The Washington herald., 1917-07-18
Army and Navy News
Another sketch of a prominent army
Best Service Column In City.

Another sketch OF a prominent army
officer:
MAI. GEN. ERASMUS NJ. WEAVER.
Chief Of Coast Artillery.
Born in Indiana May 23, 1854. and
appointed to the Military Academy
from that State in 1911. In 1875 he
was made a second lieutenant and
assigned 70 the Second Artillery. Dur
ing the Spanish-American war, while
captain in the regular establish
ment. he was made lieutenant colonel
OF the Fifth Massachusetts, Infantry.
He Is an honor graduate of the
Artillery School and Is now serving
his second detail on the General Stan
Recent agitation for bantam" regi-
ments may have had something to do
with the approval by the Secretary
of War of recommendation from the
Surgeon General that the physical re-
Quircments for recruits be reduced
from 12o to 10 pounds in the matter
OF weight and from fve feet -four
inches TO five feet one inch In height.
The maximum height is to be set at
six feet six inches instead of the even
two-yard mark.
Following is an interesting dispatch
relative to the success OF English
bantam regiments: AT least fifty
battalions of bantams have been
raised and some have fought with
distinction in the battles on the
Sornme. In fact nearly every regiment
In the British army today has any
where from one to three bantam bat
talions attached TO it. Take the three
Welsh regiments: I'D Foot (Royal
EuSiliprQl. 9th
Borders; 41st Foot (Welsh RegIment).
Each of these has either two or more
bantam battalions attached to II, but
as each Of these three regiments has
anywhere from twenty-four to thirty
battalions. the bantams only form a
small proportion of the whole. The
requirements are five feet two inches
TO nve feet four inches. Anyone above
five feet four inches is obliged to en-
list in the other battalions. Being Of
an even height they generally look
smarter on parade than where the
men vary from five-foot-three to six
foot-four. In normal times the
minimum height in the British army is
iive-foot-flve. Anyhow, courage does
not consist in feet and inches.
Napoleon was under five-foot-one in
height and Nelson would fail to pass
the regulation standard today
Secretary Of the Navy Daniels has
announced the appointment Of an ad-
visory committee on the improvement
and welfare OF the men in training
camps and stations OF the navy and
Marine orps. to be called THE Naval
Commission on Training Activities"
In the regular and reserve corps Of
the navy and Marine Corps there have
been recently added about IA, 900 men,
ard the majority OF these recruits
are very young men and boys who
have come from sheltered homes In
America.
Il believe" Secretary Daniels said,
that their welfare and their training
In 5000 surroundings is a matter of
the hi-%cst Importance, and every ef-
fort is being made to secure the very
best moral environment for the young
men In all the training camps and
stations. To this end. I have asked
the cooperation OF the authorities in
the States where these young men
are at present located and have re-
quested a committee OF men and wom-
en- who have taken deep interest in
the physical and moral welfare Of
young men to cooperate.
Il am glad to say that a commits
sion of men and women. all OF whom
have rendered important service and
have special fitness to give advice in
this important work, have accepted
and enlisted as volunteers in the ef-
fort to make conditions as near ideal
for the enlisted personnel as possi-
BILE"
The committee is composed OF Ray
mond B. Fosdick, chairman; Walter
Camp. New Haven, Conn: Barton
Myers. Norfolk. Va: Joseph Lee, Bos-
ton. Mass; John J. Egan. Atlanta,
Ga; Selah Chamberlain. San Fran
cisco. Cal; Clifford W. Barnes, Lake
Forest, ILL.,: Charles P. Neill, Wash
ington, ID. c.; E. T. Meredith. Des
Moines. Iowa; John s. Tichnor, sec
retary Army and Navy Y. NJ. C. A..
New York; Lieut.. Richard f. Byrd,
United States Navy; Mrs. Finley ],
Shepard. New York; Mrs. Daisy Nc
Laurin Stevens, Hattiesburg, Miss;
and Mrs. Helen Ring Robinson, Dem
yer, Col.