Evening star., 1927-10-16

on myself in order to appear more
vigorous than ] really was. Early in
| life / had been taught to avoid cod.
ding and to flee from sympathy. The
wisest friend of my life taught me
that lesson"
The man with a handicap lives out
side of himself and must forever keep
narrier between himself and those
who in love attempt to build up pro-
tective barriers. For one of them to
have only one leg, or one eye. or one
ear is not so important a difference
between two persons with equal men,
tai ability. A consciousness of this
difference is the most dangerous ele-
ment in the handicap. Early in his
work this boy began to associate with
those who would treat him as one of
their own group on an equal footing
and without giving him an advantage
because of his handicap.
After two years in college / found
myself broken in health. l was not
only cripple; l had developed tuber-
culosis. But the depression that fol-
lowed this knowledge was shortlived,
because / realized that now final de-
cision had to be made, and from then
on I had to travel Sn absolutely new
road.
In doing this / chose for my asso
ciates normal healthy persons who
were not particularly concerned about
me. 1t was necessary for me TO go
to a. tuberculosis center, and l refused
to take any member of my family,
whose constant anxiety and tender
ness would be a factor in determining
my own mental attitude. l did this
under wise counsel. 1 belong to
high strung, emotional family. My
relatives were the kind of people who,
regardless of what they might say,
would have shown by the expression
of their faces their constant sense of
tragedy. 1 had to be a man. to stand
on my own feet, and establish my own
respect"
1t cannot be er-emphasized that
the handicapped person must demand
from his friends and associates a nor
NAL attitude toward him, and must
fee from pity and sympathy as his
worst enemies.
when I reached the place chosen
for my cure l went into the cheapest
possible sanitarium. Psychologically,
this was good for me, because 1 felt
that with the small amount of money
/ had borrowed with which to buy
back my health was playing a sport
ing game with the people who had
backed me.
''The details of my agony in the
tuberculosis camp need not be told
here, but 1 deliberately determined to
drop a curtain between me and the
tragedy before me. I put cotton in
my ears to keep from hearing the
complaints Of unhappy persons around
me. / sat alone and read. I got ac-
quainted only with those who could
face what 1 was having to face and
smile doing it. This sounds cold.
blooded. but it meant life or death to
me. and was in no position to help
others.
AT the end of two months l OBJ
tanned a small position in the town.
Here I was confronted with another
psychological problem. No one
wanted IT. B. in the house. It>was
difficult to get room and board. ex.
cept in places which already sheltered
the hopelessly sick"
WHAT the handicapped needs more
" than ony other one thing in life
is association with normal people.
This boy finally found a place and
continued to live there until he was
sufficiently well to go back to his own
home town.
He was well equipped to handle the
first Job he tried to get, but it was
tactfully and kindly refused him. He
understood the real reason. That
company did not want the risk of a
broken employe or a former "T. B."
man in the Office.
II was depressed" he says, "for
days by this setback. I had been
warned early in my health education
that such experiences awaited all ''T.