The times., 1899-12-24
AMERICANS AS SOLDIERS.
They Tower Above the Fighting Men
OF Other Cnuntrics


tFrom the Phiadsphia Teleg1aph)
We know. Of course. that the raw recruit
Is Tar different individual from that per-
son after he has gone through the minis
trations OF the drill! sergeant The army
oIhceF IS apt, indeed. 10 tell US that drill is
everything, that the native material and
lhe disciplined soldier have not a point in
common. Still, some vital statistics. as We
may caH them, are. in spite Of the opinion
OF oihcers. of practical concern in this
question such considerations as height
weight. organic sOundness and freedom
from the alcoholic habit Some signih-
cant comment on these and allied matters
was made at the United Service Institution
Ia LONDON recently by Lieutenant Colonel
douglas, brigade surgeon. He spoke on the
recruit from depot medical officers point
OF view, and his remarks. as reported in
the Times. give the English people some
thting to think about.
IL mas been generally admitted for some
tlme that the British soldier is a much less
perfect physical creature than he was in
other days, but it has been left for Colo
mel Douglas to indicate clearly how he has
retrograded. As a fact, the English pri-
Vate OF the period is deficient in stature
and IN weight, as compared with the men
who fought under Wellington. and even
with the fighting men nearer our own day
tanned many backguards, no doubt. but
not so many degenerates 1t is a vital con-
Sideratton. Discipline can make OF the
blackguard good man for army use, but
1t can do little for the degenerate. The
men who are driven into the ranks in these
days take the step mainly from hunger:
they are mostly artisans, undersized. and
so deytahzed by a long course of INSULT
cient food and absolute neglect Of sanitary
living, that all the drill in the world cannot
make them soldiers of the first class. We
give the opinion Of an Englishman who
ought TO know. The blackgUard was more
TO be desired than the degenerate.
With all this the English private SOL
der outclasses his brother of the continent.
Inc French, German, and Russian soldiers
are even inferior TO those of England
Compulsory military service accounts for
this While there is some pretence of sift-
ing the drawings from the insatiate net.
the demand for even greater and greater
armies is so pressing that multtudes Of
men pass the examiners who never should
be allowed to do so.
In marked contrast with these various
classes OF recruits stand the men who make
up the American regiments With us it is
no question Of a degenerate class. Our So
dieTs are picked men. They ar so be-
cause we need fewer of them and because
among those applying for enlistment more
are rejected than are accepted. II is made
kind Of favor to get into the army and
only the best men Offering get the chance.
This is not from any unjust seection but
only through living up to the letter OF the
strict regulations. This material is re-
moved from the moral dregs Of Europ an
society, and is very superior physically
Bodily measurements taken of several
thousand Young Americans blryVaaD the
ages recognized in recruiting showed an
average weight Of 1j6 pounds. a height Of
feet s 1-2 inches, girth Of chest 81 1-3
inches. Average results OF British recruits
in great number Of examinations were:
Weight, 126 pounds; height, feet II
inches; chest measurement, 80 IL inches.
Colonel Douglas said that within his re-
remembrance recruiting sergeants would
have laughed" at the British recruits Of
today. On the contrary, the American SOL
dier has never been a more complete figure
of man than he is at present. In all re-
spects he towers above the fighting men Of
every other country.