The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-01
BY HENRY BRAxToN.

~ III 10 eh0 oNoiubo pSTsOH! 10 you
consider your handicap as a barrier to
success? If you follow the line Of rea-
soning Of physically Handicapped men
who have played the game and won
you. will regard your handicap as a
blessing in disguise.
For example. take Mike Bowling.
who lost both legs. one arm and part
OF his right hand as a result of freez-
ing in the big Minnesota blizzard of
1880; or Lou Young. the armless news
dealer OF Union Square. New York:
or Quentin d. Corley. who became q
successful lawyer and county Judge OF
Dallas. Tex. after he lost his right
shoulder and part OF hts left arm; or
Frank Bigler. who did not let the loss
OF an arm and q leg stand in the way
OF his rising 10 the Job of purchasing
agent Of the Kansas City Gas Com
pany. These four men are heroes
there are many more whose praises
are unsung-who won against terrible
odds, prejudice and ignorance, dis
enlargement and disappointment with
out the patriotic stimulus that sent
citizens. to war and without any re-
ward waiting for them at the end.
Thousands OF disabled soldiers now
find themselves facing the same strug-
giles those four men have undergone
with such signal SUCCESS. Many of
them already have progressed far
toward overcoming their handicapa
For them all there's world of en-
couragement and enlightenment in the
stories Of the men who with dauntless-
spirit swept on over great obstacles to
normal paane Of usefulness and hap
piness.
Mikes Word to the wounded.
Boys" said Nike to a big gather
ing of wounded soldiers recently. "the
horse to place your bets on In the one
with the handicap. He is handicapped
because he has made good before and
because the judges do not want him
TO beat the others too easily. You
fellows are handicapped. but we know
YOU can win the fight You were
handicapped by the Hun. who couldn't
win. Your handicap 10 q blessing. for
now you will>have to think and work
Us you never had to before. You don't
need hands and feet. you need cour-
age and character"
MING hncws. TAG piaycu the game
like thoroughbred. and to-day his
business card reads:
MR.. MICHAEL ]. DOwLING.
President olivia State Bank.
Olivia, Minnesota.
His story is remarkable. 1t reads
like a piece OF fiction, but 1t 10 really a
record Of achievement. Mikes story
gives new hope to- "cripples"-there
are hundreds of thousands Of. them
who ask for chance to make good---
and Mike tells ii in words that every
body can understand
Il was fourteen years old when ]
vas lost in the Minnesota blizzard
For five years previous-rny mother
died when was 10. and my father had
all he could do TO take care of himself
had been making my own way. I
held jobs as cookee in a Wisconsin
lumber camp and on several Missis-
sippi steamboats, plying between St.
Paul and st. Louis. water carrier on
a farm and kid cowboy on a Wyoming
ranch
Problems After the Blizzard.
Il was out in that blizzard from
in the evening until sunrise the next
morning. The sun came up the next
day. so did I-out of a bed in a straw
plle whore sought shelter-and when
tried TO crawl to a nearby house I
found couldn't bend my knees or
open my hands. I got there after a
while and reused the peop!e The good
lIdy OF the house filled a tub with cold
water and put both arms up TO the
elbows and both legs up TO the knees
IN the water. and then came the thaw-
.ng out process.
The surgical operation was per-
formed some sixteen days later on a
h!tChen table covered with Oil cloth, in
a little house in the village of Candy
II ever any germs had an opportunity
on any one they had IL on me-but i
lust grew fat on them. Three doctors
were at work on me. but / still sue
ceeded in living. I lost both legs. an
HrTn, and all except the thumb of my
remaining hand.
After / got through paying doc
tors bills and buying medicines with
the money that raised by selling Ave
head of young cattle. had only one
thing left-a pony that priced above
anything in the world. He had to go
100 and ! cried all night after l sold
lin. Soon had no money and I be-
came problem for the county of
Yellow Medicine, Minnesota, 10 solve.
"On the Board OF County Commits
sIoners were two old Sorwegians. a
sailor and a farmer, plain but big
hearted, and a Yankee bred In tire
purple in Maine. a former director of
seminary in the east. When the
question came up. What shall We do
with Mike? the gentleman OF high edu-
oation said that he had partially COM
nleted arrangements with a farmer TO
AXE care OF him for the rest of his life
Tor 50 a week. Mike was standing
close at hand on his knees-on pads
mede so that he could walk--and he
had all to do TO keep from jumping
INTO the air and landing on top OF that
learned gentleman. One of the Nor
vegtan members of the board came TO
the rescue and said. Let's not hurry
about this. What do you think about
y, Mike?'
College Plan Wins.
Il looked UP az him and said. If you
VIII give me one year at Carleton Col
l'se II will never cost this county an
other cent as long as live
They pondered my proposition, not
knowing WhethAr tn taxa ma sariot, aIx,