Grand Forks daily herald., December 19, 1914, Image 2

About Grand Forks daily herald. (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1914-1916

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
ft-
$
V-
I
l}
..
A
I VT a..•••-. i,
Photos by American Press Association.
HOMECOMINGBREEN.
By JOHN J.
THOMAS
(3
:'«t
!,
I
I
I
a
D. SCHALL, BLIND
lawyer, enjoys the distinction
of being the first representa
tive elected to congress from
5 .' y-
f'-Servian Red Crow on battlefield. 2.—German Red Crest ambulance* trans
ported on flat care. 3.—Belgian and French wounded in German hospital.
*•—English Red Cross nurses erecting tents. 5.—Arrival of ambulance
with wounded English soldiers at West Ham hospital.
tourists and
every mail bring thrilling
stories of tlie wounded in
tho great European war and
ir the iicroic efforts made to alleviate
he tremendous suffering. Never was
tlie Red Cross and other humanitarian
movements so taxed. Those who have
been witnesses of the return of trains
hearing soldiers who have been maimed
In battle have only the faintest idea of
the horrors of war, is the declaration
of one correspondent.
One example will suffice to point this
truth, this correspondent declares.
Several days ago the hospital corps
and volunteers were notified that a con
voy was expected toward midnight,
bringing the French and German
wounded who had'been abandoned by
the Germans in their retreat. There
were many trains of wounded before
and the necessary arrangements were
made as usual, but when this convoy
arrived even the most hardened had to
summon all their fortitude to the task
of empting tlie carriages.
When a man has a broken leg or arm
or a bullet through his lungs the skilled
ambulance staff soon has him com
fortably packed, but hero were human
vestiges, so mangled that it was diffi
cult to find a place to touch them with
out screams or moans. An insufferable
charnel house smell pervaded the whole
night air, for most of the wounded had
lain four days and nights where they
had fallen before being picked up and
had not yet had their wounds exam­
Congressman Sees Through Wife's Eyes
the newly created Tenth Minnesota
district. Mr. Schall is a Progressive,
and the territory of the new district Is
said to be normally Republican by 10,
000. He went into the campaign the ure. He lives through his mind, and,
almost exhausted and discouraged.
Ilis wife then put her neck in the
political yoke. She sat at the wheel"
of hie automobile and guided his steps.
She prepared his meals. She attended
Hmokers and dinners with him. Wher
ever be went his wife was by his side.
The result was told in a flattering plu
rality. And Mrs. Schall modestly tried
to disclaim credit for her share in the
success, but her husband Insists:
"Through her I must see the world.
She Is the light of my life."
Mrs. Schall was the political and per
sonal guide of her husband in the cam
paign. She will go to Washington with
her husband as his private secretary.
I am sure Mr. Schall will, make a
great success in congress," said Mrs.
Schall. "His speaking ability and con
vincing arguments will win him pres
tige. Sympathy for his blindness won
him respectful attention in the cam
paign, but it was his convincing oratory
that got votes.
I know his oratory is fascinating
because"—tho little woman hesitated
iind blushed and then added, "because
it won mo."
Mr. Schall while studying at the Uni
versity of Minnesota won the northern
oratorical contest, securing honors for
Minnesota for tho first time against
seven other states, but his oratory won
him more than honor. It won him the
admiration of Margaret Huntley, a
Minneapolis girl, then in her junior col
lege year. Next day they were intro
duced, and two years later they were
married, and they have been married
iwelve years. He la thirty-seven, and
she is thirty-five.
Seven years ago. while lighting' a
cig*r with an electric lighter. Mr. Schall
received a shock that destroyed bia
eyesight. Then the wife had to become
lita eyes. She went into his law office,
read his books to him, wrote |tla letters
and Kttlded his physical aa well aa bis
mental footsteps.
In an open letter during the cam
paten Kr, Schall said:
"From twenty-aeven to thirty I prac
ticed law with marked success. From
thirty to thirty-seven I have been in
total darkness. I have demonstrated
lean still talcs car*of tfeinterests
my clients against tbe best legal
mWs ortMs or aoy ««|ar stit* Tbe
h*rrs tftrsattwe of fcnw*''
a?]rs^«ss?s^a^
SThe
halls are the deepest emotions felt, age, whose principal object is the rep'
grandest conceptions born or most vital resentation of their country and their
truths discovered. But from Sinai's
slopes, from the felon cell at Bedford,
from the chamber of blindness in Lon
don have come the inspirations that
have blessed mankind.
