times that sum could NOT
buy them now. so great has been the IN
grease in land values in the nelghborhooa.
Mine cottages are scattered about nearly
all donated by such well-known persons as
the Astors, various members of this family
having given four of the cottages and the
big pavilion in which the children play
when they tire of sea bathing. or romping
about the grounds or climbing in and out
of the swings, or sliding for life down
the cable or viewing the world through the
camera ODScurd. OF BOlIs 10 Scd III lhS
wreck OF a sloop. or riding on the merry
go-round or reading the books of the IL
brary, located at the entrance TO this poor
ohlld's paradise, or lounging in the resting
room The present value of the plant Is
oonservatively estimated at about quar-
Ger million dollars; sum that would seem
insignificant II it were possible to compare
. 1t with the aggregate amount of money in
vested in fresh air charities.
A Cottage for Cripples.
At this home last summer over five
thousand children each spent a week and
twenty-five hundred a day. Besides, sew
eral hundred cripples were kept two weeks.
there being a cottage set aside for them
and an orthopedic nurse in attendance in
addition to the caretaker. one being in
charge of each cottage. Another feature is
the nursery building. given over entirely TO
children who are around the age of five
years. Forty children can be accommo-
dated In this cottage at a time. They have
their own dining room, while the rest eat
Fl one large hall; and when they go to the
beach for their morning dip they are looked
after with even more solicitude than the
older children. Yet all are closely watched
during the bathing hour. and though the
home has entertained tens OF thousands OF