Evening star., 1935-06-10
BY JOHN.J DAILY

BY JOHN.J DAILY.
--HEY call them Temples of Mercy
the Shriners' Hospitals for Crippled
Children.
Fourteen years ago they were but
dream. Today Is of these hos
pitalS are operating at various places
in the Nation the total operating cost to date
is close to the $l1 600 900 mark.
Last year alone mobiles Of the Mystic Shrine
of North America spent almost 81, 100000
on the upkeep of these Temples of Mercy.
without benefit of ballyhoo, the nobility has
here accomplished an outstanding work and
with which, strange to say not all members
familiar.
As W. Freeland Kendrlck, chairman of the
Board of Trustees, Shriners Hospitals for
Crippled Children, recently wrote to those
interested in this work Many of our mem-
bers are ignorant of the great work for hui
manity that the Shriners of North America
are doing for destitute crippled children"
A look at the record shows to what stu
pendOuS heights this work has grown. For
instance:
The Shriners have invested close to $10,000,-
900 in real estate, buildings and equipment for
the Is orthopedc hospitals now in operation.
These hospitals contain close to 1000 beds.
Nearly 10000 destitute crippled children
have had the benefit of medical care at these
centers. Some of these little patients have
been completely cured of their maladieS. Others
been materially helped.
Aside from this number of cases, 35, 900 addi-
tiOnal children have been treated in the out
patient departments of these Temples of Mercy.
Now these, of course, are the bare facts and
fgures-and they mean everything or
nothing, according to the way the average man
or woman views figures.
If on the other hand, one of the WASH
ington Shriners recently said "a man look at
these figures through the eyes of humane
tartan he sees something that is amazing"
He sees, for instance mother, heart broken.
because her little boy has come into the world
crippled sad-eyed mother, kneelng in the
dark of night at the side of little crib and
crying because her boy will never have the
opportunity to play as other little boys play
out on the open lots. on the base ball diamond,
on the Fairgrounds because her boy Is a
cripple
Then comes day when some Shrner know
Ing of the Is hospitals, learns of the distress
in this household; hears the pitiful tale of
mother and father unable to get the necessary
medical care and treatment for their boy. And
forthwith Shriner becomes good samaritan.
For. without bothering about race or creed,
or any circumstances other than the need for
q helping hand, this good Shriner makes ar
rangementS to have boy or a girl get the best
medical treatment that surgeons can supply.
Then the tears turn to smiles the clouds to
sunshine, and three hearts are made happy at
q stroke-the hearts Of the mother, the father,
and the boy-four hearts, in fact, the heart of
the Shriner, too; for it was written, somewhere
In the Good Book. by the master of all the
mobiles in the universe:
suffer the little children to come unto Me,
Tor of such is the Kingdom of Heaven
And. Whatever you do for these, my little
ones ye do for Me-
Half the time. naturally, the Shriners who
Spa to q h0yc and oir lie toko noro
of in the Is hospitals now functioning are not
bothering one moment about any reward spirit
ualy, otherwise; but they get it just the
Same-in the prayers and Thanksgiving of those
who receive the benefits of this glorious service.
CVEN in the technical names of jobs done
- there is little or no romancing nor room
for INSTALLATION, for what does it mean simply
10 say that last year so many thousand casts
we're applied, or so many braces attached. or
50 many leg irons shaped or fastened, or so
many pairs Of orthopedic shoes distributed
When it Is said, however, that all the work
done-by doctors and nurses and Shriners, and
all concerned-was free of charge, the average
man begins to think Of something else again.
Free Of charge 1t means that the poorest
BAN have the same disqualification the rich.
It means that poor boys and girls from the
humblest homes have chance to enjoy medical
treatment akin to that given the multi-million-
aires. 1t means, too that all of these advan-
tages are at the disposal of boys and girls who
might otherwise go through life missing the
kindly. friendly touch of humanity that comes
with contact to great organization 1t means
that hopes lifted high and life made worth
while for the unfortunate little criples and their
parents
Though no one wants to brag in matters
Of this kind, it is with note of pride that the
Shriner NAV saw The Shrine was the first to