New-York tribune., 1910-07-20
MAKING FLESH AND RlO OOD.
27O Fresh Air Children Gained
52412 Pounds in Two Weeks
GIRLS MAKE BEST SHOWING
Youngsters Come Of Families
Averaging Seven. and Of Al
Nationalities.

The Tribune Fresh Air Fund E.anufact-
ured 52414 pounds of human flesh and blood
at one of its fresh air factories during the
last two weeks. That is to say, II was
the means OF adding that much TO the all
too u1eagra bodies Of 270 children-lust
about two pounds arieee
OF course. the quarter Of ton was not
equally distributed among all the 27o- That
would hardly have been fair. for some
children were much smaller than others,
and some needed flesh and blood more than
others.
The record holder among the weight gain
ers was an eleven-year-old Russian girl
who added twelve pounds &c her sixty-hve,
nearly a fifth cf her original weight.
There were fve tied for second place,
each gaining six pounds. One of them was
an eight-year- Jewish girl who added
six rounds TO forty: another was a nine
year-old American girl. who added six to
forty-nine pounds; still another was an
eIeven-year-old Irish girl, who started with
sixty-taree and ended with sixty-nine
pounds; the fourth was another eleven
year-old Irish girl, who went home with
eighty-four pounds to carry. and the last
was a twelve-year-oId italian boy, who
went up to eighty-eight pounds during his
stay.
Why Girls Gained More.
The girls averaged greater increases than
the boys, getting almost q quarter of a
pound more person. This was doubtless
due to the fact that the boys worked off
more of what they gained by their greater
activity.
Just how much these children in general
needed the new red blood they got is indi-
Gated TO some extent by the fact that
there were in the party four tiny tots who
weighed, respectively, twenty-nine, thirty
one, thirty-three and thirty-seven pounds
These Increased their weight during the
two weeks by seven and one-half pounds.
How broad is the scope of the work be-
ing done by the Tribune Fund and with
what impartiality its helping hand is
stretched forth are indicated by the ma
tionality and religious associations Of the
children who made up this company. In
the party there were Italians. Irish, Rus
slams, English, Poles, Austrians, Germans,
Danes and Americans. And these various
nationalities were divided pretty equally
among the Protestant, Catholic and He
brew faiths.
Large Families the Rule.
Inc cOndltlOn OF the people WHOM tl47
fund is reaching shows in some of the
facts developed concerning their way OF
living The families from which the chill
dren come average seven persons each.
Yet, despite the size of the families, figures
show that they live in about three rooms
apiece. Among the brothers and sisters of
the children who made up the Fresh Air
party. 219 work TO aid in the support OF
the families.
Among the children we're several who did
not know their nlothers name In fifty
two OF the families represented the mother
had TO work by the day, as we'll as the
father. Fifteen of the little. tots had no
mothers, and on the other hand fifteen
were without fathers.
One fpmily consisted of a father who was
blind and could not work and a mother
who had her hands fun with q large num-
Der of children. while the support devolved
entirely on one sister.
The occupations of the fathers were. in
general, of a humble kind. Many were
bootblacks. many sweatshop workers. cigar
makers, drivers, Iongshoremen, pushcart
venders and street cleaners.
saddest condition OF all. there were eight
families where the father did nothing, but
stayed at home.
II still other families the father was un-
able TO obtain work.