The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-13
A SUPERB ARMY.
Physical Condition of Volunteers Bet
ter than in '61.
Washington Post.

Washington Post.
1t is natural that the veteran Of the civil
war, being human, should be critical re-
spectng armies of which he is not part.
Yet as he saluteS the new volunteers on
their way to the tropics he invariably con-
cedes their physical superiority over the
an obtrusive fact to all who remember the
events of that other war. The average age
is lower and the stature weight, strength
and agility higher. Under Lincoln's first
call some attempt was made to impose con-
ditions of enlistment, but it amounted to
little more than the temporary rejection OF
persons who lacked inches in height. Later,
even this lack was not bar to enlistment.
Yet the men of the civil war were not weak
lingS, North or South, but displayed prod
igies of endurance and valor that surprised
mankind,
The physical excellence of the new army
is a revelation and a rebuke to those dole
full persons who have deplored the imagin-
airy deterioration of the American. The ex-
aminations conducted by the army surgeons
are severe enough-nearly as exacting as In
the case of persons who apply for enlist
ment in the regular army-and the APP
plicants have shown an unexpectedly hlgn
percentage of young men with pnyslcaI
qualities above what is regarded as the aV-
erage. More than half the volunteers are
members Of the National Guard, well drilled
and with some knowledge of camp life, and
especially of discipline. Some have had eX-
perience of personal danger in dealing with
mad rioters. All this gives to them an ad-
ditional advantage over the volunteers OF
the civil war. Then the comparatively Few
militiamen were not enlisted by companies,
as a rule, but were judiciously distributed
among the raw recruits to act as drill
masters Now the National Guards are en-
rolled by regiments, in which from 80 per
cent. to so per cent. are new men who quick
ly become proficient in drill and submit to
discipline from contact with experienced
recruit has to learn is prompt and silent
obedience. 1t is less calling when there is
the example of trained men. Another al
vantage of the army of to-day is that the
members of the National Guard can shoot:
They have been taught to do 1t. Many or
those who enlisted in the sixties never nred
a gun until they found themselves in battle,
where they were slow and awkward IN
loading and wasted an enormous amount OF
gerate the value of the militia experience.
The occasional sham fights seemed like
childish sport, but it is something for a SOL
der to have an acquaintance with the tre-
mendous, bewildering din of battle.
Another reason for cheerfulness regard
ing the health and the lives of the stout
young men who belong to the armies or
invasion is the great advance in the hos
pital service, in the art of surgery, and In
the means of preserving the health. The
field hospital is a comparatively modern in
stitution. There was a time when there
was no pretense of surgical attention. The
wounded received an extra pay allowance
with which to hire nurses, but most were
content with the clumsy dressings of COM
rades In the civil war the field hospital
was very primitive, and many deaths might
have been traced to the inetficency of the
first dressing of wounds. If rap1d-hring
guns, new explosives, and better marksman.
ship increase the number and seriousness of
wounds, the better physical condition of the
soldiers and the Improvement In surgery IN
sure recovery in much higher percentage
of cases. Already officers and surgeons OF
the armies of invasion have listened to the
lectures of experts on the methods of keep
ing well in a tropical climate. The soldiers
themselves are armed with printed copies Of
simple rules of wholesome living. They will
have the benefit of all practicable appliances
for reducing the dangers of hot country.
We NAV fairly expect much less sickness
and a lower death rate than in the armies
of the civil war.
The superb physical appearance of the
new troops is significant. An army of near
ly 100000 young athletes suggests a people
as far advanced in bodily vigor over those of
a generation ago as this army is over that
of the sixties Habits of personal hygiene
that were then exceptional are now general.
The prominence of athletics in college life
is merely a reflection of the widespread in
terest in health-gving exercises and sports
The necessityFof a sound body to tolerable
existence is Universally recognized, and tho
popularity of wheeling, golf, tennis, boating,
and other outdoor amusements is a result
of an intelligent study of hygiene. Before
the advent of croquet, some thirty years
ago, life was carried on indoors as far as