The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-09-06
UNCLE SANS PICKED MEN.


Applicants Nre Rejected.
Entering the United States army Is
more difficult than having your life in
sured. II man can successfully an
swer the searching questions of the re.
cruiting officer and pass the surgeon 5
examination he may well be proud of
himself. And it is necessary to have
superior men in the army, for more
than ordinary physical and mental
stamina are required to chase Apaches
over the thirsty deserts of Arizona,
trail bandits through the thorny
chaparral of Texas, fight the willy
Sioux in the biting cold of Dakota
winter, and anon stand firm and silent
before the taunts and missiles of a
bowling mob of strikers
Our army of twenty-five thousand men
requires about eight thousand recruits
annually to keep it up to full strength.
There have been great changes lately
in the method of obtaining these men.
and more are contemplated by Secre-
tary Lamont. For many years it was
the custom to collect recruits enlisted
in the large cities at what are known
as "depots," located in New York har-
Dor. Columbus, Ohio, and st. Louis.
There they were kept under instruc-
ton three or four months. when they
were forwarded in detachments of
forty or fifty to regiments. The plan
resulted in keeping about fifteen
hundred men constantly out of the
ranks, very serious loss, considering
ha - = ba ,,-bo
When the regiments began to move
east they were made to recruit for
themselves. and the system proved a
success from the outset A better class
of men were secured, and they Joined
their companies at once. Over half
the recruits enlisted last year were OBJ
tanned in this way. The depots have
been discontinued as such, and garri-
soned with regiments brought from
the frontier. Only small detachments
of recruits are now kept at each, and
these are sent west just as quickly as
enough are assembled to make it worth
while. In addition to all this, the
number of recruiting stations in the
large cities is being reduced as fast as
possible, half dozen having been dis
continued during the last year.
There are some thirty of these sta
tons now. Three are in Chicago, two
in New York, one each in Philadel-
phia, st. Louis, Cincinnati and St.
Paul, and the remainder in cities of
large size throughout the country.
Every one is in charge of an officer,
who is assisted by a picked party of
non-commissioned officers and privates.
Outside the stars and stripes float
gracefully over the door, while trim
orderly PAGES to and fro his belt a
marvel of polish, and his gloves of inn
maculate white. 1t is his duty to an
swer questions and exclude any person
who may be Objectionable. Inside are
the Office, the examination room, and
the quarters for the party and such re-
cruits as are waiting transportation
elsewhere. Men are furnished uni
form the moment they enlist, and from
that moment also are paid and cared
forby the government.
At every station stream of appli-
cants, good, bad and Indifferent is con-
stantly coming and going. But those
who are in the slightest degree intoxi-
Gated, or who present any physical dis
qualification never get past the or
derby. That individual has the keen
glance of a detective. He has seen
hundreds Of men come and go in the
army, and has very accurate idea of
the kind that are wanted.
Once before the recruiting officer the
candidate is asked long string of
questions, the answers to which are re-
corded and signed by him. This record
is filed in the war department, and, if
at any subsequent time the man is
proved to have used deception to OBJ
tain enlistment, he is tried by court
martial and dismissed. In addition to
having good physical record he must
be not under twenty-one or over thirty
years of age, unmarried, able to speak,
write and read the English language.
and be vouched for by some response
BILE party. He must be citizen of the
United States or at least have taken
out his naturalization papers. Failure
TO comply with any of these require
ments is a cause for instant rejection.
When he gets through this trying or
deal the applicant breathes a sigh of
relief to think his trials are over. But
they have just begun. He is immedi-
ately led away by a sergeant, who
makes him take bath, and superin
tends the operation himself to see that
it is we'll done. The surgeon then APP.
pears, thumps him and whacks him.
and makes him go through the most
unheard of contortions and finally
winds up by converting the examina-
ton room into race track, around
which the naked applicant is put
through his PAGES Then, without
warning, the surgeon catches him in
his arms, claps his ear to his chest and
listens intently to the heart beats. If
everything is found normal the man is
told to dress and await the final act of
swearing in.
Last year SO per cent. of the appli-
cents failed to pass the examination,
not including many who were turned
away without being examined at all.
of those who were enlisted, 20 were
telegraph operators, ss BARRIERS, So host
lers, 9s cooks, 113 railroad men, 1856
musicians, and 32l teamsters. From
the manufacturing trades came nearly
1000. There were also recruited, be-
sides electricians, teachers and profess
sional men, several hundred clerks and
over / 200 farmers. OF the whole mum.
Der enlisted only 300 had no occupa-
tion.-Philadel phia Times.
lash Wanted.
Mr.. Gilman (who has brought his