South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-09-30
Frightening Futures
for War Cripples
By Madge Arthur

view, contains. above his name the
, following couplet:
From the GAY you are born ul
YOU ride in a hearse.
There is nothing so bad that q
couldn't be worse.
It was in the Office OF the Red
Cross Institute for Crippled and Dis
labled Soldiers and Sailors" on Fourth
av.. New York that i met this
apostle % cheerfulness. Nearly 80
years ago ne lost his right hand ana
one Of his legs through c railroad &C
i cident. but he has nevertheless been
giving the right hand Of fellowship
and aid 20 multitudes OF his fellow
creatures ever since.
Hailing originally from kansas.
this man has toured all sections OF
5 the country upon the mission OF
convincing and proving to employ
! ers OF labor that human beings who
, are short a hand or a foot, or both.
are not necessarily thereby unified
. for employment in hundreds OF the
yocatiOns which are arbitrarily and
heartlessly closed against them
His name IS f. r. Bigler. and t
is small wonder that his services
were sought and obtained in connec-
} tion with an organization-such as
, Is this branch OF Red Cross work
whose purpose is 10 provide Tor the
5 economic rehabilitation OF men dis
: abled through the great war.
! With his keen eyes inspecting my
raiment from hat 20 shoes. and not
ing the several belongings -um-
J orella, small book. etc.-I had with
: me. he said:
There is no article OF dress. orna-
! ment or utility auout YOU. IN the
: manufacture OF which the services
! OF a cripple could not be prohtably
) employed. And Vet were a cripple
: TO apply for a Job in almost any OK
: the factories or mills where these
: several articles are made. his recep-
ton would not. 10 say the least. be
) cordial He would OF course find
, little more encOura cement than
; would have been his a few years
! ago. but the idea that none but men
: sound in all four limbs can be eff
: cient workmen. still prevails with
) the average employer.
5 81 could" he continued give Won
: thousands upon thousands OF cases
) / where one-hand men have made per
: fectly good on machines designed
! for two handed operatives but the
! prejudice against employment Of
: crfpples remains.
I This prejudice must. ard doubt
; ! less viii. be removed when our arm
: / les OF manned heroes begin TO re-
! turn from France, and the voca
, tional school here maintained by the
: Red Cross is certainly n step in the
5 right direction for preparing men
: for the trades in which their afflfc-
( tions least haudicaps them, but there
5 is another matter OF equal II not
Z greater Importance that must be at
4 tended 20.
: THE war cripple must not for a.
moment be allowed 10 regard him
self as a helpless down and out:
society has always been too prone to
p pity rather than encourage a Grip.
pie. and doubtless many a man who
returns from the front minus a limb
. will have so ingrained in his con
d sciousness the conception that he -
merely an object Of pity. that he will
{, lose heart and al real interest IN
Z life.
For heavens sake let us get him
:, out Of that mood. no matter how
Z badly ne is manned. There are ten
= commandments which I should like
r every urn-war-crippIe 10 read.
q Here they are:
d Don't lose your head. Just be-
cause you have lost a leg or ar arm.
e Always remember a man IS a
~ cripple just as far as he lets his
brain make him a cripple
3-The average man IS worth but
$50 day from his collar down.
81 so bear I'm miud that IL YOU have lost
limb. YOU haven't lost much.
X Never forget that the cripple
who uses the word cant" is apt 20
= be selling lead pencils on street cor
ners before he dies.
5-Don't ask a man how much ne
will pay when you ask for work;
get the job. and show him YOU can
. produce; ne viii pay you all you are
: worth.
eff you didn't make good" be-
fore losing a limb. don't imagine the
loss viii add 20 your earning pow
ers
q lAtIllfillLft LllF loss OF one
. pep" is worse than the loss Of ones
limb
D. S-There IS philosophy in humor.
{ IF you have lost a foot. try 20 ses
- the humor II Dr. bv saving 20 YOUR
self. I've no kick coming"
Don't be a gutter II YOU wers
a the only cripple in this country you
Il might complain but there are 600.-
600 more cripples. and many Or
them have made good
- 10-Cheer up
L Upon inquiring in what line Or
BE- mechanical work most OF the Grip
D. pies now attending this vocational
n school were being Instructed 7 was
.e told il was in the use ~ machines
p designed for the manufacture OF arr
n tidicial limbs. Gould anything be
k. more satisfactory or appropriate
p ELKFART. Ind Sept a0-The
IS city OF EIkhart went cover the top