The Ketchikan miner., 1915-03-04
EASE IN MARCHING
Foot Comfort Is Essential to the
 Soldier In Warfare.
THE GERMAN MILITARY SOCK.
It Is In the Form of a Large Napkin, Is the Result of Years of Study and May Be Folded About the Foot Thir- ty Different Ways to Relieve Pain.

May Be Folded About the Foot Thir.
 ty Different Ways to Relieve Pain.
 The famous field marshal, Von Moltke. once said that the Anglo-Sax. ons are warike 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. dismsses all thoughts of war from his mind and returns to his civil pursuits. The German on the other hand. feels ill time of peace as keen an interest i'll war as he does in the midst of conflict He tlkcS note of his errors in oie war and when peace comes devotes himself to rene dying these errors.
 X 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" be said, and. lifting his foot he took off his shoe From about his foot he then took. not the ordinary sock that men wear elsewhere, but sort of napkin or handkerchief. which was carefully folded about it
 This" he said. "is the German mill tary sock. It 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 ,t 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 | certain point at certain time for a decisive stroke We were usually from 10 to 30 per cent short. because so many men had fallen out ot tue ranks from sore feet
 We got through the waI all right for our enemies were as badly off in that respect as we were, but IS soon as the war was over the government ordered every man m the service to turI. his attention to cOntliying form of footwear that would be more serv. iccabe to the man of peace when sud denly called to war. It WAS years be- fore the present sock was adopted Thousands ef 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 1t can be worn
 Thereupon the officer took the nap kin which was about eighteen of twenty inches square, made of cotton and linen and folded it about his foot with the deftness of Turk winding his turbun about his head Then, un wrapping it. he folded it about his foot in q different manner and then in still q third way.
 There are about thirty different ways of folding this sock about the foot" he said and during his three to become expert in using them all Each manner Of folding it has q differ ent purpose. One will relieve sore ness of the heel; another a weaIiness of the instep; Il third will protect an irritated corn. and fourth will re lieve the inGamed ball of the foot At the same time that the soldier is taught these different methods Of wrapping the sock he also learns the anatomy of the foot. and just why the different wrappings relieve the differ ent foot ailments.
 After serving his two years in the army" continued the officer. the sol dier goes back to civil life and De romes. let us say. a clerk at desk For ten years he doesn't walk mile
 day At the end of that time wal breaks out and ne is called to the col ors. He goes to the depot of his regi mcnt and there finds among his other accoutreuents two pairs of these mili tary socks
 Next morning he starts to march with his regiment. At the end of all hour, when he has tramped two ol three miles over q country road, he is allowed ten minutes for rest Now. the chances are that that soldier has il pair of very sore feet He sits down takes off his shoe. diagnoses his sore places, and. recalling his early train ing. folds his sock back on his foot so as to give immediate relief When, few minutes Inter, be falls into line he has virtually new pair of feet And this he does just as often as new foot troubles appear.
 The tremendous advantage that an army thus equipped has over one that wears the old fashioned sock is obvi Dus. If getting there with the most men first is the science of war the army with the German sock is at least one third more effective than the oth er"- Youths Companion.
 Ct,b,o ar;pa Ri1cae