The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-17
''Reconstructing Cripples, ''
 Dr. James B. billiard

"Reconstructing Cripples' was the subject of pr. Dillard's sermon at the Southside Baptist church last night. Dr. Dillard's text was, He Made It Over" from Jer.: xviii, 4. Dr. billiard said in part:
 Jeremiah had been called the weep ing prophet He took to heart as no other man did Israers sin, and saw the awful condition into which the na- tion had drifted. He was we'll nigh in despair. One day he went to a pot ters shop and saw the potter take marred and broken vessel of clay and crush it and put it on the wheel again and make it over. Jeremiah learned his lesson: God can take our broken and marred lives and recon struct them.
 T was at Camp McPherson few days ago and went through the vari- ous wards of that great hospital. I was interested in rhe construction work. Here was man who had lost leg or an arm or his eyesight, or in some other way had been rendered a cripple for life. He is thinking that he will never be worth much again; that he will probably be a ward of the nation, or maybe he is thinking of selling shoe strings and pencils on street corners for the rest of his life. If he is asked if he wouldn't like to learn something that would help him to become self-supporting, he is dis couraged and answers, no.
 "I am told that only IT per cent of these war cripples at first express any desire to learn to do useful work. The first need is mental treatment. It is done this way: Some one who has been similarly afflicted comes along and shows how he has learned to do things. Here is one man that has become pro- ficient as stenographer; another has learned to write with the left hand; another can use scythe by means of an iron hook that has taken the place of good arm. Our crippled friend, see- ing what others have done, becomes en- couraged; there is hope for him. One of our Birmingham girls. who is a nurse at McPherson. told me that she would take beautiful sofa pillow top. or some other piece of hand work, and show it to the cripple and tell him how that some one else that was crippled just like him had done this beautiful piece of work and ask him if he wouldn't like to pass away the time in the same way; she will show him how. In little while the man becomes in- terested and bye and bye he is enthu- siastic- I saw one man who told me that he had made several hundreds of these pillow tops. It is remarkable how rapidly they recover when once the desire has been implanted in their hearts. ss
 CRIPPLED BY SIN
 People are crippled by sin. On one occasion four men brought their friend. who was helpless cripple. to the Mas ter for treatment. The Master, looking on the man, said: Thy sins are for given On another occasion the Mas ter found a man who had been a para lytic for more than 30 years. The Mas ter cured him and said: Go and sin no more. lest worse thing befall thee.'
 "All about us are people crippled by sin. The imagination, the memory, the affections. the will, all bear evidence that sin has marred a beautiful ves- sel. A few days ago I was in a lovely home and the wife told me of the hus- band and how drink had broken his will power and destroyed the peace and happiness of their home. Is there any hope for these cripples? Yes, if they want to be cured.
 Our God can reconstruct those who are crippled by sim The Master said to Nicodemus: 'Ye must be born again Let us read tt this way: You may be born again That is, you may begin over again. The God who could take poor. sinful Jacob and make of him a prince with God: He who could take impulsive, cowardly. cursing Pc ter and make of him the preacher who on the Day of Pentecost could lead a who could take John. the son of thun- Love; the God who could take murder