The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-16
Frederick Haskin's Letter
The NeU Veterans School

Washington, D. c., Jan 1.-THE
opening of the U. S. Veterans Blu
reau Vocational Schools at Chilli
cothe, Ohio, formerly Camp Sher-
man, marks the inauguration of a
new policy in rehabtlitating the
disabled veterans.
Formerly the trainees were
farmed out to various institutions.
The veterans will now be taken
out of these schools and placed in
the government institution at Chill
hcothe- The government will not
take students out of accredited uni
versities and colleges where vet
Grams bureau trainees are taking
professional courses.
The school at Chillicothe is be-
ing rapidly equipped with modern
laboratories and shops for classes
in electrical work, printing, steam
fitting, engraving, carpentry, archi-
lecture, bookbinding. as well as
courses along agricultural lines,
shch as horticulture, animal hus-
bandry, dairying, cheese and cream
making, forestry, and similar lines.
The school will be devoted prin-
cipally to instruction in the trades
and in agriculture
The closest attention will be paid
to the health Of these disabled vet
Grams. A modern hospital will be
maintained on the campus, with an
adequate medical and nursing STAFF,
Disabled men in some instances are
subject to dependency as a result
OF their condition. Consequently a
recreative program has been
planned to better the morale. Every
accommodation has been made for
the married trainees to insure the
comfort of the student and his fam
lily. Model cottages have been
built and furnished by the govern
ment. The cottages will not be of
Uniform type or color in order to
prevent a military appearance. The
grounds will have the appearance
of a typical college campus, rather
than an army camp or military res
ervation.
The finance officer of the school
Will make arrangements with the
various banking establishments
10 rthe students to open saving &C
counts, so that when they a. e re-
habilitated or graduated from the
school, they will have enough
to start business for them |
selves, Or at least enough to tide
them over the period of transition. |
The administrative head of the
schools will be Colonel Symmonds
who was chief of the public service |
commission OF Cuba in 1898. He /
was chief quartermaster of the Ex-
pedltlonary forces during the Gu
ban campaign, and was later in !
charge Of the public Improvements
1t Port Principe. During the |
World war he constructed the Iarg-
est supply depot in France.
Plans are made for the accom-
notation of 5000 or more students
It the Ch1llicothe school. Some
disabled veterans, have the impress
sion that strict military discipline
will prevail at this government
school, and have objected to the
,lans on that ground. This objec-
ion is unfounded. Only ordinary
discipline, such as is necessary in
III well regulated schools, will pre-
all.
Advantages Of the School.
The National Vocational schools
viii take the place of many inferior
ypes of schools formerly giving
Instructions to veterans The per
Cd of training will be sufficiently
ong to enable the trainee to com
'letely master his vocation and 10
Vercome his vocational handicap. !
| system of adequate tryouts will /
e established for the trainees TO |
etermine if they have aptitude for
articular lines of work. II
When the original soldier rel
abilitation act was passed on June {
Z, 1918, the government had no {
eliable data, either in this coun-
~ or in any foreign country on I
hitch to base program. The vo- t
rehabilitation of disabled s
eterans was new proposition. 1
here had been an attempt on a '
mall scale to rehabitate those men a
lJured in industry prior to the l