Some one says an army moves on its stomach, and I guess it does, for an empty stomach makes a poor traveller.
But it also marches on its shoes.
A poor fellow came to my church office one day to see if I could get him a pair of strong shoes. He was getting a job and his boots would not stand the strain.
In the army the boots are most necessary, because of long marches, and wet roads and soaking trenches.
One of the worst of all crimes was to make and issue bad boots to our fighting men.
There was an army rule that demanded care of the feet. Every man had to watch that part of his body, and the medical men were always seeing to it that that rule was kept.
Many a soldier had to leave his post because he had trench feet.
Donald Hankey, who wrote "A Student in Arms" and who was later killed on the Somme, gives a very tender tribute to the beloved Captain. He tells how careful he was of his men, how thoughtful and wise, how his smile encouraged them, how he bucked them up when tired, and always played the game and tried to make every man do the same. Among other things he says, "When we started route marches, and our feet were blistered and sore, as often they were at first, you would have thought that they were his own feet from the trouble he took. After a march there was always inspection of feet. If any one had a sore foot he would kneel down on the floor and look at it carefully as if he had been a doctor."
It was all because he knew the feet were so important, and you can be sure he was greatly interested in the shoes the men wore.
Now, at home, boots are also important. Sometimes it is a problem to know just how to get enough of them; but every parent likes to see his girls and boys with feet well shod and comfortable.