Fair Officials Tell Gate Custodian to Let Poor Children in for Free, Oct. 17, 1925

Children Without Funds Guests of the Fair During the Week

C.A. Robinson, former chief of police in Concord, present deputy sheriff and during this week gate custodian at the fair grounds, brought to light this morning some facts about the fair officials that the public didn’t know.

Mr. Robinson, whose kindness is one of his outstanding virtues, said hundreds of needy, poorly clad urchins had been admitted to the fair grounds free of charge during the week, through the policy of kindness adopted by the fair officials.

“On Tuesday,” says the story told by Mr. Robinson, “Dr. Spencer, Mr. Caldwell and other fair officials told me to watch closely at the gates for children who would not have money enough to get within the gates. The officials said they did not want lack of money to keep any child in the county from the fair.

“Of course, on Tuesday, all school children were admitted and I had little to do. By Thursday, however, the list of needy children at the gate had grown to some size. I tried to size up the kids and those who seemed in need I admitted without cost. The expression of pleasure on their faces is the greatest experience of the week for me.”

Mr. Robinson told this story about one dirty-faced, barely-clad youngster: “The child has been at the gates for some time. Finally I called him over and asked his name. ‘I left my name behind the door when I left home this morning. What do you think of that?’ the kid replied.

“I sent him back after telling him I was going to admit him if he had acted decently. For some time he hung about, and several friends told him of the mistake he had made. They told him to apologize.

“The kid didn’t know how. Finally, he came back, with his head hanging down. ’Mister, I was kidding about my name. I am so and so.’ I admitted him then without comment. He walked about 15 steps, halted, came back and said, ‘thank you.’ The trouble was he hadn’t one ounce of home influence. He didn’t know any better.”

Mr. Robinson said that several youngsters admitted free told him that they had worked but that their fathers, who did not work, had taken their money so they could attend the fair.

From the front page of the Concord Daily Tribune, Oct. 17, 1925

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