, 1881-01-16
CHICAGO'S SOLDIERS.
The Class Of Recruits She Fur
nishes the Regular Army.
The Rigid Examination Required-A
Journalist Rejected.

The Rigid Examination Required-A
Journalist Rejected.
The difference between the free and light
eued institutions Of this country ana tne corfe
HponGlnE institutions of the less favored HILLS
: is shown nowhere more clearly than In the man
ner in which the latter secure recruits LOT thel1
military service. Not to go exhnus;lve1y into
the subject Of the methods by which the Euro
pcau armies arc kept supplied with men, it will
do TO prove the general disinc!inatlon to be-
come soldier which exists there and the u11-
warrantabIc means employed to ret around 1t,
to simply mention the fuct that the English Re-
cr,l:tng- Sergeant in nineIy~nfne cases out OF 10o
finds It necessary to first fudde bis victim before
he can have any hope to induce him to take the
shilling which binds him as the armed servant OF
the Government for 4 term Of from fourteen to
twenty-onc ycars. Here, however. the enlist
mcnr Of men for army service Is conducted on a
coumon-seuse and busness-like basis: tho i'll
duccmcnts tn become q soldier are set forth in a
plain manner and those having desire to don
the blue are allowed 10 do SO only after they
have abuudantly shown that they know what
they arc doing, that they are free agents, and
that they are physically. mentally. and morally
capable Of doing Cncle Sam credit in one OF tho
most Important branches OF his service
u
noon at the recruiting Office Of the United Sta1es
arny in this city ut No. 9Clnrk street. where
Mai. Burt Is III command, and III the course OF Il
couple of hours conversation with that officer
obtained iii Insight into the way lit which the
citizen. with pre1ilectlon for military life, IL
enabled to enter upon Il soldiers career The
general understanding is that the uriny IS con-
stuntIy on the lookout for accession tn It's ranks,
and that no one but broken-down human hulk
T{F,rv FN
Is altogether wrong end. Us the reporter soon
found out,
TIE REQUIREMENTS DEMANDED OF 4 RE
CErIT
are such that the wonder is that men possessing
them do not engage in more profitable occupa-
tions. The severity Of tho examination which
the recruit has to undergo Is attcSted b} tho
fact that out Of &C. applicants who presented
themselves within tho Inst three mouths OF 1SS0
no less than Gu1 were rejected rs not qualified
for the service
The examination of recruits for the infantry
and artillnry IS most rigia. They must he over
q and under IS years Of age, over five feet four
inches in hight aud not less than 10 nor more
thA:l ib0 pounds III weight. These are the
primary conditions, and glance ut the list of
causes Of rejection Of the G0l Chicago applicants
whom the urmy declined to receive into its
ranks during the last three months Of last year
shows that 10 become Il United States recruit
just now man must be sound in body. and
somewhat above the averuEt: III moral stunulng.
or tilest. m"n III were rejected on account OF
"appcarance Of inteuperslncc, twenty-five
were under-size, thirty-two were over age,
eighty-tiye were minors, nineteen had impaired
vision. two were deaf. eighteen had vuricose
veins, niuety-cight were dchcGnt in 6ta1llina,
imperfect Knowledge Of t6c English language,
ant siNty-four fullcd to secure admission on
account Of their '' moral disability Amongst
being subject 10 the morphine habit. TO alcohol
ism, afflicted with loalhsorlc disease.
''How did you lind OUT
THE MORAL. DISABILITY
for which so many rejcchous were mado:" the
Sin variety Of ways. i not uncommon dis
coycry when the applicant is stripped for in
Epection is thnt Of iii indecent picture tattooed
upon the arm. That settles the application Mt
once. The moral disability Of man who would
carry such device upon his person needs no
better proof, aild he is told 10 get i1nmcdi-
ately:"
What is the course which you put an appii-
cunt through when he arrives p
- First OF ull We find out whether he can read
or write. then his aye, whether he is married or
single.-don't want the married 1nen,-his habits
rs fur us sobriefy goea, bis previous occupation.
and then VIZ cxuu,inc him in order to find out
his bodily fitness fur the service"
:" How Is this dune 2?
ouFh. The applicants strip TO the buff, and arc
put through set Of exercises. We measure
the must important parts of their bodies, make
them hop. KICK jump, test their joints to SET: If
they nre tree, try their hnnds and feet to discov
er that they nre sound and lvjuct them If they
are 1 possessed OF any physical imperfccuon.
who is IN expert III Judging tho physical 1Eau,
but usually 70 i'll myself; always do when
any question CONES UP. After their limbs chest,
lungs. and other prominent physical features
have been examined, those WIN have passed the
ordeal urc subjected 1o I'LL ocular test. This is
accomplished with the help OF
THIS SET OF CARDS.
The Major produced case containing ten
cards. numbered from the ace up, nuu with II
round black mark III the place Of the devices
ptf% TbcsciI .i' bt i sai arr held IN at VARYING
lengths from the eyes of the applicants. and we
are ubie to tell f,1,ln the readiness with which
they call the number IF dots upon the card sub
mitted to them the strength Ut their eyes. As
rule excellent cycsiEht obtains nnlong tho
Americans; in fact the only ruce which seems
specially deficient in this respect is the German
lnr,c proportion OF whom. otherwise Sound
physically, are rejected account OF their
weak sight, which, of course is i fatal defect in
. The physical ordeal is n very thorough one
After the Sergeant has passed ii man the Chief
Clerk has IL Look ut him; then i examine him,
and finally the Doctor exercises his art upon
him. uud searches for any drlects which We
non professionals may have overlooked. Then
We 0ll nnYe consultation, in which amy
weak points in III applicants physical condition
are Thoroughly cnnra:scd- This very morning
We hau Il long consultation over Il man who,
otherwise physically Sound, had toe which |
overlnppcd another In ugly manner. Nc
1tnal1y rejected him: OIL long march this ap-
parently tr:ling pecuiiarlty might prove fatul
tu his Keeping up with the rest, and We declined
IL uccept him Oh this ACCOUNT
:" suppose you have all sorts md conditions
OF men among your applieunts?'
:" All kinds. \ few days n.o had i man ap-
PLY VINO represented himself 10 me As |
4 SHORTHAND WRITER.
l gave him trial, beginning ut the rate of about
loo words minute, when he seemed toEet :llnny
very well. Increased the speed up to ubuut I5O |
and he still Kept up. 1t tncu occurred TO me |
that he might oe 1naking tly-tracks along the |
pautr. SO got him to read the matter over to |
int, but found that his work was good. Every |
other test he passed i'll equally satisfactory |
1nan'ler, and now he is recruit with every !
PROMISE OF becoming good Soldier.''
Ihat. suppose, is is near an approach to |
the bona fdc newspaI,rr-tnntl us ever applied |
for admission to Uncle Satf1's nrnv:'' |
You are wrong there. Not SO very long since |
Wcli-knoWn Chicago journalist called upDu
nc and sought IT, enlist He was very de- |
fpondeut ut the time. and could ut once have
rejected his application Oh the ground Of np- I
F.nrlncc Ut intemper:,nce-' He told Tie Of Ills /
professional wundcrings and enlisted my inter- |
est, If not my pity, but could not enlist him |
He was too old. nnd knew that If be entered |
the service the loncings for his old occupation !
for he IL genuine journal;st-woui bcsct !
him. nnd he would become despoudcur
in consequence, and q down-heartc0 |
so1uier is the most uncomfortable, useless
person that can we'll meet lie was very
earnest III his application. and l believe the