WHY HAVE HANDS?

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11507, 1 October 1915, Page 7

WHY HAVE HANDS?

+ THE CASEOFC. k LUTES. FORTUNE OUT OF MISFORTUNE. Clarence A. Lutes, the armless wonder at present appearing at the Opera HoU'-'\ is a.- living object lesson of bow patienco and pe.rsoveraius) call overI come .seemingly iusnrmountable difficulties. Born in Hecbehler. Xew York, he lost both arms when nine years old, although doctors have since; told him that a. mistake was made, by amputation. However that may be, one. could not. find anywhere a more cheerful and optimistic individual than Mr Lutes. Til fact, he. almost, regards Ids armh ssnesn as a. boon. The worst, marks in the world, ho confided to a. reporter this morning, aro iihe people who say, ''Well, well, poor fellow." "1 reckon a man was hem to his fate, wherever he may lie." Mr Lutes continued, "nod tho greatest thing is to have courage and 1 re.vli.so thai- somewhere in the world there is a plae:- for you." In order to satisfy a. natural curiosity of lhe interviewer, Mr Lutes explained that after the loss of his arms bo took to playing with things with his feet- His mother used to guide a pencil placed between ids toes, and at the, end of the .year his education was so far advanced that he went to school. PLANNED TO BF A LAWYER. u My folks had t heir heart- set on me being a lawyer,'' said Mr Lutes. [ I attended preparatory schools, and i was about ready to enter Cowed UniI versity, when 1 upset all calculations ;by entering the theatrical profession, i At home, you know, all the heigh- ! hours used to eomo round and wonder | at me being so handy with my feet i (with a, smile) and doctors and prof'esI sional men used to say that the public | ought to see me- at work." So he accepted an engagement at 18 dollars a [ week, since when he has refused en- | gagement-s at twenty times that ! amount. | " Grit—that's it," says Mr T/utes, ! with a sunny smile. "Be a sticker and i in the end you will," and ho is a shining example of such fortitude. CAN DRIVE HORSES. In addition to the trombone and drum, playing, wood sawing, nail hammering and shooting acts which havo thrilled the audiences at tho Opera House this weekj Mr Lutes has manyother dexterous abilities at his command. Fancy an armless man driving a team of horses with his feet! Yet that is what he has accomplished in several towns in U.S.A. In one place he drove tho fire engine team up and down tho street at full gallop, and handled them in a masterly manner. He received a tremendous ovation from the populace, the streets being packed to witness the performance. In another city ho drove police patrol waggon in 'ijhe santo manner. SPORTS ENTHUSIAST. As a swimmer Mr Lvttes has eraa,ted- sensations in America. He swam the Schuylkill River, in Philadelphia, in the presence of 15,000 people, aud at Portland, Oregon, swam the Williamette Rh'er, though ho is not inclined to linger over that performance, as, in their eagerness to seo him, hundreds of people rushed au old wooden, condemned bridge, which collapsed and precipitated them into the river Incidentally, it was through this accident thai he met lis wife. She was the daughter of the contractor who built the bridge, and she was in tho reporters' launch when the bridge caved in. HOLDS ENGINEER'S CERTIFICATE. | Mr Lutes is very fond of mechanics, iof which he ia a great student. In ; 1911 he managed to do the grater part of the work of building a new motorboat from knock-down frames, a.nd an article appeared in tho Motor Boat" at the time with twenty illustrations of Mr Lutes at work. He is probably the only armless man in the world' to hold a pilot's, license and engineer's certificate. Instructions wero issued from Washington to the effect that if Lutes could manage hi,s boat without assistance and to tho satisfaction of tho inspectors he would he granted a, license. He manipulated the engine, cruised on a, test of twelve miles, returned, tied up aud passed'_as successfully as any two-handed engineers. The inspectors were stupefied, hut. be got his certificate. Ju 1910 he navigated a 2oft cruiser from Chicago to New York through Lake Michigan. Straits of Mackinaw, Lake Huron, St Clair River and Lake, Detroit River. Lake Erie. Erie Canal and Hudson River, a distance of -000 miles. He has the mechanism of his boat so arranged that he can control its every motion with his feet. The trip took ,six weeks., and' was made without mishap. At.the conclusion of tho trip he dismantled the engine and replaced all the parts, doing all the- work unaided- iu any way. THE SIMPLE LIFE. " f hetleve in the simple life," says Mr Lutes. He has a farm iu Vermont on tho shore of one of the lakes, and last year cared for and raised the best, crop of onions in the district, doing all the weeding, etc., with his toes. Air Lutes has property elsewhere in the Enited States, in California, Oregon and Now York, but he -says ho will return to hisi farm when he leaves the business, in which he is at present eftgaged. TOES l.\Sl'HEl> FOR £IO.OOO. Kubelik valued his lingers at. £IO,OOO and Mr Lutes places a, similar insurance upon his toes. Optimism and a, ■sen.so of humour, he -ays, have carried liitn through. One comes away from a. chat., with him feeling that if a man without, arms can take a. cheerful view of life, tho rest of humanity bus iittlo cause for complaint. He carries ; his happy view of thing* ou to the. stage, and his turn is surrounded with such nu atmosphere of good cheer that it is not- long before hi.s audience, itl---tcad of giving Itiin the. commi'-era I ion ! which lie abhors, are laughing til- loj •■split their sides. " What';- the use of being downhearted:''' he says. "You've got-, t.o put. up with it, and nothing is impossible to lite man wrm cries. To those soldiers returning maimed from the Dardanelles f would offer m.w-eh' > an example., and' give them a, inos-:-ngo of hope. T,et ttiom regard ji atlio working of ihe Almighty, and not j take it. as a misfortune. IV cheery i with them ; for the >•, sake don't I go about -living, " >V>or fellow!' 1. have j seen armies- men o.'uig wonderful work over home. and. earning good salaries. They do ii. with mechanical arm-, and j they are wonderful. I can say I it fearloj-ssly and with no ulterior in- I terest that there is a lirm in Kansas' City thai Initios wonderful meehanp-id { arras. They guarantee that, the wearer j can fa.-l-en a collar stud. There are i other makes, too. ami from their arh, j you'd inclined io saw your real arm ' off in order to get, one, but this is the i real thing- " Hut 'oe cheery and r>pl!mi,-tic," j concluded .Vlr Lutes--whose, name i,-, | ]-oai jrish-Aviiericnn. as he. proudly pro-! elaiius—•'and persevere and you'Hl work wonders. Be a stayer and. game to the finish, ilang op !"