New-York tribune., 1912-03-02
CHILD EXHIBIT CROWDED
"LittIe Mothers" and Charges
Flock to Welfare Show.
LEARN WHAT NOT TO EAT
Dangerous Candies and Other
Good Things" Displayed in
Italian House.

NO. wouldn't like tn eat that red stuff
now It's long from now that ats such
stun like that" She was a little morsel
OF an italian girl with a still littler morsel
Of a black eyed child clinging 10 her ex-
tremely ragged skirts, and big baby
why are the babies always so big and the
little mothers" SO little Hanging over her
shoulder She had brought her two charges
to see tho child welfare exhibit that has
just been opened in the Italian House OF
the Children's Aid Society, at No. 155 Worth
street for the entertainment and educa-
ton Of the Italian people who live IN such
numbers in that neighborhood. The six
black eyes were staring at the plates Of
red sugar sticks and vanished gumdrops
which Professor l. B. Allyn. Of Westfeld.
Mass is displaying there to show the chill
dren some of the things they oughtn't TO
eat. Annunciata not only took the lesson
in, but impressed II upon her small brother.
And / tell my baby when he is old
enough" she assured one OF the grown-up
visitors. "He Is lvc months old. and
weighs nineteen pounds. and no will have
him make thin by eating bad candy"
Annunciata is only one Of scores and
scores of children who have seen the ex-
hibit since II was opened. only few days
ago. AS for the grown-ups. they come In
shoals. On Tuesday night there were l.20
visitors. and more than six hundred were
turned away for lack OF room-and the hall
in which the exhibit is placed Is large
one, too.
The whole neighborhood is acting as god
fathers and godmothers TO this exhibit The
physicians and ministers take turns In
bringing nocks of people 10 be taught by
demonstrations what dangerous transmit
ters OF disease roller towels are and how
to build an outdoor bed shelter for 81. and
how much nicer II is TO have clean
kitchen than dirty one.
Mrs. Louisa Z. Weygandt. who is princi-
nal of the Children's Aid Society school, in
the building takes the focks I'm hand and
explains things In whatever italian dialect
the visitors happen TO speak. No dialect
stumps her, for she has been district WIS.,
itor in that neghborhood for thirty years.
and was supplying shoes and food and lis
tening TO tle troubles OF the residents in
the days when no one who valued his life
yentured out around the Five Points after
nightfall.
..It's a far cry from those lawless days 10
having a child welfare exhibit here" she
said yesterday.
The little room which is shown as
dreadful example Of slack housekeeping is
most artistically done Ashes and cinders
strew the floor around the broken cook
stove. The chairs have but three legs
apiece, the table is tumbllng down, the tins
are rusty, the walls and floor are stained
and dusty. Adjoining this is a model kitch-
en-bright and shining. Mrs. Weygandt has
TO be very tactful, indeed. when she is
dilatlng on these kitchens before crowd
OF mothers, for, of course, 1t wouldn't do
10 let them suspect for a moment that she
fancies the dirty kitchen is like any Of
theirs.
"Of course, none OF you would have a
kitchen like this" she explained fuently.
"But | know some OF your neighbors
have. and how much nicer this clean kitch-
en- is. and there's nothing in 1t that costs
much You could get oilcloth for and
then follow some figures TO which tho
black eyed, black-haired women listen de-
murely.
But there was one visitor yesterday to
whom Mrs Weygandt didn't talk clean
kitchens Instead, she gave her clothes
and food A pretty little woman she was.
with a baby in her arms. small boy tag
ging after. and two tiny girls, twins. Con-
cetta and Sebastiana.
Husband out Of work." said Mrs. Wey-
gandt. mo money She was married ut
fifteen and has had seven children, but
three are dead. We pay her rent and give
her money for food, and she does scrubbing
for us, and one OF my teachers. who is
dear perfect dear. takes care Of her
children while she does IT,"
Many are the figures of poverty that wan
der in at the door OF this exhibit, but
however poor they are they all want the
baby weighed by the Board OF Health
nurse in the model milk station In the
corner. Also, they are obviously uncon-
vinced by the placards which tell them. in
Italian and English. too. how wrong II is
to rob the living child by spending all the
insurance money on an expensive funeral
for the one that has died. Two desires
appear to possess them--to have the baby
weigh a great deal for its age. when II
survives, and TO impress the ncighbors
with its funeral II II djcs.
wen have to change that placard 10
warning on the folly of costly tomhstones
when we take this exhibit TO the Jewish
neje,borhoods," said Professor A. II.
fca hat