Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-09-07
Give Your Boy
Chance
r.
BY EDWIN F. BOWERS, M. D.
OF The Yigiianfes

| Capt. Arthur III. SamuelS of the sur
| yeon generals department told me an
interesting story the other day.
It seems that once upon a time, long
before the Mullah of the Hohenzollerns
went mad-and shattered up the world
| there lived panhandler who was
even more useless and no-account than
the average bum of his species.
This panhandler was practically IL
literate, totally Incorporate and utter
ly hopeless in the job of being man.
One fine day, while laboring under
the uncorrelating influences of "hang-
over" from large evening the night
before, this poor derelict was shaken
from his precarious perch on the brake
beam of a freight"
When the trackmen picked him up,
he was minus left hand-also a right
hand and arm.
Something occurred while he was in
the hospital, something that brought
about rebirth in this tramp-worth
possibly dollar and half day from
his neck down, and nothing from his
chin to his scalp.
Anatomically he was decidedly cur
tailed-spirituall he had grown great.
For, provided with artificial hands.
this reborn man started out to make
something useful and creditable OF
himself. He sold papers, and became
| n nd n.
cation, climbing slowly and painfully
up from the pit of ignorance he had
settled into by gravitation.
One position after another he con-
Quered-like the ancient Pistol, who
yociferously insisted that "the world
was his oyster"
Finally our hero--he was hero by
this time, although he himself never
suspected it--qualified for a college
course, took his B. A., studied law,
hung out his single, and rapidly be-
came one of the leading authorities on
corporation law in his section. He in
terested himself in politics, and deyel-
oped an enviable sphere of influence
In his party.
Raised a Family.
Oh, yes-and he married sweet
Southern girl, and has two beautiful
children. And they all lived happily
ever after.
It's a splendid and inspiring thing
this regeneration of a man-this
growth of soul. 1t kind of "gets you
with little catch in the throat. |
tell the story as Captain Samuels told
it to me, because some of the boys we
are sending overseas will return dis
abled each year of the fighting Many
Of these will be crippled in arms, legs
or eyes. They'll need, first of all, a
spiritual stiffening in their spinal col
umns.
Then they'll need some kind of vo-
cational re-education-they'll need to
know, even though handicapped by the
loss of members, how to do the thing
they did before they went over to bat
tie for a cause as high and noble as
ever enlisted the lance of Bayard or
Galahad.
If this rehabilitation is not possible,
they'll need to know how to do some
thing else that will make them self
ng-self-respectlng
In this they are going to receive the
help Of Uncle Sam himself, and of the
very best brains the old gentleman can
enlist for this reconstruction service.
In every section of the country, CO.
ordinating with central agency at
Washington, "curative workshops" for
the treatment of those crippled in war
will be tablished-together with a
complete system of providing food,
shelter clothing and pay for the SOL
diers during the period of their re-edu-
cation.
After the boys are trained-re-
educated to their old trade or else to
one adapted to their capacities-they
will be provided with a dob"
Those who show enough gold to the
pan from the neck up will get posi-
ton" Here there is no limit to the
possibilities. It's up to the man him
self. From his neck up he may be
worth 100000 a year.
Practically every big employer of
labor in the community is enlisted in
the good cause to help the handicapped
boy get all that's coming to him. Which
Is all that any boy of real spirit could
expect, or would accept.
There's no charity in this PROPOSE
tion-merely an honest, sincere effort
to make every man-no matter In what
condition he may be--most useful to
himself, his family, and to the eco
nomic needs of his community.
Woman's Help Is Needed.
Now, here's where we need the good
help of women--the mothers, wives,
sisters and sweethearts of the boys.
It's going to take little time to do
this work Of re-education. Give the
boys this time. Let them stay with
| their teachers In these schools until
they are once more fitted to earn liv-
ing.
The very greatest injury you could
| possibly put upon your physically in
| jured boy would be to turn him into
bsychical cripple--to suffocate him In
maudln sentimentality.
Don't for the great love you bear
| him. don't take him home, and make