Life, 1928-07-19 · page 26 of 40
Life — July 19, 1928 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a fundraising article promoting Life's charitable camps for poor children, not satire. The page features a portrait of **Al Smith**, the Democratic presidential candidate (likely 1928), endorsing the camps' work. The article argues that urban slum children suffer from inadequate play facilities and need country respite. Smith's quote about children "dragging themselves around hot pavements" lends credibility to the appeal. The accompanying photograph shows boys sleeping in tents at the Pottersville, New Jersey camp, with a caption suggesting that fresh air enables them to dream of becoming President, Lindbergh, or Babe Ruth—aspirational American figures. The piece is essentially a charitable advertisement using Smith's political prominence and the Depression-era unemployment crisis to motivate donations from Life's readers, whom the editors credit with forty-one years of support.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Lire’s Camps for Needy Children Full Speed Ahead! Movest and all as we are by nature, we simply have to crow about Lire’s Camps tor Needy Children. The Camps are going full speed ahead—and here it is only the middle of July. The Camp for Boys at Pottersville, New Jersey, is more than ever efficient and inspiring. The Camp for Girls at Branchville, Connecticut, is in better con- dition and lovelier than it has been in years. And the weather! Even that has been of the best—sparkling and full of health- giving breezes. A very different kind of air from that which tries to find its way, stealthily, through the high, narrow windows of the terrible tenements. Children in greater number than ever before have implored us to give them a few days of freedom and joy in the open country, have pleaded, piteously, to have a chance to grow strong and happy. Of course you understand that the unem- ployment situation which has for so long Al Smith When the Democratic Candidate for _ the presidency was a boy of twelve, Live took its first consignment of poor children from. the burning “sidewalks of New York’’ that he knew so well, and gave them happy holidays in the country. Read what Governor Smith has to say about poor children and hot pavements in the accompanying article gripped the country lays a particularly heavy hand upon the city’s poor and re- sults in less and less care and prov; for the children. Provision But there are energetic spirits and willing, sympathetic hearts helping to put these very necessary holidays across in g wonderful way. All that remains is for you to join in the work. Without you we are helpless. The Camps will close—the children will suffer—and altogether, the thing is unthinkable. For forty-one years the Camps have been maintained entirely through the unflag. ging generosity of Lire’s great-hearted readers. Writing to the Community Councils of New Yok a few days ago, Governor Al- fred E. Smith, of whom many of you have heard, said: “There is no picture more pitiful than the city child dragging himself around the hot pavements with no play facilities.” Emanating from this particular presi- dential candidate, we think we may fairly take his word for it. Resisting a tempt tion to go on and g you a scaring description of a child’s life in the slums, we ask you, instead, to ponder a moment on Governor Smith’s word “dragging.” Te tells it all. Well, there’s no dragging at Lire’s Camps. In the brief time that the children are there, they become ruddy and sturdy and unafraid and rested and happy. Such things are not achieved by drag- ging. They are the result of tireless study and effort on (Please turn to page 30) Here, in the sleeping tents at our Boys’ Camp at Pottersville, N. J., with the clean air sweeping away all thought of the old huddled existence, a chap can dream fine dreams—of becoming President—of outflying Lindbergh—of striking out Babe Ruth! comicbooks.com