The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-02-22
THE AMERICAN ARMY.
How 1t Appears to an English Observe
from His Stanhpnint.

1
How It Appears to an English Observer
| from His Standpoint
Tho rank and file of the American
army sre composed of all nations who
san speak the English language sufh
oiently well to be understood and tt
understand the word of command, and
include almost as many Germans and
Englishmen as Americans. The English
| and Irish emigrants, unable to obtain
remunerative labor at home, or con
science stricken on account OF some
dread deed committed by them, to the
disgrace of their friends and relatives
who will no longer give them their
countenance and support, go across "the
Herring Pond" with the intention OF
starting afresh on now soil, and find
their way eventually into the ranks;
the German, in order to avoid the mar
tial imposition in his own country, es-
capes to America, "from the frying-pan
into the fire." so to speak; Frenchmen
and Spaniards, sailing across on voyages
of adventure, dissipate their means and
have no alternative but to remain and
join the forces; thus there are many who
enlist to escape punishment in other
countries, and who divulge to none their
past history; and some do so on ac-
count Of reverses of fortune, having
got disgusted with civil life, or
are actuated with more sinister
motives still, intending to desert
as soon as they obtain something better
to do. Owing thus to the kindly dis
position on the part of the American
Government, as representatives of the
people. to help everybody to live. and to
its wise determination to make every
body who seeks it's protection work in
some way for his maintenance, the for
eigner finds himself received cordially
into the forces. 1t is, at any rate, cer-
tain that remarkable men do sometimes
find their way into the ranks-men of
fine sensibility, possessing a rare store
of information, and qualified to fill and
discharge the duties of many of the
highest offices within the gift of the
government with honor and credit to
themselves. Indeed, there are many
soldiers in the American army at the
present day who have fought in Eng
lands late wars, and not few of good
birth and education. From this it will
readily be inferred that high per-
centage take assumed names and come
and go without either receiving corre
spondence or their superior officers
being the wiser. When application for
enlistment is first made by the would-be
recruit, minute description is de-
manded of him in writing-his full
name, the town and country in which he
was born, his age, height, breadth round
the chest, color of his eyes and hair, his
occupation, how long he has been out
of employment, his reasons for wishing
to enlist, whether he has ever
had any nervous or venereal disorder,
the name, age and occupation of his
father (if living), the name and address
of his nearest friend, whether married
or single, etc. To many Of these ques-
tions-much the same in all armies
the recruit replies in equivocating terms,
if he does not tell out and out false
hoods; but, of course, there is no one to
ascertain whether or not he is speaking
the truth, and as it would certainly in
volve too much time and labor to in
vestigate each case, it is fact that the
descriptive lists of private soldiers con-
tain number of false statements.
Hence, it is no uncommon thing to see
a woman early in the morning crying
ont frantically at headquarters, II want
my husband" To get married while in
the service, or, being married, to enlist
as single man, is considered very
grave offense, and renders soldier
liable to obtain a dishonorable dis
charge. On the whole, it is very easy
matter to become an American soldier,
SO long as the eyesight and hearing are
good The medical examination in many
districts is not strict or searching. The
age, so long as the would-be soldier does
not look too much as if he had escaped
from the nursery, is of little moment,
and many veterans, twenty and five and |
twenty years in the service, will enlist |
again at fifty, so hardened do they be.
come and so utterly incapacitated for |
any other occupation. The next step
after examination is the declaration OF !
allegiance to the United States, and one !
easy drill qualities man to un-
lertake the entire duties of soldier
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