The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-03
FEW GET INTO THE SERVICE.
Enlistment of Recruits for New Reg
iments Slow Process.

NEW YORK. March 2.-On the island of
Manhattan the War Department finds its
most fruitful field for recruiting the Reg
ular Army. No other place Yields so
much, and here, at the present time
alert veterans of the service are engaged
in enrolling recruits for the ten new egi-
ments recently authorized by Congress.
Last year one of the three local stations,
that at the head of the Bowery, enrolled
nearly enough men for two complete reg
iments. almost twice as many as any
other city in the Union.
To recruit the ten new regiments and
keep the old ones full, the War Depart
ment has ordered each station TO estab-
lish branch offices. From New York
these have been set up in Middletown,
Newburgh. and Brooklyn, and the large
enrolment of last year it is said, will
be more than doubled, if present results
continue.
Each Of the three stations in Manhat-
tan averaged only about nine or ten re-
crui:s week last year; with the aid Of
these new branch stations, the results of
last weeks recruiting service. as turned
over to the commanding officer at Third
Avenue and Eighth Street were forty-six
men enrolled. The weeks work netted
probably sixty.
But the number of men accepted is
small in comparison with the number ap-
plying. The class OF men who come does
not seem to be high grade. At the Forty
second Street station. opposite the Grand
Central station, only 1917 were taken from
S.10S who submitted to an examinat ton
OF these, only three were over forty
years of age. Sixty-eight were minors,
between the ages of eighteen and twenty
one The average age Of the others was
twenty-five years. Ninety-four of them
were laborers, "a were soldiers. and 56
were clerks, ! was a broker, were wait
crs, were sailors. . were farmers. l was
an actor. and the rest We're cooks. nurses,
butchers, machinists. miners. printers.
plumbers, porters, and other occupations
in groups of twos and threes.
OF the lot 343 were Americans, q were
Irish. and 10 were Germans. All the other
nationalities We're represented by either
one or two.
Captain Robinson, Of the Second Cav
airy. the recruiting officer at Forty-sec-
ond Street, is straight and tall, with
white hair and moustache and blue eyes
that can smile or frown without the aid
Of a single muscle of the face.
New ork never seems to give out. =
said he. The town has always been a
great place for recruits. One can find
any kind OF timber he wants here. me
good; some bad. But you do not get any
unless You advertise. It's like any other
business You have got to do it. We try
one section. then We go to another. No
work about getting applicants.
The work comes in rejecting them. One
ten than he is to find one
We ind more cigarette hearts than
anything else in the way of defects here;
then there are the faults of bad eyes and
poor teeth Lack of proper knowledge
of plain reading and writing is not un-
common; in fact il is too common
II find the Mills hotels prolific of en-
listments; / cannot tell why. Perh APPS
they are the more intelligent of that
restless, uneasy class that never seems
to strike it right One finds there also
the young. men who come to town with
limited means. who want to get value
for vairi' on every Gent. They are clean
and frugal. Men who have the foresight
to harbor their means and make every
thing count. That quality we expect u
see develop in soldier
Beg your pardon. sir, INTERRUPTED a
a boy. sir, can show for everything but
character. He's just inside the limit.
The boy was barely tweRtyone. and
did not reach to the serg eant Shout-
der.
Take Oft your hat" orGered the SER
geant, land speak up"
The boy explained that he had no par
ents but that he could get recommen-
dation by tomorrow's mail from Newark.
Did you measure him. sergeant ask
ed the captain.
Yes sir: in his stocking feet. He's five
feet four. 1875 pounds. and sound. whereat
the boy flushed, Strengthened and tried to
make himself taller.
why do you wish to enter the army?'
asked the captain.
Game over from Newark said the
boy, ito look for job. I'm machinist,
and I've got a high-school certificate, but
nobody seems to care for that. IN sick
Of looking for work and I'd like to try
the army.
Which hranch?" enquired the captain.
Cavalry, sir.
Give him chance. sergeant" directed
the officer. Let him get his recOmmen-
dation. | guess we can walt for him.
The hoy walked proudly out of the -oum
ahead of the sergeant.
He didn't seem to put much faith in
his high-school certificate remarked the
captain. but il will help him into the
army They are not of much use hang
ing on the wall, I'll admit, but ] wish
every soldier OF mine had one. They help
to make him, just as much as hoss-lore
or tactics