The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-03-21

ing against a aoor3amu OF a ilouse on the
Bowerv and winked at long range at plump
Jewess, who was standing in the door OF a
! pawnbroker's shop across the street.
| The United States flag hung listlessly over
his head. and red and white sign told passers-
| by that recruits were wanted inside for the
! marine service.
The sergeant took farewell look at the
| plump Jewess and led the way upstairs. The
| recruiting barracks consisted of one large
bare room with a stove IN the center, and an
! adjoining apartment filed up with a library
| and several desks and tables. This was the
surgeons room He was not in at the time,
but his blue dresscoat hung on a nail where
1t could be found when he wanted to slip
into it and examine an applicant.
I'VE have about sixty or seventy applicants
d month. said the sergeant, land we accept
about thirty of them. They come to me first
and look them over and see that they are
not crippled or fngerless or tooyOung. Then
if they are apparently all right take them
in to the doctor and he puts em through
most severe examination. After he is salts
fed that they are between the proper ages for
admittance-that is, not under q and not
over 35-he tells EN- TO undress and stand on
the weighing machine. After they are weighed
they are stood under that measure and
their height is taken. Then he turns them
over to me, and put them through about
twenty different movements. They must be
able to kneel on one knee, TO touch their fin
gers behind their backs, over their head and
to the floor without bending their knees.
''They must be able to move every finger
and every Joint in their body. Then they
must walk on their toes and on their heels.
The doctor examines their lungs, teeth and
muscles, tests their respiration and inspira-
ton, their chest extension and their muscular
development in every part OF the body.
Then we stand the applicant over il this
corner and make him read those letters on
the opposite corner The highest possible
mark for eyesight is twenty, and the eye
sight IS one of the most important tests"
The visitor stood in the corner designated
and the sergeant held piece of pasteboard
before one eye. The visitor spelled out the
letters slowly but without a mistake.
That's pretty good" said the soldier con-
descepdngly, NOW try the other eye and
read them backward
This was also performed successfully.
They generally get mixed on the Gs and
Cs, said the sergeant. 'Your mark would
be twenty. You Cannot get in il your mark
is under seventeen, unless YOU are veteran
Then thesergeant produceda box of colOred
yarns, and told the visitor TO try the color
test and pick out ali the reds.
You would be surprised to find how many
there are who cannot tell red from green, or
rather how many there are who confuse the
two coIors They won't mistake red for blue
or red for yellow, but green and red look ex-
actIy alike to them. OF course, this Is q
very serious matter at sea, where red and
green are so often used in signaling"
If the applicant gets through all these tests |
he is handed over to the private, who forms
with the sergeant the guard at each barracks, |
and who takes him off to the station in Brook |
lyn. There ne is turned over to the drill |
master and uniformed from head to foot, even
to his suspenders, at Uncle Sans expense.
He is supposed to stay two years on land and |
three years at sea- but this exact time is sell |
dom adhered to; it often happens that his |
first term of five years service is spent entire |
~ on land save for month or two as sea, or |
vice versa. His pay for the first term OF /
five years, which is the shortest time for
which he can enlist, is SIS month for the
first year, ST. for the second, SIS. $40 and SEE
for the remaining three.
Besides this, all enlisted men, except mus
clans of the band, serving on the first period
of five years are entitled to 81 per month fer
the third year, 50 for the fourth year and 81
for the fifth year.
Their rations are supplied them and their
only expenses are twenty cents month TO-
ward the hospital fees and 81 % a month for
WASHING New York Evening Si7u