New-York tribune., 1919-07-11

-' 0S~y oAooh' No'iil., nus started out
to give the forty-four children that
were sent there through The Tribune
Fresh Air Fund-and Saybrook is 90
ing to do it.
When the Fresh Air Fund wanted to
send fifteen tenement children to Saw.
brook for two weeks in July. people
shook their heads and said it cou1dn,+
be done. But local committee, con-
slstlng OF Mrs. K. A. Chalker. chair
man; Mrs. f. T. Bradley, Mrs. ". r
Bushnell, Mrs. Richard Wightman. Mrs
K. Gilman and Mrs. W. H. Smith. was
appointed and started in to find homes
for them-for two weeks.
Things went slowly. Saybrook never
mad any of these children before and
Saybrook is conservative. The homes
were hard to open. 1t looked as though
it couldn't be done
Then the committee got star+ed IN
earnest and stirred things up. The
had the ministers make speeches ahout
1T from their pulpits. They got on She
right side of the proprietor Of the mo-
tlon-plcture show at the Town Hall.
lie made a special slide and on the
scr screen was thrown an appeal headed
IWo Weeks of Happiness.' The next
week TINS was repeated with the names
or the people who were taking one
child, the names Of those who we're
taking two-all on the screen at the
Town Hall. And the committee per
sonally called on every woman in the
town and aroused great deal of en-
tnuslasm: The result was that in
stead of fifteen tenement children
they agreed to take forty-four.
saybrook Hospitality Free
Saybrook is beautiful little New
England town midway between New
10 1ork and Boston on Long Island Sound.
me salt water breezes, the beautiful
avenues and homes. and the nearby
woods make 1t an ideal place to pass
vacation and many wealthy people
go there. These transient inhabita nts
arrive, stay while, and then 90 awav
but the real little town of Savbrook
seems not to see them when they come
nor to miss them when they 90. And
one hears about New ENGLAND cool
ness and indifference"
But the 3:45 train on July 8 brougbt
Iof'y-four young people that the town
was not only willing but even anxious to
see AS matter of fact, the town went
uya1ido1 npmn 10 'he statl9g to greet them and
penetlt. They were paraded through
the streets between the arching maple
ofees, and people came to the windows
and doors of their old Colonial houses
and waved a smiling welcome.
For the GOODNESS and indiffer-
ence of Saybrook are only on
the surface. Underneath them beats
the real heart of the commu-
nlty "a heart full of kind svmpa
.hy and nelghborliness and affection
Tor the rest of the world Once YOU
get under their she'll You find the
realest OF real people. and they more
than welcomed the wan little bows and
girls whose main hot-weathor joys are
sucking big penny pickles and standing
W"here the water from melting ice. left
Tor few minutes on the sidewalk. can
trlckle over their hot feet
Auto Ride and "Movies,
The forty-four visitors, rich in youth,
but poor, oh. very poor in everything
else, responded Immediately to the joy
Gus reception and were happy. The
automobiles, speeding along the shore
of the Sound, stopped and the young
sters clamb bered out to have their pict-
ures taken. Then they were all taken
to their new homes to get their sup
per, and then back to the Town Hall
to see Charlie Chaplin in "Shoulder
Arms" The picture was especially
for them, and the proprietor Of the
picture show is going to let them all
in free during the two weeks they are
to be in Saybrook.
Next week all the children and their
new "mothers" are going to have big
picnic on the beach, where, as little six
year-old Alice says, "De wateh's clean
not like Coney-dere de wateh's doity
like anytings."
The children are not the only ones
who are going to enjoy the next two
weeks in Saybrook. There is some
thing wonderfully oul-satisfying in
taking care Of child and giving it
the little comforts that we take so
much for granted. but which mean a
great deal to a New York tenement
child
1t seems a little thing to take these
forty-four children for two weeks, but
its effect on the lives of the children
will be farreaching, and because of
ii the people in Saybrook will be more
sympathetic and their hearts more gen
tie.
The Tribune fund sent 2e6 children
out for vacations yesterday.
Four hundred and eighteen more
go to-day.
Clinton, Norfolk, Madison and Gull
lord, Conn, Joined with Saybrook in
the good work yesterday
Won't you join to-day? The people
of thaaa ram ron,,1ri+ios ORC oivi,,0 hoe