| 328Chicago Post
Aug 12/93
WORLD'S FAIR AND WAIFS.
How the Children Had a Big Day in Spite of
the Exposition's Stinginess.
CHICAGO, Aug. 12.- Editor of The Evening
Post: Early in July Taylor E. Daniels,
superintendent of the Waif's Mission, conceived
the idea of giving the children under
his charge, as well as many other needy
and helpless ones, a day's recreations and
picnic, and to that end began to seek the
best location for such purpose. Many suggested
to Mr. Daniels that of all places to
take his waifs for a day's pleasure the
world's fair was the best, as the little
ones could see there that which would never
come here to be seen again. Mr. Daniels,
agreeing with these suggestions; at once
opened correspondence with the world's
fair management to secure for his charge
and other poor and helpless little ones, free
of expense, admittance to the fair grounds
for one day, that they might see and learn
things that they would remember during
their lives.
Expecting, of course, a favorable reply
to his request, he made all the necessary
preparations for the day's enjoyment
whenever the same should be designated.
In the meantime the Illinois Central Railroad
Company had proposed to carry the
children to the fair and return free of
charge. But judge of the surprise of Superintendent
Daniels at receiving a letter from
the president of the world's fair directory
under date of July 22 declining to admit
the Waifs' Mission to the grounds of the
world's fair free of charge. This reply
was a stunner to Mr. Daniels, and what to
do then in order to carry out the object of
the picnic for the little homeless ones was
uppermost in the mind of the superintendent
when one of his assistants suggested
that he would at once see
Colonel W. F. Cody, of the Wild
West Show, in regard to the day
off for the children, and to this end Colonel
Cody was waited upon at the grounds of his
show at Sixty-third street. This was on
July 23, the date of the receipt of the letter,
and when the colonel heard of the refusal
of the world's fair to entertain the
city's orphans and waifs he at once said:
"Yes, my show is open for the entertainment
of your mission. Let the little ones
come to the extent of 20,000, the children
shall have the best I have; bring them on,
my show is free to them; they shall have
every benefit within my power to bestow
while they are under the canvas of my
show." The day was then agreed upon and
July 27 was the time. J. Irving Pearce, of
the Sherman House, furnished the ground
adjoining the Wild West Show for the picnic
and Superintendent Daniels provided a
splendid lunch, including nuts, fruits,
candies and indeed everything necessary
for a real feast for the children who were
to partake of the pleasures of that day's
picnic.
The day came and with it the children,
the Illinois Central bringing them to the
Sixty-third street depot, which is opposite
the Wild West show. Who the children
were and where they came from Mr.
Daniels may tell in his own way. Here
it is:
"From 7,000 to 8,000 children is a conservative
estimate. They came from the
following localities: River district, North
Side- Larrabee street and the poor regions
parallel on both sides of the north branch,
Chicago avenue and the eight or ten streets
north and south of that artery. Milwaukee
avenue district- Including the cross streets
from Chicago avenue north to North avenue.
Sweat-shop district, West Side- Halsted,
Desplaines, Indiana and Green streets
and all the sweat-shop district of Twenty-
second street, etc., and all that poor district
between Twelfth street and Twenty-
second street. South Side, the levee district-
Archer avenue, etc. Nationalities-
American, German, Italian, Greek, Swede,
Polish, Russian, Jewish and a few French
from Blue Island avenue."
Thus it is shown that from seven thousand
to eight thousand children were accorded
the happiness of one bright and
shiny day's pleasure, where they saw that
which it falls to the lot of but few children
in this country to see, Buffalo Bill's Wild
West Show. And while the world's fair
management refused to admit free the
city's waifs on that July 27, it did admit
free to its grounds on that day 41,904,
many of whom it is thought were abundantly
able to have paid full admission
fees and whose business did not call them
there under a free-pass system. They entered
the gates, however, free, while the
poor and orphan children were denied that
privilege, though they were the wards of
the great City of Chicago, which had
$5,000,000 invested inside the bounds of
the white city, but inside the gates of
which was denied them.
CHARLES C. P. HOLDEN. | 328Chicago Post
Aug 12/93
WORLD'S FAIR AND WAIFS.
