Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-17

disabled soldiers and sailors. 1t will
take charge of the cripples and wound
and lie in the hospitals, and teach them
such trades and occupations as they
may be able to carry on when they
have sufficiently recovered to go out
into life. This has been one of the
great problems of England and France,
and the work will be based upon their
experience during the past three years.
There are at present something like
$4,000. 900 wounded and crippled soldiers
In Europe, and among these are more
than 100000 who have lost one limb
or another. In 1916 more than 10000
legs were cut off in the German hos
pitfalls alone, and halfmillion men
were under treatment.
1t is estimated that we shall have
100000 disabled men sent back to the
United States during the first year of
our fighting. and chat at least 10000 of
them will require vocational re-educa-
ton to overcome the handicaps incur
red in the service. During the second
year of the fighting. there will be 49,
600 more. and during the third year
about 10000. This means that if the
war lasts for three years more, we
shall have 10000 wounded soldiers
who will be SO trained in the hospitals
that they could make a livelihood when
they came out. This is on the assump-
ton that we shall send 100000 men
more for each of the two years sue
ceeding. The war training board esti-
mates that four teachers will be need
ed for each 100 men, and that the coun-
try will have to provide 1900 teachers
for the hospitals for each 200, 900 men
it sends overseas. This means that we
shall need $500 occupational teachers
II the war should last but three years.
All of these teachers will have to be
especially trained. and the government
is preparing to start this work under
the direction of the federal board for
vocational education. =
This re-education is necessary not
only to make the wounded men self
supporting after they leave the hospi-
tai, but also for their recovery of both
body and mind. The experience of Eu-
rope is that the work in the trenches
has a paralyzing effect on the mind.
and that many of the soldiers who
come to the hospitals are mental and
nervous wrecks who have to be care
fully handled In order to rehabilitate
them. The work of training must be
begun just as soon as possible in order
to prevent the men from becoming dis
couraged and drifting into the ranks
of dependents, idlers and non employees.
Re-eQucallOn puts spirit ana lie into
Them and they begin to improve as
soon as the training begins. Their work
grows better as they near their recov-
cry, and the idea is to continue ii so
that they will be able to work eight
hours daily at the close of their train
ing. The French figures show that so
per cent of the men who have been
trained in the hospitals have become
efficient Iaborers whereas only 5 per
cent of those who have taken up such
training upon leaving have been of any
value whatever.
The government is taking a census
of the trades where such men can be
used and it is looking into the re-
quirements of all branches of industry.
There are some trades which can be
worked without legs and others which
require only one arm. There is also
work that can be done by the blind
and some fitted to those who are nery-
ouSly weak.
There is another big subject with
which this hoard has to deal. This is
as to our industries after the war At
that time we shall have to fight for
the markets of the world, and the ma
ton will triumph which can put the
most skill and brains into what it pro-
duces. The federal board believes that
the United States should educate its
men along all such lines as a business
investment. 1t wants vocational edu-
cation established all over the country,
SO that special training schools may
be open to all. We have now some
thing like 100000 people engaged in
manufacturing or mechanical work, and
not one in 100 has had special training.
The kingdom of Bavaria, which has
no more people than New York city,
has more trade schools than the whole
United States, and the city of Munich
has more men being trained at public
expense than in all of our larger cities
representing a population of more than
IL 600 900.
FRANK G. CARPENTER,