New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-05
POOR CHILDREN SUFFER
CongeSted Districts Afford Bio
Field for Fresh Air Work.
MORE MONEY IS NECESSARY
thousands Will Be Benefited by
SoJourns in Country This
Summer.

rags and holiday attire were the order
Oh the day In New York yesterday. From
| the windows of dwellings and mercantile
| buildings over all the city the Stars and
stripes We're flung to the breeze. while
throngs in their Sunday best hurried hith-
er and thither on their way to the various
resorts in or near the city.
lhere were parts of the city, however,
where, for every flag that tapped In the
| nlSgardly breeze, a hundred pieces of bed
ding hung from fire-escapes or windows.
ana holiday attire meant no attire at all,
or as near TO IL the law allows
From the hundreds Of thousands who
focked TO Coney Island. Rockaway and the
other meccas Of the amusement seeker. IL
seemed as though the city must be left
empty. But the only effect OF the holiday
during the hours of daylight was TO in
crease the numbers sitting and lettering
about the streets In the tenement districts.
The elder members OF the families We're
released from their various lines of employ
ment and added themselves to the thou
sands who sat along the curbs or in the
doorways and made the congestion of the
streets worse than usual
the NHO4e East size ndO TO stay out OF
doors or suffocate. Ii was ptiful sight
TO see the children in the sizzling streets.
The three days of record breaking heat
had its effect upon them as well as upon
their elders. They looked wan and worn.
and lowered in crowds about ice cream
carts. sidewalk soda fountains and what
ever seemed TO promise a moments respite
from the conditions which most of them
lacked werds-at least English words
to describe. The majority of them more
over stood and looked in vain. They had
not the necessary penny to taste these
sidewalk wares.
Thousands upon thousands of these un-
fortunate youngsters filed the streats, TAX
ing what the fates had provided uncom-
plainingly and seemingly uncared for
Doubtless they had mothers and fathers
somewhere, but the parents concerned
themselves little with their offspring.
Here and there a horse might be seen
having it's head sponged and its TANKS and
feet soused with cold water, for a horse
is a matter of hard dollars and cents and
must be looked after but, though in his
way he loves his children, IT did not seem
TO suggest itself to the average East Slider
"a
be a good thing for his children
Everywhere the youngsters strayed about
choosing at their own discretion The amuse-
ment that would make them forget the
heat Up at Lexington avenue and l09th
street during the afternoon the arrest OF
two rowdes gave a crowd OF half-naked
boys a thrilling fifteen minutes AT
80 street and Avenue a, a little earlier in
the afternoon, q crowd in uniform even
more scanty, If possible, were being
snapped at by d NANCY, Uncovered cur
which seemed on the verge Of rabies.
In Tompkins Square hundreds of poorly
clad. swelterng youngsters stood in the
boiling sun and chung 10 the iron railing
around the recreation ground while they
watched the Independence Day sports In
Mulberry Bend Park hundreds more
SPRAYED themselves with the jets from the
drinking fountains or clambered over the
benches on which dozens of tramps were
trying to sleep away the terrible hours OF
q terrible day.
So the children passed the day amid heat
and scenes too often fit for no child to
look upon But the things many Of them
were subjected TO during the night were
even worse The streets were still SUMO
eating the tenements unbeardble, and
many a youngster lay down TO sleep In the
open streets.
Early in the evening. in Avenue b. near
"a street where the streetcar company
has piled sand over half the sidewalk, a
small girl. clad only in d petucoat, lay
asleep ON the sandpile. Further downtown
In Houston street, at the bottom of a Gel
"a. NaH n
danger of being trodden on. another tot
had stretched herself, with her head pill
lowed on the first step, and slept htfuiiy
with her face upturned TO the SKY
Later in the evening in part OF MuiDerIy
BEND Park which had been torn up ana
was covered with crushed stone three
small boys lay .aslep with their heads TO-
eether near the base Of tree, ana seeIieu
N sleep soundly for all their JACOB PHI
Low, There were doubtless scores OF other
similar cases which might nave peen oo-
served. ...
while these little folks were suffering
those hardships the officers OF the Tribune
Fresh Air Fund were working nara 10
bring a short peHod Of relef 10 theiH
thousands of invitations are wanted
from people in the country VINO VIII TAN
one or more Of these little street sdiHiiS
when they have been cleaned up and guar
ortead free from disease and keep them TOT
two weeks I'm the cleanliness and fresh All
OF their homes. n..
Thousands Of dollars to pay the raii'oap
fares Of such children TO the places u
which they have been invited are alSo
needed urgently. There Is no ca'cuid''is
the good such an invitation or money
oan,rihu,ion 10 the fund viii do and no
,,,ars can the happiness it viii bring be es-
timated. .., rr,h,,ra
DIR Devins the manager OF the iio I,,,.'1
r,nd will be glad to communicate VIZ"
OH Who contemplate assisting IN 'h'S "o'N
for the children of the poor