New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-03
The Tribune Fresh Air Fund

Nine hundred strong they rode away.
Four-year-olus.
Fourteen-year-o
And all the olds between.
Girls.
Boys.
Curly heads, close-shaved polls.
| Tony, 1zzy and Mike.
Sophie, Sadie and Sue.
| Some in rags.
| All with bags.
| But with not rosy cheek among
them.
| That's The Tribune Fresh Air party
that scampered and stumbled, amhled,
| trotted and tramped from the Bronx,
| from Harlem, from Brooklyn, for the
East Side and the West Side down to
the Hoboken ferries, yesterday, that
swept triumphantly across the Hudson,
that inundated the Lackawanna Ter
minal and finally wedged itself into a
which bore them laughing and singing
off toward vacation land.
"Kidville must have broken loose!"
| said an onlooker who had been backed
up against the wall by the onrushing
| flood.
"They're certainly going somewhere
in hurry" replied his friend.
They were. "Keep off me heels, can't
val" rose a treble refrain above the
tumult on all sides as the tide surged
through the concourse and down the
was going to be left on this trip-not
for all the tender heels in the world.
"Don't crowdl" the trainmen shouted
as the youngsters tried to mount the
coach steps six abreast. The flesh was
willing, but the spirit eager. Johnny
and Mary didn't mean their feet to
carry them forward, but the inner urge
toward THE COUNTRY kept the feet
amoving and the breath of the train
men was wasted.
900 Children Aboard
But they got in finally and then,
safe from that pursuing ogre Cleft
behind" at last they were willing to
subside long enough to draw breath
and, incidentally, to be counted.
The count showed 900 children
| aboard.
It was the biggest Fresh Air party
| ever.
Each boy and girl in the party is
to get a full fortnight vacation from
his tenement home and street They
are going, to- have, for once in their
| lives, all the fresh air they can breathe,
all the good food they can eat, all the
chance to play their hearts desire.
The $50 went out to be the guests
of kind hearted folks in Cortland and
Chenango counties, New York. Six
hundred and six Of them will be dis
tributed through Cortland County by
the Rotary Club Of Cortland. The re-
naming 314 will be scattered through
Chenango County by The Tribune
Funds Fresh Air Committee in Bing-
hamton.
Sixteen escorts went along with the
children to supervise it on the trip.
In command Of the Cortland section
ere l.. G. Tyler, president Of the Cort-
| land Rotary Club, and E. A. Brewer,
chairman Of the Rotary Fresh AR Com
mittee, botA Of whom made the trip
to New York for the sole purpose OF
escorting the children,
In command Of the Binghamton Sec
ton were Mr.. and Mrs. George j..
Michelbach and four other Bingham
tonians, all Of whom came on to New
| York to take the party to Its vaca-
| tion place.
Though this. special train carried out
yesterdays biggest party OF "Fresh
Airs" it by no means carried all who
went out yesterday. The grand total
of boys and girls sent out during the
day was 1,575.
Nor was yesterdays output the end
of the outgoing flood. To-day sol more
lads and lassies take the vacation trail.
Tomorrow $50 more follow in their
turn. And Friday will see another All
kiddies begin their country outings.
Saturday, usually an off day because
of heavy travel on the railroads, sees
only seventeen youngsters set out.
500 to Go Next Week
Eight hundred additional children
already are scheduled to follow this
weeks multitude of "Fresh Airs" next
week. And there are only four days
between now and the end OF August
on which no Fresh Air parties are at
this writing scheduled to depart Tor
the country.
This will be The Tribune Funds year
of greatest help to the children OF the
tenements if the money to finance its
plans for their relief can be raised.
Will you send contribution to the
fund to help in the good work?
CONTRIBUTION TO THE TRIBUNE
FRESH AIR FUND