The Monticellonian., 1918-08-16
Give Your Boy
 a Chance
By EDWIN F. BOWERS, NJ. D.
 Of The VigiIGnfes

Capt Arthur H. Samueis of the sur geon generals department told me an interesting story the other day.
 It seems that once upon q time, long before the Mullah of the Iohenzollerns went mad-and slathered up the world there lived panhandler who was even more useless and no-aecount than the average bum of his species.
 This panhandler was practically il- literate, totally incorporate and utter ly hopeless in the job of being q man.
 One fine day, while Iaboring under the uncorfelating influences of q hang over' from q large evening the night before this poor dereifct was shaken from his precarious perch on the brake heaHl of freight"
 When the traekmen 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 rebirth in this tramp-wefth possibly q dollar and half a day from his neck down, and nothing from his chin to his scalp.
 Anatomically he WAS decidedly cur tailed-spiritually he had grown great. For, provided with artificial hands. this reborn man started out to make something useful and ereditahle 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.
 One position after another he con- quered-like the ancient Pistol, who voeiferously insisted that .the world was his oyster"
 Finally our hero-he was hero by this time. although he himself never suspected disqualified for Il college course, took his E. 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.
  Southern girl. and has two beautiful children. And they all lived happily ever after.
 It's splendid and inspiring thing this regeneration of man-this growth of soul. IL 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, q spiritual stiffening i'll their spinal col umns.
 Then they'll need some kind of vo- eational edueatioh-they1l need te know, even though handicapped by the loss of members. how to dc the thing they did before they went over to bat tie for 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 surperting-seIf=
 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 eentra, agency at Washington, "curative workshops" for the treatment of those crippled in war will be ahlished-together with d 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 job
 Those who show enough gold to the pan from the neck up will get a posi- tion" Here there is no limit to the possibilities. It's up to the man him self. From his neck up he may be worth St00000 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 propOsi- tion-merely an honest, sincere effort to nSake every man-no matter in what condition he may be-most useful to himself his family, and to the eco Nnomic needs Of his community.
 Woman's Help Is Needed.
 Now. heres 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-edueation. Give the boys this time. Let them stay with their teachers in these schools until they are once more fitted to earn live ing.
 The very greatest injury you could possibly put upon your physically in- jured boy would be to turn him into q psychical cripple-to suffocate him in maudlin sentimentality.