Omaha daily bee., 1911-06-07
BABIES IN SYLVAN ARCADIA
Camp is Established by Visiting
Nurses Association.
LITTLE ONES ENJOY COOL AIR
Mothers of Charges Are Taught Doc
trine of Fresh Air and Pure Food
and Are Instructed in Car
ing for Babes.

Down among the trees, apparently as TAR
away from the heat reflections of burn
ing pavements as that Arcadia of which
the poets sing; there where the sunbeams
play hide and seek over waving grasses;
where the gurgles and prattle OF babies
who cannot articulate the delight they are
experiencirg-that is the baby camp OF the
Visiting Nurses association.
The camp was opened py Miss Nan Dor
sey, the nurse in charge Tuesday. The half
walled tents present the satne appearance
as last year with the exception Of an addi-
ton that has been made to the hospital
tent in the shape of glass enclosed room
for cold days.
The peace and quiet of the spot at Eighth
and Bancroft streets, which was selected
for the camp. wns particularly accented on
the opening day. A pleasant breeze swept
down through the little ravine on the edge
of which the hospital tent stands. Every
thing was quiet and restful. soft-treading
nurses moved among the cribs which held
little mites OF humanity which nature has
tried to cheat with poor health; wan and
silent mothers gazed through the screens
of the tent to the tree-covered hillside and
dreamed dreams of the days when they
were young and despair had not taken it's
place in their life.
1t is the mothers for whom the baby
camp was Instituted. Not so much a rec
ord for little lives saved, but for the spread
ing of the doctrine OF fresh air and pure
milk, the nurses are striving.
JcctA of the Camp.
What the fundamental objects Of
this institut .on?" Miss Dorsey W asked.
'Of course, we want to do the ...e tots
he N ha IN
obs erved, but we would consider the work
much more beneficial if party of mothers
come here and have a p.cnic The cause
of Ill health is ignorance. lr"k II expert
ence or learning in the fundamentals OF
hygiene. no appreciation of the inestimab Q
value of plenty of fresh air and sunlight.
of pure foods for the mother as'weIl as the
cnild. One Of the conditions on which We
accept charges is that the mother will re-
main at the camp in the daytime as much
es possible And then we talk, talk. talk,
all the time, upon how to bathe. how to
clothe the youngsters in warm weather and
in cold and how to do the innumerabe
things that are necessary to insure the
babys best chances TO get along"
The First Arrival.
The first youngster to enter the camp
dered woman early in the morning
Throughout the winter and during the
sweitering days Of the premature summer
this BIT Of humanity had lain on a bed In
dark, ily-ventilated room The home"
was a musty hotel in one OF the down
town cross streets, In the land OF chimney
pots and bowling trolley cars
The cool breezes swept through the open
tent. The babe in its snowy crib seemed
TO grasp in his tiny arms the very Joy CT
being in this new world TO which he is
stranger.
stray sunbeam filtered down through
the trees IT rested for a moment on this
little ones face With a gurgle OF de-
light the child tried 20 grasp IT, The mother
rushed t. bis side and tears s:reamed down
her face.
'Oh. that could keep him in this gr a.
outdoors all the time" she cried to Miss
Catherine Sweeney, one II the nurses as.
sisting Miss Dorsey
Five babes were in the camp late In the
afternoon More are expected Wednesday.
There are ample aceomm ations to care
for at least tweEty-five youngsters, Miss
Dorsey says
me nurs,s $ have n tent where they make
their home near he hospital Miss schroe-
Ger VIII be IN charge Of The babies at n ght.
Mrs Luther l.. kcuntze, chairman Of the
committee Of The nurses association saws
that supplies Will be donated by Mrs. q;
n Joslyn' who will buy the milk consun ID
and by Arthur b. Dra1dtis. wlo viii nav
ice bills Telephone, eectric uphts a,d
water are being furnished by the public
ser vice corporatrna