The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-01-24

,vor.s ,tr,,eb Walter Reed is and will be bound
up with The hopes of thousands of men ana their
families Working with these army doctors ana
surgeons is the American Red Cross. helping 10
complete the bridge between the families ana the
during their separation through ITS coih'hu'i'
cation service It's various hospital services anu III
all kinds of ways through its home service, from
buying buttons or pricing" certain kind OF
spiral puttees on some boys request. TO arranging
for his war risk insurance. perhaps hospltai
treatment for some member OF a mans family IN
a far-away town
In the convalescent house there is the great
open fireplace with its cracking fire, books. How
ers games. music. Every week one of the WASH
ing,on theaters sends out several of its acts.
After classes the men pour in. some OF those VINO
have lain helpless weeks before now vi
wheeled chairs engrossed in some handwork, YET
eager for the music and the fun. Others come TO
say 'good-by" before the visit home. You wouid
not guess that this boy had ever lost leg. or
that an artificial could become so dexterou"
as you here.
A leaf from the Red Cross entertainment book
is Interesting. These events planned from the
outside are arranged through application to the
recreational staff of the Red Cross at the post
Here are characteristic items: Seventy boys to
Keith's theater and supper; one hundred boys to
Mount Vernon; three boys to birthday party for
Sergeant; forty-fve sightseeing bus tour,
and on and on.
"Wby sergeant. where is your leg
thought you We're so PROUD OF! one VI tHe "oih-
ers calls boy crutch Il loaned II TO
Jim He had pass to go to town." he answers.
boy wearing carefully wrapped puttees,
come, along in wheeled chair. Did you find
out about those other putsT he asks the Reo
Cross lady" Yes, and there is only one pair in
town and they cost twelve dollars" Il guess
we'll have go without" he says; and there fol-
lows an interested conversation about package
to be addressed to girl back home.
A Young boy who had lost leg and foot
was having attached for the first time the arti-
fetal leg on which. with crutch. he was
going TO try to walk. To support himself he had
one arm around his army surgeon the other
around the Red Cross man. He was making great
brayado though his face white. When the
apparatus WAS attached he asked to sit down.
The surgeon and the Red Cross helped him
into a chair With long sigh he settled the
new" leg firmly the floor and then flung what
was left of the other leg over it. Though the
heads of sweat still on his face he looked up
pertly with his head cooked. "Gee!" he said ''if
YOU hadn't crossed your legs for "even months
you'd know how feel
These men of those who have given their
breasts n bulwark and their blood moat." They
have given too great a thing to need any kind OF
svmpathy except the supreme one of understand
ing The medical department of the army and
the Red Cross make cycle of efort-socal,
human physical, mental. In this work Of recon
struction there may be found. literally. life more
abundant As these men leave hospital and uni
form and come back the famiIiar-strange civil
ian world the public will take up Its part and
eoch man will be- if he utizes the opportunities
omen to him. and society does not exploit him. an
independent asset in place of a dependent {
charity liability