Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1920-08-20
MARvELs DONE FOR
CRIPPLED CHILDREN


in the world is that conducted by DR..
Bakule in Prague, Czecho-Slovakia,
for the education of deformed and
crippled children. 1t is achieving
such amazing results that educators
in many countries, especially manual
training teachers and child welfare
workers, are watching with deep in
|terest the efforts of Bakule and shis
staff and are seeking for all available
information regarding his methods.
The Bakule school is not very old.
According to such facts as have come
to the United States, the doctor was
an instructor in an asylum for de-
formed children maintained by the
government of AustriaHungary when
war broke out in 1914. AS the con-
fTlct proceeded and the government
approached collapse, the institution
practically went to pieces and Bakule
found himself out of a job.
With a faith that in some way
Providence would help, DR.. Bakule
gathered about him number of his
pupils, set up a school of his own in
a barn, and during subsequent
months managed to keep the group to
gether The collapse of Autria-Hun-
gary, the end of the war and the calls
of millions of destitute and starving
people to the outside world for aid
brought to Prague, among other re-
lief agencies, the Junior Red Cross OF
America.
Bakule's great work-his genius,
his courage, his faith-calaa to the
attention of the junior workers. At
first they gave him mdest aid, and
then more and more, until t.'day the
famous Bakule School is subsidized
by the Junior Red Cross of America,
Without doubt the most famous
product of the school, now an instrllc-
tor there, is a youngster named Fran
tik. who was born without arms.
This boy holds the distinction Of pos
sessing the handiest pair of human
feet in the world today. Frantik's
"dog" perform wonders; but there
is nothing wrong with his brain eth
Ier, for he is as capable young bust
ness manager as one would find in
days search.
Picture a dirty, ragged, half-starv-
ed armless boy lettering at the mouth
Of an alley begging for copper coin
hopeless, helpless, pitiful bit Of hui
mainly. That was Frantik less than
seven years ago. He could not wash,
nor dress, nor feed himself; he Gould
do nothing but squat bgta Bohemian
roadside and plead for charity Then
Doctor Bakule came along and gather
ed him up along with others.
With patience as great as Jobs
he taught his pupils first how to care
flor themselves; then came manuel
training Ga term inaccurately appll-
ed in armless Frantik's case), and
finally. he taught them to instruct
others. In short, Doctor Bakule
takes child wrecks and in four or FIVE
years converts them into self-support
ling young men and women, with an
opportunity to find happiness in this
world.
Can one imagine any group of
sound, two-handed, two-footed Amer
lean boys who wouldn't brag little
if they had succeeded in setting up
living quarters in three bare rooms,
making their furniture Of old boxes,
doing all their own marketing and
cooking and cleaning up? That is
what the crippled boys in the Bakule
school do; not for few weeks, but
for months, all the while putting in
long hours in their workshop to pay
their living expenses.
Acting as fairy godfather, the Ju-
noir Red Cross Of America has
strengthened and enlarged the school
and relieved Doctor Bakule and his
staff Of financial worry. Their ap-
probation is almost-well, embarras-
sing. The junior organization takes
no greater pride in any of its big ac-
chievements than in this support of
the Bakule institution and its charges