Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
Twas His Very, Very Firstest
Visit There, Too.
"REAL AMERICA" HE CRIES
Why. the Poor Eastsider Had Never
Seen the Grass Grow
OR HEARD A TRULY MOODY cow
So Remember, All You Fortunate
Folks, There a Fresh Air Fund
in Washington, Too.

NEW YORK. August 2o-"Will YOU
please have the little boy ready AT
o'clock said the mission worker to the
young Hungarian mother in East 9Th
street. and bring him to the church,"
Careful instructions had been given re-
gardng the clothing to be packed in the
blue denim bag. There was little to he
slowed away. but what there was would
be necessary for the two weeks vaca-
ton in the far away" country. where
| there were crowded streets. no over
crowded tenement houses. no filth.
Little David was not well. His four
teen years had been spent in poverty.
His parents had come here from Hun
gary when he was eight years old and
David had learned rapidly but did not
grow. The country would do him good.
thought his mother, when the vacation
subjec: was preached.
Poor, Frail Little David.
There were other children but none 20
frall as David. Four little figures were
huddled nightly in one bed in the room
where another bed was used by the
parents. One window gave all the light
and the air. and the light was nearly
| obscured by tall tenement house next
door. and the air had to come through
narrow passage containing the de post OF
years of refuse.
| David was ready for the journey to the
church on time. and. clutching the hand
of his mother, left the tenement home.
They were crowded against carts con-
| tanning all sorts Of vegetables and mer-
| chandise. He slipped on a banana skin.
and was saved from a fall by his moth
| er's. hand. Then he freed his hand for
did he not know the streets and the way?
uy1n u IL
| lodged missiles. The sun beat down
| upon the unclean street. and he wondered
| II the country could be better than the
quarters he remembered so we'll. He lin
| gered before cart where soda water
was sold for penny glass. and his
| mother had to push him along.
Dear Kid, He Didn't Know.
At the church there were other chill
dren. David had been there before.
when the tall woman had examined him
as to his cleanliness and health He had
been clean. and his mother was indig
nant when he told her of what he had
passed through. AS if she would let him
become unclean. On the train David
was talkative. He sat in the same seat
| with his teacher.
Are the houses so big as here?" he
asked the train came TO the surface
| from the Grand Central tunnel. "Is there
so many peoples? What for do We not
| have the grass here. and what we get the
| milk from. cows? Where does the sun
| come up in the country? From the
Brooklyn? Will I have to be very good.
and If don't be good will some man hit
me? My mamma said I must not talk
| there or / will be lift. an ii used to he
country where We lived. an my mamma
says fader was whipped once sometimes
and she was hit. too. and friends said no
one hits here. But they does. Big Joe
| was hit by a cop so hard he went to
Sleep
He Found 'Real America"
When David arrived at The Fresh Air
| Fund Home he learned for the first time
what real freedom was He could play
with his fellows without fear of a patrol
man. The ways of the attendants were
not the ways of those who had controlled
| his acts i'm the city. There was super
vision. but untainted by form or circum-
stance. He was one with all in the big
home. and the letters of restraint were
loosed and David was free from care. and
became considerable of others. for all the
boys seemed to have lost the keen desire
to annoy. to dominate. to deceive. There
was no domination in the home: there
was no competition. tinged with malice
and envy. One day David said thought
fully:
Wen / get home I'll tell mamma I've
found the real America. But I wisht she
an fader an all would come up here an
stay here all the time
And the spirit that had enlightened Da-
vid was among all the children at the
home, and is i'm all the places where the
girls and boys i'm the big city receive
fresh air through the operations of the
fresh air fund. And the wonder of il is
that it costs only about 50 to give a little
one a two weeks vacation.
Hundreds Just Like Him.
There are hundreds still to be sent
away. and they are those who have been
enfeebled by the many weeks of sitting
weather i'm the crowded tenement house
districts. and are greatly in need of the
refreshing outing. But the fund must
grow and grow right now. or the longings
of many mothers that their children re-
ceiye what their neighbors' children have
received may all be vain.
Solidarity Of Plainsmen.