New-York tribune., 1912-08-26
FRESH AIR CHILDREN
How They Enjoy Their Life at
ST. HeIen'S Home.
ITS MEMORY lINGERS EVER
DWellers of Tenement Houses
Have Fortnight's Fun in
Beautiful Berkshires.

For almost score Of years 81 Hclens
Fresh Air Home. ut Intcrlakcu. Mass,
has been bringing sunshine and happiness
into the lives OF poor boys and poor girls
from New York tenement house dis
tricts. The home was founded nineteen
years ago hy John +. Parsons and since
that time has been maintained by him. iu
corporation with the Tribune Fresh Air
Fund
To get 10 - Helens one takes the
Harlem division of the New York Con
tral 20 Richmond Furnace There a stage
is found for "a drive Of seven miles
farmers miles by the way-to the home.
one may think as one sets out for the
drive that it would have been more pleas
ant II the railroad had been run little
nearer 20 lnterlaken. That idea soon will
be dismissed. for the road leads across
the very backbone OF the Bcrkshires
As tho horses strain up hill after hin
a. wonderful panorama of wood and
meadow. river and lake stretches out be-
low. while above and all around rise the
hills. the rounded knobs OF the far-iamed
Berkshires gray. or green. or amethyst.
according Ia the hour at which the Jour
ncy Is timed. And II one should happen to
know something about Fresh Air chill
drcn the thought must fash through the
mind that this is all very different from
the outlook TO BE- had from the third
story window OF rear tenement In Mott
street one may even 20 further and
realize that no child from Mott street
who once has crossed these hills--a good
many such children do so each summer
can ever be quite the same narrow souled
little urchin he was before the view crept
into his vision.
After the stage had crcaked and
groaned for an hour on the upward
journey the crest OF the hills Is passed
and the equipagc joys merrily down the
eastern slope. through West Stockbr!dgc
and on for mile or 50 to lnterlakcn.
Just before the village Is reached at the
crossing Of the roads leading from Stock
bridge and Lenox. one comes suddenly
upon st. Helen's, it's proximity foretold
probably by the sound II merry voices
Of children at play.
Looking at the main building one prob
ably will agree that the place is we'll
called home" Nothing could be more
homclkc than the big old-fashioncd
colonial building, with its wide vcran-
das running the whole length of first
and second stories, it's dormor windows
and lis Rig stone chimncys that promise
cracking wood fires when Berkshire
a.,
Bancroft Inn In the DAYS when the viii
lage was called Curtisvlle.
But It isn't the building that makes a
home. at any rate not ST. ilclen's. It's
what fills up the two weeks of his OF
her stay there. To most Ot them the
visit is like "a fairy tale. Here many OF
their dreams come true.
once each week there is camping
party-One week for the boys, the next
for the larger girls The camping con
sists chiefly I'm sleeping In the woods
on the shore OF the lake. The children
have supper at the home aud then set
out laden with blankets, lanterns and
other camp paraphernalia. What an
event IL IS owing TO the rule that
among the girls only the larger ones
may 20 there is "A great desire on the
mart of the smaller ones to add TO their
statue. Many young miss walks around
ON tiptocs the greater part of the day
on camp days in an effort to persuade
the mowers that she is tall enough to be
classed as big girl and 80 be included
I'm the favored group.
Once out I'm the woods Oh these occa-
sions the children do not wish TO sleep.
As they roll up in their blankets and
stretch out for the night they seem for
tho first time to notice the stars, and
tbov watch them and talk about them.
The same is true of the woodland
chorus the youngsters seem to hea, Cor
the first time. The shrilling of the et,a-
OTIS the dispuung Of the katydidH the
croaking of the frogs-all these things
overawe them, and they discuss III sub
dued whispers things which they have
only thought about before
Al such times there is one infallible
meons Of recalling their attention from