The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-07-17
FLAT FEET KEEP
MANY OUT OF navy
MARINE RECORDS SHOW IMPER-
FEET ExTREMITIEs KEEP IS
PER CENT OUT.

Washington, July flare American
men becoming 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 if
the applicant is found to be fat footed
the test goes no further. The appli-
cant is rejected forthwith.
hollow Of yo' foot makes a hole in de
for enlistment at the recruiting offices
are rejected because their feet fail to
pass inspection
Apparently the feet Of the white race
are approaching the condition express
ed by southern negro many years ago
when, commenting on the track made
by one OF his brethren. he said: de
hollow Of yo' foot ankles a hole In de
groun'."
Flat foot, according to the Webster
dictionary, Is a foot In which the arch
of the instep is fiattened so 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 defect
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 assert that the
shoes furnished by the government to
the soldiers will prevent this defect,
as the soles are stiff and will support
the arch. In a few cases partial cures
Of the defect have been made by the
wearing Of an arch In the shoe for sew
eral months.
Foot Test Simple.
The foot test at the recruiting office
is a very simple one. The applicant
is required TO pull off his shoes and
socks, step on 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. II the arch
of the foot is broken down the inn
print will show that the flesh OF the
foot has spread out on 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 re-
quirements.
Sergeant Harry Ennis OF the United
States marine corps recruiting office
In ST. Louis, says the rules against ac-
cepting fiat footed men became very
strict soon after the campaign in Mic
aragua in 1908, when 500 marines spent
three months on the shore. The cam
paign evidently was a severe test to
their feet and soon afterward twenty
eight Of the 500 men were discharged
on account Of fat feet. New orders
were issued relative to foot inspection
and the recruiting Offices were directed
TO enlist no men who had fiat feet, club
feet, splay feet, larg, corns on the sole
OF the foot or corns on any part of the
foot If the corns appeared to be irritat-
ed or sore; webbed toes or the great
toe crossing it's neighboring toe. Knock
knees also disqualify man from mill
tary service
comparatively rev Oh the appl1CdnLS
FOR the marine corps can qualify, owing
to sonar physical defect. IN addition
To the 81 -er cent rejected for low
standard feet. 10 per cent are rejected
for defective vision. per cent for coll
or blindness, per cent for defective
teeth am about 81 per cent for oth-r
pl1ysica defects. Not more than IS
Der cent of the applicants are enlisted
Few Accepted.
In May Of this year eighty-one appli-
cants were examined at the local office
and only two were enlisted. In June
nifty nine men applied and seven were
enlisted. The marine corps, however.
ii well iiIleS up nearly all the time, and
this department OF the government
rsalitary service 10 seldom required to