Arizona republican., 1917-07-14
DEAF SOLDIERS
 TO bE HELPED
 IN HOMECOMING


 While many organizations are rais- ing funds and perfecting plans for providing American soldiers with re- lief from pain when wounded, com- fort in hospitals. and recreation back of the firing lines m France, and while commissions for the relief of civilian populations in devastated war zones are performing their laudable work, aided by contributions from the generous public, the American Association to promote the teaching of speech to the deaf, founded and endowed by Alexander Graham Bell, former president of the National Geographic society, has launched a cam paign in behalf of war sufferers whose sacrifices for their country and for liberty are oftentimes over looked or minimized.
 The association, from it's head quarters in Washington, presents the cause of the soldier made deaf by the shocks and hardships of battle. It says:
 Reports from war hospitals re- corded in foreign medical journals show that many soldiers suffer from deafness following the shock from high explosives, as well as from d. rect injuries of the head and the ear and from diseases of the ear due to ex- posture; and though no enormous num- Der losa al. hearing in one or both ears is seriously and perhaps permanently Impaired. These latter are classified as hard of hearing and discharged or relieved from active duty.
 The nations defender who returns from the front with visible injury, the loss of an arm or leg, or with a scared face, will find associations, ready to aid him in securing the kind of work he is best fitted for
 But he who returns with total loss of hearing may be far more heavily incapacitated for earning a fair wage, even though there is no outward in dication of the severe injury from which he will suffer, than the com rade who has lost leg.
 And it is because of this entire absence of external indications of his terrible handicap of hearing that the deaf soldier rarely receives the thoughtful considerations so eagerly extended to those whose deprivation may actually be far less, yet ap- pears the reater because visible to all
 Tn civil life hard of hearing per sons who are not lip-readers have always found it difficult to retain or to secure positions which they are qualified to fill, and are compelled to accept subordinate positions with small pay; and it is estimated that there are more than a million hard of-hearing persons in the United States whose pay is lower than it otherwise would be bstause of de- fective hearing. or because they have not learned to read the lips.
 Experience proves that the surest and the quickest way to restore these -of-hearing persons to their nor nal place ill any line of human en- deavor is to aid them to learn to read the lips as rapidly as possible; and It is of record that deafened soldiers appear to develop a special aptitude for learning this subtle art
 There are organizations for sup plying artificial arms and legs to those who have lost a limb in defense of their country and organizations to glNe the bind instruction in re- munerative lines Of industry to enable them to remain supporting.
 Why not have organizations pre- pared and equipped to supply the deafened soldier, sailor, or marine who can no longer hear speech with an ability to see and read speech as IL 1allS rom the lips of all with whom he 'converses, to the end that he. too, may not only be able to sup port himself as well as he did before the nation demanded his services. but that he may be saved from becoming | a dependent?
 The teaching of lip-reading to the adults hard of hearing who have a good command of language is a pro- fession promising beneficial results that justify educated hard of hearing women who possess the faculty or lmparting information to others in taking the normal training course that will enable them to become pro- Ilclent teachers in lip-reading. This may be a way in which cultured hard-of-hearing women may be able i 10 serve their country to good pur- pose. The Volta Bureau, 1901 35tb 1 street, Washington, D. C., will send Iree literature 10 all who are inclined to engage in this patriotic service.
 It does not teach lip-reading. has i no medical advice to give or instru- ments to sell, but it will send the names of the nearest teachers quail i 1led to give instructions, and it will assist in the formation of local as ] soclations or of national associa . ron 70 teach lip-reading to deaf sol