New-York tribune., 1920-03-28
Old Peter Rabbit Ready
TO Make First B0lU at Ball
ssMelting Pot Dance in Which Girls Garbed in Eu
ropean Dress Will Appear, Will Be Feature of
Benefit for Harlem House Americanzation Fund

All preliminaries have been com
held on Easter Monday night at tn
Ritz Carlton for the benefit OF tn
Americanization fund of Harlem Hous
and it promises to be the most success
full function in the history of tn
settlement.
In naming the ball, the committee
sought that sage raconteur of animald
ON, Old Peter Rabbit, believing tha
because of his Bed Time Stories, a.
related in The Tribune each day b!
Thornton w. Burgess, his name woult
carry the greatest appeal to those wht
have the welfare of the city's children
at heart. So Old Peter will deser
Johnny Chuck, Reddy Fox and Ole
Man Coyote for just one day and make
his formal bow to New York Society
The primary purpose of the bail will
be to raise funds with which to con
tinue an the work of Americanizire
the youngsters of foreign blood in the
section of Harlem known as Little
Italy" Here, in a territory only as
great as that of a suburban town there
is population of more than 100000
Harlem House, located at in East 116th
street, occupies three buildings, thus
affording recreation center where
the residents of the congested district
may meet and learn true Americanism.
Meeting Pot Dance" Feature.
The play supervisors and their as
sIstants are volunteers and it is they
who will participate in the pageant to
be given at the ball There will be a
squad of ushers selected from the most
beautiful members of the Junior Lea
que. The ushers will wear Peter
Rabbit costumes and after the pageant
will join in the dancing.
A feature of the programme will be
the Melting Pot Dance" in which Miss
Elsie Hughes, Miss Olivia Erdman,
Miss Cara Sturgis, Miss Barbara Kis-
sci and Miss Eleanor Landon will par
ticipate. The cast will appear in cos
tunes of European nations and enter
a huge caldron. When they reappear
they will wear patriotic American cos
tunes. Mrs. L. Gouveneur Morris is
chairman of the Committee of Ar
rangements.
Scores of prominent women are
patronesses of the ball and virtually
all the members Of the Junior League
have pledged their aid by selling pro-
grammes and acting in other capac-
tiles.
All the individual organizations of
Harlem House are combining their eff
forts toward making the ball sue
cess, for they know it will require
lot of money to carry out the am
bilious programme the House has
drawn up for their benefit.
Tired Mothers to Be Rewarded
Not only have the youngsters Of the
community been befriended by Miss
barbara M. Gage, director of Haarlem
House. and her assistants, but if the
present plans are realized, tired moth
ers will be rewarded. A visiting nurse
{ rganization Of twenty-five members.
instead of the present squad of eight, |
is one of the provisions of the new
plan. Thus the women Of Little
Italy, will be less fearsome of what
might happen ii they were taken i'll.
William c. Langley, who is one of
the most active workers in the Ameri- |
project, has pointed with
pride to the loyalty of Haarlem's mem
bers. During the war and now red. |
white and blue is the color scheme up
permost in their minds and America !
means something to them.
The building at 311 East I16th street |
recently was acquired by the organ |
cation, which heretofore has been
for room because of the |
rapid growth of the membership. The |
acquisition Of the new building per-
nits an expansion that will mean more
room for club meetings and for re-
:reation. The purchase Of the new