The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1911-11-23
FOOT test IS RIGID
Imprint Of Hollow Of Foot Throws
Applicant Out.
Nearly one-ThIrd Of Applications for
Enlistment at st. Louis Rejected
Because. Of Pedal
Defects.

st. Louis.-Are American men be
coming fiat footed?
Records of the recruiting offices of
the United States marine corps and
the United States navy tend to show
that they are, One of the first tests
made in the examination Of applicants
for enlistment is the foot test; and
II the applicant is found to be fiat
footed the test goes no farther. The
applicant is rejected forthwith.
T~hirty-ive per cent. of the appli-
cants for enlistment In the recruiting
omces in st. Louis are rejected be.
cause their feet fail to pass in
%spection.
Apparently the feet Of the white
race r approaching the condition ex-
pressed by a southern negro many
years ago. when. commenting on the
track made by one of his brethren, he
said: de hollow Of yo' foot makes a
hole in de groun'."
Flat foot, according to the Webster
Dictionary, is a foot in which the
arch of the instep is fatened 30 that
the entire sole Of the foot rests upon
the ground.
The condition of the foot is objected
to by the United States marine corps
because it indicates the giving way
of the tendons Of the feet. The de.
feet is likely to become aggravated in
the feet of soldiers In service on the
steel decks of ships or troops on long
marches.
This condition of the foot is said
to be caused chiefly by the cheap
grades Of shoes on the market. The
sole Of the instep is not sufficiently
braced to support the arch. Officers OF
the United States marine corps claim
that the shoes furnished by the gov
eminent to the soldiers will prevent
this defect, as the soles are stiff and
will support the ach. In a few cases
partial cures of the defect have been
made by the wearing Of an arch in
the shoe for several months.
The foot test at the recruiting office
10 required to pull off his shoes and
socks, step OF an ink pad to ink the
bottom of his foot, then step on the
sheet Of white paper on which the i'm.
print Of the foot is made. If the arch
Of the foot Is broken down. the imprint
will show that the flesh Of the foot
has spread out Oh both sides Of the
natural contour.
The military aspirations of hundreds
of young. men have been blighted in
the last few years by the fact that
their feet fail to meet the government
requirements.
Sergt. Harry Ennis OF the United
States marine corps recruiting Office
IN st. Louis says the rules against &C.
cepting fiat footed men became very
strict soon after the campaign in Mic.
aragua in 1908, when 800 marines
spent three months on the shore. The
campaign evidently was a severe test
20 their feet and soon afterwards %
Of the 800 men were discharged on
account of fiat feet New orders were
issued relative to foot inspection and
the recruiting officers were directed
TO enlist no men who had fiat feet,
club feet. splay feet. large corns on
the sole of the foot or corns on any
part of the foot, If the corns appeared
to be irritated or sore; webbed toes
or the great toe crossing Its neigh.
boring toe. Knock knees also dis.
qualify a man from military service.
Comparatively few of the applicants
for the marine corps al qualify. ow.
ing to some physical defect. In add
ton to the IS per cent. rejected for
low standard feet. 10 per cent. are
respected for defective vision. 2 per
cent. for color blindness. 6 per cent.
for defective teeth and about 80 per
cent. for other physical defects. Nc
more than IL per cent. of the appli.
cants are enlisted.