As to the eventual settlement of the island, when the war is ended and when the last Spanish soldier has left Cuba, the work of the provisional government will be ended.  The people of Cuba, whatever the class or sympathy, will then say how we shall be governed.  There will be no reprisals, no confiscation, no distinctions.

CHAPTER XLIII.

Call for the national guard, our citizen soldier.

Enthusiastic Answer to the Call—­Requirements of the War Department—­Who May Enlist—­How the Army was Formed—­In the Training Camps—­The American Makes the Best Soldier—­The “Rough Riders”—­Cowboys and Society Men—­Their Uniforms and Their Weapons—­Their Fighting Leaders.

If all the men who showed a desire to answer the call to arms had been accepted, no nation in the world could have boasted of a larger army.  The demand was so limited and the supply so great that many more had to be refused than were accepted, and many of the National Guard, who were given the preference in all the States, were rejected at the final examination, because they lacked some of the qualifications necessary in a soldier of the United States.

According to the requirements of the war department applicants for enlistment must be between the ages of 18 and 35 years, of good character and habits, able-bodied, free from disease and must be able to speak the English language.  If one is addicted to the bad habit of smoking cigarettes it is quite likely that he will not pass the physical examination.  A man who has been a heavy drinker is apt to be rejected without ceremony.

Married men will only be enlisted upon the approval of the regimental commander.

Minors must not be enlisted without the written consent of father, only surviving parent, or legally appointed guardian.  Original enlistment will be confined to persons who are citizens of the United States or who have made legal declaration of their intention to become citizens thereof.

These requirements fulfilled a man is permitted to take the physical examination.  Few understand just how rigid this examination is.  Many have been rejected who thought that they were in perfect physical condition.  A number of applicants who were confident that they would be allowed to enlist were rejected by the physicians on account of varicose veins.  Varicose veins are enlarged veins which are apt to burst under the stress of long continued exertion.  Closely allied to this is varicocele, which threw out a surprisingly large proportion of the National Guard and the recruits.

After a man is weighed and his height taken, he is turned over to the doctor, who places the applicant’s hands above his head and proceeds to feel his flesh.  If it is soft and of flabby fiber the physician is not well pleased and if he finds that the bones are too delicate for the amount of flesh he turns the applicant down.  Fat men, however, get through if their bones are solid and there is no organic weakness of any description.  To discover the condition of the heart the applicant is made to hop about five yards on one foot and back again on the other.  The doctor then listens to the beating of the heart.  He lifts his head and says to some apparently fine-looking specimen of manhood the simple word: