New-York tribune., 1911-09-01
.FROWN ON RAIN POETRY
Fresh Air Children Put Veto on
Young EIocutionlst.
BAD DAY FOR L0NGFELL0W
Steady Downpour of Eight Days
Gets on Nerves of Many
Outing Parties.
Tho day Is dark and cold and dreery
T. r-,-~ o~a 49, ,rt,A Ca raver weary

Tho day 4. dark and cold and tresry;
II rains ard the wind is never weary
so far the Youthful elocutionist got out
no further There was lot more 10 n's
piece" as every one that has ever been
10 school we'll recalls but the fact remains
that he got no further The abrupt stop
wasn't caused bv that failure OF memory
SO common among youthful elocutonists'
The fact is. lie didn't stop. he was
drowned out. The audience hadn't more
than grasped the purport OF the first dozen
words before a ong-drawn-out. walniis
Wow" obliterated all traces OF his laI-
tering accents. It started somewhere down
IN the back rows and IN twinkling nao
mounted in shrieking crescenco 10 an
ear splitting howl that promised for mo-
nent even 70 break the backbone OF the
eight-day storm.
Then. when the tumult had finally died
down. one OF the audience climbed up Oh
one Of the back seats and. shaking his hst
toward the place where the ''reciter" stood
nervously lingering the seams Of his over
alls, shouted:
"Hey, don't ye know dis is a concoit7
Amt II enough that we got rain every
day?"
Here another wall rent the atmosphere
and there were calls for ''the hook atter
which the boy from the back seats con-
tinued:
Nix on the rain pieces; leave Joe speak
his one about Paul Revere That a good
one"
The "concoit" was the means adopted at
the Tribune Fresh Air home at Ashford
Hill 70 while away the sixth stormy after
noon the 100 Fresh Airs" Up there nave
had 10 endure since their arrival last sat
urday. After the interruption recorded the
programme ran along smoothly. The con-
cert was the production OF the boys side
Of the camp. In the evening the girls took
their turn at providing the entertainment
and gave a cakewalk.
It has been indoor week ae all the Tribune
homes. the widespread rain having in
cluded them. without exception, within its
boundaries. Naturally the children do not
have as enjoyable a time during stormy
weather as they 90 when the sun shines.
Nevertheless each home is equipped to en-
tertain it's guests through such siege as
the East has been enduring for the last
week
The smaller the number entertained al
the home the easier the pTOpoSlIlou VA
keeping them amused, OF course. AT Elm
Cottage Fairfield, Conn. A rainy day IS
sometimes hailed with delight, for it means
that a certain bevy Of dolls. which are on
bright days hidden away somewhere. VIII
take it into their heads 10 come out for
an airing When they appear, along with
great quantities Of material TO be made
into frocks and gowns, no one among the
twenty Elm Cottagers cares II the rain is
a regular St Swithin's day deluge.
Down on Sandy Hook at Eunice Cottage
there was another "concoit' yesterday.
The talent here was all feminine, as was
also the audience. The programme con-
sisted chiefly of songs, folk dances and
I sketches in character The piece de
resistance, however was a quartet which
rendered Santa Lucia in Italian. In the
| evening there was dancing in the play
pavilion for those that cared TO divert
! themselves so.
! Great helps also during a rainy spell are
| story telling. letter writing and riddle
| guessing For the most part the young
/ sters really enjoy the storms. but even II
J an occasional one finds things bit tedious
( during such a protracted downpour as the
present, all are immeasuraoly better on
/ than they would be in their stuTy quarters
/ at home