New-York tribune., 1906-08-06
BUSY FRESH AIR WEEK.
Nearly $500 Children To Be MoUed
TO or from Country.

Another busy week looms up before the Tribune
Fresh Air Fund, and threatens to greatly deplete
its treasury. Altogether. there nearly twenty
five hundred children to be moved, either from tho
country to the city from the city TO the country
this week The number OF those returning slightly
exceeds the number Of those going out. but there
are more than eleven hundred boys and girls in the
city anxiOusly awaiting the day when they will be
told 10 the station prepared 20 go in search
Of two weeks of fresh air. pure food and unadul-
terated fun.
Caring for the preparation and transportation OF
these little ones is no light task. Every child has
to be inspected by physician. TO be sure that the
boy or girl is free from contagious disease and
min Then IL he or she has clothes shoes that
can be worn. the necessary articles have be pro-
vided. If the parents cannot do this. il usually
falls to the lot OF some missionary to provide.
Every child has 70 be told the hour at which 20 be
at the station. and then the missionary has 20 look
after that, to that he gets there.
The work Of getting the children away really be-
gins in the country Many ministers who have done
this kind of work before and some who have not
began TO use their influence in the community
where they live 70 get the people invite the chill
dren to their homes. In places there
committees from different churches at work who
have raised fresh air fund.- and with this are
paying the board Of children at different places in
the town
After places for the children 20 stay have been
provided. list is sent to the Tribune Fresh Air
Fund, which sends out the children.
Then the work at the other end OF the line be-
gins. The Fresh Air Fund gets it's children from
missionaries in the city who are constantly work
ing among the poor people. These missionaries
know the children and the conditions under which
they live and know those who are worthy and
those who are not. Early in the many Of
them made application 70 the Tribune Fresh Air
Fund to have worthy children sent away. So
when the Fresh Air Fund has a request from the
country it does two things It first examines its
bank account 10 see il there is enough money TO
buy tickets for the children. If there is il imme-
diately sends to some missionary 70 learn whether
on a certain date at a certain time she can have
a certain number OF poor children at the railroad
station ready to go to the country. 1t IL seldom
that the answer is anything but yes"
The missionary then has 20 go into the homes
and look up the children that ought to go away.
After finding them the first task is 70 get them
clean In some cases. where home conditions are
particularly unhealthful this is easy matter.
The head may have to be washed again and again
with white precipitate ointment. and this work
often falls to the lot Of the missionary. who is
more concerned about the child's welfare than is
the mother.
The day before the company leaves town the
children are assembled and examined by the physi-
clan. Each child comes up and is met with the
command: Pull down your eyes" Sometimes the
meaning of this is little obscure the child but
1t is soon made plain. for the doctor puts thumb
on each of the lower eyelds and peers into every
corner of the eye. This is detect any signs of
trachoma that may be present. Next the child is
told to open the mouth, and the throat is examined
The boys usually have their hair cut short. and
need examination Of the head. The back hair OF
all the girls however. has to be looked at If il is
not thoroughly cleaned the child is rejected told
give another dose Of white precipitate. After
the child is passed the name is placed on list, to
which the physician makes the following affidavit;
hereby certify. medical examiner Of the
Tribune Fresh Air Fund. that have carefully eX-
amined the above named children and find about
them no evidence of contagious disease vermin or
de1Ving them the benefits of the
fund.
With the child passed by the doctor the
trials Of the missionary~are over. unless at the
last moment some boy shows up without any shoes
or a girl has no stockings. At the station the mis-
sionaTy hands the children over to representative
of the Fresh Air Fund TO check them Off He puts
them aboard the train where they are passed into
the hands of the escort OF the party when the
ing is no small task. The children especially in
,,iTed must 20 TO the right host while care must
he taken that the woman who has asked for a six
year-old girl does not get a ten-year-old boy.