The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-03-23
KITTIE SMITH.
She Has no Arms but is Happy, and
Wonderfully Smart With Her Feet.

haywood, ILL.,, March 19.-It does
one good to know Miss Kittie Smith.
To talk with her is an inspiration.
To see how she has overcome a ter
rible physical affiiction makes i'm
agined troubles seem very silly To
know what wonderful things this
young woman can do under a great
handicap makes one wonder at the
stupidity of persons in normal con-
dition who fail to make use of their
natural powers.
Kittie Smith has no arms When
she was a little girl living in Chi
cago she fell upon a red hot stove,
anu the surgeons at the hospital cut
off both her arms at the shoulders
If you would know what this
means, try to live an hour without
use of your arms. To the 9-year-old
Kittie, motherless and with father.
baby sister and two little brothers
to housekeep for, it was terrible
blow. The neighbor women all said
that the girl might better have died
than to be so afflicted.
But Kittie has lived and she is
prospering by her own efforts she
is now a self-supporting girl of 25.
and this is her story
Kittie has learned to use her feet
to do the things that hands were
intended to do, and almost weird are
her powers How completely she
has overcome her misfortune is best
told by herself. She said:
Il can't say | handle things, but
can say that | foot them.
Yes. | can sew. See these center
pieces which ] embroidered all my
self. Just a moment and | will show
you how quickly | can thread q
needle" and in twinkling her
needle was threaded and the thread
knotted The needle was threaded
with her toes and the knot made with
her toes and the knot made with her
teeth.
Now do you wish to see my
workshop in the basement? We
went there and | saw pretty Kittie
work at her bench, which she built
herself.
This is my favorite pastime," she
said. Il love to hammer and saw
and make things out of wood. |
can saw board perfectly straight,
and almost as fast with my feet as
any carpenter could with his hands, +"
She picked up her saw with her
right foot, and, while steading it
with the toes of her left foot, deftly
demonstrated how easily it was
l., 4
over the workbench, and several
book racks which Miss Smith had just
finished were lined up waiting for
their coat of varnish. which she will
also apply herself. One of her
greatest desires is to some day own
complete set of tools,
Centre tables, tabourettes and
book shelves are listed among the
various articles of furniture made by
Miss Smith. Besides doing this work
herself which is her business, she is
teaching some small crippled boys
to use a scroll saw.
Pen and ink sketching is anoth-
er accomplishment. She holds her
pen between the first and second
toes of her right foot and can copy
any picture that may be given her.
camera is numbered among her
most treasured possessions, and she
has made many fine pictures. She
not alone manipulates her camera,
but also does all her developing and
printing.
While showing her book of photo
graphs, the telephone rang Sitting
| down in front of the instrument Kit
tie calmly slipped her right foot out
of her shoe. and lifting the receiver
off the hook with her toes proceeded
TO answer the call
mo one understands the old
adage, Where there's a will there's
a way, better than |" said smiling
/ Kittie. Il do not find tasks toe
hard to undertake or too tedious tC
finish. have never had a lesson
in drawing or sketching, and what
can do is from constant practice
When / write ] sharpen my pencil
opening and closing my knife myself
| wash my face, brush my teeth, take
my bath. and can comb my hair wheI
it is not too tangled. ] also use
scissors to cut all paper, cloth or ma
terial with which | work. | SWEEP
and dust, mop and scrub, and ever
blacken stoves. am often asked
whether | enjoy life. AS | am yer!
busy | do, of course
This wonderful young woman wa
born in Chicago in 1882. Her par
ents were very poor. After her af
Fiction the Children's Home Societ.
of Illinois became interested in he
case and through the efforts of DR.
Frank NJ. Gregg of that society
"Kittie Smith" fund was raised 70
the purpose of educating the child
Thus she was taught to sew will
her feet. The girls father died
few weeks after the tragedy
The next eight years of her lif
were spent in Poynette, Wis, wher
she attented high school, all expense
being paid out of the fund Havin