Dear Sir, - I have been very interested in the recent correspondence from and about monopedes, and in particularly in the letter by "Monopede Admirer", who voices my opinion entirely when he states that a one-legged girl is far more attractive when she is nimbly and gracefully using crutches than she can ever be walking on a peg-leg or artificial one.
"Crippled Girl" is, I think, rather bitter in her criticism of her fellows, as I do not remember any correspondent stating that lameness was attractive in itself, but the ability to overcome it. Her quotation of the school's advice to disregard the crippled state as much a possible and to disguise it is apparently what most of your correspondents are doing.
Sometime ago, unknown to me, my wife went to a surgical dealer and was fitted for a peg-leg, taking the advice of several of your readers who sing their praises and advantages. You can imagine my surprise on arriving home one evening to see her tottering across the hall to me, supported only on a slender peg-leg and entirely without her crutches. Of course, I rushed to support her, but she assured me she was safe enough, and proved it by proceeding me across the lounge and into the dining room, where she told me that she had been practising for days before letting me into the secret.
Of course I remonstrated with her and reminded her that her doctor warned her never to use any form of artificial leg, for the bone which had been so badly shattered in her accident would never bear one. This she pooh-poohed, and tried to point out the advantages of not having to be bothered with crutches while on her household duties; and, in fact, she persisted in using it for a week or so until her stump became so painful that I saw her doctor, who, after a careful examination, said that he was afraid that it would have to be completely removed right to the hip.
However, after careful attention for a good many weeks, he has avoided this, much to my relief, for I know that my wife has a dread of another operation after her past experience, when she was in hospital over six months and had fourteen operations.
No doubt many of your readers find a peg-leg very useful, especially when they cannot afford the more expensive artificial leg, and I myself see a girl several times a week who is employed at a factory near my office, who has used a peg-leg several years and has a wonderful carriage a she walks along. In fact, if you were walking behind her and did not look below her coat you would never dream that she had but one leg.
There, in my opinion, comes the snag, that to see a smartly dressed girl, also good looking and in my experience most monopedes are pretty - and then to see a peg-leg protruding from her skirt completely spoils the effect. Crutches, preferably the elbow type, as they do not disturb the dress, are far smarter.
Yours truly,
Husband Of Single-Heel.