Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1918-08-16
Give Your Boy
a Chance
II
By EDWIN F. BOWERS, M. d.
of The Vi2iLonfes

interesting story the other day.
1t seems that once upon time, long
before the Mullah of the Hohenzollerns
went mad-and shattered up the world
there lived a 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 a 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 right
hand and arm.
Something occurred while he was in
the hospital, something that brought
about a rebirth in this tramp-wOrth
| possibly dollar and half a day from
his neck down, and nothing from his
chin to his scalp.
Anatomically he was decidedly cur
|
For, provided with artificial hands,
this reborn man started out to make
something useful and creditable of
himself. He sold papers, and became
self-supporting. He hewed out an edu-
cation, climbing slowly and painfully
up from the pit of ignorance he had
settled into by gravitation.
"a h1
quered-like the ancient Pistol, who
vociferously insisted that "the world
was his oyster"
Finally our her0-he was hero by
this time, although he himself never
suspected it-qualified for a college
course, took his 3. A., studied law,
hung out his Shingle and rapidly be-
came one of the leading authorities on
corporation law in his section. He in
terested himself in politics, and devel-
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 splendid and inspiring thing
this regeneration of q man-this
growth of soul. 1t kind of ''gets YOU
with a little catch in the throat. l
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'l 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
q 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-respecting.
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 a central agency at
Washington, curative workshops for
the treatment of those crippled in war
will be stablished-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 LOB"
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 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 a 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
| psychieal cripple-to suffocate him in
| maudlin sentimentality.
Don't for the great love you bear
| him, don't take him home, and make
/ him dependent. That you are willing