The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-07
Canada's Plan of
Caring for Unfit and
Wounded as De-
veloped From Lord
Shaughnessy's Idea
BY AGNES c. LAUT.

L been published, = before Canada
had sent over her frs. 10000 men to the
western line more than 10000 volunteers
had been sent back as unlits-not slackers,
not skulks, but simply units, lacking
nerve, lacking stamina, lacking physical
staying power. 1t is equally well known,
though it isn't being published, that be-
fore the United States had sent over her
first 100000 her returns had totalled
about the same percentage as Canada's
Please note: These men had not been
drafted They had volunteered before the
draft. They wanted to fight, and they had
seemingly been sound enough physically
to pass medical examination, but they
lacked an intangible something called
stamina. They wanted to do a man size,
outdoor job, but a generation, perhaps
several generations, of housed living and
nerve strain had robbed them of a part of
the heritage of manhood.
This fact gave a lot of deeply patriotic
people Il severe jolt, both here and in
Canada. What to do with them so they
could still serve their country If these
men could lapse back into humdrum, nom
productive life, wouldn't their return and
release be used as cloak under the draft
system for skulkers to save their un-
worthy skins by taking the same symp-
tomsf
Doctors Plagued by SIacksrs.
Ever since the draft went into effect
doctors have been plagued by slacxers beg
gins them to mutilate a foot, to put leg
muscles out of commission. to cut a nerve
and destroy the use of an arm; doctors
have been offered fabulous figures to per-
form such outrageous mutilations to save
slackers from CONSUMPTION. Needless to
say, they didn't do these things, or they
would not have betrayed the bribery, but
the point vas, what to do with the gen.
timely rejected soldier so his misfortune
would not become a mask for the skulkf
Then the thought went yet deeper.
What to do with the returned soldier in
Jured In nerves or limb so that he could
not go back to his former vocation? Was
this very flower of manhood to be rele-
gated to chair under a chimney corner
TO grow ashen and useless before the
years brought age? Then that other
still greater returned army-when the war
Is finally over and millions of young men
return from life in the open, will they
be willing to go back to less than man
size jobs, to what Robert Service calls
"smrking over chiffon counters"9
1t was Lord ShaughneSsy, one of the
greatest colonizers of the century, who
rose to the occasion almost before the rest
of the world sensed any coming need:
"Put them back on the land, colonize
them, give them ready made farms. pilot
these millions of returned fighters back to
basic, productive, foundation jobs" And
/ never sit down to eat in great hotel
where there is one waiter for every patron
or pass line of tayicabs strung along
the curb with a dozen drivers lounging
precious hours away fOr one who is spin
ulllp out WIFI HIS car Dul tTink mat
Shaughnessy's suggestion should be ap-
piled to Il great many more people than
returned soldiers.
Why Some Living Costs Are Up.
! recall going into the big dining room
of New York hotel famous for its steak
minute, formerly costing 60 cents a plate
for what was less than quarter of
pound Since the war the steak minute
has jumped to about $l2O for a quarter
pound.
"Jupiter!!' gasped my vis-a-vis, well
have to pay 81 for glass of water and
dime for looking at a scrviette if the
cost of living keeps jumping"
"Hold on l answered; count the num-
Der of idle walters standing in this room"
There were eighteen leaning idly against
windows and chairs. That was why the