Evening star., 1940-06-09

Thirteen youngsters tried to cram
two weeks of camp life into single
day yesterday, having hilarious
time, but bringing home a group of
exhausted adults.
The children climbed trees, they
caught frogs, they played baseball,
they turned handsprings and, finally,
in spirit of complete abandon, they
leaped fully clothed into a minia-
ture lake.
The jaunt to Camp Good Will was
organized by The Star more or less
as an experiment. A campaign for
funds to send needy children to
camp begins tomorrow. The idea
yesterday was to see just how the
youngsters feel about camp.
And so, early in the morning three
carloads of children, taken from the
crowded sections Of the city, headed
for the camp at Chopawamsic, Va.
The youngsters were quiet at first,
sitting primly in their seats and
staring out the car windows. But
that didn't last. They started COM
ing to life when they passed the
airport. Then. some of them had
never seen Mount Vernon before.
Every historical marker, every COW,
elected comment. They passed a
truckload of c. C. c. boys and, of
course. they mad to lean out the
windows and yell.
Quick Friendships Made.
Except for the smallest passenger,
who had fallen asleep in his brothers
arms en- route. they were all old
friends before they got to camp. A
few of them had been tc camp before.
They give you dessert here every
day." one of the veterans remarked.
They feed you good
Driving into the camp itself was
an event. A boy who had gone to
camp last year pointed out the
stream where we caught the frog"
One of the girls wanted to stop the
car to see if the pink mountain
laurel lining the road smells pretty"
The cars halted in front of the
mess hall and the youngsters scat
tered in all directions The bulk of
them were finally located by creek,
10-minute walk which, of course,
they had taken at brisk run.
They were busy and refused to
be disturbed. 1t seems there was
frog. 1t was not until they had
captured the frog by the most
democratic kind Of cooperation on
all sides, and it had slithered from
their hands three times, that they
were ready to investigate the rest
Of the camp.
All Had Wet Feet.
BY that time, they had all sue
ceeded in getting their feet wet.
But, they also appeared to have
forgotten entirely that they had
left the sticky heat of the city
only an hour before. They were
old campers.
The next stop was the playing
field, grassy plain nesting among
the trees. Bats. mitts and gloves
were provided and the boys started
playing baseball. Some of the girls
had wandered off to pick flowers
(they came back with a turtle).
The youngest campers" sprawled
on the ground while a counsellor,
who had volunteered to come along,
read to them.
They had to investigate the bum
galows, so they galloped through
the woods again. The beds got
them. 1t seemed almost too much
to believe that each camper had
his own bed. One of the girls was
incredulous about the lockers.
Having a place where she could
put her own things, tiny piece of
the world set aside for her own
use, was more than she'd dreamed
of.
Swimming Hole" Is Climax.
The second glass of milk every
one of them had for lunch was
high point, but the swimming hole"
was the climax. Couldn't they
please 60 wading. they begged, when
viz. discovered it? Well, yes, wad-
ing was all right.
One thing led to another. They
got their feet wet. Then they