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Indiana University Studies 



legislative provision for care of crippled children are over- 

 whelming. The independence derived from education, voca- 

 tional training, and adjustment to industrial life would lessen 

 the burden of expense of the charity and relief agencies; 

 would eliminate a large per cent of begging, and would im- 

 prove the economic self-respect of communities. physical 

 burden bravely borne makes a strong man whose moral force 

 in a community is worth a score of mere men machines."^ 

 Crippled children have the same curious spiritual atmosphere 

 of morale about them, which makes them appeal to the sympa- 

 thies always; and the incentive to do constructive work to 

 help their lot in life is the most worth-while product of sym- 

 pathy. The old cry of ''give the crippled children a fair 

 chance" is the strongest appeal that can be voiced. 



In this study of 150 crippled children, no startling dis- 

 coveries of the problem have been brought to light. This 

 study is rather an illustration and proof of the veracity of 

 theories and assertions claimed by pioneers in this field. It 

 has been said by many excellent theorists that the problem 

 of crippled children includes the following fundamental facts : 

 the greatest cause of deformities is disease ; the mental ca- 

 pacity of a crippled child is normal and often above the aver- 

 age ; the need for special schools and institutions is enormous ; 

 the medical examination and proper treatment of these cases 

 results in communistic economy; the need for legislation to 

 obtain social reform and adequate facilities for the care of 

 cripples is overwhelming. These, and other underlying facts, 

 have been claimed as the fundamental principles back of the 

 problem; and this study has been an attempt to show from 

 the social point of view that these facts are true. Statistics 

 of actual estimates and specific illustrations bearing out state- 

 ments are the most practical proof of scientific assertions, and 

 such has been the purpose of this study. Its endeavor has 

 been to contribute information which might be of some little 

 value in helping to secure a normal adjustment to social and 

 industrial environm^ent for the crippled children of Indiana. 



Am&rican Journal of Care for Cripples, Vol. V, No. 2, p. 243. 



