O Optimism and a Will The Story of J. L. Woodbridge By HELENA V. WILLIAMS, New York UT in Pueblo, Colo., where the giant Rockies crowd like great friendly guardians about the stir and bustle of the famous manufacturing town, is the home of J. L. Woodbridge, optimist, ex-banker and ex-T.B. patient. To the casual observer, the elderly gentleman serenely and happily going about the daily routine of his home and business life, is but another one of the ever-increasing number of men and women who, because they have become masters of the art of right living, preserve their youth and energy until long past what was once considered to be the boundary line between youth and middle age-namely, forty-five or thereabouts. But to those having the good fortune of knowing his story and the spectre which threatened to sweep away forever usefulness, happiness and even life itself, J. L. Woodbridge is living proof that an optimistic spirit and an indomitable will can overcome very nearly any obstacle. For surely few men have fought a harder fight against a more determined enemy and won a more complete victory. It was on Christmas day, some years ago, that the enemy, tuberculosis, made its first menacing appearance. In those days the Woodbridge family lived in Marshall, Mo., where J. L. Woodbridge was cashier and director of the Bank of Saline. His children, scattered in various sections of the country, had come home for the holiday reunion, and Christmas joy and good will filled every heart and radiated throughout the entire house. The softly gleaming tree, the white tissue and red ribbon parcels, the holly wreaths, everything, seemed to breathe the words, "This is happiness-the happiness that must last." And then, along about noon, when savoury odors of Christmas roasts and spices mingled with the fragrant scent of spruce, and that sense of complete comfort and well-being which only Christmas can bestow, pervaded the household, the Spectre stalked into the family circle. The head of the household suddenly developed a fever, which increased as the afternoon wore on. A physician was hurriedly called in, left some medicine to reduce the fever, and at about 6 o'clock the patient's temperature was again at the normal level. The family felt relieved, but the holiday joy was dimmed, for from then on the fever reappeared every few days, and soon an afternoon temperature became a regular, unavoidable visitor. At the same time, the patient's hearing began to fail and his over-wrought nerves, like jangling wires whipped by a powerful gale, cried out for a quieting hand. So a powerful strychnine tablet administered every afternoon, held them steady and clear for s purposes. As spring approached, J. L. Woodbridge got a hoe and went out into the garden "to build up his strength." Think of it, you T.B. patients who are "chasing the cure," what this meant, an hour's exercise in the cool evening in clothing that was soon soaked in perspiration! And listen to what he himself has to say on the subject. "You sick man," says he, "drop that hoe and lie down on your back and rest, rest, rest." We all know that there are still people who are prone to disregard or minimize the dangers of infection, and for these J. L. Woodbridge has a message to deliver that should be set in bold type and spread broadcast, not only where spitters are left unmolested, but where healthy men work side by side with diseased men, and no one takes the precaution to weed out those who are menacing the wellbeing of their neighbors. Among the directors of the bank of which J. L. Woodbridge was cashier, was an old retired professional man. Because he had nothing else to do, he made the bank his lounging place for the greater part of the day. No one in the place paid much attention to the old man, until one day a physician remarked to J. L. Woodbridge that the man was a menace not only to him, but to every employee in the place. Later on, it was discovered that the old man had had tuberculosis for twenty years but, he remarked naïvely, when told of the danger to which he was subjecting other people, he had not "given it to anybody yet." A year later this man died of tuberculosis, without ever having received proper treatment for the disease; and here the hunters for the cause of their patient's illness, may have been able to find the solution to the mystery! At about this time, upon the advice of his physician, J. L. Woodbridge decided to give up the banking business and go to Colorado. And as though Fate, with an ironical smile, were testing the strength of human willpower, the directors of the Bank of Saline saw fit to elect the man who had just definitely decided to burn all his bridges, president of their institution. To help you understand the full meaning of what this meant, let us explain that for eleven years this man had been cashier and director of his bank, and that for thirtyfive years he had worked in banks, beginning with the position of bookkeeper. And now he had attained his goal. He was to become the head of