The Portland daily press., 1898-06-29
BUILDING UNCLE SANS so,n,-n
Important Part Played by the
SUM in the United States Arm,

1t is the generally accepted onir;ox,
the army today that there is notL;.
which deserves more close attention or
which pays larger interest in benato;o,
results than the physical training Of 49,
individual soldier. Not that the sphiaae
was ever less important than it is tod.
but it has been only within the last fs,.
years that the army Withdrawn from
small and isolated posts and concentrated
in great measure into large garrisons
with gymnasium facilities, has been able
to devote TO this subject the careful ana
systematic attention it deserved.
Marshal SAKE sounded the kevnoto
when he said tie secret Of success in
wa lies in the legs Of the soldier' And
it might be added further hat not ONLY r.
the legs Of the soldier should the com.
mander look for success, but in the arms
the back, the lungs, in fact, the entire
physical organism; for the endurance Or
lack of endurance of all of these NAV
mean the difference between Victory and
defeat. All other things being equal, the
army which can cover the greatest dis.
tnnce in the. least time. and with the leas
fatigue-that army which can stand sleep
less nights and make tiresome marches
with poor food and poorer comforts
and still be in good physical condition,
has its battles half won before the first
shot is fired.
The only principle of strategy or tactics
that old General Forrest, the Confederate
cavalrynan, ever pretended to know, was
that of getting the most men there
first And after all the volumes that
have been written on those subjects have
been simmered down ard digestsd, the
whole thing narrows down to pretty
nearly that principle.
The problem then is how to "get the
most men there first" and not have them
exhausted. when they do arrive. The only
natural solution is, by uniform and syste-
matte physical training, to render their
bodies almost insusceptible to fatigue
The system of progressive instruction in
physical training is carried on through
out the entire army. Several manuals
have been prepared. principally by Mr.
Koehler, instructor in gymnastics at
West Point, and by Lieutenant Butts OF
the Fifth Infantry. An officer who has
special aptitude for the work is put in
CudfSe VI GuG COuFS6 VI luhGf uCUlOQ at each
post, and together with his assistants
takes active part with the men in ali the
exercises. Drill halls of gymnasiums
have been provided at number of the
largest posts.
I The system begins with the exercises
of the mildest nature, such as calistheniss
without apparatus of any kind. From
these dumbbells, Indian clubs, bar bells,
medicine balls. running, etc., are taken
Mn, Whnv, ct1ff1 hoo
voted to the milder forms the training
proceeds 60 practice in vaulting, jumping
running, fully armed and equipped,
esoalading and finally exercises on the
various gyvmnastic apparatus.
Though the rate of advancement may
sometimes seem slow an tedious to
those men who show special aptitude for
athletics. they can put in as much extra
time as they desire in the gymnasium.
The system Is not devised for the making
of few highly finished athletes, but for
the training Of the whole mass to as great
degree of proficiency as possible, just as
chain should be made strong, not by
Welding few of it's links to unusual
thickness. but by distributing the metal
as evenly as possible throughout It's entire
length.
After the course has been well [entered
upon field days are held at the various
posts, prizes Of no small value being
given to the winners of events. In some
instances also athletic contests between
teams from different posts have taken
place. The plan even of forming an ath-
letic association composed Of all the .regi-
ments of the army. with grand annual
contest at some1central locality, has been
seriously discussed and is not among the
impossibilities in the near future.
In Lieutenant Butts manual there is
described very pretty system of using
the rife in calisthenic work. There are a
number of exercises calling into play all
the muscles of the body, not only skill
fully, but in manner pleasing to the
eye.
Facilities for gymnastio work are being
increased and improved as rapidly as
possible at every post in the army Any
one interested in the work cannot but
recognize the fact that such exercises not
only build up the constitutions of the
soldiers and Erender them insensible to
fatigue, but, by presenting free and in
teresting diversion from the mon otony of
post Afe, are powerful factors in keeping
the men from wasting their time in useless
and possibly harmful amusements.
Verify, instead ofsbeing -passing. fad,
the system of physical training in the
army has decidedly ''come to stay. -
Illustrated American.