The Ordway new era., 1920-02-27

He means it, of course, but 1t Is after
the fashion to say 1t anyway. The ar
ray of Inconvenience that have been
looming up ever since he turned from
the victorious battlefield remind him
that he wants "out." These are-sud-
den transfers from camp to camp. only
one shirt or one pair of soX, long de-
lays in papers being signed, uncertainty
about war risk insurance papers. un-
certainty about physical condition. and
all sorts of nnnoyances in way of
sameness in meals, much confinement,
and having no way of using ones own
initiative and doing things for ones
self. OF course. this array of incon-
venlences was as much in sight when
he was an active soldier, but he didn't
see them
Although these continually tickle the
soldiers desire for discharge, they do
not keep him from the larger influ-
cnce of reconstruction, which has made
such an atmosphere that he writes
back after he's out and at home that
he's bit lonely, and he may add some
thing that shows his courage-(fOr
his letters always have this In them)
is not understood. Indeed, he Will
write back anything he feels. for he
has an understanding of the recon-
struction folk and they of him.
This reconstruction program. as car
rled out In the hospitals for the re-
turned disabled, is one of the most un-
usual and unique happenings of the
war period. Perhaps no part of the
war situation is more dramatic than
this. and in the written history 1t will
occupy some of the most interesting
pages.
Meanwhile this drama of refltting
the disabled for life Is still going on.
The workers have been selected from
the applications requested by the sur
geon generals office at Washington of
thousands of persons. largely women,
qualified for this work. and more than
5000 women have been appointed.
They have come from country, town
and city. The large majority are
trained In arts and crafts. for their
first duty Is to occupy bed patients
with handwork, and their second to
give the convalescent something to do
that will help to cure a stiffened mus
Gle or to teach one hand to do what
both hands previously did. Some are
specialists In some craft, like jewelry
making basketry. wood carving. leath-
er tooling or rug weaving. Some are
specialists in art, and teach poster
painting and designing. Others are
general craft workers and help the men
to make bead chains, baskets and any
thing he would like for himself or at
home. Another group are stenogra-
pliers and teach shorthand and typing.
Another are teachers for reading, writ
ing, arithmetic or on up through the
college subjects. Still another (these
are men) teach subjects like agricul-
ture, auto-mechanics. printing. etc.
Finally, a group with entirely different
training do massaging to restore the
functions of muscles and nerves.
So the reconstruction workers come
from the nation at large and. there
fore it's the whole American people
that are helping this soldier to get set
tied again.
Now there wouldn't be much drama
or much Of anything else to the job
of reconstruction IL each person Just
did the bit that Uncle Sam assigned
him to do. But he, or rather she,
doesn't and that is why the soldier
writes back and that's why there's a
real story to tell-one that might be
reacted in any part of any community
or In any college or university. but
never in full again until there is an