one of the most solid, prosperous institutions in the state. But, unflinchingly, he made his decision. Firmly convinced that his health was his greatest asset and that without it he could not continue to work efficiently, he resolutely locked the door on his career and, accompanied by his wife, boarded a train for Pueblo, Colo. He had lived for forty years in the neighborhood of Kansas City, where he had married, reared a family and become successful, and now it was to become a page of the past. But, ever optimistic, and philosophically accepting what life held in store for him, he firmly bade farewell to friends and relatives and entered upon his new life. In the city of Pueblo, J. L. Woodbridge's son was then and is still practicing medicine, and immediately upon arrival of his father, he gave him a thorough examination, diagnosed his case as tuberculosis, and called in a second physician, who verified the verdict. Both lungs were affected and the newly elected president of the Bank of Saline was told that he could never return to his old home. So, once again, J. L. Woodbridge did the courageous thing and defied Fate to smile her ironical smile. He did not return to Missouri, not even to settle up business affairs. The sale of his banking and real estate interests he placed in the hands of his son-in-law, the assistant cashier in the Bank of Saline, and he was left footloose to make his fight for life and health. So the treatment began. At first he grew worse; and then came the day, as with most T.B. patients, when he felt so well that he believed the enemy was retreating in panic and, reckless in his exuberance, he over-exercised. After strong words of advice from his doctor, he returned to bed, remaining there until the word of authority gave him permission to rise. As his strength increased, there came the desire for activity, for "something to do." And so it came about that he entered upon the great adventure of his convalescence. In the neighborhood of Fowler, Colo., there was a small farm for sale and, in the spring of the next year, J. L. Woodbridge purchased it, built a snug, cozy little house with a royal sleeping porch on it and, with his wife, moved out there. At first the venture proved to be a sad failure, financially, and the following year he rented out everything but a few acres adjoining the house and barn. Then, instead of attempting to farm the land, he purchased two dozen pure-bred leghorn chickens. The experiment proved to be an unusually successful one. The work of caring for the chickens was very light, it necessitated much outdoor living, and the returns from the eggs made the undertaking distinctly a profitable one. As tiny chicks began to hatch from the incubator and their numbers increased to several hundreds, the patient decided that chicken raising was an ideal occupation for a consumptive who was "chasing the cure." With characteristic thoroughness he studied volumes on the science of poultry raising, and so intense was his interest in his new occupation, that he attained that ideal state of mind for a consumptive where he ceased to "worry about his condition." In his own words, "Sometimes I actually forgot that I was still a consumptive." The poultry-raising venture having outgrown its quarters, he purchased a ten-acre tract close to the edge of Fowler, Colo., where he constructed a modern scientific poultry plant, fully equipped with incubators and modern brooders. Here he moved in with his 500 Leghorns. So, in spite of several years of illness, J. L. Woodbridge, ex-banker, optimist. and philosopher, again found himself not only in the possession of a well-paying business, but well on the road to health. Today the reputation of the "Fowler Egg Farm" extends all over the West, and J. L. Woodbridge, in his own words, is "a strong young fellow of sixty, with a muscle I am proud to show, and with the ability to get to sleep five minutes after my head touches the pillow on my sleeping porch." Recently he sold the farm to a vigorous young man whe was looking for a profitable business. Out in Pueblo, Colo., around which the giant Rockies crowd like great protecting guardians, is the home of J. L. Woodbridge, where he lives with his family. Now, for the first time in his life he stops to look backward. And as he thinks of the years of trial through which he passed, the ironic smile of Fate vanishes before the gentle, thoughtful smile of the philosopher who fought a mortal enemy, now permanently in the background, and who conquered by optimism and an indomitable will. The Valley of Lasting Hope (Saranac Lake) In a valley nestling softly "Tween the hills of gentle slope, That calls the sick, the weary, From despair to lasting hope. In our proud and glorious Empire State, The Great Physician gives his aid 'Tis the Vale of Everlasting Hope, In God's own time, the marvel's done, PAUL LIBBY, Saranac Lake, N. Y. Official Organ of the National Tuberculosis Association PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY JOURNAL OF THE