Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-11-16

being the only one in all German.
who'll: supported by foreign funds.
/ The dearth of cotton is CONSTANT!
increasing and we put in an earnes
plea for further shipments Of thi
indispensable commodity. Only yes
terday a physician came in person
to beg us for antiseptic cotton fol
his hospital, and it was hard to bt
Obliged to refuse. Is there no way
for America to alleviate this crying
need out Of its vast abundance?
The hospital has had to deal will
the most varied cases. aside from
every sort of gun wound, serious
stomach and intestinal disorders
and battling nerve shocks, the latter
disorders, being in the eyes of the
general public, less interesting and
tsympathy-arousing, because there
is no bandage or mutilation visible
to make the direct appeal. Though
less picturesque for the lay onlooker
they may be for the patient far more
distressing than a rapidly healing
wound. One case of nerve shock we
have at present is typical: strong
sturdy Bavarian in the thirties, who
sits and reads the paper in the quiet
of, his room, looking the image OF
strength and we'll being, but at a
sudden noise or in the presence OF
several people, he trembles from
head to foot like an aspen leaf, and
his efforts at self control, with his
hands clenched close to his side, are
pathetic.
The petted favorite OF the whole
house for the past two months has
been a sunny faced youth, "vol-
unteer'' who has never yet been seen
without smile so contagious It
would cheer the most Respondent.
He is absolutely helpless and de-
pendent on nurses and comrades;
must be carried down to the enter
teinments. frequently occurring ev-
enings in our dining room: nust be
carried bodily to the veranda. down
to the auto for a drive; he cannot
take a step, for both his feet were
frozen OF in the Carpathaans and
the poor stumps are not sufficiently
healed for the adjustment Of artific-
ial feet.
In June the most afflicted of all
were assigned to us-the blind
and new and torturing realization
sickened and tore our hearts. The
day they arrived, the sun fell cheer
fully across the white beds, the
white curtains fluttered lightly in
the soft summer breeze: outside the
lindens swayed their branches be-
meath the azure dome of a cloudless
sky, everywhere whole world of
brightness, and light, and they in the
midst of 1t, condemned to eternal
darkness. They seemed happy enough
and were joking among themselves,
while one gayly played his mouth
organ and another uncertainty
strummed his either. But their very
was narrowing.
In November the first blind vic
inns reached Munich and the Cow
planned to centralize them
N our hospital where they could
nave the best care and the best food
Ind the most comfort to assist them
n their difficult readjustment to a
life without light.
1t is not the intention Of the gov
to maintain these blind
soldiers in asyluins as exhausted and
dissatisfied members of society, but
o prepare them to spend their lives
with their families; in
hort, to revive their courage and to
trengthen their will to overcome the
hardest of all affections.
Occupation is their first need and
busy and varied day is planned for
hem, always with the object of
towards industry and inde-
Every morning they sit
'atiently at their lessons, these
chool boys of mature years, some Of
hem fathers of families, slowly re-
how to read and write by
he Braille system-training their
lumsy calloused fingers to see for
hem. We have fitted up workroom
djoining their study room where
hey are taught by teachers who are
themselves blind, how to weave bas-
cts and how to make brushes Of all
orts. In these few weeks some Of
hem have already become adopts.
hose who are unsteady inclined
ave lessons on the piano and either
nd one Of them has voice that can
g trained to advantage.