Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-08-26

vision Whatever Was Made for the
Especial instruction Of Men Who
Were Naturally Left-Handed-Pro-
portion About One In Twenty.
There were 100000 soldiers In the
stop the Germans on their rapid way
to Paris and thence to-where?
That army stopped the Germans II
stopped them with left-handed men.
To understand fully the force Of
this statement one must compare the
personnel Of the American army with
any or all Of the others that poured
into the nav Of the big guns their
millions Of young men, Eugene Bis
bee writes In the New York Globe. In
the armies OF England, Of Canada. Of
Australia. Of France, and Of Belgium.
and Italy nothing out Of the ordinary
was outstanding
In the American army In action the
outstanding characteristic. after you
saw their fierce fighting. was the great
number Of left-handed men. All
through the ranks during the close
conflict against the Germans. men
were everywhere using their left hands
for their pistols. their grenades. and
their rifles. To the disciplined officer
~ the old infantry school. watching
many hundreds OF men In hot ac-
ton, each seeming TO be acting indie
pendently OF his detachment and many
II them using both hands for their
work of destruction, 1t looked much
like a mob riot.
Following one individual, he was OBJ
served 20 draw his pistol with his left
hand, pick up grenade with his
right and. while aiming and shooting
with the hrearm, hurl the grenade
with accuracy toward the enemy
Often man would handle pistol in
one hand and rifle In the other. each
with equal ease. This particular i'll
stance is explained by the fact that
the embryo soldiers were Instructed
to use the rifle with the right hand
while being drilled, but were permit
{
What the Files Show.
/ Exploration into the files Of the
the rather startling Information that
no provision whatever was made for
the especial instruction of men who
were naturally left-handcd. Stalls
I tics are not conclusive on the subject
/ Of the proportion OF left-handed per-
sons in given number of the coun-
/ try's population. but observation
tends to the conclusion that 1t Is about
one in twenty among the males.
There is n smaller proportion who
are ambidextrous. With these there
was little or no trouble. Bur with the
left-handers there was born AZ once
the question Of what to do with such
II vast number OF men who. In at least
one respect, were totally different from
their fellows. The recruiting officers
could not agree that regiment. or
several of them. should be formed Of
left-handers That would have beef
\ impracticable, for the reason that they
we're scattered throughout the whole
army and In no one camp was there
sufficient number TO form a regiment.
When the men Of the first draft I'M
derw ent their physical examination
and II was found that large number
OF them were left-handed. some OF the
boards inclined Ia a suggestion that
they be given a deferred classification.
/ Blu, this would have been manifestiy
unfair to the others. for they were, as
a rule. men Of fine physique. So Off
they went TO the concentration camps
/ for training 10 he sent to France.
The drill masters assigned 10 the
task managed To teach these men to
/ handle a rifle with their right hands.
| but they let them use the pistol with
/ either hand, since that weapon is not
one Of the drilling essentials. And
\ when II was found that man could
\ not be taught 10 fire a rifle with any
degree Of accuracy with his right hanG
when he was normally left-handed
the officers forgot his deficiency and
! let him use either hand. The impor
tant thing was that he shoot to hit. II
/ mattercd little with what hand ne
killed them when the time came for
I that work
A Remarkable Aggregation.
The consequence was that we de-
| veloped the most remarkable aggre-
! cation Of left-handed men that ever
shouldered guns. On drill they did
very well and few would have noticed
anything unusual about them. But
I the minute they went into action
[ from the trenches of France those
left hands began 10 make themselves
known. They were noticed by the
"Tommies" and the "Poilus.'' for the
soldiers of those armies had been
trained differently.
England is country OF strong tradi-
4 lions hard TO change So Is France.
Monument to Hog is Dedicated.
dwelling OF monument to a hog
! al Rlup Ball o. WAS attended by hun