OUTDOOR LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY 381 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY JAMES ALEXANDER MILLER, M.D., Pres. H. R. M. LANDIS, M.D., Vice-Pres. CHARLES J. HATFIELD, M.D., Sec. PHILIP P. JACOBS, Ph.D., Treas. and Managing Editor. The aim of this Journal is to be helpful to persons seeking health by an outdoor life, and particularly to disseminate reliable information looking to the prevention and cure of tuberculosis. It should be distinctly understood, however, that the JOURNAL OF THE OUTDOOR LIFE is not intended to supplant personal medical advice. Anyone suffering from pulmonary trouble who is not under the care and guidance of a physician is taking grave chances. F Reporting of Tuberculosis IGURES issued by the United States Public Health Service on reporting of pulmonary tuberculosis throughout the United States for the year 1918 indicate a sorry condition so far as real knowledge of this disease on the part of the public health authorities is concerned. Out of 347 cities, with a population of 10,000 to 100,000, only eleven showed more than five cases reported for every annual death. About 40 per cent. of this group of cities had fewer cases reported than deaths during the year 1918. Among the cities with a larger population, the group of 100,000 or over, the situation is even worse. Not one of this group of sixty-six cities showed as many as five cases for every annual death and only one, Seattle, Wash., showed as many as three cases reported for every annual death. On a state-wide basis, out of thirtyeight states reporting, not one showed R more than 1.8 cases reported for each annual death, and only six of this group of states showed more living cases reported than annual deaths. When one stops to reflect that the fundamental principle of all epidemiological work requires that knowledge of the living cases of an infectious disease must be in the hands of the public health authorities before adequate control can be expected, the opportunity for more intensive service in the tuberculosis field is clearly manifest. Fundamentally, the matter of reporting living cases is a problem of education, both of the lay and medical public. Secondarily, it is a problem of intensive organization to provide those facilities for digging out cases of tuberculosis that everyone knows exist in the average American community. Until we have provided enough nurses, clinics, medical consultants and other agencies to find the cases, the campaign against tuberculosis will lag. The Tuberculosis Seal Sale and the Children's Relief Campaign ECENT announcement of a joint drive for $40,000,000 by several foreign relief agencies for the support of work for destitute children in Europe at first caused considerable consternation in the ranks of tuberculosis workers. The fact that the American Red Cross had joined with several other organizations in this campaign under the direction of Mr. Herbert Hoover gave rise to a certain amount of uneasiness and fear that the Seal Sale would be seriously complicated and interfered with. The executive office of the National Association began an immediate investigation of the facts in the matter and has ascertained the following information: 1. The date of appeal, November 20th through the month of December, was determined by the fact that the organizations doing child relief work in Europe will be wholly without funds by January first. If money is not immediately secured, their work must stop and thousands of children must perish. This winter is considered the crisis in the child relief situation in the devastated countries of Europe. Nothing could be done before the presidential election and the earliest date that could be secured was November 20th, which involved a cutting off of one week from the Red Cross Roll Call as well as an overlapping of the Tuberculosis Seal Sale. 2. In view of the fact that the appeal must be made at once the American Red Cross, although it would have desired another week, felt obliged to participate because of its own large interests and program for child welfare in European countries. Any other policy on the part of the American Red Cross would have meant serious hardship to thousands of children. Coming as it does, this campaign has meant a serious sacrifice on the part of the Red Cross, especially when it is considered that its own Roll Call, the sole means of support for next year, is handicapped. Every effort was made by the Red Cross to postpone the appeal until after January first and due consideration was given to the Tuberculosis Seal Sale. The general feeling, however, after thorough discussion of the matter, was that "the heart of America is big enough to stand two nation-wide appeals in the Christmas season." 