New-York tribune., 1907-06-29
COLORED ASYLUM MOVES
iAttractiUe Ne5C Home at RiCerdale
on Cottage System Plan.

VIZ SOtdNSSN ~ yotC''C L tNAi''
Moving is always an undertaking. When the
family TO be moved numbers something over
three hundred members it is a pretty serious
undertaking. That is why the Colored Orphan
Asylum is not running just at present in its
customary smooth household grooves. Last
Tuesday the institution moved. bag and bag
gage from the old building a. Amsterdam ave
nue. ana ii3d street, which building had become
entirely inadequate 20 its needs. to the newly
erected home al s. SrGdia-on- hudson. Since
then tne Older orphans have had he time OF
the. lives toting flr,'.t21e out Of he vans and
putting II, witn the best attentions, There it
ought NOT - ne. The ba rs objected > the
change ar hTst, but became reconciled when
their toys We're urpacked. 'che cav after the
moving, which vas so vet they could not be
taken out twenty of the smallest todded
around the nursery. trying TO make the best Of
two rubber dolls and an inadequate Consign-
ment Of wooden horses.
'Her'u div Us our toys when her diets um,"
said one wee pickaninny hopefully; her" being
Virginia the nurse
The bigger girl babies in the next nursery
were happy, for their wonderful doll house was
unpacked. This doll house is the very one
which Mrs. Willard Parker the first directress
child.
RIOT IN THE MORNING
'It's curious" said Miss Jones' the matron.
that while the older children liked the change
and the new place, the babies were much dis
pleased at first. You wouldn't think such tiny
things would notice, hut they did The first
morning here there was almost a riot IL the
nursery. The nurse sent for me, and when az
rived the babies swarmed around me and
stamped on the floor and walled Don't Ike
dis ole place! they said. Don't want o stay
here! Want % go home What did I do? Oh
diverted their minds with bit of candy apiece,
and the riot soon queed. I think they were
tired from the excitement OF the journey the
day before"
The journey, as far as the babies were con-
cerned, made in a padded furniture van,
and people along the way stared and smiled TO
the load Of little dark creatures fifty-one Of
them in all. -Four attendants and one manager
of the asylum made the trip with the babies.
and whenever one Of the latter twisted uD its
face 70 cry over the strangeness of the situa-
tion il shown in a handglass how the said
face looked. and the cry soon changed to
laugh. Moreover the little girls all had new
pink dresses and the boys new blouses and
trousers, so naturally they did not feel much
Ike crying The older orphans made the Jour
ney by subway and trolley. When they reached
the new home they all hal a good meal the first
thing
I'VE gave bread and milk to the younger chill
dren, 80 OF them the matron said, and how
much do you suppose they consumed? One Of
the managers who was here is a Quaker, and
she said TO me- Can thee tell me how much
milk one Of those cans holds?' Forty quarts
] said. And the children emptied tvr9 f them,
said the Quaker lady Along W: 4 the milk
they demolished two barrels of bree -
a FINE LOCATION
Il is a beautiful location the asylum /. 9 now,
and beautiful. airy, adequate buildings except
that the managers had not enough money to
erect all the cottages they wanted to have. This
roonly location was chosen that the institution
might henoeforth be conducted on the cottage
long investigation, has decided 70 be the best
The big main building stands high up on
wooded slope. and from all its front windows
may be seen the waters Of the Hudson, which
flows just below. IN this building are six nur-
series in each Of which are about TWENTY-FIVE
children. graded as to age. Each nursery has a
oormitory, playroom and a bathroom and rooms
Tor the nurse in charge. The schoolrooms. the
kindergarten, the great kitchens and laundries
and dining rooms. the officers apartments etc
are all in this building. Below ranged in A
circle around pot which is going to be a
town by and by, the cottages six of them
Each cottage holds twenty-five children-girls
IN three of them, boys in three-and a house
mother, who is negro IN every case but one.
Three Of the cottages are furnished in Flemish
oak and three in bog oak and each has 2 read
Ing room' big playroom. the completest OF
kitchens and buffers pantries and dining rooms
TWO dormitories and. best Of all. several honor
rooms" bedrooms the top floor, which the
alone as a reward of virtue. Each family Of
children does its work, with the house mothers
aid, and, TO Judge by the way things looked
when The Tribune reporter was there they are
going 70 do II very well. In the Van Dusen cot
tage Jennie, the biggest girl. tall and kinky
haired and fourteen. had gathered her family
In the front hail. where they sang negro mel
odies. squatting on the floor. their white teeth
fiashing They could sing with clear consciencee
for the dinner dishes were washed, and the dish
towels hung drying in neat row on a line in
the back porch In front OF the other cottages
the children played or made spasmodic efforts
20 help settle" 1t was peaceful scene broken
only by the occasional excited gyrations OF a
negro mamny. who had come OUT from New
York determined to take her grandson Peter
home with her. Peters father had not given
his consent TO have Peter removed. Peter him
self took his finger out OF his mouth long enough
10 say he didn't want TO go; but the matron
could not convince Peters grandmother that
without order from Peters father she could
not let him go.
The managers OF the asylum were much dis
appointed that they could not afford TO build