The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-23
CITY WARDS RECEIVE
A SHOWER OF TOYS
Appeal for Child Patients at
Blackwell's Island Meets
Generous Response.
MISS BULL Is DELIGHTED
Main Problem Now Is Teach
ing Of Afflicted Ones
How to Play.

II isn't true that since the war desc
lated Europe Americans have become
DO interested in sending toys and clothes
and food to the Belgian and French ana
Armenian babies that they have little
sympathy to spare for the friendless
children of their own country.
Ask Mrs. Knickerbocker Santa Claus,
nee Miss Margaret Bull of las East
Thirty ninth street. who is absolutely
swamped, showed under, plunged up TO
the eyebrows in hundreds and hundreds
OF toys and children's books and music
boxes which warm hearted people all
the way from Pain Beach to Penobscot.
Me-, have sent her in response to a let
ter she wrote THE Sun about month
ago, setting forth the toyless plight OF
500 child patients in the Metropolitan
Hospital on Blaclwell's Island. -
And II the shelves Of children's books
and drawers full of dolls and closets
packed with games in Miss Bulls little
nat aren't enough to convince the scep-
teal that America still has q heart Of
pity for It's own small unfortunates she
can exhibit the loft at 567 Third avenue
abe has been compelled to hire to hold
the overflow of toys that are arriving by
the motor load so fast that tie impossi-
BILE to transfer more than amodicum Of
tnem TO the hospital.
What Mra Santa claus, nee Bull,
wants now more than even the gifts that
come SO generously is a squad of volun-
| teer workers to aid her in visiting the
children's wards in that big institution
on the island and distributing the toys
ana teaching the poor little ones, who
have lived such bare lives that they
scarcely know what a toy is till they
have been introduced to 1t, how to play
with them
II want young. unmarried women,"
Miss Bull told THE SUN reporter yes
terday. 1T would't be right for N 9TH
ers TO 60. because those children are
sick. and mothers have got to be care
tul. But II ten or twelve cheerful, healthy
young women. with a knack for dealing
with children and time to spare,
would give few hours OF that time
twice a week to those pathetic, lonely
little ones in the Metropolitan Hospital
they would do no one knows how much
good. and We would soon have toys in
every ward over there.
I'm spending every Saturday there,
but ! haven't been able to do much
moro than the one ward I first worked
iE and a little in two or three of the
neighooring ones, and it's heartbreaking
to see the pale little faces of the chill
dren in the other wards pressed to the
doors and windows of the favored
wards, looking SO wistfully. As l said,
| l take boxes of toys to other wards
as fast as / can. and the children
why. they are like wolves over them.
| They tear the wrappers of the boxes
Ike wolves. they are so eager to get
them.
| Nurses Haven't Time to Play.
J THE nurses are good to the children
they have medical attendance and all
necessities; but the nurses are hard
worked and tired and haven't time 70
play with them: ard the city doesn't
provide playthings for its small wards
Other hospitals are remembered by the
public. but this one on Blackwell's ISL
and has Just been overlooked. Mos,
people don't know there are children
there. In the fifty or more letters
set every day are numbers saying how
glad the writers are TO be told OF those
poor children.
'Oh, they've had a little klnderrar.
ten teaching-half an hour a day by a
teacher who could just hurry in and
lead the children In n song and give
them some beads TO string and hurry
away to the boat. But half an hour
Isn't much and from seven In the morn
Ing till bedtime those children would
3ust sit or lie aimlessly with nothing to
do-bare walls around them-till actu.
ally some of them were losing what wits
they had. But what n difference there f.
since the Sun letter brought the toys t.
them. Just let me tell you about Olga =
Miss Bull dropped her face In her
andH involuntarily. and shuddered as she
thought what Olga was two months a &c
"a tiny colored girl. deserted. friend.
Fra,
grown-up diseases with long names thar
any child should have. and crippled be
sides
She used to lie or sit. twisting about
her eyes glazed like those OF a dyins
horse" the Santa lady said finally
you've seen that awful look In the eye,
OF horse that was almost gone. Well
when saw that child I Just hurried owe
to toystore on Fifth Avenue ant
bought doll and music box-it wa
before had written THE SuN. When
took the things to Olga said to tn,
musician she see them? In eh,
blind For her eyes looked so strange
Transformation in Girl.
"But the next week, when / went int,
that ward, I heard a shout of laughter
as entered--and 1t was Olga, standing
up in her crib and playing with tina
doll. The nurse said she would talk &
II for hours. She wasn't alone an,
longer, she had a companion, and tn,
queer look went from her eyes. But
OH and the Santa Lady gave q iittl
laugh, Il got a shock that day. Fo
when the other children saw me comm,
they called out:
Here's Olga's mother! Olga. here
your mother" And Ols~.s the plaoS
est little thing! Funny, wasn't It? Poo
Olga | SUPPOSE she doesn't know wha