at last i met the little madame—all nerve, energy—a flame flashing from one plant under her charge to the next. i had seen her whirling by in a car, one of the two belgian women allowed a limited pass. i had heard how she presided over councils of men, as well as of women; that she had won the admiration of all. with her it is not a question of how many hours she spends; she gives literally every hour of her time. it was especially of her work for the mutilated victims of the war that we talked this morning. she took me to the park at woulwe, where she has 180 men being trained in various trades.
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ten months ago she decided that one of the most important things belgium had to accomplish was to save its mutilated for themselves and the state. the whole problem of the unemployment brought on by the war was terrific. in april, 1916, over 672,000 workmen were idle. but the mutilated soldiers formed the most heartbreaking part of this problem. they must at once be taught trades that would fill their days and make them self-supporting in the future.
first of all, their surroundings must be cheerful and healthy; no cramped buildings in the city, and yet something easily accessible from brussels. she told me how she searched the environs until she came upon an old, apparently deserted villa at woulwe with beautiful spacious grounds, orchard and vegetable garden. she quickly sought out the owner and appealed to him to turn his property over to the “mutilés.” in [181]three days a letter told her the request was granted, and within a few hours an architect was at work on the plans. he developed a cottage system with everything on one floor, sleeping-rooms, workrooms, unlimited fresh air and light; the most modern sanitary equipment; and for the workrooms, every practical arrangement possible. there is a gymnasium with a resident physician directing the work. his duty is one of the most difficult; it is not easy to convince the men of the value of all the bothersome exercises he prescribes. the restoration of the equilibrium of their broken bodies is to them often a vague end. at first some even try to escape using the artificial arms and legs provided them.
the cottages are grouped about the garden, under the trees, connected by easy little paths for the lame and the blind. the old villa holds the office, [182]the dining-room, and a big, airy pavilion, where the men may gather for a weekly entertainment, cards or music. a bowling alley has been converted into the quaintest little chapel imaginable, with the virgin mary and the statues of the king and queen in very close company, and back of them a splendid belgian flag. besides the regular gatherings, the men hold special services here for their comrades dead on the field of honor.
one by one new cottages are being built; more trades are being taught. electricity and book-binding have been added recently, and the course for chauffeurs. the greater number of the men work in the shoe shops, where there is one workroom for the walloons and another for the flemings; but the scarcity of leather greatly hinders this important department. in certain sections they are already using machinery manu[183]factured by the men themselves. and it must be kept in mind all the time that these men before the war were almost without exception in the fields.
madame told us that the most cheerful workmen are the blind, who seemed, however, most to be pitied, as they sat there weaving their baskets and chair seats. she said that often during their weekly entertainments the entire company would be thrown into spasms of laughter by the sudden meowing of cats or cackling of hens in their midst. these were the tricks of the blind men, who were as gay as children.
the atelier is truly a joyous place, set in a garden tended by the soldiers, and inside flooded with light. the walls are covered with models and designs. some of the men were busy with patterns for lace and embroidery. others were modeling. a legless soldier, in the trenches only a month ago, was already [184]handling his clay with pleasure and skill. but the most remarkable work was that of a man who had lost his right arm. before the war, like the others, he had been a “cultivateur,” never conscious of a talent that under the encouragement of a good teacher was developing astonishingly. with the pencil in his left hand, he produced designs of leaves, flowers and animals of great beauty.
one of the strangest, saddest sights in the world is the workroom for artificial limbs. here men who have lost their own arms and legs sit constructing arms and legs for their comrades who are to lose theirs on the battlefield. a soldier who had his right arm and all but two fingers of his left hand shot away, was filing, hammering, and shaping an artificial arm. a man with half of each forearm gone was able, by means of a simple leather appliance, to make thirty-five brushes a day. here they [185]were making, too, the gymnasium apparatus for the muscular exercises which help to restore the equilibrium of their own bodies.
after visiting all the workshops, we went to one of the cheery cottage dormitories. it was noon-time now, and the men, deciding that we were apt to pass that way, had quickly decorated the front porch with the flags of the allies, daringly binding our american flag with them! then with a yellow sand they had written on the darker earth in front of the cottage: “to the welcome ones—the brave allies”—(again they had included us!) “we offer the gratitude of their soldiers!”
