GREAT THINGS DONE BY DISABLED MEN AND

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 59

GREAT THINGS DONE BY DISABLED MEN AND

To-day there is a great cry going up to heaven from the brave men—soldiers, sailors, airmen, and others—who have been maimed and disabled in this cruel war. They are asking in eager, anxious, and often despondent tones: What can Ave do with our lives all through the days to come? What use shall we be in the world? What good can we do? This article .was written to encourage them, to ask them to lift up their hearts and souls, to strive and seek out some work which will suit them, their condition, and their circumstances, and to put their whole strength and mind into becoming proficient at that. It can be done! It will be done by thousands of gallant men who have lost eyes, arms, legs, or suffered other disability through this cruel war. For others have done it before, and what one blind man, one maimed woman, one paralysed being has done before, who shall say you splendid heroes can not do again? Notable Examples.— Take the blind in our own days, and think what they have accomplished. Look at Sir Arthur Pearson, and his magnificent work on behalf of soldiers, blinded in this war. Could any man with full sight have done it better, nay, as well? Surely not! Blindness has not prevented Sir Arthur's unabated vigour and energy from achieving wonderful results, any more than it hindered Henry Fawcett, who years Postmaster-general, who rode to hounds over hedge and ditch with the best, whose political work yet bears noble fruit.

A. W. Kauser, the" famous solicitor, who transacts most of the Salvation Armv's business, is blind : John Whall. the celebrated renorter and now editor of the Middlesex Chronicle, is blind; William Wolstenholme. the organist of a wellknown. West End church, and protege of Sir Edward FJsrar, is blind; .Alderman Edwin Jones, J.P.. of Swindon, is blind. Yet those men. and others, many of them blind from birth, or from bovhood. never for a moment let their lack of sight hinder them from resolving to " carry on," to

make tor themselves careers in the world just as surely and just as successfully as though they had possessed the gift of sight.

The brave soldiers and sailors who have been blinded during this war may well look up with kindly interest and 'deep respect to these men, who have shown them what true heroes can do—-and they] will! Why should not many of the fight, ing men thus handicapped also become dis* tinguished, famous, nrominent in .civic,, educational, or artistic life in days td comet Maimed Who Did Not Halt.— Then, again, why despair if you havei lost an arm, a leg, or even if you are in' part paralysed? Think rather of the noted people of our own times who have similarly suffered, yet have not let thes« things keep them back from most strik* ing and honourable careers of various kinds. Why, the past half-century bears a marvellous record of big things."audi great aims accomplished by such folk. There was Joseph Biggar, M.P., whose energy and power as an Irish member in the most stirring days Parliament has known—between 1880 and 1890—were; simply a marvel to all. Yet Mr Biggau was a strangely deformed, dwarfish figure of a man, one who could surely have had hardly any equal since Pope amongst the noted men of Britain. But nothing j daunted this bold Irishman; his spirit and j determination were unquenchable, just as | his tongue was biting and his enthusiasm for work so tremendous. '! There was a case worse still for his d&* J formities, the astounding A. M. j M.P., who actually rose to be a Privyi Councillor, and whose speeches always drew all the House to listen to him with, deeep respect and pleasure. Yet he had neither arms nor legs, and had. to be car- j ried into Parliament on a sort of bed I; ' But Mr Kavanagh could fish, shoot, ride,and enjoy sport with anybody, for all that, and, gallant fellow as he was, a smile ever hovered on his face, for he was cheeriest of the cheery, both in the House and out! That Irish patriot, Michael Davi't, another M.P., had bun one arm; yet, as many still living can well testify, Mr Davitt so strove and laboured that thi3 was no real hindrance to him at all, so to speak. He never let its loss depress his spirits; he somehow made himself efficient enough to perform with one arm what others did with two—at least, he did. this so well as Uiot to fall behind them ia accomplishment. And Avas there ever a braver, cheerier, more loved-by-everybody in and about Wakefield than Alderman Edwin Wordsworth, who died but recently ? Yet from, boyhood "Edwin," as thousands always called him, had been without the use of his legs, owing to an attack of rheumatio fever.

Did he let this great loss interfere with his work in life? Not a bit! He, as a lad, made up his mind' to become all ho might have done had he not thus suffered —a.noble resolve, worthy of the soul of a hero! And so young Wordsworth educated himself, took his part in civia life, and pursued his way till he became an alderman of the city, chairman of its Education Committee and its Library, Committee, a civic guide and mentor in many ways. Even the House of Commons brought him up to London more than once to give special expert evidence and advica to some of its committees. He rode to hounds, he drove spirited horses, he fished, he was enthusiastic oil cricket and football committees; indeed, as many people said at the time, the death of Edwin Wordsworth was one of the biggest blows Wakefield has suffered for a decade! The Deaf and Dumb.— And • even the men rendered deaf and! .dumb by this war may take courage, and resolve to play their part in spite of fate! Cannot we recall how John Kitto was the same?—yet 'by his persistent study and work he gave us the splendid Daily Bible Illustrations." Sir Arthur Fairbairn, of the great Leeds engineering family, has also had to contend with this threatened drawback to publio life and work, but he has never allowed it to restrain his energy and determination to do his utmost and best in all things he took up. Sir Frederick Milner, the man who has achieved marvellous things for disabled soldiers since war broke out, had so long and well worked as an M.P. and) as a public servant in other ways that he might well, now increasing age has brought such serious deafness to him, have retired into a quiet life for the remainder of his days, with the knowledge that, even so, he had excellently accomplished his duty. But, like the gallant fellow ho is, Sir Frederick resolved not to let hie infirmity hinder him a bit, but to devote the rest of his life if need be to the cause of the disabled soldiers. And youi know what noble work he has done id that way already? The Greatest Miracle of All.—

But probably the greatest surprise and miracle of all is the case of the marvellous Helen Kellei*, a lady blind, deaf, and dumb from bitfb, yet to-day a B.Sc, a leader of women in'literary, artistic, and educational circles, one who has done wonderful work both in America and other lands for the new movements which are revolutionising womanhood. Could any human child's position have appeared more utterly hopeless than that of Helen Keller? But indomitable perseverance, resolute will, illimitable patience! on her part, as on that of her teachers, at last overcame all difficulties. And to-: day here is a blind, deaf, and dumb lady who has already accomplished things that! not one man in ten thousand could have;

done, even had he possessed all his full faculties beyond the average! So press forward, you heroes who are now wondering, and sometimes feeling despondent as to the future, because you have been left by the war minus eyes, arms, legs, or something which other men have! The world is open to you> nevertheless! Those splendid souls I have referred to show you what can be done.