The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-25

vArHILE complaints that come w from the National Guard are comparatively few, they have been numerous enough to cause comment in peace-at-any-p price quarters. The health on the Mexican border is said
 to be remarkably Militia Reports good; if it were to Be Uncensored otherwise tn e
 public would soon know it. And there is certainly no reason to think that guardsmen are not properly cared for.
 But the war department has acted wisely in instructing army command CTS on the frontier to submit weekly reports of the actual physical condl- tion of their commands, and in order ing that these reports be furnished uncensored. The treatment accorded the euardsmen and the duties they perform are to be described in detail in order that the department may "meet criticisms alleging mistreat- ment and undue hardships suffered by militiamen."
 Some of the murmuring that has reached the Secretary of War has originated, it is believed, with rela- tives of the men now serving Uncle Sam The mother who did not bring m her son to be a soldier thinks, no doubt, that if, by any chance, he joins the militia, he should be only car pet soldier, should be supplied with table delicacies and should be cod dled generally.
 The government would be, and should be, severely censured if it did not furnish wholesome rations in abundance. But a soldier is a soldier, whether he be enlisted in the regular army or the organized militia. It is his first duty to be amenable to dis cipline. And if he has the real sol dier's pride he accepts hardships when they come without grumbling.
 The great majority of the guards men-virtually all of them, taken as a whole-are behaving admirably and are entitled to the appellation of true blue" Yet the war department will lose nothing, but on the other hand will gain wide approval, by inform ing the public every week all about conditions as they actually exist. -ROM time to time a moron com
 mits some horrible crime in Chi cago and the authorities are con- fronted with the problem of disposing of these unfortunates so they will no longer be menace to the public.
 Coroner Hoff- Dealing With Morons man has been
 
 bright idea which the Chicago Herald attributes, not without good reason, to the heat. According to this astute gentleman, policemen could easily compile list of the subnormal persons on their beats and the list could then be pub lished by the chief of police. Citizens would know exactly who to keep an eye on.
 Simple enough in theory, but this plan would prove vastly complicated in practice. The question, When is moron ?" has been found even harder to answer than the famous query, .When is a man drunk 2" The experts don't agree, and probably never will When the alienists sometimes guess poorly, how is an ordinary policeman with the ordinary policeman's brain to determine whether a person is a moron or not. He would probably have no difficulty in picking out eccen- tries along his beat, but to publish all such persons names as being half witted would never do.
 Some other way will have to be found. Mental tests are too confusing, even when applied by experts. Not long since Mayor Thompson of Chi cago was proved a moron by mind test" If families in which there are