The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-06-08
Merry Shouts and Hearty Cbad laughter
Make Orphans PLaytnne a Happy Sight

the grass Is SO green, and the trees are
so big and spready, that you find your
self in danger of forgetting that the
big red building must be inspected if
you aresEoine to write about it.
Them Nre two big swings, one for
the Nhks hnds for the girls. each
f4lef during playtime with happy
huhfanWs freight, noisy freight some
times, for growing boys and girls find
IT, necessary to. shout Justify occasion
ally. If only to keep them from burst
ing from the pent-up JOY of being
alive, and "just kids"
The games they play are-well, just
think of the games you played when
you were a wee shaver. or ~shaverine,
and you will have a fairly good idea of
what goes on in hat ground.
In the back of the yard there is a
garden, a real garden, too, watched
by the boys, who find the cares of
wedding offset by the joys of watering
the plants at night, and watching their
process Of unfolding and growing up"
There are tomato plants. lettuce, beans,
peas, corn,@radishes sand--weeds. which.
like murder. will ''out." in spite of all
the attention of the strenuous gar
deners. a5s
But, let's go inside, or we'll never get
our story written. Down the big, cool
hall a little girl comes toward you,
takes your card and leads you into the
reception room, where you wait for the
bright, CHEEKY matron, Miss Florence
Cunningham, who is also a trained
nurse, keeping the children in perfect
condition. 1t is about 5 o'clock, time
for little folks to go to bed, SO, you
hurry into the dormitory for the tots
between 1 and 5 years. But o get no
further than the door, where you stand
transflxed with admiration.
In each tiny white bed is a nightie-
| clad, chubby, rosy child, standing up
and looking toward the door through
which is to appear the maid with his
supper, for he has played long and
s~trenuously, Inc must needs sup in bed.
so as to be ready to drop off to sleep
the very minute the Sand Man puts his
kindly old face In the door. The eyes
are SO bright and the rosy cheeks are
so chubby that you want to give a good
squeeze all around.
A little way from this bright room,
filled with the beams Of the setting
sun. is another room, hushed and dark
and as still a~s-anything. 1t is the
l"quiet' room,'' where the littlest babies
are snuggled off to Nodland by the
careful nurse who Is in charge. There
is one ~infantile miss, who Is, or rather
was, a founding, but the fac troubles
her not at all. She sleeps as soundly'
is just as hungry, and cries as Justify,
when occasion demands 1t, as any child
would care to. rs
Just now there are about seventy
children in the home. They live
healthy. happy lives, rising at e:15 in
the morning, having prayers at 6:45
and breakfast at T. From then until 0
O'clock there is work to do. Each child,
boys al well al girls, takes care of his
own bed, and does any other tasks
which come to him. The bigger girls
also help to sweep and wash the dishes
and care for the tiny ones. At Q o'clock
school begins, right in the building,
where there is a resident teacher, Mrs.
Jessie Gutterson, who teaches all of the
youngsters over 8 years of age. The
home only keeps children until they
are IL. At that age they are generally
taken by interested relatives, or the
managers Of the home find berths for
them.
After school there is a long, long play
time for the smaller children, until the
supper bell rings, at 5 o'clock. The
bigger boys must weed the garden, and
the. girls must darn stockings and sew
on various articles OF clothing. Many
of them are expert little needlewonien,
doing work that would be a credit to
any grown<np. Sometimes the sewing
period IS enAvened by stories from the
Fclass instruetress, Always 1t is len
livened by gay little giggles and gun
dry pokingsAof energetic elbows Anto
inviting sidessa
Az Miss Cunningham and I stood on