tions were submitted, August, 1917), was 5 feet 4 inches. In further 

 explanation of the suggestions it was said that: 



The minimum for the English infantry and some other branches of the service 

 prior to the present war was 5 feet 2 inches, and it has since been reduced. On 

 the Continent the minimum differs with the nationalities, but is as a rule lower 

 than that of the United States. In many of these nationalities the average 

 height of the male does not reach, barely equals, or only slightly surpasses the 

 minimum requirement for the soldier of the United States. Many of these 

 nationalities are well represented in this country. They include Italians, Greeks, 

 French, Mexicans, Spanish, Swiss, the Russian and Austrian Jews, many of the 

 Slavs, the Magyars, Roumanians, Lithuanians and even Germans. Should the 

 present minimum in stature for the United States Army and Navy be rigidly 

 adhered to, from one-fourth to one-half of the men belonging to or descending 

 from the nationalities mentioned would be excluded by this rule alone, thus 

 resulting in serious disadvantages, the chief among which would be that of 

 placing a disproportionate burden in the formation of the army on the naturally 

 taller native American. 



RACE IN RELATION TO NORMAL STATURE 

 In view of the fact that small stature in a large majority of cases 

 signifies normal variation and not weakness or degeneration, as 

 has repeatedly been proved by certain regiments of short stature of 

 England and other short stature troops of European countries, the 

 Committee recommended that "the minimum stature requirement for 

 the new United States Army be reduced, for all branches of the service, 

 to 60 or at most 62 inches; and that corresponding with this, the 

 minimum weight requirement be reduced from 128 to 120 pounds." 

 These recommendations were subsequently adopted by the Chief of 

 Staff. The practical importance of the adoption of this recommenda- 

 tion is one of far-reaching significance, on account of the vast immigra- 

 tion from Southern Europe during the last thirty or forty years and the 

 fact that the Army will include a considerable number of men of Amer- 

 ican birth of South-European parentage. Practically all South-Euro- 

 peans are of a lower stature than the northern races of Europe or the 

 United States. In forwarding the suggestions and recommendations, these 

 fundamental facts of physical anthropology were emphasized by Dr. 

 Hrdlicka and amplified by a table showing approximately the average 

 height of European nationalities, exhibiting an average stature as low 

 as 63.7 inches in the case of Magyars, 64.1 inches in the case of Russian 

 Jews, 64.7 inches in the case of Italians, and 64.8 inches in the case of 

 Austrian Slavs. All of these racial elements form constituent parts of the 

 new National Army. Their unnecessary rejection on the basis of the for- 

 mer minimum stature would have been a foregone conclusion. The aver- 

 age height for certain races is frequently more or less misleading and 

 often useless for practical purposes. The typical frequency distribution 

 of stature is, however, of decidedly greater scientific value; and as a 

 useful contribution to a better understanding of this important aspect 



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