The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-08-11
FLAT-FOOTED, ETC.

feet. | knew there were whole lot |
of weaklings being raised up in the |
country now, but | did not think the |
percentage was as large as it appears !
t ODE. Among other things | notice |
that quite a number are rejected for |
being fat-footed. What is that? |
have all the while been thinking that /
that expression meant frmness-im- |
movable determination. | have often |
heard people say-have said it my
self-f1 stand fat-footed on that |
proposition | take it for granted
that we must have had some of these
Iduck-footed fellows in civil war
times, but | never did hear of any
one being exempted for any such
thing as that. But then we did not
fight with our feet-it was against
the rules. | know the fat-footed fell
lows in the Confederate army (if we
had any could stand as firm, shoot
as hard and straight as any other
| fellows. Talking about rejecting the
fat-footed men reminds me of the
story | heard of an Irishman who
went to a cock-main in New Orleans
to enter his bird for the fight that was
about to come off. He had his bird in
bag, as all the sporting men had
theirs, and he walked up to the man
who booked the entries and asked the
amount of the entrance fee and upon
being told, he paid it. He then had to
show his bird so as to have it regis
tered, weighed and named. When he
took his bird out of the bag it proved
to be a Muscovy drake. He was told
that he could not enter that bird, that
the fight was a game cock match, and
besides that, the bookkeeper told him,
"That thing can't fight nohow; he could
not stand up a minute before a game
cock" Can't stand up is it," says
Pat, "why yer honor, look at his fate
(feet). Why all hell can't thrip i'm
up!" But the Muscovy was ruled out,
just like the fat-footed are being
done today.
Then, too, | see some are turned
down for defective teeth. Well, in
civil war times there existed real
military reason for this, as the boys
had to bite off the end of the paper
cartridges then used, before they
rammed the ball home in their rifles,
but even so, l never heard of any one
being exempted from military service
on account of defective teeth. Of
course | know that bad teeth are the
cause of number of physical ills, but
now when the government has army
dental surgeons it seems to me that
when it is only the teeth that turns a
fellow down, that instead of giving
him an exemption card, he should be
, required to report to one of the dental
surgeons to have the defects RENE.
died, and then report for duty. 1t
would seem to me that in this way, at
least rs per cent of these exemptions
could be remedied and the parties
: ready for service in very short time.
We have spoken of the bad teeth
and the fiat feet but the biggest prop
osition that we are up against is the
"cold feet" The doctors do not have
to handle that fearful" malady but
surely there must be some expert
specialists somewhere along the line
whose duty and privilege it is to close
ly examine into and apply the remedy
| RI tn inc
that the examining board might very
= well apply a sticking" plaster to
quite number of these cases that
would accomplish wonderful results if
they examine closely into the cause OF
:, this nauseating disease. Well, may
be Uncle Sam can afford to pick and
, choose now and turn down the boys
with fiat feet, bad teeth and cold feet
(wonder why the knock-kneeded, bow
legged and fiat-nosed were not also
: included?) but in Confederate days
we never heard of such things dis
qualifying a man for efficient service
and historians say, and we who were
there know, that the world never pro-
duced Drawer, better and more eff
cient soldiers than the Confederates
especially the Army of Northern Vir-
ginia, which was trained and fought
under the matchless Lee.
We had numbers among US who
did not measure up to the height, MOI
weigh as many pounds as the regula,
tons call for, but none dared say they
did not measure up to the highest
standard of patriotism, nerve and en-.
durance. Blessed be the memory OF
them now and forever.
am proud of the Ocala Rifles anC
all of the rest of our young men anC
: boys who have gone into any arm OF
service for their country. Ny best
wishes will go with them wherever
they may be called upon to go; and
and many others of our city and com,
munity will watch their careers feel,
ing sure that they will acquit them.
selves like men, and add historic
il luster to themselves and to the city
and community from which they went
! out like true men and lovers of lib.
erty to do their duty to their country
Some time-the day will come-wher
even the descendants of these brave