New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1907-10-09

ed in the neighborhood of New York
and elsewhere in General Grants de-
partment of the east are to go to
Washington this month to submit to
the physical test of fifteen miles of
hard riding on a horse, as ordered by
the president, says the New York Post.
Nobody above the rank Of captain will
be allowed to escape the ride or the
ruling of surgeon that he is physical
ly unfit to take it. For obvious rea-
sons army officers dread either fate.
man who is qualified in three
ways to discuss the matter-he is
friend Of the president, an intimate ac-
quaintance Of many officers and an en-
thusiastic rider himself-said recently
that the order was about as unjust as
could be imagined.
"It was" he said, merely a whim
with the president at first, but 1 be-
lieye that it has now developed into
shrewd move on the part of the gen
eral staff to make way for promotions
by Kidding the army of men who are
thoroughly capable and fit for the work
IhCy t1IS do1l1o, Jul arc wv olO " w
spectacular athletic stunts in rough
riding.
"As the suggestion was originally
made by the president it applied only
to the officers of the line, but the gen
eral staff went him one better and
to include the staff officers The presi-
dent no doubt approved their amend
ment, otherwise we wouldn't have the
situation as it now is. The general
staff is made up very largely Of young
men. To claim for them that they
didn't realize that their action might
put many of their seniors on the re-
tired list would be to charge them with
stupidity of a very dense variety.
''The plan, even in it's original appli-
cation to line officers only, was unrea-
sonable and unnecessary and absolute
ly without precedent in the history Of
the army. But, as I said before, l
think it was the result of a whim, put
into effect without any deliberation as
to results.
president Roosevelt is very impul-
sive. He was a weakling, physically
when he was a boy and went west to
be built up. The process was success
full. Among other heroic things he did
was to go rough riding with the COW
boys. It undoubtedly did him worlds
of good, and he still loves to jump into
the saddle and ride hard. So because
it benefits him and because he likes to
do 1t he thinks that all men ought to
do it. That is a great mistake anoth-
er case of acting on impulse
Gall army officers may yet be order
ed to develop certain degree of pro-
fciency in tennis or kill a given num-
Der Of bears as an essential to promo
ton or qualify as marksmen by shoot
ing at mountain lions. The dangers
and possibilities seem almost limit1ess
But let us consider this thing seri-
ously, first with reference to officers Of
the line. We may pass over the caval-
ry and light artillery, for in those arms
of the service hard riding is merely in
cidental to the daily work not only Of
the field officers, but of the captains
and ieutena1as. Excellent horseman-
ship is required Of them as matter of
course
with the infantry it is another sto-
ry. Until he attains field rank an off
Ger OF infantry never has any opportu-
nifty to ride. OF course all the officers
have learned to ride in their cadet
days at West Point, and there, theoret-
ically at least, all had the same oppor-
tunities in the saddle. But even there
that isn't actually So Good riding quail
tiles develop in some youngsters and
not In others, and the average cadet
knows long before he gets his first
commission whether he wants to be a
Of infantry or Of artillery, and very
naturally he has the most interest and
enthusiasm in that part Of his cadet
work that leads particularly to the
branch of the service which he hopes
to get into But the day that class is
graduated from the academy all equal
ity of opportunity for riding, real or
theoretical, ends for good.
Through all the years that an in
fantry officer is a second lieutenant,
lieutenant and captain he must march
afoot with his men. Then he becomes
a field officer and for the sake of con
venience is mounted But the pace at
which he will go is governed by the
marching ability Of. foot troops His
service will never require any very
strenuous riding.
Take colonel Of infantry, for in
stance, a man somewhat heavy and
little advanced in years He can sit in
the saddle ali day and move with his
command, but he can't jump hurdles
or ride like a charging dragon for
fifteen miles. That would kill him.
General Shafter weighed 300 pounds.
Down in Cuba they had to lift him
into his saddle, but lack of agility on
his part did not prevent the army and
the public from making a hero of him.
Fortunately, there is no man in the
army today so heavy as Shafter was.
but there are MANY who bapo o,1t