Pueblo chieftain., 1921-02-27
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

Washington, Feb. 26-More light
houses for the 5000 blind people in
this country and for tho war blind
of allied nations are to be built in
the near future. Two million dollars
Is now being raised by the committee
for men blinded in battle and the
money is to be used to build light
houses here and abroad like the three
now in existence in New York, Paris
and Bordeaux.
France came out of the war with
| 3 900 blinded soldiers-an exceptionally
| largo number. due partly to the fact
| that in the beginning the French sol
diers wore red caps which made theiE
heads brilliant targets. The Italians
| have 1000 war blind. Compared with
| these tho 6s blind American soldiers
seems a small number, and these III
| arc being rehabilitated by the mill
| tary organization.
But as these men so out from the
hospitals and schools to be civilian
! workers they will become u part of
. the $4,000 blind population and then
they will stand in need of some place
where they can learn new ways OF
amusing themselves. where theg a,n san
get books and magazines in Brallie
type, and get assistance il work proves
hard to find. This lis tho work of
| the lighthouse.
Different states and communities
have their special schools or homes
| where sightless children are taught or
tho aged blind can find shelter. but
on the whole. very little is done to
| bring light and cheer into tho lives
of the 5000 men who cannot see
All sorts of ways to make the blind
feel in touch with the world have been
and in the French lighthouses for
| blinded soldiers. Something to do is
what the blind want most OF all. This
docs not mean that they are satisfied
to cut squares of paper on dotted lines
unless the paper has some serviccable
| purpose. They do not want to work
merely for works sake nor to occupy
| time. What they do want is what
| any other normal human being wants
to be of some use in the world and
not have to sit idle and alone all
day.
| blind Work.
Fortunately there arc a number OF
occupations in which sight is not in
dispensable. Telephone switchboard
operating. piano tuning. stenosraphy
| tipping. selling real estate, are few
of tho lines Of work in which blind
men and women arc making good
Some are also successfully engaged as
| lawyers, writer's, teachers and musi-
clans. and others learn some craft
| OF
These arc all useful occupations. but
az matters stand now, they are not
always gainful for the blind. People
still regard the s!ghtless man witt
mawkish pity when he really needs
sensible cooperation. That is one
thing that the lighthouses arc trying
to make right. A lighthouse is In
tho main a school. But It also may
serve as a club. library. clinic. en-
ployment agency. and a store where
articles made by the blind arc sold
1t is not. however. n home.
Tho lighthouse in New York teaches
the blind of tho city any occupations
for which they are suited and thcr
it tries to show the public that here
arc skilled workers worthy of patron.
age. In New York popular Interest
has been very successfully aroused
especially among some of the wealthy
people who make a point of employ
ing lighthouse workers when possible
Tho need for a more sensible attitude
toward the blind artisan or profes.
sional worker may be readily seer
from the estimate. based on censu,
| figures, that two-thirds of the blint
men who work mako less than s50t
| a year.
Most of them arc worth far more.
The lighthouse recognizes that be.
sides 4 chance to work the blind need