Life, 1914-08-06 · page 8 of 40
Life — August 6, 1914 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page describes **Life's Fresh Air Fund**, a charitable initiative providing free summer vacations for poor children from New York City. The accompanying cartoon, titled "Running Past the Signals," depicts a steam locomotive with a figure appearing to signal or wave at it. The text explains that Life's Farm in Branchville, Connecticut hosts these children, supervised by Father and Mother Mohr. The farm accepts children of all nationalities and religions—"Americans and Jews and Gentiles—Protestant and Catholic"—for two-week stays. The cartoon likely illustrates the journey these city children take by train to reach the farm, capturing the excitement and movement of their escape from urban poverty to countryside fresh air and wholesome care. The "signals" reference suggests the organized, supervised nature of this charitable transport.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
212 Life’s Fresh Air Fund Inclusive of 1913, Lire’s Fars Arn Fuxo has been in operation twenty-seven years. In that time it has expended $145,183.64 ond has given a fortnight in the country to 35.75% poor city children. The Fund is supported entirely by be- quests and voluntary contributions, which are acknowledged in this column. Previously acknowledged Gordon Brush Hempstead. Mrs. Burr Porter . Eleanor H. Tappan and Margaret § Button i Tw. Kattlcen: RD - Stratly LH. Henry Wineman, Jr Proceeds of a sale of lemot gk ks Elizabeth Holmes and izabeth = Ri ds of Montel * + Proceeds of a fair given ‘at Newton Highlands, Mass... by Barbara Simpson, Dorothy Dennie, Merriam Whitmore and Eleanor Dufheld, whose ages range from nine to cleven years Charles A. Spirk, “In loving memoi of July ‘ith sy Ss. Mrs. Edwin H. BI: field. L. W. Hart. N. Fobes. |. Lowe. AD. . W.-M. Sutherland . OME of Live’s friends have been good enough at different times to send for the use of our Fresh Air children, necessities and luxuries cal- culated to add to the comfort and pleasure of our guests during their outing at the Farm, Without wishing to impose on the good-nature of our friends, this is simply to remind them that our popu- lation of two hundred boys and girls, twelve years old and under, changes not only every season, but every fort- night, and that there is always a plac? for clothing, table supplies, balls, bats, gloves, fruits, candies and everything else that is good for the outside or inside of a youngster. The address is Lire’s Farm, Branch- ville, Conn., and acknowledgment will be made in the columns of Lire. RUNNING PAST THE SIGNALS Days at Our Farm THe many good friends of Lire’s Fresh Air Farm may find interest in this extract from an article in the South Norwalk Evening Sentinel of July 13th: There are few people in Fairfield County who do not take a personal interest in Lire’s Farm, in Branch- ville, that unique and most praise- worthy charity that gives two weeks of real country life with wholesome food and expert care to an army of poor kiddies from the very poorest of the poor in New York City every summer absolutely free. Before describing Lire’s Farm and its good works, we must intro- duce Father and Mother'Mohr. The worthy superintendent and his good wife are absolutely ideal persons for the responsible positions they so ably fill. Officially they are the Rev. and Mrs. U. 0. Mohr, but not to the two hundred little boys and girls who are under their care. No; they are just Father and Mother Mohr, and no parents could show more care for their own children than this good man and woman give to these forlorn little waifs. As their assistants they have two young men and three young women, all college students, all of them with experience in the care of children. Their life is not an easy one. Every other Tuesday they have to get their charges up at daybreak, give them their breakfast, and get them aboard the train for New York which leaves Branchville at 6:22 a.m. Arriving in New York City they must be safely delivered at the various places where they were col- lected, and another two hundred as- sembled and marched back to the station to catch the train for Branchville, reaching that station about 7 P.M. They are then fed and hustled into bed. Then begins the care of this small and haphazard little army of kids between the ages of four and fourteen, of all nations and creeds—Irish and Italian, Ar- menians and Americans, Jews and Gentiles, Protestant and Catholic— for two solid weeks, then they are taken back and the same grind goes on with another bunch from the last week in June until Labor Day, (Continued on page 240.)