Popular Science Monthly 



936 



soldier to take care of the clothing and other 

 articles issued to him in order to escape 

 severe punishment. Again, it is not the 

 slovenly soldier who gets along well with his 

 officers and wins promotion, but rather the 

 one who takes good care of his clothing and 

 equipment and keeps himself looking clean 

 and fit. The following suggestions may be 

 of use to the recruit who really wants to 

 "soldier" correctly. 



1. Always keep a complete uniform for 

 inspections, parades and ceremonies, there- 

 by avoiding extra details for being un- 

 presentable at these formations. 



2. Fold all clothing carefully and with 

 the fewest possible creases, and be sure that 

 it is thoroughly dry before putting it away. 

 See that all buttons are in place, that all 

 spots are removed and all torn places 

 mended so that when it becomes necessary 

 to put the clean things on in a hurry they 

 will be ready to wear. 



3. Wash the leggins often with laundry 

 soap and a stiff scrubbing brush. They 

 will dry in half an hour in the sun and may 

 be washed between formations if necessary. 



4. As a rule, never dry anything in the 

 sun as the color will fade; but leggins are 

 seldom harmed by the sun. 



5. Sweat stains cannot be removed, so do 

 not worry yourself sick over them. The 

 color may be partially restored by dipping 

 the garment in a solution of one part of 

 ammonia to two parts water. 



6. Remember that gasoline or benzine 

 will remove grease spots and also that both 

 are highly inflammable. Paint spots can be 

 removed with turpentine. 



7. Watch your shoes and keep them re- 

 paired. Keep a whole sole under you and 

 keep the heels straight. Shoes require an 

 oily dressing and saddle soap should be well 

 worked into the leather at least once a 

 week. This removes the old polish and 

 allows a higher polish with less effort. It 

 also helps preserve the leather and assists in 

 making the shoes waterproof. 



8. Never dry wet shoes, or any other 

 leather for that matter, with artificial heat 

 or in the intense heat of the sun. Heat a 

 collection of pebbles and put them in the 

 shoes if it is necessary to dry them in a 

 hurry. 



9. Use only the best polish. Never 

 clean tan shoes with lemon juice or acid as 

 it has a tendency to rot the leather. 



10. New shoes can be fitted to the foot r or 

 "broken in," by putting them on and stand- 

 ing in water until they are well wet and then 



walking two or three miles in them. Take 

 them off and immediately rub saddle soap 

 or oil into them and they will be none the 

 worse for the experience but will fit like an 

 old shoe. 



11. Leather goods in general should be 

 washed off with a thick lather of castile soap 

 and clean water. Rub them well so as to 

 remove all salt, sweat and dirt. Oil oc- 

 casionally or rub in saddle soap. A little 

 neatsfoot oil is beneficial at times but too 

 much of it has a tendency to rot the stitches. 

 Neatsfoot oil should never be used on any 

 leather which will come in contact with a 

 horse's hair as it will burn the hair off. 

 Oil should be applied while the leather is 

 damp and should preferably be applied 

 from the under side. 



12. Have plenty of socks and underwear 

 and change them every day. If it is im- 

 possible to carry a large supply of these 

 articles they should be washed every night. 

 Sweaty underwear causes chafing and that 

 means misery to the infantryman. Dirty 

 socks or socks with holes or rough darns in 

 them cause blisters on the feet and make 

 marching a thing to be dreaded. 



13. Keep all of your buttons buttoned at 

 all times. An unbuttoned pocket, shirt 

 sleeve or neckband has been the cause of a 

 good many days kitchen police being given 

 out as punishment. 



14. Watch your shoe, leggin and breeches 

 lacings and put in new ones before the old 

 ones break at some inopportune time. 



15. Keep your hat brim flat, just as it is 

 issued to you and don't turn it up or down. 

 Wear your hat on top of your head and not 

 on the back of it. 



16. Be as careful about keeping your 

 clothing clean as you are about keeping 

 your body clean. 



Improving the Writing Qualities 

 of Cheap Lead Pencils 



THE ordinary cheap lead pencils can be 

 greatly improved, the sharpening 

 made easier and the lead made to wear 

 better, by soaking them in linseed oil. 

 Use boiled oil and add a few drops of per- 

 fume. Immerse the pencils for three- 

 quarters of their length, placing them in a 

 vertical position in a bottle or tin can. 

 Keep them in the solution for seven days. 

 Remove them, wipe off the surplus oil, 

 wash in benzine and let them dry. You 

 will find the writing qualities greatly im- 

 proved by this process. — W. S. Standiford. 



