A MILITARY DEFECT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7002, 18 January 1901, Page 2

A MILITARY DEFECT.

WANT OP SPECTACLES IN THE '..' :■ ■ army. >; : ■■ . ■ The following interesting anecdote is ' sent by a correspondent to. London " Truth " : — "A .few .years v ago, at some i^reign . manoeuvres, I spent an afternoon on the outmost line with an' officer, ,of /.a crack teitUiL ( . i Jtava3ry i .j'regii^n£. ;v ;. tr JPpinti^ to iSp'nje 4elds abojib 10QQy<jis away^'^iie, s;aid : *' Ther^^-are some cavalry •-.a^Ropg.-.the.; tie«s. . jj. witetJier, tbjej\ are scouts^ from the .other- side*' . I .pointed pjit to him that the opposed, cavalry w^j:e really^iqattle. . Al- ■ tlibugb 9ho¥k-sight«d, Xbaye goodjsig-ht.cvea for. long distances, -thanks to »» properlysskcted pair of pince-nez spectacles. My offlcer friend used his field-glaasy and admit-' ted his mistake, adding,.''! am. short-sighted. It is a great nuisance. !> . One cannot always ■be using field-glasses. ' - I suggested that he might use spectacles, as I'xlid. .'I would gladly,' he replied, 'but there is such a prejudice against them in the s"ervice'.' Just imagine this cavalry office. :ent out "scouting, and going 1 about his- work half-blind because of the prejudice against; spectacled officers! I could name' men on active service in, Africa at the present moment, who Etfe very short-sighted, but dare not wear glasses'. Some of them Wear single eyeglasses, to the great damage of what sight they still have. . ■".■'." Yet last year in Germany, at the Imperial maaoeuvres, I saw plenty of officers in spectacles, and a. good many privates as well." . , ... I regard this (says Mr Labouchere), as one of the most conspicuous instances of the wooden -headed stupidity with which our Army is governed. Another which, deserves otp/be bracketed with, it is- the exclusion of men from the Army becausethey happen to have false teeth. If thera-is-to.-bera new. ( : regime ;wqr,th;anybhing; in-Pall Mjaii, these are among many- absurdities which, will at pnce ; he gotji,dpf. „ , ;^.. > . , Thevcprresjppndent just, quoted states, on .tjl§ aßbhojii^;' of Dr Gbttah Doyle's >Z book, that, the redoubtable De Wet actually goes about in. blue spectacles, owing t^o some eyeytrouble. If this is true, it is indeed, one >of the object-lessons of the; war. How many of the British officers .whose pight-w.as scientifically tested before they receiv-ed ; their, commissions, can see as far, as the bluespectacled De Wet ? ; ... ...