Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-11-22

| appears Inc remains were taken to Rock Creek
cemetery for interment
The price paid for the property by Mr. Mclean
was So. 600, making the price per foot about Al
cents That is considerably more than it was
expected to bring. The expenses of removal
will be about $4,000, leaving about $4,000 to
go towards the education, most likely Of some
OF the descendants OF the dead who were laid to
rest at Homead's.
REPAIRING MANNED VETERANS.
A Talk With the Man who Serves Out
| the Wooden Legs.
| SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE ARMY OF
CRIPPLED SOLDIERs-MEN WHO WEAR WELL
AND MEN WHO DO NOr-ARTIFICIAL ARMS,
EYES AND SECTIONS OF SKULLS FURNISHED BY
A GRATEFUL REPUBLIC TO ITS HEROES, ETC.
1--WE have the names of about eighteen thou
sand veterans who have applied for repairs"
said Mr.. Ramsey, who has charge of the arti-
hcal limb department Of the surgeon generals
office, to a STAR reporter. ''You know we fit
them out with new sets of legs arms or other
| apparatus every five years 1t is now getting
| towards the close OF one Of those periods, and
We have repaired fourteen Thousand vet Grams"
Aren't the one legged men dying off," asked
THE STAR man.
| NOW that's an interesting question. guess
they are. presume many of those whose names
we have have since died, butt can't tell certainly
Now, as I've said every fveyears wereconstrnct
the manned veterans OF the army but they
have their choice to take the repairs or the
money. The allowance for a leg is seventy-fiye
dollars: for anything less than leg is fifty dol
| lars. From one period to another many old
veterans drop out. Some of them make one or
two applications. and then we never hear from
| them again. Naturally, we conclude when they
don't send for their money or legs they must
| be dead and have no more use for them. But
we don't limit ourselves to men who have actu-
| ally lost their limos. A man who has simply lost
| the use of his limbs is entitled to wooden leg
or arm as the case may be, though he can't
| wear them. So you see we can't keep record
/, OF all the One-legged men, but [ guess there
aren't as many as there used to be. Yet there
| are lots of them, and many who haven't any legs
| at ALL and some with neither legs nor arms.
! Then there are many who have not lost their
/ limbs, but who have no power to move. There
| is one man who gets two arms and two legs al
| lOwance who cannot move any part of his body
! except the little finger on the left hand, which
he can bend the least little bit There is another
a New England soldier, whose arms and legs are
| dead, and who is blind in both eyes, Not long
| ago man came in here with no arms and sat
| down at one of the desks and wrote with his
! teeth. 1t was not, particularly fine writing bu
you could read it. l know of another mamie
was in the sharp-shOoter s:servce-who can't be
stood on his feet because he is bent in the back
SO that his head would strike the floor first
Think how many years these men have suffered,
and many of them are still living! Why there's
hardly enough left OF some Of them to hold to-
gether."
but you asked if they were dying off Now,
here's Il roll we are just completing" and he
laid several immense tally-sheets out on his
desk. You can see how they run This is the
fourth period. and here's man who has gotten
four legs, quite a number for one man. if he
used them all at once. And here's another who
has gotten four legs and four arms. No. we
don't furnish heads, but we supply parts of
heads, jaws and sections of skull and eyes,
Now. here's man who got one leg in the first
period and has never gotten any SINCE he is
probably dead But here is another who came
in for repairs just after the close of the war
and was never heard from again until now
when he comes up again. He didn't wear out
very fast. Some men wear well and don't bother
about getting repaired SO often. Here's another
man" he added, pointing to another name On
the list, there's man who comes up now for
the first time, having done without his limb all
these years. 1t runs this way. you see all the
way through. Those men who have not applied
for their fourth leg, or whatever it is they want
We conclude must be dead. Some, presume
will live to get five or six legs or as many
arms"
What are the legs made OFF, asked the
scribe. .'"-
"Willow wood generally, and there are va
riety of styles. They can take their choice.
Some take the straight stick and stump 1t
through life. Some legs have rubber feet and
rubber joints. There Is one made with very
fine ball and socket joint at the foot. There
are many men with wooden legs whom you
would never suspect. We furnish limbs to some
brave and distinguished men. There are several
officers of high rank who come here for arms
and legs. There Is a young lieutenant we re-
Gently supplied with one arm who Is. believe,
the only survivor of the Custer massacre"
The Management OF Our Schools.
To the Editor of THE EVENING STAR:
The thanks of the public are due THE STAR
for its recent brief, but pointed. paragraph on
the school question. The STARS criticisms
give voice to some of the best and most ad-
vanced thought Of the present time on the man.
agement of our public schools. 1t is believed
by many of our thoughtful people that many
branches are now being taught in our public
schools, the cost of which is in no Just sense
proper charge upon the general taxpayer.
These branches are what might be termed the
higher or ornamental parts of child's educa-
ton, which are by NO means essential to the
citizen to qualify him for his duties to the
state, which is under no obligation to educate
its people beyond what is necessary to qualify
them for their duties as good citizens. Culture
and refinement are by no means belittled, but
are highly esteemed and are worthy the ambi-
ton Of every person, but see no good reason
for providing these at the public expense.
There is great complaint of the want of room
and facilities for all the children who desire to
attend school. 1t seems to me this might be |
remedied by banishing some of the useless Tin |
relative sense), studies, and confirming the |
curriculum to the fundamental branches, and by |
adopting the balftime system that is permit |
ting half of the scholars to attend certain |
number OF weeks. then to give place to the |
others, who have enjoyed an enforced vacation. |
1t is held by many sound thinkers that scholars |
will advance in useful knowledge quite as rapidly |
as by the continuous drag through ten or eleven |
months of the year. One thing appears Ger
tain, our common public schools have been |
steadily usurping many things that properly be-
long to academies and colleges, and it istime to |
cry halt.
DEATH OF DEcoRAToR-Orren Clark Richards
a wel-known scenic artist OF Boston, is dead. HIS
service in his profession extended over period of
twenty-five years. Mr. Richards was not only a /
scenic painter, but an able decorator OF interiors
and painter OF flowers Mr.. Richards served |
through the war In the army Of the Potomac