Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-30
MAKING THEM WHOLE
Poor People with Missing Members
 Supplied Free.
Strange Requests Made of Chart- table Association That Supplies Artificial Limbs, Glass
 Eyes. Etc.


 Eyes, Etc.
 "I don't know whether I ought to buy this man wooden leg or not" The secretary of the Association for the Improvement of the Condition of the Poor was pondering: "The. last man I bought one for was so happy that he had to celebrate; and he cele- brated so hard that he got into row and the leg was smashed before morn ing. Seventy-five dollars gone to splin- ters within 12 hours!"
 There was a shade of humor in the lady's meditations, even though the subject was not a merry one, says the Philadelphia Ledger.
 Artificial limbs seem to have bad moral influence some way" she said, with some sadness. "When l supply the missing portion of a mans anat- omy he almost always has to go and celebrate. The last time I bought a man glass eye he did the same thing. He was an educated man, had been a professional man in his day; and after he had been rejoicing over the new eye for a little while, his chivalrous in stincts prevailed, and he decided that he must come up and show me how nice it looked. He came" She paused and shook her head mourn fully. "He was very happy" she con- cluded simply.
 The purchase of $75 or $100 arti- ficial limbs seems rather expensive outlay for charitab ble association, but when a recipient cannot be self supporting without it, it is perhaps the wisest. charity. A mans chances at money-earning are so painfully re- duced by any deformity that perhaps he can be excused for celebrating when the deficiency is supplied. At least the association thinks so, and at one time or another it has furnished al- most every member of the human form divine.
 The other day a one-legged man drifted in with strange tale of woe. Twenty years ago he left the city for the west. After serving his time at knocking about, he had acquired a small farm in Montana. The farm was not particularly valuable, and when. about year ago, he got a chance to sell it, he did so, and resolved to.use his little capital by returning to the east and getting into some small busi- ness. He had barely started, with his little stake in his pocket, when he was run over and smashed nearly to bits. Taken to a hospital in Montana town, he was made a pay patient, it was minus one leg and most of his money, and when he emerged, eight months later, he adhered to hls original plan and continued his journey, though for what reason he himself cannot tell. With no relatives, and his old acquaint- ances scattered or forgotten, he turned up alone and friendless at the society's doors and asked for a wooden leg. He had a little money left, but he did not dare use any of it, as he felt he must keep something to live on, and yet without the leg he could do nothing for living.
 Then there was the man who had his hair all burned off his head. His scalp healed, but his hair absolutely refused to send forth g single tendril. With head bare and smooth as bill Hard ball, he found it impossible to get a job, employers either believing him too old or refusing to have him around, on account of his appearance. He grew so sensitive over the matter that he refused even to go to the asso- citation rooms, because he would have to take off his hat to the ladies' But he sent his wife to state the facts in the case and petition for wig. The wig was bought, the man got a job, and, happily, refrained from ''cele- brating."
 A young woman found herself in the same predicament. All her hair fell put in severe attack of fever, and when, after a long time, it began to come in it stood out perfectly straight and stiff from her head. The store where she had been employed had re- served her position for her, but her appearance attracted so much atten- . tion that after awhile they told her she would have to go. The association bought her s15-wig, and it proved efficacious, for within six months she was married.
 One struggling widow who was keep ing together a family of four or five children placed her false teeth in a glass of water one night before retir- ing. The children had little dog which, as ill-nourished as the rest of the family, and having more appetite than sense, found the teeth in the night and chewed them up. The secretary smiled, but she bought the widow & new set of teeth.
 ''How could the woman eat if she had no teeth?" she inquired. "And how could she work if she could not eat? There are people marked down on charity books to-day as incorrigi- bly, lazy who got there through dys- pepsia causeg by bad teeth.''
 An artificial nose, for a man who had been deprived of that useful mem. Der through accident, and $50 fexi ble hand, not to be detected in a glove for girl, were among other odds and