To the blind man work Is his pleas
week alone. It ended with him like the used key, it must grow bright-
efi A1| h|s otjler senses aro
sharpened,
and through concentration, all other
things being equal, he must excel. True,
V-V''
fa
Photo by American Press /ssoclatlon.
MR- ANO MR8. THOMAS D. SCHALL.
he doesn't make as good a politician,
but he oufht to make a better repre
sentative of. the. people in congress.
For the blind man can't go about call
ing you all by name, Pete and Jim and
Jack, slapping you on the, tack and ad
vising you to get- busy and urge your
friends to vote f&r hirii, hut he can In
roem. or. .floor of
usrsw1 SMntcftts *-'y«u* '.cause,. *Meli
far mora essswtHI to your welfare.
day 6t tftrar sfe^liiv^ fs^ passed.
•1% weatmea ot heart, brain and ,cour
.-..-.i-s.-MU -J«,vs5Jaaaaijit?.' t-
i' .-
ined by a physician, much less dressed.
Under the burning sun and myriad
flies and under later rains they had
been left to suffer the torture of pain
and hunger and thirst until it waa a
marvel they still breathed. It was 3
o'clock in the morning before they
could be disposed of in the hospitals.
Even twenty-four hours later. not all
of them had had a first dressing. It
was the Germans who were in far the
worst case, for the French fire seems
much more destructive than the Ger
man, and when It does not kill in
stantly its ravages are horrible.
district. Here the blind man would ex
cel. For his interests are concentrat
ed, while those of the seeing men are
diffused by the passing show because
of the very fact that he can see. The
minds that have accomplished the most
in thia world have been most capable
of concentration. The blind man's in
terest in the glitter and show of things
is gone. His pleasure and recreations
are narrowed down to the product of
his brain. His wants physically are
few. Money to the blind man, outside
of the actual comforts of life," if use
less. His great desire is to Win tbe
praise of the seeing world, his only am
bi).ioi^tpK4»nire' mankind and leave' a
naine that ills children may- honor.''
In another open letter during the
campaign Mr. Bchall sald:
"My 0pp9nent* corittnuauy yrfe th*t
Iff- I do$»t a^ree wl&4hem... 2
j',]t!'-."
1
'fl®
.»,=p
IX
WOUNDED OF WAR MAKE PITIFUL SPECTACLE
5v
«5'
vsNr\
&^vs&ss»*..-v
/fcSi^ TM* a
After four days It was decided to
shift these men again, such of them as':
could be moved. The reason seemed
extraordinary, for the authorities (ear
ed a mutiny and had no troops to guard
them properly.
That these poor wrecks should ever
dream of rising appeared a fantastic
idea, but some of them were morose
and half mad, and one or two, es
pecially sullen young officer, declared
that they wuuld not remain quietly In
hospital, it must be an effect of war
fever that comes upon the maimed, for
a batch of French wounded who had
believe that you will not if you will
give me a fair hearing. From the sole
of my feet to the crown ot my head 1
am a self made man,
"From nine to twenty-seven I earned
by living in all sorts of manual labor,
by the sweat of my brow. I am one of
the common people. I know their
trials, their hardships, their needs,
their hopes, their aspirations. While
at the University of Minnesota I rep
resented that institution in oratory
three successive times and have the
distinction of being the first man from
the state of Minnesota who has ever
won the northern oratorical, thereby
defeating the presentatlves of seven
other great institutions
"I have been intrusted by the Repub
lican state central committee and by
the national committee to speak for
candidates and discuss politics upon
the stump throughout this and other
states. As an offset to my blindness I
offer my speaking ahlllty, for a con
gressman that can't speak is like a
knife without a blade, a hammer with
out a head. He might be able to put in
a few thumb tacks, but there are
spikes to be driven.
"Edison, the greatest Inventor of this
or any age, is great because he was
able to concentrate :his mind. And he
was able to do this because he was
deaf. Beethoven composed his great
est symphony after lie waa totally
deaf. The late Joseph Pulitzer, one ot
the greatest editors, and newspaper
owners, starting as it'poor boy, attain*
ed distinction while totally blind. Wil
liam Scanlin, the manager of one of the
greatest charitable institutions in the
world, the 'Light House,' in New York,
is blind. The former postmaster gen
eral of England waa blind. Dr. Bab
cock of Chicago, the., great heart spe
cialist, is blind. Judge Brown, former
assistant attorney' general of New
York, is blind.
