Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-05-10
BLINDED SOLDIER one
OF WARS TRAGEDIES
What England Is Doing to Make
Him Self Supporting In
Future Years.

Nv Wy q
EST personal tragedies of the war as
brought home to the British people is
The long list OF Young soldiers and sail
ors Who have lost their eyesight in the
conflict At -. Dunstan's hotel for
blinded soldiers and sailors there are
At present about 100 students, officers
and men. representing Canada. Eng
land. Australia. New Zealand and Bel
GUM. In addition there are a number
Of men in annexes at Brighton and
Torquay whose wounds thu far have
prevented their taking up work at st.
Dustan's.
Never before in British history have
30 many young men who are Otherwise
able bodied been brought together IN
the helpless state of blindness. and the
problem of handling them IS entirely
different from that presented in a home
for people who have lost their sight
through disease or like causes. and new
methods must be applied to meet the
situation.
ST. Dunstan's itself is a place of
beauty and full Of historic interest.
Once the villa of the third Marques of
Hartford. the "Steyne' Of Vanity Fair,
it is now the london home of Otto
Kahn. the American ~financier. who has
loaned ii TO the blinded soldiers and
sailors care committee. under the
Craftsmanship of G. Arthur Pearson,
Nt1tiN ktiC II rs Il CiiS!'' anu RAVS
ident of the National Institute for the
Blind. About the spacious villa are Is
acres OF well kept lawns. trees and
s~hrubbery. An arm of Regents Park
lake runs into the grounds, thus at
fording facilities for boating. All this
is at the disposal of the blind men and
they have been surrounded by an at
mosphere that is distinctly homelike.
Mr. Pearson. a man of magnetic per
sonality and the moving spirit of the
hotel. lost his sight a few years ago
and the bright philosophy of life, which
he has developed for himself pervades
the place. Mr.. Pearson's theory of con-
Quoting ST Dunstan's was expressed by
him 10 a representative of the Asso-
cieted Press thus:
The main endeavor here is to get
into the minds of the blinded men the
root principle that they are handi-
capped. not afflicted. The latter word
with blind folk. Tell a man that he is
afflicted and his mental outlook on life
will bear that stamp. But tell him he
IL handicapped, and If he is a good fell
low at heart his sporting spirit will as
sert itself and ne will adopt all he
means that are shown him to enable
him to catch up with the fellows to
whom circumstances nave given a
start"
Since the school work at st. Dus-
tan's began IS men have been gradu-
afed. having learned one or more oc-
equations. such as boot repairing. mas
sage. mat making. basket making, join
cry. poultry farming n market gard
ening. Virtually all OF these men read
n write Braille and typewrite with
the ordinary machine. All are now said
to be earning good incomes.
There are 72 teachers. all but ~ of
them voluntary. and each pupil has in
Il SpNn A- ~ L.
structors themselves are blind. Tho
feeling of helplessness which over
whelms a strong. healthy. newly blind
ed man." said Mr.. Pearson, lis increl-
IDLY relieved when he finds that the
one who Is to instruct him in some
profitable employment is suffering from
the same handicap as himself"
The working day is divided between
the lass rooms. workshops and train
ing schools so that each man acquires
an all around education. All the stu
dents learn to read IN write Rraill..
and some Of them are studying music.
A number of men have learned the diff
ficult art of reading with the finger
tips in two weeks. Seventy-three have
passed the typewriting test, which
means that they can write q letter
without mistake at a fail rate of speed
When a man passes this examination
ne receives a prize of a Typewriter.
OhN u lIc IitpSl Tc~IluFkdDIe G9tNreS
OF the school Is the progress being
made by some of the men In learning
Braille shorthand. They operate on a
little machine Of seven keys, which
punches the characters on a strip of
paper. These characters later can be
read with the finger tips and trans
cribed on the typewriter. Several Of the
men who were secretaries before join
ing the army are learning shorthand
and tipping for the purpose of reSumine
their former work.
In the shops. men who nave never
handled tools become adept quickly. A
few weeks practice enables MANY ri
them to acquire such skill that the ar.
ticl"s they produce are salable. Door
mlts. baskets OF every shape and size
bookcases. picture frames. and MANY
other things, are turned out in the two
wDrkrooms with accuracy n finish
Near the workshops Is the poultry
farm. where those men who desire tC
i've IN the country are taught poultry
keeping and simple market gardening
The men quickly become proficient
learning to distinguish the differen,
breeds OF fowl. to tell the weight OF 8
oIrd. 20 manage ~incubators. and all the
rest that goes with poultry raising.
Mr.. Pearson believes that the mas
sage business IL likely to prove the
most lucrative Of the occupations
taught at ST. Dunstan's. Primary in.
atructlon IN anatomy and physiology Il
given at the hostel and, when the pri.
mary stage IL passed. tuition Is con.
tinued In the massage department q,
q national institute for the blind.
Among the students In the massag,
department 10 Clutha Mackenzie. SOL
Of Sir Thomas Mackenzie, high com.
missfoner Of New Zealand. Clutha Mac,
kensie 10 hardly more than q boy, blu
he has accepted the inevitable cheer,
fully and 70 studying assiduously t,
matter the ways Of the kingdom o