The Afro-American advance., 1900-10-06
REASONS FOR EELIsTING.
unrsauieed Love Drives MANY Men
Into UnrIe sam'n service-Re-
- Ieetions Are Many.

In one of the smaller cities of Texas
is big man with small conscience
who has accomplished one of his chief
objects in life. He has got rid of .
small boy whose dying parents con-
signed him TO the big mans care. He
did IL by sending him to Chicago TO en-
list in Uncle Sans nav, though he
must have known that the boy could
not pass physical examination. When
the boy arrived at the recruiting sta
ton in the Masonic tempe and related
his story TO Commander BIoeknger,
who has charge of IL. he was sent to
the officers of the Y. NJ. C.. A.. and by
city in central Illinois, says the Chi
cago Tribune.
OF the many strange cases that have
come into the recruiting station here,
that of the boy excited the greatest in
terest.
He was not more than IS years old,
and had been left by his parents when
small child in the care of guardian
who never liked There wasn't
much of an estate and the old man was
not half the friend to4he boys parents
after they died that he had been before.
So he hunted for some means TO get the
youngster off his hands. He found IL
when he saw big advertisement call
ing for recruits and which said appren-
tiees were wanted in the navy.
There Is q suggestion attached that
the boys must pass physical examina-
tion and had better be examined by
their home physicians before they start,
so that IL they are deficient they may
be spared the expense OF car fare to
Chicago. The big man kept sti.l about
that. gave the boy a box of lunch to
last him till he got here. put him in a
day coach. with ticket and no money.
and went home to have quiet laugh
by himself on his own cleverness. The
boy arrived here and was found TO be
lame, deaf in one ear. and near-sighted.
but he told such a pitiful tale that he
was we'll cared for.
Commander Blockfnger has many
strange cases among the hundreds of
young men who enlist. There is some
thing in the evolution OF youth that
makes him peculiarly tragic in his love
affairs when he has about reached the
age at which he is eligible for an ap-
premiership in the navy. As result
there are many bitter-hearted young
sters who come TO be examined and
started either on the road to fame or to
obliyiOn-for they are usually divided
in opinion between becoming great and
disappearing as the best means of max
ing her" sorry. Not long ago a young
man. SON of n rich New Yorker, was
brought TO the local office for enlist
ment. He had had money all his life
and had misused II until he was moral
wreck. The old man decided nothing
but naval discipline far at sea would
make a man of him, so he came out here
where the boy was living. "corraIled''
him and took him up to the office and
bound him over To Uncle Sam. Ii is safe
TO say the boy will learn TO do without
some things during the term OF his en-
listmeut.
From 60 to 100 boys pass through the
offiee in the Masonic temple every
month on their way from farm or city
home to the sea. OF these the greater
number are from the city, but out of the
total number of applicants from coun-
try and city the percentage accepted
Is larger among those from the farm.
These boys are sturdier. and the most
Of them have taken advantage of the
departments notice and have had
themselves examined first in their coun-
try town before CHANGING trip to
Chicago. This preliminary examina-
tion culls out those who are obyiouslv
unit As between city and country
lads when once enlisted there is said
to be little choice. Each is about the
best there iS.
NJ army recruiting quarters on West
Madison street,on the contrary. there
Is demand for city men. The recruit
ing sergeant declares that the country
men are not so apt TO pass the rigid ex-
aminations, and they do not make as
good soldiers as the city men. having
not as much endurance Many colored
men are being enlisted just now over
there. as there Is a demand for men IN
MI the Twenty-fourth and Twenty
NTH regiments, both of which are in
the Philippines with depot battai.
ions at Fort Wright and Fort Bliss In
this country. The white men who are
taken on are sent, IL they desire home
service, to Fort Wayne TO join the Four
teenth regiment, or IL they wish TO 90
Immediately to the Philippines are
sent To Columbus barracks, Ohio, to
await the sailing nf a tnanSr.r.