"One of the most able brains in the
United States senate today, Thomas P.
Gore of Oklahoma, Is blind. He is
serving his second term and was theL
other day renominated by a vote ot
over 2 to for the same position.
What a man has done Is a guide to
what he may do. And even though
blind, 'A man's a man tor a' that.'
"My only desire, my only Interest, my
only ambition In going to congress is
to serve you so well that you will re*
turn me to that seat two years hence.
It you will trust me with the repre
sentation of our dUfrlct I believe 1 can
discern the right side Of any question
that may arise as well as If I had my prik |,R-,RN
sight. My hearing ifc excellent, my edu-i .f W dlti
cation is of art, of toil and of men, and
if there is any argument in my speak
ing ability, together with efficiency and
honesty of purpose, I trust you will feel
that I have the nepessaty qualifications
to wariaqt you tflvlng/me^your V&e,
but if »u do not getl that'you cao cen
seientiously support me my life has
*«en so full «f I shall
[know how to bear the^dlS*Wotetmfpt''
WALTON WtLUAMS.
.'•
.. -.v .*e .••«..• ."iv. r-!».,.•*.•: -v:*,-V^'1
1 1
W
£,. -I-
been transferred from Dieppe to Havre
to make room had attempted to mu
tiny because they wished to return to
Dieppe, where they had made friends
and actually had to be threatened with
fixed bayonets. Though "official se
crecy" had been observed, the whole
town in some mysterious fashion gath
ered round the hospital to see the
evacuation, but were kept.at a distance
of a hundred yards by 'a cordon of
gendarmerie to avoid demonstrations.
Women and tho Wounded
The train that waa to take tliem on
Photo by American Press Association.
IN fcfo.mothe* cr«i eyes.
la 4lw lafairt's tallllig face.
timn tfea ahrMl of wtyheftil years
A od ,l.e Jjg§! tftJJwW'Jfiira.*
Soaf* that atahe tbe Wnf itififc
Ctlldrta'sHtHUomfsffbterriax«
MB. WM tf
waa drawn up fifty yards from the
hospital, and all the carriages and
trucks were littered deep In straw.
^I.tie- very .worst cases were laid full
length on the floors of the trucks. As
they came out on stretchers several of
them were holding the hands of the
"ladies of France" who had been nurs
ing them. Those who could totter
along were also supported by having
their arms around the necks of French
railway employees or volunteers, and
sometimes again of the nurses.
One young fellow kept a wistful
watch at tho window, and suddenly his
face lighted up, and he beckoned me to
come near. "That littlo lady in black
with the white coif—I want to see her."
I fetched her, a buxom damsel who
came up laughing and jumped into the
carriage. She could not speak a word
of German, but kept shaking hands
and patting the occupants on the head
with little interjections of "Tiens tiens!
THE TREE OF LIFE
lm
Llfbts eld chambers of the dead
1 ,Ut froa Ood's owo aHar place. All briiht shapes of memory.
All (lad dreams of youth aod love.
Mect' about the- Christmas tree
the mystic dove.
.-J ,,.-
I Time and fate are babbllo| words,
I Vsia vibrations of the tongue
*"f* w. 01
that waa tobe.
'*7,^
1
En volla de bons enfants! Bon voy«
age!" etc., and they would hardly let
her leave. One who ought to have gone
because he was-not very badly hit hid
himself in a pantry till'the 'train had
started and could not conceal his de
light at being left.
The original order was that every
body was to be shifted, but the nurses
absolutely refused to allow many of
their charges to be moved. "They
never ought to have been brought
here, and the least that can bo done Is
to let them die lu peace." said one.
This woman had charge of a wretched
patient with a broken spine among
others. There were twelve cases of
lockjaw, which appears to be almost
confined to tho Gorman wounded by
French flre. It was terrible to hear a
man call for the doctor and say that
his Jaws and wholo head were "grow
ing stiff." They were probably the
last words he would be able to speak.
Rovud the boly Cbrfrtmas treo
Wake children, too, again.
Ifcriisai Child of love aad Ufo with Roiiad the Christ CUM'A CMMMS
-r -a- t. —New y«fc Sttr
Ey£ that are love's destbleas sh&t,
Where omr holiest prayers artoa.
Blest and blesslaf, dear, divine
Little children's happy eyes.
In
y®"r «*"t the dark yean cftijji.
I.
i'XKe'*x