The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-12-07
EASE IN MARCHING
Foot Comfort Is Essential to the
Soldier In Warfare.
rHE GERMAN MILITARY SOCK.
It 10 In the Form of a Large Napkin,
Is the Result of Years of Study and
May Be Folded About the Foot Thir.
" Different Ways to Relieve Pain.

is the Result of Years of Study and
May BE Folded About the Foot Thir-
~ Different Ways to Relieve Pain.
The famous field marshal, Won
Moltke, once said that the Anglo-Sax-
ons are a warlike people, but that the
Germans are military people. The
Anglo-Saxon fights to the death when
war comes, careless of his previous
preparation. After the war is over he |
drops his arms, dismisses all thoughts |
of war from his mind and returns to |
his civil pursuits. The German, on the |
other hand, feels in time of peace as |
keen an interest in war as he does in |
the midst of a conflict. He takes note |
Of his errors in one war and when !
peace comes devotes himself to rene
dying these errors.
A German officer who was visiting
America spoke of the way in which his
people addressed themselves to war
problems in time Of peace.
"Here is an excellent illustration" he
said, and, lifting his foot, he took off
mis- shoe. From about his foot he then
took, not the ordinary sock that men
wear elsewhere, but a sort of napkin
or handkerchief, which was carefully
folded about it.
"This," he said, sis the German mill
tary sock. 1t is the result of years of
study and experiment by the best
minds, not only in the German army,
but in German science and medicine.
During the FrancO-Prussian war of
1870, when our armies were making
forced marches around Metz and on
to Sedan, our infantry was much i'm
peded by sore feet When it came to
having a certain number of men at q
certain point at a certain time for a
decisive stroke we were usually from
10 to 80 per cent short, because so
many men had fallen out of the ranks
from sore feet.
eve got through the war all right,
for our enemies We're as badly off in
that respect as we were, but as soon
as the war was over the government
ordered every man in the service to
turn his attention to cOntriving a form
OF footwear that would be more sery-
iceable to the man of peace when sud
denly called to war. 1t was years be-
fore the present sock was adopted
Thousands Of dollars were spent in
experimenting. Thousands of soldiers
marched in all kinds of footgear, test
ed every possible kind of sock and
stocking. After years of trial this form
was chosen. Here are some OF the
ways in which it can be Worn" .
Thereupon the officer took the nap
kin, which was about eighteen or
twenty inches square, made of cotton
and linen and folded it about his foot
with the dizziness of a Turk winding
his turban about his head. Then, un.
wrapping it, he folded it about his
foot in a different manner and theI
I'm still a third way.
'"There are about thirty different
ways OF folding this sock about the
foot" he said, land during his three
years in the army the soldier is laugh
to become expert in using them all
Each manneC of folding it has differ
ent purpose. One will relieve a sore
ness of the heel; another a wearines
Of the instep; a third will protect al
irritated corn, and a fourth will re
lieve the infiamed ball of the foot. A
the same time that the soldier
taught these different methods 0
wrapping the sock he also learns tn
anatomy of the foot, and just why tn
different wrappings relieve the differ
ent foot ailments.
"After serving his two years in tn
army" continued the officer, ''the SO
der goes back to civil life and b.
comes, let us say, a clerk at a dcsl
For ten years he doesn't walk mil
a day. At the end of that time wa
l.
ors. He goes to the depot of his reg
ment and there finds among his otht
accoutrements two pairs of these mi
tary socks.
''Next morning he starts to mare
with his regiment. At the end of 9
hour, when he has tramped two
three miles over a country road, he
allowed ten minutes for rest. No7
the chances are that that soldier h;
pair of very sore feet. He sits dow
takes off his shoe, diagnoses his so
places, and, recalling his early trai
ing, folds his sock back on his foot
as to give immediate relief. When,
few minutes later, he falls into lii
he has virtually a new pair of fe'
And this he does just as often as ne
foot troubles appear.
1.-THE tremendous advantage that
army thus equipped has over one th
wears the old fashioned sock is OBJ
Gus. If getting there with the mt
men first is the science Of war t
army with the German sock is at Iei
one-third more effective than the o
er."-Youth's Companion.
Submarine Ridges.