The Washington herald., 1909-05-23
PHYSICAL ENDURANCE TESTS.
How Mr. ROOseveIt's Order work.
Hardship in Navy.

From the Richmond News-Ieader.
Jack afOat IS a picturesque. effective
and digniied force IN the worlds com
merce and warfare. a hero OF romance.
idol Of his nation. 50 loved Of women
kind as p-overbisny 10 ilave sweet
heart In every port Jack astride is an
awkward anomoly. & jostling joke Justly
the object OF derision since the tina
when ships and horses first began 20 Il
and the difference in the service required
Of them ard the spheres OF their re-
sPective activities was first recognized
Il is no wonder. therefore. that tbs
officers OF the navy continue 10 beseech
President Taft 10 revoke 8ir. Roosevelfs
famous order requiring them 10 tzka
physical endurance tests once a year.
This order names as the exercises &c
be engaged IN walk Of fifty miles n
three consecutive days. a horseback ride
OF ninety miles IN three consecutive days.
or q bicycle ride OF 10 miles in three
consecutive days
We are inclined 70 think that the o-der
originally was the result OF q mistake OF
3ir. Roosevelt who is not ore Of those
who go down 10 the sea il ships fre-
quently- Possibly on one OF his nautical
expeditions he heard some allusion 70
the haEser. and concluded that il was
q eavalryu2an, and that making fast a
hawser meant the exercising of q marine
horseman- Or. he may have gathered the
idea that q marine IS a warrior who
habitually goes 70 battle aboard a mare
II, however. President Taft declines 10
take this view, and insists that the order
OF his predecessor be Obeved- We sug-
gest that the navy seek sweet revenge.
Mr.. Roosevelt IS under strong suspicion
OF suffering from nal Ge .mer. When d
gentleman. as was recorded OF Mr.. Roose-
welt during his recent voyage. avoids
luncheon and betskeS himself 70 literature
and solitude within his own cabin espe-
eialIy II ne be usually q gentleman ex-
ceedingly strenuous. the circumstances
must be accounted against the integrity
CT his internal apparatus Therefore. We
suggest 70 the navy 10 insist that II its
officers are required 20 undergo endur-
ance tests ashore every male citizen be
required to undergs a mal-de-mer test. n
default OF II 70 be de5arred forever from
all possibility OF holding position in the
army in any circumstances OF capacity.
from commander in chief down
Imagine a much tossed mariner under
going the horseback test, trying 20 90 his
thirty miles a day With cables slipped
he rises and falls and pounds furiOusly.
AfoTe lies the dreadful pommel sstern
the cruel cantle. beneath 3 saddle OF Bit
ter granite. At each lift and crash he
shGdders from top 10 keelS0n. and II
seems that az the next he must fall into
fragments. stTewn far along the road 10
Warrenton. Va Even at such 2 moment
Of agony. with the changing OF the re-
lentless hcofs and the grinding of his
own bones sounding IN his ears. and with
the lower legs Of his trousers ever crawl
Ing, crawling toward his knees, shaken 70
pieces aynidship. Quivering alOft. and with
the riging al IN q raff5-in al the
tIlmult and agony a sweet thought might
possess him He might think Of TheO-
6ore Roosevelt doing his endurance test.
say, in q clipper built schooner OF 80 tons
and & gale OF wird OF Cape HatteTaS- Re
could consider tie pitching end The roll
ms, the mounting Up 70 the cTests. the
long and horrible sliding down into the
trough. with deep rolls alternating 20
port and star50ard, and OF the former
President green and yellow and ghas1iy
OF countenance. that cOuntenance wear
ing an expression Of utter despair, pro
jected over a bulWerk for g bitter and
hated purpose. He could dwell with
something Ike rapture on the picture %
those eyes. languid and glazed not with
glass. gathering new despair and new
nausea from the ceaseless sliding and
hcaving water
If the President Insists On testing the
naval men ashore. let him test our fore
most theoretical and controversial war
rior afloat That. at least. would be Al
alienation for the sunerings Of the in
0erffe5 Safio-S