How the Children Had a Big Day in Spite of
the Exposition's Stinginess.
CHICAGO, Aug. 12.- Editor of The Evening
Post: Early in July Taylor E. Daniel,s
superintendent of the Waif's Mission, con-
ceived the idea of giving the children under
his charge, as well as many other needy
and helpless ones, a day's recreations and
picnic, and to that end began to seek the
best location for such purpose. Many sug-
gested to Mr. Daniels that of all places to
take his waifs for a day's pleasure the
world's fair was the best, as the little
ones could see there that which would never
come here to be seen again. Mr. Daniels,
agreeing with these suggestions; at once
opened correspondence with the world's
fair management to secure for his charge
and other poor and helpless little ones, free
of expense, admittance to the fair grounds
for one day, that they might see and learn
things that they would remember during
their lives.
Expecting, of course, a favorable reply
to his request, he made all the necessary
preparations for the day's enjoyment
whenever the same should be designated.
In the meantime the Illinois Central Rail-
raod Company had proposed to carry the
children to the fair and return free of
charge. But judge of the surprise of Super-
intendent Daniels at receiving a letter from
the president of the world's fair directory
under date of July 22 declining to admit
the Waifs' Mission to the grounds of the
world's fair free of charge. This reply
was a stunner to Mr. Daniels, and what to
do then in order to carry out the object of
the picnic for the little homeless ones was
uppermost in the mind of the superin-
tendent when one of his assistants sug-
gested that he would at once see
Colonel W. F. Cody, of the Wild
West Show, in regard to the day
off for the children, and to othis end COlonel
Cody was waited upon at the grounds of his
show at Sixty-third street. This was on
July 23, the date of the receipt of the let-
ter, and when the colonel heard of the re-
fusal of the world's fair to entertain the
city's orphans and waifs he at once said:
"Yes, my show is open for the entertain-
ment of your mission. Let the little ones
come to the extent of 20,000, the children
shall have the best I have; bring them on,
my show is free to them; they shall have
every benefit within my power to bestow
while they are under the canvas of my
show." The day was then agreed upon and
July 27 was the time. J. Irving Pearce, of
the Sherman House, furnished the ground
adjoining the Wild West Show for the pic-
nice and Superintendent Daniels provided a
splendid lunch, including nuts, fruits,
candies and indeed everything necessary
for a real feast for the children who were
to partake of the pleasures of that day's
picnic.
The day came and with it the children,
the Illinois Central bringing them to the
Sixty-third street depot, which is opposite
the Wild West show. Who the children
were and where they came from Mr.
Daniels may tell in his own way. Here
it is:
"From 7,000 to 8,000 children is a con-
servative estimate. They came from the
following localities: River district, NOrth
Side- Larrabee street and the poor regions
parallel on both sides of the north branch,
Chicago avenue and the eight or ten streets
north and south of that artery. Milwaukee
avenue district- Including the cross streets
from Chicago avenue north to North ave-
nue. Sweat-shop district, West Side- Hal-
sted, Desplaines, Indiana and Green streets
and all the sweat-shop district of Twenty-
second street, etc., and all that poor dis-
trict between Twelfth street and Twenty-
second street. South Side, the levee dis-
trict- Archer avenue, etc. Nationalities-
American, German, Italian, Greek, Swede,
Polish, Russian, Jewish and a few French
from Blue Island avenue."
Thus it is shown that from seven thou-
sand to eight thousand children were ac-
corded the happiness of one bright and
shiny day's pleasure, where they saw that
which it falls to the lot of but few children
in this country to see, Buffalo Bill's Wild
West Show. And while the world's fair
management refused to admit free the
city's waifs on that July 27, it did admit
free to its grounds on that day 41,904,
many of whom it is thought were abun-
dantly able to have paid full admission
fees and whose business did not call them
there under a free-pass system. They en-
tered the gates, however, free, while the
poor and orphan children were denied that
privilege, though they were the wards of
the great City of Chicago, which had
$5,000,000 invested inside the bounds of
the white city, but inside the gates of
which was denied them.
CHARLES C. P. HOLDEN. |
