The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-03
cnNscnIprInN IN FnANrE.

From au interesting article in Temple B1r Nuga-
.ine, we copy the following
In France, when q lad arrives at the age Of
twenty -oDe, he Is liable 10 be drafted into the
army TO the poor, fate is ineNorable; to the
wealthy She affords lOop-hole a ch ince OF escape
In .he shape of substitute. Within four and
twenty hours after its birth, every infant Is car
ried by y nurse and its father, or some other
lation o. the Marie, and there its name and sex
are entered Into vast volume in the registry
Office. II il be q boy, It is followed about by the
police all over the country. Jeannot's parents
cannot move from one place TO another without
giving notice TO the commissaire Of MS migration;
and when, years after this civic persecution, he
e1ters tbe threshold of manhood, the luckess
lad finds himself invited by the Minister Of War
TO present himself at o military bureau.
Too we'll he knows the meaning OF that ominOus
invitation, and with beating heart and heavy step
obeys the summons. He knew that il must come I;
his brother knew that Il must come; his sister
knew that IL must come; yet none the less sOr-
rowful be goes, and they accompany him to the
bureau, and hone the less cheerful they behold
him descending the steps, with gay colors pinned
10 bis cap in mockery of his misfortunes. For a
misfortune IL is regarded.
Few. very few Erenchmen, however yaliln.ly
they fight In the field, however loudly they after
wards talk Of the glory Of arms, rejoice when they
hrst draw the evil scrip which tears them from
their homes, from their daily business, from their
future career, to run the will-o-the-wisp chase
Afler the prOblgma.ic marshal's baton, which
every French soldier is told he carries ia his
knspsack II anything could reconcile him 20
his lot. or soften the horrors Of this fOrchC ab-
straction from his family, e would be the idea OF
promotion which chnraCttriZes the French army
but even this fails 10 cheer or 10 compensate him
for the serious check which his prospects Ia life
receive. A cloud has descended thick and dark
upon his hopes, upon the delicate little projects
OF love and matrimOny he had formed and at
twenty -one he is compelled to abandon hmself
10 barren, If not vicious course of life he de-
tests, abansGning the designs he had probably
cherished from his youth.
Such is the social phase Of the conscriptiOn.
Yet one hundred thousand youths are thus an-
nualy torn from their homes; by an Imperial
decree OF 1897, the number was fixed at this high
figure. Previously IL was left to the discretion
or caprice Of the war minister, who raised IT,
Substitution, however is allowed in the French
army. Up TO the year 1856 private agencies eX-
isted, where substitutes could be procured for a
stipulated sum since then, however, these ageu-
cies have been abolished, and the Govern ment has
entirely mOnOpolzed the business, with tue view
of creating domestic fund, wherewith 20 Gu
courage enlistment when the original term has
expired. The price Of q substitute is fixed an.
Dually, and varies considerably; yet is az any
time a large sum for a youth even of tue middle
classes to pay. In 1855 the sum was SIP; 1859
%72 and 1862, S92.
To show how poorly voluntary enlistment sue
eeeds in France, and also how the true campaign
ing is declining, we may regard the fact that
whereas In 1850 5000 presented themselves 10 The
recruiting sergeant, not more than 1892 dispaye
their martial zeal in 1862; so little pugnacous
our real Frenchman if left TO himself. No army
In the world offers greater prizes; and it would
not be fair to the military system Of France not
10 state that rapid advancement is open 10 every
soldier, and that no man with superior education
ever remains long in the ranks.