Bisbee daily review., 1918-09-29
GOVERNMENT IS TAXING CARE OF
 CRIPPLED MEN
Little Room for Outside Ef- fort to Do Much for Soldiers Who Have Lost Arm or Leg in War

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2S.-There ex- ists great deal of misapprehension
 in the public mind regarding the dis abled soldiers. There are frequent
 allusions to the crippled" soldier
 There have been movements on behalf
 of various undertakings to help edu-
 cate the crippled soldier" They all are misnomers. The word "cripples" means those who have lost an arm or leg or hand. They comprise hardly 4 l per cent of the disabled.
 As a matter of fact" says the fed eral board for vocational education,
 there is scarcely any place for indi- vidual or organized endeavor in deal ing with the disabled men, except in cooperation with the regular channels provided by the government Several campaigns have started in various parts of the country, their purpose being, it has been stated, to assist ! these men who have been disabled and | to teach them to do this, that or the other as a preliminary to their return to civil life. To advise the public so | that it may understand the situation the federal board authorizes this state ment:
 At the outset it should be under stood that the crippled soldier is fin the vast minority. Statistics show that out of every million men sent over seas approximately 10000 of them will be subjects for re-education.
 "Of the 10000 approximately 800 may be really termed cripples, that ! is, where a man has lost an arm or leg or most of the fingers of the hand, or lost foot and so on. Thus it may be seen that the word cripple is very largely misnOmer and the crippled and dismembered men com prise a minority of those who are dis abled.
 There has been decided upon by the United States government, and is now in operation by the government, distinct, comprehensive and entirely ample program of completely caring for these men who are disabled When a man is first injured he is. of course, taken charge of by the sur geOn-generals department, placed in hospital and is given every con sideration and attention that medical and surgical sciences and unlimited means of the government can offord. A great many of these men, almost 80 per cent of them, recover from their injuries and, are able to go back in the ranks and perform military duty.
 "It is in the hospital work that so much misapprehension and confusion in the public mind arises. While the men are undergoing convalescence, steps are taken to keep them busy in various ways, because a man who has some sort of employment in which he is interested makes a speedier recov- cry. Also much of this work is de- signed in a scientific way, as for in- stance, to exercise certain muscles which have become atrophied by non use, and so on.
 Some of these occupations have no value whatever aside from affording entertainment and diversion to the pa tients, while others have a direct cura- tive value. In this sphere ill particu lar the imagination has run riot; un- informed writers have distributed mis information, and well-meaning people have a confused and scrambled idea of rushing to the hospitals and teach ing the soldiers to make beaded bags, | do embroidery, weave baskets, rugs and such other activities.
 Many of the men undoubtedly do make rugs and weave baskets and the like, but it should be clearly under stood that this is not educating them. | They are given this work to do by the | hospital authorities in order to keep 1 them cheerful, to prevent too much introspectiOn, to give some of interest | and make the time pass more easily | than if they were utterly idle.
 "Of those left in the hospitals who l are disabled SO that they are not fit | for further military duty. there is a further program for which the gov ernment is responsible and which is | thoroughly adequate for all needs.
 If it appears that a man will not | be able to return to military duty. | and if he is so disabled that he cannot | return to his former occupation, the . United States government will train him for another; and when he has fin ished that training, will place him in the occupation for which he has been | qualified. This training commences Il as early as possible in the hospital Il During the tedium of convalescence he is given some phase of instruction which leads up to the course he will II follow after convalescence is ended.
 The federal board for vocational education charged by the government