Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-07-09
DC. Orphan, Famous Noav, Here for Boys
Dr. James Edward West, Boy Scout Godfather, Leading
Plans for National Fete
BY GEORGE HURD.

was heard in Columbia Hos
pital and a short time later
this same baby was found on door,
step of the Washington Orphans
Home.
Yesterday the boy returned to
Washington from New York, where
he has become quite a youngster as
the years went by. He is now DR..
James Edward West, the nominal head
and leader of nearly 100000 boys
and men who have, in Is years, been
members of the Boys Scouts of
America.
DR.. West, now white-haired. has
lived a life closely affecting the
progress of the District of Columbia
After spending the first seven years
of his life in the orphanage officials
of the home despaired of saving the
jeans-clad, tow-headed boy, who then
had developed white swelling" in his
left hip. One last effort was made to
save him. The officials of the home
appealed to the Children's Hospital,
but after examination attaches Of the
hospital decided that they could do
nothing for him.
Placed In Cast.
After much ado the hospital finally
accepted the boy under protest and
Immediately put him in a cast. For
IA months the orphanage founding
Law stretched on his bed. Through the
efforts of the hospital doctors the boy,
now one of the most active OF the
country's men in the child welfare
ard character-building field, is back
in Washington to arrange for what
is described as one of the greatest
ventures ever attempted for American
youth-the National Jamboree OF the
Boy Scouts of America, to be held
here August 81 to 80.
Except for the fact that when he
was left on the orphanage doorsteps
those who left him also tucked the
marriage certificate of the father and
mother in beside him, DR.. West never
would have known who he was.
From this marriage certificate he
learned, in later years, that he was the
son of Mr.. and Mrs. James Tyree West.
He never has known a single rela-
tive. He did learn that within year
from the time he was left at the or
phanage his mother died of tuberculo-
sis in Providence Hospital.
At an early age came the intermit-
tent pain in his hip. A woman who
had become interested in Jimmy in
sisted that he be examined. The
dread tubercular trouble that had
robbed him of his mother was in his
bones. He stayed strapped in bed,
fiat of his back, for IA months, but
the white swelling" had gone too far
to be cured. He was considered a
hopeless case.
Becomes Leader.
When he returned to the orphanage
the pain was as nothing compared to
the feeling that nobody wanted him,
he says. The dregs of bitterness was
reached when he was put with the
girls to learn to sew. There was
small library at the orphanage, long
unused. He prevailed upon the ma
tron to open it so he could read. Best
of all, he got permission to go to
school, not the orphanage school, but
in the public schools of the District.
That was when he was IL years old.
BY the time he reached IA years,
Jimmy West, the tow-headed orphan,
was recognized leader.
He had long since outgrown the
sewing room, so it fell to Jimmy to
take charge of his younger friends of
the home. Besides taking care of the
children and studying, he also did the
home laundry. Through the influ-
ence of Allan Davis, then principal
of the Business High School, the Grip
pie on crutches got permission to at
tend high school, He went to school
only four days a week, his laundry
work taking up his other time. He
made go" of high school, and when
he was graduated he was the idol of
the other orphans in the home. The
institution. which only a few years
before had considered him hopeless
case. gave him a job at salary, in
addition to his room and board.
Won by Courage.
From this time on the story of
James West was story of success,
each upward step won by dint Of
much of the stuff of which Horatio
Alger heroes we're made. He got his
chance to read law with an attorney.
He tried for a law course. The first
university CURLY refused his appli-
cation. He finally induced the head
of a private law school to take him
in, doing stenographic work to pay
his expenses When West was 20 he
took one of the boys at the orphanage,
RESORTS