The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-08-12
Self ssuoort for the Crippie
BY BredeEie J. Haskln.

"a
1.ar1tl.a.asasSs
!. be able to Climb up ana 10 work upon
house roofs as safely ~ btfoEe Ms
war experience.
Special Tools.
Men who have an inventive turn or
mind are giving attention 20 the &c
signing of special forms Of mach1n7
| cry and tools which will ofiset physt-
their right hands than their left, 50
IL slight mod AcatlOn Of tAe usual pat
terms for various Implements Is being
made to overcome this lack. The nm
geriess man WIFI soon be able to Sc
| cure planes. saWs and chise1s de-
Iyised especially for him. In NUMBER
Of Instances crippled men Themselves
| are at work In shops making FOOLS to
meet the needs of comrades who have
been similarly unforfnna1e.
Because the majority OF crippled
men naturally viii turn to occupa-
lions calling for little or no physical
exertion, special efforts are made ror
those who prefer the actfYeswork to
which they had been accustomed. But
q large number Of convaIeseent SOL
der sare planning TO enSer into c1erf-
cal work and are devotfng the1r- Con
|valescent stage to study along those
lines. Many OF the Red Cross nurses
have had Su9ncient training In these
lines to start them effectively and
many volunteer teachers are contrib
utinG their serytces.
A number of the hospital wards
have the appearance of school rooms.
Sketch boards and portable tables IN
front OF the men afford writing space
BIackboards In the center OF the
room present lessons and the teach
er goes from one patient TO another.
guiding stfnened fingers and aiding
them in every conceivable way to the
desired progress.
The materials for this work have
been secured chiefly through private
An American typewuting1
last month shipped a.
dozen typewriters to Paris to be used
for the instruction of convalescentl
soldiers In this useful occupation.
The number Of men who are trying to
learn typewriting indicate that the
girl typist in Europe may soon be-
by the war cripple, but as
women are taking mems places as
street car conductors, railway porters.
hman, perhaps the exchange will bring
mo undue hardship.
For Blind Soldiers.
The thousands OF blind naen pre-
sent an even more serious probiam
than do the cripp1es to those who
are bent upon aiding them to be self
supporting Last March the Fre4ch
government set aside a large build
fng as refuge and school for blind
soldiers In which they be trained In
sorae Of the Industries. open to them
despite their condition: The Afst
iteacher was himself q blind man
system of reading and writing and
skilled In q number OF handicrafts.
Before the shops were In readiness
for work he put the most hopeless of
the men TO work at brush-naking.
! Within q rev hours the psye6o1Og
icAI atmosphere OF the but1dfnEf
seemed changed. The men lost thSfrt
despondency when confronted with !
the possibility OF being useful Now
working Enthusiastically each day at
such occupations AZ haslset-making.
chair Gaming and light carpentry. mi
addition. ! some typewr1ters. specially
designed for the use of the blind. |
have been secured which will add
another possibility. A regular sched-
ule of ten hours shop work Is now
in eject.
The men are Increasing in skill
ana LQ0 RT00uCtS- "a lAA04k k1s&tSL " IA \
soon render them se1f-supporting. |
Most of them are spending tehir 1eis-
ure in mastering the BratiIe sys-l
tenn of reading 30 that this pleasure
will be within their reach. An ac-i
count Of this work for the blind sol-I
diers In France was given at the9
International Congress for the Blind
held In San Francisco last month.
AS result. many contributions have
been sent from America. not fewI
coming from blind people who have
themselves had their darkness tght-
ened by similar Instructions.
work OF Crippled Girl.
Tho problem of rendering Grip
pies self-supporting in spite oftheir
physical handicapa. IL receiving con-
SHERATON from educators. physlctans3
and socdologfsts as wen as by gov-1
eminent authorities IN al OF the
more progressive countries. It is |
claimed that ia some respects the
provision made for crippled child1en
in Minnesota INSTITUTION Is superior
to that anywhere else In the world
It was brought about chiefly through
the indefatigabie perseverance OF Miss
Jessie Haskins. slender crippled
girl, who appeared before the state4