New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-25
THE STOCKINGS or THE GERbdN m
FANTRY.
From HE London Times.

From he London Times
1t is my humble opinion, though probably it is an
infantry ~ thelI boots, or rather | should say
her whole pedal equipment OF stockings they
nave none at all, the only thing which protects
their feet from the friction of the shoc-leather being
Il piece OF linen rag smeared with lard or other
grease, II procurablo and wrapped round their
over oXtrcinities like sandal straps. | have read
2oi oriental people who anonted their heads with
oil, but the Germans anont their lcet. This phe-
nomenon somewhat startled me to-day and made
me pause to wonder whether after ALL we were mon
engaged IN actual instead OF mimic wariaie was
skiItlng ditch into which "A company had subsided
alter the general halt had been blown and beheld a
4 whole row OF poor fellows assIduously bandaging
as thought, their wounded feet but even If b,lI,t
nad Dcen AZ work why such uniformity Of the parI
NIT 1t Is mns kerry maxim to fire low and fire
slow, ana was this the result of that strict ODE
German sodierf | appealed to the captain who
had no sooner sheathed his sword than he took on
very long, blg-bowied pipe. and began to enyeope
ms men once moro IN clouds of dense smoke he
merely smiled somewhat grimly perhaps and said
him and said was md ebted to him for a new mean
ing OF u WORD already N my vocabulary of his
elastic aud expressive Language, The Germans
well know, for they have proved IL themselves
that victory nowadays belongs every bit as much to
he best marchers TO the best mark smen and they
have therefore probably adopted tins lard and linen
institution with express eye TO the realization OF
the above maxim; still it hard to believe that
with all It's simplicity and cheapness it has not it,
serious drawbacks. '
But, apart from the question of what my in
iormant, the captain, was pleased to call stock
back on the subject of infantry boots They aIe of
what is known in England the Wellington pat
Tern, ana may be worn inside or outside The
trousers, leggingwise though during the lighting OF
the lase day or two came across no troops Who
wore them in the latter fashion. In going over soft
ground they merely tuck up their trousers-which
are somewhat baggy, by the way--and you see their
boots "waggng" beneath them. 1t is true.
|ehciency IS preferable 10 ornament but in the caac
OF soldiers uniform at least, it is hard to see why
combination of these two ends should not be at
tainable. If ones boots TOO small the feet are
ekc9rlated If too large, they are blisered; but
the lard and linen device is probably deemed and
proved by the Germans to be an antidote aaainSt
both these miseries. S
There, Is another serious Inconvenience howe YER
attending the disproportion between the size OF
boots and feet. In very SOFT tenacious ground the
boots are left sticking while the man goes ON
casting an aifectionate farewell look behind MIN
but halt he cannot. saw one or two cases of this
Kind yesterday and to-day. and ] remember that
when the 18TH Army Corps. two years ago, de6led
before the Emperor ut S rasburg across stubLle|
held wh. sa rain had rendered very Ia! ddy. tho
SO that fatigue party had to DO told Off. amid
great laughter to gather up the lost property
This Is exaggeration and in military history the
occasion is still known as the Stetelparade.