New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-19
OUTINGS FOR ALL IF
YOU WILL PAY THE FARE
Country Folk Have Opened
Their Doors as Never Before
to the City'S Poor.
855 INVITATIONS ON HAND
Coming In Fast, and if Those
Who Can Help Do, Not a
Youngster Who Needs 1t
Will Lack a Vacation.

From all over the city these days comes
the cry: Won't you send me to the
country, please" The one who pleads
is rrohatly a little girl or an understood
lad I'm rags. Or the cry may be: Cant
YOU send my children, please!
These are trying times for the poor
and the children of the poor in their
cooped-up quarters in the tenements On
a day like yesterday a tenement home is
an almost unbearable place Its discom-
forts are difficult to describe adequately
10 one who has never been among them.
BY this time in the summer too, the
hot days and oppressive weather begin
to have 2 cumulative effect. The first
hot days of a season are uncomfortable,
but they are bearable. BY the time the
middle of July has passed, however, sue
cessive days have worn the nerves and
Slapped the scant vitality Of those who
get no relief TO the point where il seems
as though little more could be borne. II
Ifs then that the cry for the country and
country outings comes with terrible ear
nestness And il IS hard 10 turn deaf
ear TO il.
Up to this time The Tribune Fresh Air
Fund has listened TO all applicants,
whether their plea was made IN person
or through somebody interested in them.
Nobody seeking an outing has been dnally
refused except those who were evidently
not in need Of such aid as The Tribune
fund gives This does not mean that
every applicant has been sent to the
country Many have been; others have
been promised outings If It is found pos
sible to provide them-that is. they have
been put on the waiting list
For the first few weeks each summer
applicants are sent off as fast as places
can be found for them. About this time,
however. it becomes necessary to take
stock and look ahead a bit, for the ex-
penses of the work begin TO pile up, and
an estimate must be made Of what 1t
seems wise TO plan for the future.
There are still seven weeks left OF the
active Fresh Air season. What can be
planned and accomplished in them rests
with the friends of the children who sup
port the Fresh Air work. This year.
moreover, a peculiar situation exists, In
that the future rests entirely with those
who may lend financial aid to the work.
Invitations from the country for the
children from those who will receive them
into their homes as guests are coming in
unprecedented numbers, so fast, in fact
that the Fresh Air Fund STAFF can scarce
" handle them. For next Tuesday alone
there are 800 places TO be filled. most Of
them among the country people Of Cen
tral New York and Northeastern Penn
sylvania. And the flood Of invitations
seems on the increase rather than the de-
crease.
What shall be done with these invita-
tons? Last year many had to be de-
clined. invitations TO the most beautiful
rural districts Of the East. All that is
necessary to enable the Fund TO take up
every available invitation is that funds
for mere travelling expenses be provided.
Every other expense will be borne by
friends in the country.
Will the friends-Old and new ones-of
the Fresh Air cause provide the money
for this purpose? Not a poor child In the
whole city need lack a fOrtnights JOY In
the country this year II the friends who
can give will II, for the friends in the
country have opened wide their doors.