New-York tribune., 1919-07-18
The Tribune
Fresh Air Fund

Go back to February 16, 1873 cold
day in a mild winter. Imagine your
self looking down on the City Hall
plaza from the ninth story of The Tri-
bune Building, from the Office window
of The Tribune Fresh Air Fund.
1t is just about dusk, the tide Of
work-a-day folk which flows across the
plaza during business hours has ebbed.
Down near the fountain stands q eroup
of half dozen youngsters-just such
a group as almost nightly strays into
the plaza from homes that linger amid
the warehouses and Office buildings of
the region round about, to play.
Most Of them are girls, bare-headed
girls. To protect them from the win
ter wind, which to-day has bite to it,
they wear ragged sweaters--not of the
cozy all-wool sort which kind-hearted
women everywhere are remember this
is February 16) knitting for soldiers.
Suddenly they scatterI A game Of
tag to help out the sweaters in their
warmth producing.
Up the City Hall steps they 70. and
down again. Then across to the foun-
tain curb. Over into the basin one boy
goes, and out on the opposite side. The
rest run round, then off toward Broad
way.
The biggest girl of the lot lags be-
hind, and in a moment she's "it''
She is recognized at once as an easy
mark, and in a moment the youngsters
are all around her She darts-no,
lumbers is the better word-this way
and that, but she is still ait" at the
end Of ten minutes. The others taunt
her; they venture almost within arms
reach, only to elude her when she at
tempts to tag"
Now. why?
Don't you see her handicap! That
bundle she clings to with one arm
while she fails about with the other in
her efforts to "tag" her tormentors?
What it is? Why. that's cher" baby.
".Mindin' it is the handicap that keeps
her out Of school half the time, that
keeps her cit" when she mingles in the
games of her street fellows, that will
make her round shouldered with its
ever increasing weight, that is ALWAYS
taking the JOY out of life" for her for
whom life holds SO little icy at best,
She's one of the city's little moth
ers"-one of thousands.
The Tribune Fresh Air Fund, at its
Funice Home, will entertain 600 of
these "little mothers" this summer for
acations-vacations free from the
burdens of vicarious motherhood.
Don't you want to pay for the pleas
ure of one of them? Seven dollars
does it. Fourteen dollars will buy
health for two Of them.
The "feller" who writes the Fresh
Air column in the summer saw this
game of tag last February. He couldn't
get the name and address of the girl
who was ct" and so cannot guar
antec that the fund will give her a
vacation, but the files OF the fund
contain long waiting list of girls in
just her situation, all of whom can be
made happy if YOU who read this will
help with the expense.
There are "little fathers" with han
dlcaps, too.
Two lads on their way to Hackle
barney Farm, who bore striking re-
semblance to one another in looks and
size, were engaged in conversation by
the escort in charge of the party.
Said she to the one nearest her: "1s
this laddie your twin brother"
"No, ma'am," replied he. "He's me
triple; me twins home. He's gotta
mind the baby an help me mother.
He can't go till we git back"
@, friend Of "fellers," does he go
when they "git back ~ AT your ex-
pense? For his sake, please.
Contributions to The Tribune Fresh
Air Fund are as follows: