New-York tribune., 1902-02-04
RECRUITS AND POVERTY.

England's difficulty in securing effective SOL
diers for her campaigns in South Africa has
moved Miles" writer In The Contemporary
Review" to discussion Of the causes under
lying the scarcity Of abebodied recruits. on
the basis of the latest report OF the inspector
general he shows that, taking into account the
men whom the recruiting officers do not think
it worth while 10 bring before the doctors. those
whom the doctors reject and those who are
dropped after trial In the army, 80 per cent Of
those presenting themselves for service are re-
jected
One of the most common causes Of inefTiciency
in the British recruit is the unsoundness Of his
teeth. which renders him unable to masticate
and digest the hard fare Of active service; an
other is fiat feet" which incapactate him for
severe marching The first of these physical
shortcomings IS due TO insufficient nouriSh-
ment in ch! dhood and the second TO maternal
neglect in the same period OF life A more gen
eral and more powerful agency of the deteriora-
tion of what should be the nations fighting
force is held by the writer to be the custom OF
too early marriage; the children of children
must of necessity be stunted and an9mic.
In the same number of THE Contemporary
is a review of Mr.. B. s. Rowntrees Poverty;
a Study of Town Life" which is a complement
of the somewhat pessmstc utterances of
Miles Taking York as a typical English
city, Mr. Rowntree shows that, using the term
10 signify a condition in which the total earn
ings of the family are insufficient to obtain
"the minimum necessaries for the maintenance
'Of mere physical efficiency" 20,302 out of
1 population Of 1882, or 27.S4 per cent of the
Inhabitants, are in poverty" That we may
understand what mere physical efficiency
means, Mr.. Rowntree particularizes:
a family living upon the scale allowed for in
this estimate must never spend penny rail-
way fare omnibus. They must never go into
the country unless they walk. They must never
purchase p halfpenny newspaper spend a
penny to buy a ticket for a popular concert
They must write no letters TO absent children
for they cannot afford to pay the postage. They
must never contribute anything to their church
or chapel. or give any help to a neighbor which
costs them money. They cannot save, nor can
! they join sick club or trade union, because they
cannot pay the necessary subscriptions. The
children must have no pocket money for dolls
marbles sweets The father must smoke no
tobacco and drink no beer The mother must
never buy any pretty clothes for herself or for
her children, the character of the family ward
robe as Of the family diet being governed by
the regulation: Nothing must be bought but
that which is absolutely necessary for the
maintenance OF physical health, and what is
"nomical description" should child faii i'll it
must be attended by the parish doctor; should
II die II must be buried by the parish. Finally
the wage Garner must never be absent from his
work for a single day.
Mr. Rowntree's book is hardly more than a
statement of conditions; he suggests no panacea
and advocates no policy. In the face OF his
grave exposition Of facts, the plan for the inn
provement of the raw material Of England's
army outlined by Miles" seems sketchy and
superficial He thinks the question largely
educational, and would increase the efficiency
OF popular instruction in gymnastics would
train the poor in the knowledge of right food
and methods Of housing. and would give
Through what mediumD wise advice" on the
subject of early marriages. The questions
raised by these two papers are momentous; the
point contained in them on which all may agree
is that nation in which only two out of every
five who are willing TO fight for it are fit to
become soldiers must go far back of its War
Office 70 accomplish real army reform.