New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-26
Ihe Tribune Fresh Air Fund
Johnnie Fresh Air, Meet Tom Saavyer''

"Tom!"
"You Toni"
Where is that drafted boy. any,
way"
No, this is not Fresh Air most call
Ing her hopeful young guest-for-two-
weeks, but Aunt Polly, uttering the
llrst recorded words in the history Of
ehat immortal young scapegrace and
exponent of the Fresh Air life, Tom
Sawyer. Never mind if the quotation
is not absolutely accurately
But the words caught the attention
OF Tom and Johnnie and Tony Fresh
AR, nevertheless, as they were re-
uttered yesterday. And pretty soon
that trio, and four ether trios with
them, were leaning forward with
mouths gaping while they listened to
the chronicle of the doings of their IL
lustrlous forerunner-how he white
washed the famous fence, how he made
the lad who dared to wear shoes and a
necktie on Friday holler "'nouf." how
he showed off before the "new'' girl.
how he revonged himself on "Siddy"
for reminding Aunt Polly that she had
sewed up Toms shirt with white thread
instead of black, etc, etc, for an hour
or more
Some guy!" sighed Johnnie of the
, trio when the dinner bell put tempo
rary end to the chronicle.
Picture the scene for a moment: A
velvet lawn shaded by wide spreading
naples, bright sky overhead. a gentle
breeze ruffllng the leaves, in the dis
lance an endless vista of sunlit, wooded
hills; in the circle on the grass, fifteen
or so boys; in the center, "teachcr"
reading the story that never grows DID,
It's picture of one corner Of the
grounds at the Shepherd Knapp Farm
yesterday from II to - o'clock How
does it compare with the usual, year
round picture of Tom any Johnnie and
Tony sitting on the curb or "hitching"
on trucks in East Houston Street, or
West Fourth Street. or Avenue B?
Just to strengthen the contrast,
know that in another part Of the
grounds there was a baseball game in
progress in another part hotly con-
tested basketball game, in still another
part game of handball, while off to
one side dozen seesaws were seesaw-
ing and across the field a score of
swings were swinging.
All in all $50 small boys ranging
from five to twelve years Of age were
playing with all the spirit of boys set
free, all sorts of games, across the
twenty-six acres of the farm-each one
the game he chose to play.
They are coming back to town next
Monday, brown and happy and laden
with apples. On Tuesday 25O more
boys from the same crowded tenement
sections of New York go to the farm
for two weeks of fun and freedom
perhaps.
Perhaps? Yes, there is question
a question of dollars. For it costs do
lars-lots OF dollars to send crowd
of $50 hungry boys to the country, ID
pay their railroad fares, feed them,
provide caretakers for them and give
them the fun they 90 forth to find. To
do this will cost The Tribune Fund at
least 81 700. And the fund hasn't that
much to devote to this party. Would
you like to help put this next $50 boys
in the places of the $50 who were hav-
ing such glorious time yesterday?
You can if you will. If you will, the
fund can. But you must act quickly.
Tuesday will soon be here.
Pay the expenses Of at least one of
these boys to-day.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TRIBUNE
FRESH AIR FUND