The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-19
ccvF8E ARMY REQUIREMENTS.
LARD TO PASS MUSTER TO EN-
IL 20 THE NATIONAL SERVICE.

,u THE NATIONAL SERVICE.
..,.+es Are Numerous, But Over
III Dor cent. Are Refused Admis-
an one Pretext or AnOther-A
.nuous Effort Being Made tn
-. the standard of Successful
.,irants-Have Been Confined
Emily to Men Who Have Seen
service
From the Philadelphia Times.
Lexington, March r. The prospect
.ha enlistment of two new regiments
art1lerv. in accordance with the pro-
-, If the Hawley bill, now before the
- has increased the number of APP
,--.,ts. al recruiting stations all over the
Pr, Before the bill passed the Senate
-, rseruiting officers had on hand more
-.toriol than they could use. Even before
-. Naines disaster, which turned the
's.ncbts of the patriotic young men of
.u,orica toward the army and navy, the
/ ,hsr of recruits Offering was far in eX-
80, If the requirements of the service.
=. dow the army standard of the United
e.,tos is higher than it has ever been, end
No, who want to serve their country be-
It'd the big guns of our coast defense
e,,sten will find that getting into the army
= matter of great difficulty. Many call
and few are chosen to the army of the
1-oited states nowadays.
last year 41,O5S applicants for enlist
wont we're rejected at the recruiting Off
"a little more than sS1a per cent. Of
/ ,ho total number. OF these only 6,OO5 got
=. far as the surgeons; the others were
,,rned back on their own qualifications
fer service.
l., recent years the war department has
a5onred the policy of recruiting as many
wen as possible at army posts, TO save the
c,st of transportation. A few years ago
almost all recruits were taken in at the
GREAT cities where the number offering for
eear,.;ce is always large, varying with the
.oroitv of work TO be had in other lines.
80 year APPS men were enlisted at mill
+ar,, nosts and 1850 at city stations; and
~ lines so many men applied that all re-
emitting in cities was confined to enlist
,nents of former soldiers. Recruiting at
4 al stations for more than year mas
a bssn restricted under orders from the de-
n nartmont to exceptionally desirable men
riboat prior service and former soldiers
n with good discharges" This policy VIII
h. continued during the recruiting for the
q new artillery regiments, but enlistments
al city stations will not be connhed 10 men
ri who have seen service
81 The general recruiting stations where
81 men will be accepted for artillery service
q o-a in Boston. New York, Albany, Philadel-
81 mia Plusburg Cincinnati, Cleveland, IN
81 danapolis. Chicago, Milwaukee, ST. Louis,
1onisvilIe. Nashville, Richmond, Dallas,
81 evansville and Portland. 1t is possible
fbar other stations. at Lynchburg, Buffalo.
81 r4troit. san Francisco, Baltimore, Har-
rshurg and 81 Paul, which were closed
during The past year, will be reopened'
Though hard times are recognized as a
Fl f,.,or in increasing the number of appll-
"a rsrts for service, the fact that man ap-
pi-s because he is broke" is regarded as
good reason for rejecting him at any
time The war department does not want
men who so into the army as last re-
Ell sor. They have no active interest in their
"a duties. and they are likely candidates tor
dtser,ion One of the first questions asked
Of a candidate is why he wants to enlist.
Ii he saws it IS because he is out OF WORK
he is more than apt to be turned away
81 Immediately. If he says he wants 10 De
solder his answer is not CONSIDERED
satisfactory.
Many physical requirements must be met.
81 The applicant for service in the artillery
must be not less than 3 feet inches IN
hight and must weigh 12S pounds or more.
He must give satisfactory references, ana
one of The most unsatisfactory he can pos
sbly give is a saloon keeper. He must De
able 10 read and write, and finally he must
pass a thorough medical examination at
the hands Of the surgeons. Preference Is
given at all times to men who have seen
service and the requirements OF goou
moral character" which is supposed 10 De
determined on the testimony OF the apph-
cants references, includes, OF course, tne
condition that he has not been convicted OF
any crime, and that he has not been dis
honorably discharged from the army or
navy The enlistment, under the laws OIL
Aug. l. 1894 is for three years. 1t was once
for five years.
The first person encountered by the APP
pieant when he enters the recruiting sta>
ton is a soldier who stands at the door
and turns away men who are plainly unde-
sirable. man who is intoxicated or VINO
has the appearance of a tramp does not
get past the soldier at the door. Those
who endure his scrutiny successfully have
~ 50 through d CEOSS-A ~
corporal upstairs. From his hands, II they
are successful again, they go TO the sur
eeons, and then to the officer in charge
Most of the wedding is done by the pri-
yate and the corporal OF those who got
past them last year, out of every THOUSAND
examined % were rejected for general I'M
fitness or undesirable character; 10 Tor
being under or over the weight and night;
a for diseases of the eye; 30 for diseases
Of the circulatory organs; 10 for illiteracy
and imperfect knowledge of English; LOT
rupture q for disease of the digestive sys-
TEN, and the remainder up TO 4l0 in the
housand were turned away because OF
other diseases than those named.
That army life is not so bad as II Is
sometimes represented to be is proved Dy
Inc number of men who enlist and the
humber who try to enlist again and tan.
Nnen man who has been dishonorapiy
olSenarged from the army takes the FISK
q court martial and punishment trying
WenIist again, it is safe TO say that he mas
not found life Out of the ranks so agree
soe as life in the barracks. A stu
stronger proof of the attractiveness OF
army life is found in the fact that when
me last statement of the personnel of the
service was m o1a w, tbora yVarf four ell