“I am returning under separate cover ‘The Soldiers’ Foot and
     the Military Shoe.’

“The book contains knowledge of a practical character that is valuable for the men who HAVE TO MARCH, WHO HAVE SUFFERED FROM FOOT TROUBLES, AND WHO MUST AVOID THEM IN ORDER TO ATTAIN EFFICIENCY.

     “The words in capitals express, according to my idea, the
     gist of the whole matter as regards military men.

     “The army officer whose men break down on test gets a black
     eye.  The one whose men show efficiency in this respect gets
     a bouquet.

“To such men the book is invaluable.  There is no danger that they will neglect it.  They will actually learn it, for exactly the same reasons that our fellows learn the gunnery instructions—­or did learn them before they were withdrawn and burned.

“B U T, I have not been able to interest a single naval officer in this fine book.  They will look at the pictures and say it is a good book, but they won’t read it.  The marine officers, on the contrary, are very much interested, because they have to teach their men to care for their feet and they must know how to care for their own.  But the naval officers feel no such necessity, simply because their men do not have to demonstrate their efficiency by practice marches, and they themselves do not have to do a stunt that will show up their own ignorance and inefficiency in the matter.

“For example, some time ago I was talking with some chaps about shoes—­the necessity of having them long enough and wide enough, etc., and one of them said:  ’I have no use for such shoes, as I never walk except when I have to, and any old shoes do for the 10-mile-a-month stunt,’ so there you are!

“When the first test was ordered, Edmonston (Washington shoe man) told me that he sold more real walking shoes to naval officers in three months than he had in the three preceding years.  I know three officers who lost both big-toe nails after the first test, and another who walked nine miles in practice with a pair of heavy walking shoes that were too small and was laid up for three days—­could not come to the office.  I know plenty of men who after the first test had to borrow shoes from larger men until their feet ‘went down’ to their normal size.

“This test may have been a bit too strenuous for old hearts (of men who had never taken any exercise), but it was excellent as a matter of instruction and training of handling feet—­and in an emergency (such as we soon may have in Mexico) sound hearts are not much good if the feet won’t stand.

“However, the 25-mile test in two days each quarter answered the same purpose, for the reason that 12.5 miles will produce sore feet with bad shoes, and sore feet and lame muscles even with good shoes, if there has been no practice