Too high a tribute cannot be paid to the high character and ability and the unflagging devotion of the Nova Scotia Ward Aides. They gave the same high form of unselfish, patriotic service that was characteristic of the best groups of women workers. The ward occupations were of enormous benefit in making the weary hours of the days pass quickly, in improving the discipline in the institutions, and in materially shortening the time of treatment in many cases. The handicraft work has been specially developed for insane patients, and helps to fill the pathetic lives of the soldiers confined in the Nova Scotia Hospital for the Insane. A large proportion of the men in the institutions were not confined to their wards. Their disabilities were such, or they had reached such an advanced stage in their treatment, that they were able to move about and to perform light work. For these cases there was only a half-hour a day of treatment, and the rest of the time might be spent in playing cards, in reading magazines, or in sheer idleness. There was great danger that the men might become “hospitalized” and unfitted for the stern tasks of industrial life. Therefore, curative workshops were provided, where a wide range of classes was held for six or seven hours a day. Practical and accomplished instructors were in charge of the various branches, and nearly every soldier, physically fit to pursue such studies, could find something of interest and value. Many of the patients had never had a fair chance to get a good education, and a goodly number who had had such an opportunity had not availed themselves of it. A few of the soldiers did not even know how to read and write. As mechanics, most of the soldiers had acquired such skill as they possessed in a careless and haphazard manner and were not thoroughly competent. To suit the general needs and tastes of the patients, instruction was offered in business English, practical arithmetic, practical algebra, geometry and trigonometry, bookkeeping, stenography and typewriting, telegraphy, mechanical and architectural drafting, gardening, woodworking, shoe repairing, automobile driving and repair, etc.