Show SOLDIER BUND BliND I AND ARMLESS WRITES SWIMS a. a slier With hh Aluminum Hands Types Message lessage to American Cripple Now CW York April The C The first letters letter ever e written ritt n by one ono blind soldier without hands s to another similarly been received b by an 0 crippled d has Just American soldier In a New eVo York boa hos pital It was a n mc message of or good cheer written by bv Alan II It Nichols Ichols of or London lAndon hl his American Amen Ameri a British soldier to show can comrade comrade and fellow sufferer sufferers that thata thata a a mans man's a man for a 11 that A AI copy COP of the letter leller and of ot another dictated by the sightless and handless British nr tI h soldier have c been received r ce ed by In byth bythe th the th Associated Press from rom Sir Arthur Pearson newspaper publisher and president of oC the British N National In Institute In- In In-I In InIa a for the Blind of or London Eng 1 England landOne land One letter was as written b by Nichols with t artificial l hands ands ands' andson on a n specially constructed typewriter ke keyboard oard Its purpose was W to encourage ura e all war cripples crip crip- ples pic and to show sho them that no matter how terribly handicapped they y might to bo be the they could rise above aboe their and conquer the giant despair This blind but hut cheerful and happy Tommy Atkins informed his Yankee follow fellow In affliction that he was still able to dance swim ride horseback play dominoes with his nose feed himself carr carry a cane take his handkerchief handkerchief hand hand- kerchief from his pocket and lo le almost al almost al- al most everything thing a man with two es and mJ two hands could do except roll his hiso o own on n and strike a match He uses a a. t por I t of or It Its Kind Sir Arthur in a note accompanying the tho mi missive l e said he supposed It was T the first case on record where here a man suffering the tremendously severe ere handicap of or blindness and the loss logg of or both hands s had been able to write unaided to nn anyone one The original letter letter letter let let- ter he said wa was sent by br Nichols Ichols from from the Blinded Soldiers and Sailors Sailors' in institute institute in- in In-I In inI I known n as ns St. St Dunstan Dunstan's to the I wounded American soldier whom the thc London ender publisher had seen in a n t New ey NewYork I York ork hospital I Hero Is what nhat Is believed to be the first letter ever written by a blind blindman blindman man without hand I 3 S New e eStreet Street St St. Johns John's Wood N N. W WY March IT Ii In 1019 1919 I Dear Mr r Enclosed Enclosed you will find rather lengthy letter which I dictated dictated dic dle- tat d for tor you ou but- but butI I am typing typing- this ono one myself m to convince con you that h t this is 13 practicable I Understand from rom Sir Arthur Pearson Pearson Pear ear I son that you are free Cree from rom other physical physical phy phy- disabilities and nOlI in this respect you ou are arc more fortunate fortunate- than I. I I Shrapnel l UK nits Annoy Him HimIn HimIn In September 1916 I received m my little HUle souvenir and I still h have ve quite a number o of pieces of oC shrapnel in my chest and legs which cause mo me no no little little little lit lit- tle annoyances annoyance at times In September 1917 an operation I Iwas was necessary to remove some of oC the i l shrapnel from my m- chest and three I i weeks weeks' later another nother operation resulted result ell fn In the removal o of portions of or ribs and and I still more pl pieces pk-ces es o of foreign n matter maUer I I At Brighton Dris where I 1 was sent to toone to toone one of oC St. St Dunstan's annexes I so soon found myself getting fit lit and it was luring during m my com convalescence that Sir Arthur Arthur Ar Ar- Arthur thur arran arranged cd for tor me to take tale lessons In elocution which enables me to earn my own livelihood My o work is most Interesting and comi consists ts of or speaking on the work of or SL St Dunstan's and the national Institute institute tute lutc for the blind It will surprise you I know when I Itell tell you OU thata In addi- addi lion ion to this I control and organize tho the lantern slide department which is the advertising td medium of oC the X N I I. I B B. and St. St t. t D I In conclusion p permit me to express the hope hp that hat you OU have ha not given up the idea of ever evet d doing anything when I I I feel sure there Is so much for you rou to do Yours sincere sincerely ALAN LA LAL M M. NICHOLS Hope o In his his' dictated letter leller Nichols sasto says sas to his hism American m fellow cripple When you OU ar are fit and well and able to ruri run ab about ut you jou OU will find there i is still till plenty pleat In life lire worth living ll for When I first became like this this he lie continued L could not see sec anything that was liI likely el to Interest me on this earth arth In short I 1 was often contemplating contemplating plating a method of q quitting this life At t that time lime I 1 never ne dreamed of of the tho possibilities of or a pair pall of artificial lands hands and I can assure you OU that I InoW Inow noW surprise everybody but tho ho one I surprise most Js is 8 myself I 1 can take off ote m my hat het carry a 1 walking stick slick and case and feed myself with a spoon poon and fork orl I have ha a specially m made de case similar In appearance to a metal match natch bo box bog which fits Into m my waistcoat waist waist- coat oat pocket I 1 can take this from my pocket socket and help myself to a 1 cit I Ilave have c lave not yet ct accomplished the feat of oC striking a n match but this Is 15 overcome b having haYinG side by jy what We cull call on this spill spills strips df dt paper a foot in length lenoth There are a hundred h and one little things thing I can do 10 such u h as using usini m my handl and this Jn Includes ludes taking It t from Crom my pocket I Enc Encouraging ula the tho American to write his ils own letters Nichols i hols said that h he used an ordinary typewriter with a metal c case over the keyboard having ing holes ides immediately above e each le key Tho The case aso re resembles four tour steps and In the middle of ot each step Is a rib to tOI jot ct ot me menow kow now when I am central Attached 4 d to Lo m my hand han I ha have a key lcy or striker which resembles a a. L small hammer It Itta ta takes Lakes me about half haIr an hour for one sheet of foolscap double spacing but butof butot ot of courso course this will improve e by practice tice Plays Plans With Xo Noe Nichols Ichols advised the maimed American Amp Amen can enn to carry a soldier like appearance and ind to swing his arms arias walk In the center cr of oC the sidewalk and avoid 3 1 lampposts lampposts lamp lamp- lamp lamp- po posts ts but not to carry cart carr a lL sane Swedish drill swimming s and antl dancing were ad advised advised advised ad- ad for rc recreation r When hen playing dominoes Nichols added I use uso m my mynos' mynos noso nos' to feel reel although this has hal the II tendency to give one the appearance of a n chronic suffered from Indigestion or a IL slave slave to the bottle Telling re reHn Hn of ot his amusing a experiences In traveling Nichol wrote I 1 take considerable satisfaction In hi the fact that thai I 1 am able to deceive 09 per pOl cent centor of or the persons I 1 meet L i am wearing ar a- r pair of or artificial hands n are e quite useful Nichols went v- v j n. n They arc are made of aluminum and I can wear them all day da without I Ithe Ithe Ithe the lea least t fatigue uc They Ther are arc of oC Trench French French manufacture and so 50 made that however tc tender the st stumps lOa may be It does not in interfere with the thc wearers wearer's comfort Tho movement of or the hands Is 15 obtained by a shoulder movement mo The Tho hands I in appearance are aro perfectly natural In fact the public woul would not think I there wa was anything tho th-o mat matter fer with me Inc I once one addressed a l meeting without without with with- out anyone's discovering that I was wearing artificial hands Nichols concluded b by saying in that depression de- de pr Ion had tad beep been a frequent visitor to to I tint him and that he found thin thinking of or itself uhn Was sus dangerous I |