Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-09-20
AZ frsE R asEiasaa DO; ORD,
What the Sergeant Told to a IS Star ,.
Reporter.

w h&Se suC SCh&thht AOIu 10 u ~ STAR ~
Reporter.
THE MEN WHO ENLIST-CACSES THAT LEAD THEN
TO JOIN THE ARMY-THE REASONS WHY
SOME FAIL TO BE ENRoILED-No MARRIED MAN
NEED APPLY-THE GREAT PROPORTION OF DE-
sERTERS, ETC.
Thirteen dollars q month, clothes and "a
tons. You amt married? We don't take mar.
ried men. Think you-cn pass tn physical? Got
good teeth? If you've lost your 'melars' its a
fatal defect" And the recruiting sergeant
tilted back in his chair, cycling his visitor from
teeth to toe. you're trifie slender"
'But dom"
mo. know you don't think you're delicate
Well, maybe not. But it amt everybody who
can get enlisted; great thing; great favor; you'd
hardly pass. Butch. dash it, don't like to
see you disappointed Being as it's you.
guess can fix it for YOU continued the SER
geant. as he took the pipe from his mouth and
winked three times up his coat sleeve But at
this point the loQuaciOus sergeant was called to
halt and given to understand that his visitor
had no intention of enlisting at that time.
1t was THE STAR man who had dropped in to
inquire into the mystery of the government re-
cruiting office and thus narrowly escaped the
blue troWsers.
DO we enlist many? Yes. all we can gel. "
said the sergeant. in response to THE STAR
mans questions. as he offered him a chair and
closed his recruiting book. 1--WE take all we
can get who can pass the examination"
How many applications do you get in q
day." asked the scribe.
Two is the most 1 remember of coming in
one day. Some days none come"
do most OF them pass?"
mo. Last month we had twenty applicants.
and only eight were accepted as physically
sound. The month before there were only
eight accepted out of thirty
What is sufficient to disqualify an appli-
cant?'
THE absence of molar teeth is alone sufi-
cient. In old times it used to be that soldiers
had to have good incisors. or front teeth That
was when they had to bite cartridges Now
they have cartridges that don't need biting. and
ncis0rs are not Indispensable i'm soldier Signs
of habitual drunkenness is sufficient to dis
quality man for the service. He will be reiec-
ted for any serious physical weakness MANY
are disqualified on account Of big veins in the
calves of their legs-long marching might burst
Them"
What makes men enlist?" asked The STAR
man.
''Out of work. out of money, out of friends. ANY
thing. Some have a liking for the army Some
have read books and have a. romantic idea of
frontier sOlder-life. But the most of those who
enlist are iabOrers who get out of work and
have nothing open to them but to 60 into the
army. l don't know but it is the best thing
they can do. For single man without trade
the army is a lot better than iobbing They
have their pay sure and no expenses and at the
end of their term they generally have snug
little sum of money. / have been discharged
twice and each time had $500 due me- That isn't
bad"
oh" he added, after short pause, during
which ne pulled his pipe violently. They come
for various reasons. / spOse some young fell
lows enlist because they have had ouarrels with
their sweethearts. Some young fellows have
been Wild, and they run away from home and
JON the army. Occasionally an educated, re-
fined-looking fellow will join. They generally
have good reasons for it. They have been clerks.
and have violated some trust or otherwise in
lured their reputation. or have been ruined by
bad associates and are flying from Them
Don't recruits of this kind soon get tired of
soldier life and desert before their time is up %
The STAR man asked.
'AbOut nlHe-tenths of all tine new recruits
desert before the first year is up. Most of them
never join their regiment. There are over a
hundred thousand deSerters ut large throughout
the country now"
Are these what you call bounty jumpers ~
mo, they get no bounty. They never get a
cent until they join their regiment. When we
enlist them we simply dress them up in uniform
and ship them off,
You say they are all single men. Don't
married men ever enlist -
We won't have any but single men. They
government does not want to be burdened with
their families
Don't they ever get married after enlist
ment -
sometimes, and those who have served seve-
raj terms are allowed more privileges in this
direction. But it is not very good for the new
recruits to get married. l remember one re-
crult who was placed on duty here. who mar
red young Washington girl on the quiet AS
soon as they found him cut though. he was
from hpi,J 4
get him. Now his wife lives here dependent
upon her relatives. guess
But you don't want to enlist No? thought
not. | thought this thing about marryin' would
settle you. Well, if you get out of Job, or forge
check, or your girl goes back on you, I'll be
here"
And the sergeant leaned back with curious
smile frisking about the corners OF his mouth,
and pulled away silently as The STAR man
slipped out.