New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-24
ENGLISHARMY RECRUITING
QUESTIONS THAT ARE ASKED OF APPLI-
CANTS-A SCENE IN \ RECRUIT
ING OFFICE.


impatiout revolt against the humdrum occupa-
tions of civil life. and the recruiting sergeant IS
up to his eyes in business the rather dI my
lcry- the busiest recruiting station III Inc hHnE
dom are all alive with candidates Tor scarlet
coats and frisky gee-gccs, who crowd the SldlI
cases and mob the doorWayS awaiting their turn
to drihble one by one as the stcntorian voice OF
a good looking sergeant major caIs out tlr
name of the future commander IN chIri 10 w
put through the catechism of the 'attesta'loh
paper Att.
Tins is always busy time Of year and this
year before il is over, promises to beat the rec
ord Last week did beat the record Tor the
w,ek-at It. Georges Barracks, and II thlhsS
run about their usual course from now TIL low
ard ;he middle Of December, it VIII nave neeh
a very distinct advance upon last year. How
much of il is due 10 the outbreak of war it Is al
fcult 10 say. OF course recruits enrolling now
have no chance of getting out into the thlck OF
things in South Africa. They have I" he naGe
soldi rs first But the interest that everybody
IS feeling in the army and the exciting stories
that have already come from the front. nave
filled thcs, Youngsters thoughts and kindled ak
the pugnacity within them, and here they are
over eight hundred Of them. actually enlisted u
say nothing of rejected candidates at TINS one
station alone during last month.
Those who get up into the majors room mere
are already among the favorites Of fortune
Scores Of hungry looking young tattcrdemallons
who have not the rcmot"st chanc" OF getting
far this. are generally 10 be seen hanging
about the big gates in Orange-st, or WlSuuiI}
inspecting the co!orcd pictures by which the
cloqucnce Of those archcaiolcrs. the recruitinE
sergcautS is So powerfully backed up, ana
which are displa! I'd i'm all the maGniiicencc Of
blue and scarlet and gold on tn" ratings OF we
National Gallery.
But the recruiting sergeant is not nowadays
tire cajoler he was at one time. The Queens
Service has become cr"dltabc. and only Volun-
tcrrs are now wanted or will be accepted. The
pot of beer and the Queens shilling have
nothing whatever to DO with tn recruiting of
the army now. and as they com" I'm from the
doorway behind the screen one after tn" other
there is In th" faces Of most of them on"
fduri-, there S.cNid,ncr of some Iitu" nervous
anxiety lest after All they may not get through
this final ordeal But tht worst of it is over
unless the recruit himself Is conscious II
loose scr"" here or Their" in his record or his
Circumstances.
Hero. for instance. is one nervous looking
;ht evidently Ul at cas-" as he marches up To
III. majors table II is Il thin. keen foreign
looking face. and anything but pleasant on.
con" says th" major. the instant he sets
eyes on him. this is the German gentleman
again We have had him up before"
The salloW faced youth. with the dark troub-
lous eyes. had not fully understood tn" Queens
military organization. lie had tried il Oh once
al Trafalgar square and had got as far rs that
majors table. and had there been BOWED out
as alien who couldn't under any circum-
stances become British soldier and straight
way he had gone down To- the Tower and tried
lis luck with tn recruiting sergeant there. not
understanding that from there h. would be-
passed IN to St. Georges. Twice he must have
gone through the preliminary examination for
height ana weight ana cyrSight. twice hr must
have appeared before the doctor in the simple
and close fitting garb Of nature and have
marched and hoped and bent his back and
knelt on the floor and stretched his arms and
doubled ms fists and been ovcrhaulcd 10y the
stethoscopc and all had gone well. and his
papers had been filed up. And then that stem
torian sergeant major had summoned him into
the presence Of that quiet but acutcly OBJ
servant commissioned officer who had spotted
him before and had brought his military career
to an abrupt termination.
Don't you think it is like your mpertinencc
to come here again and put US to all this
trouble demanded the major severely. Sit
down over there, sir"
And the unhappy looking youth meekly seated
himself at the end of "A form to await till the
officer should be at leisure to decide whether he
Should be- shot or not
Another ineligible presented himself in the
form Of "A palefaced Lad who has thus far
passed muster for eighteen. but who the officer
felt confident was not more than seventeen.
The consequences may be very serious for
you If you make any false statements. Are you
willing that We shall send over To Somerset
House and find out your exact age"
The young aspirant for military glory did not
look happy at the sugg ,stion but he persisted
that he eighteen. and gave a sullent assent
to the proposal But before the major had done
with him he had to admit that he was eighteen
next blrthday-nOt last.
The questions put to each recruit are numer-
Gus and are run rapidly through. What is
your name? Where We're you born? Are you
a British subject? What is your age? what
IS your trade and calling? Have you resided
out Of your fathers house continuously for
three years; If 50. where the first six qucs-
tons put, and then comes n fair warning that
Il wllfuly false answer To seven that follow will
entail liability TO two years hard labor The
questions relate 10 possible apprenticeship or
marriage or previous Imprisonment or previous
enlistment or rcjectment. Perhaps the queer
est question Of the whole eighteen or twenty is:
what is your religion" II is really very drol
to see the effect Of this sudden poser which for
some reason or other is not included I'm the
printed list Of questions given to the recruit
What IL your religion" demanded the major
and the look of blank perpleXiy the hopeless
obfuscation that Immediately hccl0uds the mill