New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-08-18
F|RST-HAND HISTORY
FOR BOY VACATIONISTS
Tribune Youngsters RetraCe
Road to Yesterday by Way
of Ancient Litchfield.
RESURRECT "ETAN ALLEN"
$50 Fresh Air Guests Form
Modern Corrective Exhibit in
Shade of Old Towns Colo
NAL Whipping Post,

who was it demanded the surrender
If Fort Ticonderoga. In the name Of
The great Jehovah and the Continental
congress o.
Ethan Allen"
.Rieht. Where was he born"
silence Jokey Glumenthal. OF No O3s
Second avenue, YOU answer"
Huh that's q eusy one. Etan Allen
was born up dcrc i'm Litchied. near de
shepherd Knapp Home. seen de house. "
How is II Jakay is SO well informed ON
This detail of history? Well ne Is or,
Of 10 BOYS whom the Tribune Fresh Air
Fund has sent 10 the Shepherd knapp
Home jpostoficc address. i.tchheld,
Comb this summer tor outings. and Hike
the rest OF them he has explored the
neishborhood prett, thoroughly.
he could tell other intercstipg i2cts
about This New ENGLAND town. too. Hc
might tell. for example. in the words o.
great contemporary OF the renowned
"Etan." how il IS "a little village #
great antiquity
cause all the houses has got dates
doors where they ouEhter have the street
numbers And they're all like 100. N
i775. n l7S9 an all old ones like that.
Il probably wouldn't occur to Jake 60
DO IT, but one Of the oldest inhabitants
would very soon lead an interested Wis
itor across the south side Of the common
and behind ar imposing but much too
modern appearing town library. There
ned stop before a low little frame build
u. and. with an air of triumph, say
"Thar"-if that's correct New England
dialect Ard when the necessary leading
question had been asked. he'd continue:
What is il? Why. that's the hrst law
school established in America-thc rough
hewn cradle so TO speak, Of the Ameri-
can bar
So it is. too. and the visitor may look
through the small pGHed window into the
Dom where. for the first time on this
continent Blackstone was eNpounded 10
a class. and upon the very desks into
which members Of that class cut their
initials.
And then as guide and guided recrossed
the common toward the tavern porch
their ewes might light on what looked
like a whole army of boys-boys in ras@'
hoys in jeans. boys barefoot and boys IN
shoes. all seated on the green beneath
the wide spreading shade Of noble elm
and probably chanting "Waiun fer ne
Robert Z. Lee
Whereat. il the oldest inhabitan; We're
Of philosophical turn OF mind, ne would
probably shake his head wisely and say
with q smile. That's where the past
and the present meet Those two hun
dred and fifty Fresh Air kids from New
York-well. II they don't represent MOD
trn methods OF crime prevention, my
guess is a bad one; and there they SIT
under that old whippin' post elm. where
they used TO fog the life out Of bad BOYS
IN my grandfather's time And say, that
uncovered buildin' behind them that
looks for all the world like Colonial
mansion-see IT, don't you?-wel, that's
the county jail-ha. ha""
These are the things that the Tribune
Fresh Airs see when they hike from the
Shepherd Knapp Home over TO Ltchheld
for a visit Not these alone. either, but
many another thing worth looking al In
the most beautiful town in substantial
old New England.