Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-27

swept the river.
his face. His enthusiasm gave you
thrill. He might have been Guy
Nickalls telling how the crew he
coached won at New London.
They were the best crews. too. Uni
versity crews. OF course. our cox could
see. but the crew were blind. We've not
only taught them to row. we've taught
them to support themselves. taught them
trades. All men who come here have lost
their eyesight in battle in this war. but
already we have taught some of them
a trade and set them up in business. And
while the war lasts business will be
good for them. And it must be nursed
after care committee To care for
them after they have left us. To buy
raw material. to keep their work up to
to the mark. to dispose of it. We need
money for those men. For the men
who have started life again for them
selves. DO You think there are people
in America who would like to help those
men,
asked. in case there were such peo-
pie. to whom should they write:
ITO me-" he said. ''St. Dunstan's,
Regents Park"
Can't Possibly Lose Their Way.
I found the seventeen acres OF st.
Dunstan's SO arranged that no blind man
could possibly lose his way. In the
house, over the carpets were stretched
strips of mating. So long as a man
kept his feet on mating he knew he was
on the right path to the door. Outside
the doors hand rails guided him to the
workshops. schoolrooms. the exercising
grounds and kitchen gardens Just be-
fore he reached any of these places a
brass knob on the handrail warned him
to go slow. Were he walking on the
great stone terrace and his foot scraped
against board he knew he was within
yard of fight of steps
Wherever you went you found men
at work. learning a trade, or having
learned one. intent i'm the JOY of Great
ing something. To help them there are
nearly sixty ladies who have mastered
the Braille system and come daily to
teach ii. There are many other vol
unteers who take the men on walks
around Regents Park and who talk and
read to them. Everywhere was activ-
ity. Everywhere some one was helping
some one: the blind teaching the blind.
those who had been a week at ST. Dun
STAINS doing the honors to those just
arrived The place spoke only OF hard
work, mutual help. and cheerfulness.
you had over the others a certain sd-
vantage. but when you saw the work
the blind men were turning out. which
they could not see. and which you
knew with both your eyes you never
could have turned out. you felt apollo
getic. There were cabinets. for in
stance. measured to the twentieth Of
an inch. and men who were study
ing to be masseurs, who. only by
touch, could distinguish all the bones
in the body. There WAS Miss Woods.
blind stenographer. I dictated SEN
tence to her, and, as fast as spok.
she took il down on innc' ~" i" '..
Braiile alphabet. 1t appeared in raised
a ri
that carry stock quotations. Then.
reading the sentence with her fingers.
She pounded it on an ordinary type
writer. Her work was quite faultless.
What impressed you was the number
of the workers who. over their task.
sang or whistled. None of them paid
any attention to what the others were
whistling. Each acted as though he
were shut off in world of his own.
The spirits of the Tommies were un-
quenchab BILE.
Brown Five was one of those privales
who are worth more to a company
han the jor. He was a
comedian. He looked like John Bunny
and when he laughed he shook all over
and you had to laugh vita him. even
tho ugh you were conscious that Brown
F'fv- had no eyes and no hands. But
was he conscious of that Apparently
not. Was he disheartenedr No. Some
one snatched his cigarette; and with
the 5tumps Of his arms he promptly
beat two innocent comrades over the
head. When the lady guide interfered
and admitted ii was she who had rob-
bed him, Brown Five roared in de-
light.
Il dashed EN-" he cried Her took
it. but ] Dashed the two of EN-
Sings as He Works.
A private of the MINISTER'S was weav-
ing net, and. as though he were quite
alone, singing. in fine baritone, Tip
perary. If you want to hear real close
harmony YOU must listen TO southern
darhies: and if you want 10 get the
sweetness and melancholy out of an
Irish chant. an lrishman must sing il.
thought | had heard "Tipperary" be-
fore several times. and that ii was a
march. But | found I had not heard
it before. and that il is not march.
but lament and a love song. The
soldier did not know We were listen
ing. and while his fingers weaved the
meshes of the net. his voice rose in
zones of the most moving sweetness.
He did not know that he was facing
window, he did not know that he
was staring straight out upon the city
IF London. But we knew, and when
m his rare baritone and rare brogue
ne whispered rather than sang the
ines
Good bye. Piccadilly-
Farewell. Leicester square:
It's long, long way TO Tipperary-
LII of his unseen audience hastily fed.
There was also Private Watts, who
vas mending shoes. When the week
before Lord Kitchener visited St Dun
,tan's Watts had joked with him. I
him on his courage.
What was your joke?" | inquired.
He asked me when l was a prisoner
with the Germans how they fed me. and
said: oh. they gave me five beef
steaks a day
THAT was a good oke.'' l said. Did
Kitchener think so?"
The man had been smiling, pleased
md proud. Now the blank eyes turned
to my companion.
Did his lordship smile?" he asked.
These blind French officers and Eng
ish Tommies are teaching a great les
on. They are teaching men who are
whining over the loss of money, health
,r a job to be ashamed. 1t is not We
VINO are keeDing them. but they who
re helping u.s. They are showing
low to face disaster and setting us
N example of real courage. And those
Who do not profit by it are more blind
han they.