3. The proposed campaign for children in Europe will not be a "drive" in the ordinary accepted meaning of the term, but rather a quiet, thorough canvas. Because of this fact, A and also because of the fact that the appeal is so distinctly for foreign relief work as contrasted with the tuberculosis sale, it is felt that there need be little apprehension on account of the success of the Seal Sale. At the recent meeting of the North Atlantic Conference, the matter was presented and discussed, and at the instance of the Committee on Resolutions the following resolutions regarding the Seal Sale were presented and unanimously adopted. 1. Whereas, a very unusual condition has arisen in that many of the children of Europe will perish unless money is immediately raised for their benefit, And whereas, the organizations in America that are conducting child welfare work in Europe have decided on a united appeal under the leadership of Mr. Herbert Hoover, Be it resolved, that the North Atlantic Tuberculosis Conference endorse this combined appeal for the destitute children of Europe, although this drive will occur simultaneously with the Tuberculosis Christmas Seal Sale. And be it resolved furthermore, that the members of this Conference will do all in their power to assist in this most needed work. The necessity for increased and more intensified local organization of the Seal Sale, in view of this large campaign, is all the more apparent. Indians and Tuberculosis Nilluminating study among the Kootenai Indians of Idaho prepared by the Idaho Tuberculosis Association brings to light some interesting facts with reference to tuberculosis among the Indians. A record of 22 Kootenai Indian mothers shows that out of 133 children born living, 34 only are alive to-day. Of the 99 deaths, 21 occurred under six months of age and 15 between six months and a year; or more than onethird of them occurred under less than one year. Of the 99, nearly one-third, 31, to be exact, died of tuberculosis. These facts reflect to a startling degree two needs among the Indians: first, increased education with regard to methods of living as the white man does. For the last 50 to 75 years we have asked the Indian to live in houses and follow the mode of living adopted or evolved by the white man for thou sands of years. It is little wonder that with no more introduction into the white man's house than merely depositing his goods therein, the Indian has not been able to utilize the higher privileges of civilization and that these advantages in turn have come back to curse him. In the second place, the figures show the woeful lack of nursing and medical attention which is everywhere in evidence on the Indian reservations of the United States. At least one-half of the babies that died under one year of age could have been saved with the right kind of medical and nursing care. This is not the place to argue for the Indian on the grounds of our obligation and responsibility to him. Let the cry of the suffering children be sufficient appeal for support of a vigorous program of work for better health conditions among the Indians. If this department is going to be a success, the editor must rely for about nine-tenths of the contributions to it from the readers of the JOURNAL. This is your department. The success of it will depend upon you. Send in at once your suggestions for making it go. Anything in the way of games and indoor sports that are suitable for diversion and amusement of the ordinary "cure-chaser" will be valuable. It should be borne in mind that the department reaches patients not only in the sanatoria, but at home. Checkers, Contributed by Mr. G. P. Corkill, of Columbia, S. C. Where, oh, where, are the Checker Fans? Where, oh, where, can they be? As yet we have received no problems or games from our readers. We know that the Sanatoria are full of them, some bad, some indifferent, some good, and some experts. We have met a few and heard of many. Where are they? Come across, fellows! Give us some "home-made" problems and games! It will furnish the necessary stimulant to make the department a success, and we are sure that "you all" wish to make it a success. A "home-made" department would prove more interesting than the "canned variety"don't be bashful, but send them along. In this issue we will explain First Position. It doesn't make any difference in the following diagram in the method of play whether the black man is located as shown on the diagram or on 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16, 20 or 24. The important thing is he must not be allowed to enter the King row. The main object is to force the Black King out of the double corner, thereby compelling the Black Man to advance. This can only be done in case White has the move-if black has the move the ending is a draw. We have no better way of determining the move than the following from Hill's Manual: "If you are playing Black, consider 1, 2, 3, 4 as being the bottom squares of a system (1-917-25, 2-10-18-26, 3-11-19-27, 4-12-20-28) forming the system. If it is your turn to play, count all the pieces; if the total is odd you have the move; if even, your opponent has the move. "When it is your turn to play, Diagram No. 6. Position: Black, 12. King, 28. White Kings, 23-27. |