The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-01
At RECRUITING nNAAoUAR1ERs.
Mnny Men Want to Enterthe Unitrd States
Army, bnt FcM Are ACCEPTED.

Array, but Few Arc Accepted.
1t is as hard to get into the army In the United
States Us 1t is difficult to keep out OF It In other
countries. The recruiting Office In this city is
at Third avenue and Ninth street. The entire
secund door Of the building is occupied By the
offices and quariors OF the recruiting party,
which il kept pretty busy rejecting applicants
for enlistment. During July. August, and Sep
TENDER there were 6SS applications. or this
number IL were accepted.
These 5ss applications did not include all the
men who wanted to enlist. Corporal Gocr!ck
has experience and u keen eye AS we'll ~ a pair
OF eyeglasses. Taking all these together, he
can size up a man the moment he enters the
room. II the fellow Is q tough, or understood,
or evidently disqualified, the Corporal tells him
that Uncle Sam isn't looking for soldiers, and
packs MIN of.
As q matter of fact, Uncle Sam isn't looking
for recruits. Orders were received from WASH
inEton the other day not TO accept any original
enlistmente. When n man, who has never been
In the army. enters the service. that Is called an
original enlistment. 80 II YOU are q candidate
for the awkward squad. you may rs we'll save
your car iare to Ninth street. They haven't any
use for raw recruits until they receive new
orders from Washington. Tho raw recruit Is
pretty much IA n minority, any way. Out OF the
last twcnty-sevene nlistments. twenty Of them
had been in the army before.
"When II mans once been In the SERVICE"
said Corporal Goerick, he's pretty sure TO come
back to IL. And 1t Amt such q bad place after
all. A man gets Sl3 n month and his lodging.
clothes. rAtiuns, medical attendance-every-
thing he really needs, in short. His Sl3 Is Just
pocket money. That's what il is. Well, now,
how many workingmen 10 you suppose there
are who have that much ? II a soldier wants to
get married he has to have u special permission
for II, and Of course he don't get any extra pay.
But he has larger quarters and things of that
sort, and. II he gets q good wife. she does work
for the officers or their wives, and II he's any
account lie helps her. They make o good thing
of it, l tell you. Why, I've know n Of soldiers
army finally with 100000 to $4,000 saved up.
why do most of the men Apply z"
out o work mostly. Some of EN- are well
educated. too. and clever. hutthey have mad hard
luck and get stranded. SO they try 10 enlist. The
period OF enlistment is only three yeara now,
and they can buy themselves out for Sl?o at
the end OF the hrst year. AT any time after that
they can buy their discharge for a total of So q
month for every Remaining month they still
"Of what nationality are most appl!cants9"
We'll. three,iourths OF the men in tho army
are American born. Most OF those who are of
Germans and the English. served In the GER
have been IL the United States army twenty-
eight years"
l eeFNSu III tue English hTWy gu years
before / came to America" said Corporal Hard
man, who Is one o. the recruiting party.
suppose there should come a time when you.
as an American soldier. would be called upon to
fight against the British army: what Them"
same as II l were hghtinI a Russian. or a Turk.
or any body else"
How does the discipline Of the United States
army compare with that OF the British soldiers ?"
oh. they're much better disciplined in the
British army. II Is very loose here; but then 1t
doesn't have TO be different"
There Is one principle. however. which Is In
culcated In tae American soldier and OF which
the recruiting office is n literally shining exam
pie. Corporal Gosrick showed the reporter over
the whole place. which Is absolutely spotless.
There Is a reading room for the recruits. also o
oorm.tory for them. 1t Is something's necessary
for them 10 wait two or three days for the Gov.
eminent steamer which takes them TO Fort
Slocum on Davlds Island. and they pass that
time AT the recruit ng Office. The double row OF
gray-blankeied beds was rs neat as possible.
The mendoi 1t themselves.f said the corporal.
We don't have ch3mhermaid in the army.
The rest Of the place Is equally well kept. The
floors are all bare, but are scrubbed anu swept
iuto perfect condition.: There are three bath,
rooms, for every applicant has TO tASe a good
scrub before presenting himself To tn. medical
examiner. The four non-c0mmissioned officers
who form the recruiting party are bachelors,
but their sleeping rooms are as tidy AS any
woman could make them. The Office of Capt.
Savage. who 10 in charge, is tho only place
where the severe simplicity OF military furnish
ing Is moderated TO the extent or carpets and
curtains and upholstered furniture.
How 40 the new men take to the idea OF
fighting n asked the reporter.
They don't have to bother their heads about
that" said the corporal. There amt any
lighting nowadays. The army's an easy berth
for a man in this country. II the army wanted
soldiers half as bad as the soldiers want the
army, we'd have 100. 900 men enlisted as fast as
we could make out their papers"