Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-29

camp for the balance of the summer at
the present rate Of expenditure.
Life at the Camp.
The Lille of the children at the &c mp is
one that can never be understood except
by these who have seen much of the gath
erirg of children who have seldom, If ever,
known the joy of the fields and the woods.
The present facilities of the camp are about
pressed to their limit and no more can be
received until some of the present summer
soicurners have been taken to their homes.
Every week there are new arrivals. The
children are taken from the city to Bright
weed on the trolley cars and there a wagon
in the service of the camp meets them and
they all pile in pellmelL and. all aeog with
expectation of their first view of the camp,
they are jolted over the rough roads. the
conveyance used to carry them to their
promised land being without springs or
any device to ease the jolting.
II pictures could be taken of them as
they arrive and when they are ready to
leave for their homes they would show
the wonderful effect of a two weeks stay
in the camp. As the dates on which the
children wiz be taken 10 the camp are
furnished them long before their time to
be received, and frequently early in the
summer, they look forward for many weeks
to the outing as the one bright spot IN
their lives. Sometimes their mothers or
fathers. struggling against adverse circum-
stances. will save from small earnings
weekly In order to make the little ones
! look as presentable as possible. There is
a new frock for the girls or new suit for
the boys. such as they have never before
known But more frequently the children
are taken from homes that cannot yield
clothing except that which is old and tat
tel ed. So it is that the wagon loads ar
irving at the camp have generally a most
sorry looking lot of passengers
The arrival of newcomers at the camp
Is time for great activity. Then the end
II- I lE ~ 4Ar~r., I1.1
t!vties. The children all get bath soon
after their arrival and that bath and in
spection often indicates that unusual care
is TO be expended on the newcomer Many
a little girl has her hair a-tangle and in
a condition that repeated washings and
ccmbings are necessary in order to bring
II TO a proper condition. Sometimes disn-
fectants have to be used to get rid of
tenants in the curs. Now and then little
girls have TO be shorn for their own bene-
fit as well as for the protection of others
with whom they come in contact in the
camp.
But after the first day of their life in the
camp the children are the cleanest that
can be found anywhere Not far away
Rock creek meanders, dashng over big
rocks and beneath the shade of spreading
forest trees. 1t is in one of the most
beautiful pools along the entire creek that
the camp has established its bathing beach.
There every morning at 10 clock the girls
go for a plunge, and 1t is part of the routine
of the camp that they should take a dip
into the water at that time unless there is
some special reason for their absence. The
same rule is applied to the boys, who
bathe at the same place one hour later,
so that by 1870 o'clock all of the chill
dren are ready for their dinner, and they
invariably take to the dining tent a fine
collection of appetites.
Plenty of Wholesome Food.
The youngsters appetites are one of the
features OF the camp. Three times day
they are seated at a table which is rather
an unusual experience for many of them,