New-York tribune., 1907-12-23
WORK OF TRIBUNE'S
FRESH AIR FUND.
BROUGHT SUNSHINE And
JOY TO THOUSANDS
Reuiesu Of What Vas omplshed
TN the Last Year-Some
Facts and Figures.

Thousands & Q. sh brd nes ssrT aSs rough Ghidden
Deep in the leafy woodland hidden
Dies. unlistened to. many a bird.
T ossos sa s0eu open and die n unbresheS city
Tor feet unwashed by the of pity
Streams around meadows of green are wreathed.
TsTn ner STeezes out m in s' the ensS ds sander
scarcely noticed. the green month. squander
oPsgft tgss ssTs'oR hse the ;s GogPtry int LIZ skies
Starving for beauty, are childish eyes.
-EtheiUyn Wetherald.
II this Homo saves boy il WIFI be worth
al 1t has cost said Horace Mann the great edu-
Gator, at the dedication of a school in New Eng
land. After the meeting friend asked Mr.. Mann
what the building cost and WAS told $4,000
Yves not your statement that its cost would be
justified IL boy saved extravagen
one7" oueried the friend
Not IL it were my boy" promptly replied the
phisnthropist-
II liz. Mann's estimate OF the value OF one child
he g correct one. and what parent would deny its
accuracy, who shall estimate the value Of the
work done by the Tribune Fresh Air Fund in its
thirty-frst year, when the number OF its henef-
oiaries reached SlI5 population as large as that
az the prosperous cities of Barre. VT: Fremont.
Ohio. Titusvi1le, Penn Judged by dollars and
cents the average per child less than s. e5.
the total cost Of the summers work. not count
:ng TIE expense OF ssmeIlt. which is provided
for privately, $50 657 OF. This includes the
cost OF advance work in securing invitations for
the children IN families throughout Western New
England and the Middle States the carfare for
the children and their escorts gping and return
ing and the food and services and the expense of
ihe management Of the several Homes IN which
the children who be entertained in families
spend a happy fortnight
LOVERS OF MANKIND.
The Rev Willard Parsons. the founder OF the
Fresh Air Movement. and fo- tA.-ty years the
80 Trfl.sv "a To-
January. owing to i'll health, urSe that his
resignation be accepted. and he s9eGt the year
quietly II Franklin, Delaware County. n. Y. the
OF his birth, until September y. when he
died suddenly from heart disease.
The work for children begun by Mr.. Parsons in
Sherman. Penn. in ls77. with party OF zine. and
sixty for the summer. grew under his management
Until IT reached total Of 23770s children sent TO
the country for fortnight, in addition to z2s.oi
mothers and children sent up the Hudson for an
su-day excursion. Truly he buiided better than
he knew. His death distinct loss TO philan-
throoy.
Among the esriy friends of the Fresh Air Fund
were William e. Dodge, Cornelius Vanderbilt and
ID. Willis James. In September. about fortnight
before the death Of Mr.. Parsons. Mr. James passed
sway. his colleagues mentioned having preceded
him. Each of these was noble-hearted- a
lover Of children and stanch advocate of The
Tribuue's work for them As DR.. Parkhurst said
Mr. James recently: lie loved every one. from
God down to the newsboy.''
The debt which the quarter OF a million children
benefited by this agency to these early
friends OF movement and to their associates
and SUCCESSORS can nsver be estimated nor repaid
IT is such men that Philips Brooks had IN mind
when he said: He who helps a child helps hu-
rrlanity with irnmediateness that no other help
given to a human creature in any other stage
Of human life possibly give again Not only
philanthropy, but every good CAUSE otV1c- social
educational and religious. has lost firm sup
porter IN the death Of Mr.. James.
AS In former years. about five thousand children
were entertained last summer In hosptable homes
On farms and villages the guests of those
who realize that what can be done for a child is
labor well expended As usual also, the we'll
sppcinted Homes at Interlakea, Mass: Litchf1eld
end Fairfield Conn; Tenaiy and Chapel Hill,
~ J. and Ghokan. Middletown and Claverack-
n Y were kept full weeks or more; some
Of these are supported wholly by contributions to
the Fund while others are maintained by friends
The Tribune paying only the carfare OF the chill
dren and escorts. carfare and a part OF the e1-
penses OF caring for The guests
AN INVESTMENT THAT PAYS
For fourteen year. John E. Parsons has been the
host OF five hundred children. paying each year
several thousand dollars for the supervision and
maintenance OF ST. Helen's Home. near his own
beautiful home at Lenox. Considerably more than
the cost of Mr.. Nanns school has been expended
by Mr. Parsons not to speak of the constant over
sight and cooperation given by him and members
of the money spent in making seven thousand chill
6ren happy and in instfllng into their young minds
possibilities CT better life in this world and in
The next:
This summer" said Mr. Parsons. recently,
three young came TO see me, TO express their
gratitude for what they had received as children in
fhe.- visit at St HeIen's Home. talked with them
sbou. their present occupations and their outlook
On RE and from what they told Of them
selves and especially of the impressions which they
say were received while guests at Interlaken, am
satisfied that if nothing else had been accomplished
outlay of these fourteen years would have been
justified. j should certainly be satisfied
Similar testimony given by Mrs John s.
Lyle of Tenafy whose beautiful NE ano WORK III
her ideal HappyIand were cut OF all too early
Not long before her death last spring. shs eH-
pressed her belief in the lives of two or three
her visitors In earlier years the money nseo for
al the children had been returned as wise invest
inenf In the past Mr.. Lyle has main
tanned the work usual. and MIS- Lyies sister,
Miss Newcou1b. has made il her special care look
snr after nearly $50 girls Every party has had a
picnic on the spacious grounds OF inc generous
bepesac.oy and every Sunday least the children
showed their appreciation Of his Kindness by sing
ing their hymns and eonrr on the versnda of his
home.
-aThe churches OF Middletown and Goshen con-
,,uued ,b.- yn,nistrv Of love the crippled and
convaiesoent children. receiving larger numner
than ever before and keeping more of them from
fo,,r to six weeks than usual In the Convaiescent
Home near Middletown. The churches at hucsoh
snd Claverack had practically a hundred girls IN
the Benaway Home near Ciaverack
PHYSICAL. MENTAL AND MORAL BENEFITS
~luIn In