HELPING HANDS (CLASSIC REPRINT)

Excerpt from Helping HandsSince writing my book From Mons to 1933, so many kind people have written to me saying how greatly they enjoyed reading my experiences before losing my eyesight that it has occurred to me that it would perhaps be Of some interest if I again described something Of my earlier life.My fathers business was that Of a flax merchant, and, in 1913, I found myself in Belgium engaged in learning all I could about that important industry. We were responsible for buying the flax, which is the raw material out Of which linen is woven, and, as there are many degrees and qualities Of flax, a delicate sense Of touch is most necessary for those who desire to make a success Of such work. I mention this because I spent many years in developing this sense, which was, as I will show, later to prove Of inestimable value during my blindness and in my work as an osteopath.It is difficult to analyse oneself at that age, but I know quite well that, although twenty-five years had passed over my head, though I was physically fit and with a keen zest for enjoying life to the full, I was still altogether without ambition and without a thought to my future. Actually, I had begun to realise that, although I had entered my fathers business which, as the elder son, seemed my natural duty, my one real desire in life was to be a soldier. This desire had been stimulated by the fact that, prior to going to Belgium, I had served an apprenticeship in a mill in Belfast, Northern Ireland.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be