Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-10

NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN
FOR BLIND SOLDIERS
Funds Being Collected for British,
French and Belgian War Suffer
ers by New Workers.

One of the most elaborate nation
wide campaigns ever made by any
charita BILE organization is now being
conducted by Frank a. Nanderlip. pres
ident of the National City Bank; Au-
gust Belmont. Elihu Root. Otto H.
Kahn, Vincent Astor. George a. kes-
sler and many other American bank
ers, business men and philanthroplsts
through the B. +. B. permanent pima
relief war fund, at 800 9TH avenue,
New York city. in behalf of the thou
sands of European soldiers blinded in
the war
More than $50 financiers. college
presidents and nationally prominent
men and women have already consent
ed to act as the funds vice preSldelts
More than Ju,ooO letters have already
been sent by Mr.. Nanderllp, as the
funds honorary treasurer for Amerl-
ca. to banks and chambers OF com
merce, inviting their officials 10 FORM
committees and otherwise cooperate
\ personal letter of appeal, signed
by Mrs George A. Eessler, one of the
funds honorary secretaries, has been
| addressed to 100000 prominent ana
prosperous Americans, describing the
pitiful situation among the thousands
of blinded European soldiers. Collec-
ton boxes and placards soliciting con,
tributions are being distributed
throughout New York city and soon
will be distributed in other cities.
The national headquarters of the
fund, at 800 18th avenue. New YORK
city, is an unusually busy place these
days. The organization occupies wv
entire floors of the big once puiiolhS:
Nearly 100 volunteer and paid workers
are employed all day long. The ofhces
have been donated. rent free, by a
generous phtlanthropist. The furnl-
ture of the reception rooms mas been
loaned by philosophical art and an
tioue furniture dealers. The services
of the Boy Scouts organization nave
been secured to aid the Distribution
work
Numerous interesting personal nara
tives concerning the thousands OF blnded
European soldiers whom the tuna is
meant to help have been received during
the last few days from the organization
European correspondents. A perihd
nently blinded member of the ColdStream
Guards was unconscious for six weeks
after being shot through the head i'll a
charge at Richbourg fAvoue. The frst
sound he heard on recovering conscious
ness in a London hospital was the voice
of his mother, whom he could not see
and whom he never will. of course. see
again. This man is now being taugrt a
pra ctical paying trade, not requiring
sight in a blind institution in England.
There practically. at present only
two places III all Great Britain, fTdIct
and Belgium in which the thousands of
blinded European soldiers can be taught
self-supporting trades. These two small
institutions are so wholly inadequate to
meet the situation that scores OF Eu-
ropes blinded send pleas every week to
be admitted, in vain. 1t is this unusually
tragic situation of these thousands of
blinded European soldiers whom Europe
lacks institutions to take care of which
has caused the American bankers and
business men to organize the fund.
How much can be done to make these
blind soldiers Self-Supporting i'll very
short time is shown i'll a letter received
last week by Mrs. George A Kesser, at
the funds New York headquarters
blinded soldier, before he went to the
war and lost his sight, was gamekeeper.
with practically no manual training.
After only nine months teaching this
blinded man developed such remarkable
facility in making trays. picture frames
and similar articles that he has now
established small shop in Harrow. Dur
ing the first week he sold goods worth
s27. and his profits were $3.50. This
man also learned to be an unusually
rapid and accurate typewriter during his
nine months training.
The patronage of the King and Queen
of England. the King and Queen of Bel
GUM and the President of France has
been obtained for the distribution of the
fund in their respective countries.