Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-17

|
SHINN g. CO.. lt iS, C Bet. Mast st
| jefferson barracks, a few rifles from ST.
| Louis. Throughout the country there are
| about forty recruiting rendezvous at which
| accepted recruits are collected ana sent to
| the different depots for instruction. There
| are also recruiting officers at ali military
posts and stations and from time to time
special recruiting offices are established
| temporarily at various points. Then there
| is the experimental system Of reginenIal
recruiting, which consists in seniing a reg
| mental officer with few assistants to
| travel through the different cities, towns
and villages of the localities in which r..;i-
ments are stationed, the object being to cr-
| list men specially for the particular regi-
| ments, and IL has worked well. Last year
500 recruits were obtained in this way,
| and generally they were excellent men. who
| enjoyed the advantages of serving IN the
| immediate vicinity of their homes during
one enlistment at least AS 20 the require
ments of the recruiting service the fol CIV
ing points Of the official mem orani la may be
quoted:
Applicants for enlistment must be Re
tween the ages of eighteen and thirty Gears,
unmarried, of good character and HABITS,
able bodied and free from disease. 40 APP
piicants are enlisted who cannot intelli3iLly
converse in English and fully Lndcrst and
orders and instructions given in that Ian
guage.
Applicants are required to satisfy the re
cruiting officer regarding age and character,
and should be prepared to furnish ne"es-
sary evidence. minor can be enlisted en-
ly with the written consent ~ his parents
or legally appointed guar dian, aid when
his physical development is exceptionally
good and presents many characseristics CT
maturity.
For infantry and artillery the weight
must be not less than one hundred end
twenty-eight pounds and not more nan enc
hundred and ninety pounds.
For cavalry the height must not be less
than five feet four inches, and weight not
to exceed one hundred and sixty-fve
pounds.
Comfortable Quarters Provided.
1t will thus be seen that not every man
can enter the military service. and that
those who do enlist enjoy advantages
There has probably never been a time in
the history of the army when the barrack
system was SO perfect in every detail Of
hygiene and personal comfort No longer
does the theory prevail that soldiers in bar
racks should be required daily and nightly
and all the time to endure hardships and
discomforts of field life. on the contrary.
the enlisted men are allowed to have soft
beds. pillows and bed clothing; they have
comfortable and well-equipped mess halls,
where they may sit and eat without in
decent and unnecessary haste-such. for eX-
ample, as prevails in the English army,
where the men go to the kitchen for food
and eat II how and wherever they please.
They have their good club rooms or post
exchanges. and all in all enjoy greater lati-
tude than ever before. They may wear
civilian clothes when on pass or furlough,
they are not required to attend unnecessary
roll calls at night, they perform no unneces-
sary military duty after Saturday moraing
inspection till the Monday morning follow
ing; in fact, they now have their hours of
ease and enjoyment just like officers OF the
army and other people who are not required
to be all the time in official or business
harness. and are thousand times better
off. many of them at least, than their COM
rades ana relatives at home who toll as
laborers on scanty pay and endure many
deprivations.
Comparatively. indeed. the army offers
more inducements to the sober and loyal
citizen than many other work vocations.
The private soldier Is no longer required TO
do garbage work in posts. Indeed. he does
no work save that of general garrison DO
lice and there Is not a farm hand nor
laborer nor any office boy in the country
today who If he performs his work well,
does not do all that the soldier has to do in
garrison, and more, too Mental or servile
work is prohibited, and while the proud
man who has never condescended to work
at all might find the army, like any other
vocation of legitimate duty and labor. UNI
congenial, others will experience no degra-
dalton or modification in any of the re-
quirements of modern soldiery. And srp-
pose that the man who enlsts for five years
discovers Inat ne Is OnSOlteI TO the life.
that the life is unsuited to him. he need no
longer desert the service. In fact, the law
has so carefully provided for all possible
contingencies that not the shadow of ex-
cuse exists for that hateful and baaeful
crime of desertion from the army under
any circumstances.
No Need to Desert.
The recruit. who after three or four or
six months instruction at one of the re-
cruiting depots. feels dissatisfied with the
life. has only to bide his time and wait for
the first twelve months to elapse when he
will be entitled under law, TO purchase his
discharge at the nominal cost of sl20 which
amount, for a specified period. is decreased
at the rate of 81 for each additional month
of service. 1t would be only sensible Cor the
soldier who has become dissatisfied AZ
David's Island Columbus barracks or Jef-
ferson barracks in the first six months of
his preparatory service, to wait another six
months In order to test himself in actual
service at some established post. AT the
end of three years. IL his service has been
faithful, the soldier is entitled. by law. 10
three months furlough. with full pay and
allowances, at the expiration of which he
may take his discharge as a matter of
right, free Of cost. In this way many who
think they can obtain remuneratiVe and
more conGenial occupa ton outside the army
are enabled to experiment whenever and
however they please, at the same time re-
ceiying pay, rations and clothing from the
government during q period OF three months
While the purchase price of discharge
after one year is sl20, and 81 less per month
thereafter, the fact should be borne en- mind
that the soldier is constantly accommodating
a little saving of pay, inasmuch as 81 q
month is retained to be paid to him on dis
charge. So that though he pays $40 for
his discharge, he receives a bonus Of SIS
plus whatever clothing money be due him
Indeed, from the first month of his entry
into the service. the soldier can open n 1T
tie saving bank account with the govern
ment by deposting monthly with any pay
master 81 or more. upon which he receives in
| terest at the rate of per cent per annur
Those deposits are non-forfeitable except
| for deserton. so that every man who enters
| the ranks of the army may, IL he chooses
be certain OF his discharge at any time
after the first twelve months of service
| Meanwhile, the soldier ought TO realize
and think seriously over the advantages
| and opportunities for self-irprovement af-
| forded in the army. To begin with. ne las
clean, healthy and comfortable surround
| inEs Unlike the laborers in fields OF mines
| the toilers in any OF the dust-stirring &C.
| cupatons-he can, at all times rest with
clean person or beds in clean barracks His
| bath tub is ever at hand. lis dornitory
must ever DE orderly.
| The Duties Not Arduous.
If the soldier is in a large garrison land
| most army garrisons are large nowadays.