The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-26
Recruiting men FOR
THE STANDING ARMY
Lieut.. Rowell Has Opened Recruit
ing Office in This City-What He
Says About the Service.

creasing the regular army and the ne
cessity OF replacing the $4,000 volun-
teers in the Philippines has made IL
necessary for the war department to
enlist not less than $4,000 men at the
earliest possible date.
The army recruiting service has been
extended, and Scranton, from it's size
and as a railroad centre, has been Sc
lected as central recruiting station
for Northeastern Pennsylvania, and
recruiting office has been opened at 1913
Wyoming avenue by Lieutenant NJ. w.
Rowell, Fifth United States cavalry.
In an interview, Lieutenant Rowell
stated that it was hardly to be ex-
pected that the number of recruits de-
sired could be secured so quickly as In
1898 and 1899, when there existed so
strong a desire to participate in the
wars with Spain and in the Philippines,
but that no difficulty is anticipated in
enlisting $4,000 men within four or five
months.
Lieutenant Rowell stated that dur
ing the last ten years a remarkable
change has taken place with respect to
the character of men who enlist in the
army. The men who served in the
Civil war, did their work all right in
lighting Indians and in opening up and
protecting the frontier, during which
service they often uncomplainingly en-
| dured even hardships, such as the Bit
ter cold of the north, or the scorching
| heat of the southern deserts, and the
| living on reduced rations, even being
sometimes compelled to eat the mules
in their pack trains.
These men, while often rough and adj
venturous, were brave and hardy, yet
there is no difficulty in tracing the
! evolution of the soldier from this type
| to the jealous. intelligent, honest and
still manly and hardy fellow who to-
day is found in the ranks, and who,
with little training, often surpasses
the former type in a quick, cheerful
| and intelligent obedience to commands
| in fact. an order is today often an
| ticipated. Recent experiences have
| shown that the modern type OF Ameri-
can soldier. honest, manly, God-fear-
ing, intelligent, cheerful and jealous,
| and physically active and sound, has
done his work well on the firing line,
has endured patiently weary weeks
| lying in trenches, while exposed to
tropical fevers, and has uncomplain-
inSly met every hardship and priva-
ton to which he has been subjected in
| the tropics.
| Those who are in position to Judge,
| affirm that there never was a better
army in the history of the world than
| the corps which Shatter took to Santi-
ago in 1898, that this army marked the
high-tide OF the efficiency of the indi-
| vidual American soldier. This change
| which has taken place in the persons
mel of the army has been gradual since
the Civil war; but was most rapid be.
| tween 1898 and 1897, when the general
business depression brought into the
ranks a splendid class of men--the re-
cruiting officers during these years be-
ing able to select their men and actual
| ly rejecting about S5 per cent. of the
| applicants, often on slight mental
| moral or physical defects.
| However, this Is not alone the cause
| of the improvement. Other causes had
| been introduced and carefully fostered
by careful and painstaking company
officers for number of years, among
which are the following: The estab-
lishment of a post exchange or sol
diers' club, the profits of which go to-
ward the improvement of the soldiers
mess; the improvement of the barracks
and the sanitary conditions at army
| posts; the introduction of callSthenics
| and athletic exercises, in addition "a
tactical training; the garrisoning OF
posts near large centers OF population
by means of which the soldier was
more frequently brought into contact
with the people. and particularly the
appointment of commissioned officers
from the ranks. OF course, there are
other causes which conduced to the
health and comfort of the soldier anC
made the army more attractive tC
men of good mental and moral stand
ing, but the above are the principa
causes, and they are being as CAREFUL,
fostered today as in the past. In fact
the opportunities for promotion from
the ranks, after two years of service
are more abundant than ever before
and with the increase OF the army, ar
bound to remain so.
Lieutenant Rowell expects to estab
lish sub or branch stations later II
the spring at towns IN Northeastern
Pennsylvania radiating from Scranton
Recruits are just now particularly de
sired for service in the Philippines
and upon enlistment are sent to Phia
delphia for clothing and are then for
warded to a western rendezvous 70
brief instruction, when they are sen
forward. usually via San Francisco, T.
Manila.
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