Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1903-05-15
HANDICAP OF YOUTH.
Young Men Of Europe Forced Into
Military Bondage.
Rival Nations vying with Each Other
Tor Armed supremacy--innu-
ence Of the service ON
....4 Subjects.

Europeans who have resided In tn
United States FOR any length o
time are usually struck by the larg
number of young men who occup,
positions of prominence, and re
sponsibiiity in business. professiona
hfe or the service of the state. rhl.
Is due IN great part to the fact that
the American youth has ample op
porlunity 10 work at his chosen
erait or profession without the un.
welcome interruption Of compulsory
military service, Conscription IN a
state OF bondage which the young
man OF the European continent must
undergo during the most valuable
years or his life At period when
lad should be straining every nerve
10 win place in the world he il
compelled TO give up the struggle and
conform his ideas and oven his phys
ical development to the Procrustesn n
standards Of military martinets, says
The Chicago Daily News.
In the various countries OF conti-
mental Europe military laws and
service are very much alike. Inter
national riyalries and ambitions are
ever urging these nations to keen
up with their neighbors IN matters
of national defense. Even the small.
er nationalities In some instance.
have been armed by their big neigh
bors and proudly drag along their
burden OF militarism. France. Ger.
many, Austria aud Italy compel
every able bodied lad Of 20 years nf
age to devote two years of his life
To military service. Actually the
period OF service required by law IL
longer than two years, but financial
considerations limit the term az
training. In addition to this period
'he European youth must perforce
heinng to the reservc and devote nc.
eordlng to his age a longer or short
er part Of his time each year to drill!
and muneuyers.
AT the present day there ARE i,e5s..
900 young men engaged In actual
'''ii'hry service In France, Austrin.
aermany and Italy. These fpures
'hke no account OF Russia, Belgium.
spain and other countries, but sim.
ilar conditions prevail in and like
reasoning applies to those nntiors.
of this large number Of young men
away from trade. craft or
employment 100000 are French. 5l0.-
Doo German, 335,000 Austrian ana
10000 Italian. This vast amount Of
productive labor Is annually lost
10 Europe
only men In hrst-class physical
condition are accepted for military
service. From six TO seven per cent.
u thcse men are permanently In
urcd by the seyerities Of army life.
hnny more are incapncitnted from
pursuing the careers they Ind
mapped out for themselves. The
hse ~ one young German Is sig
lhcant. He had devoted almost six
ears to learning matchmaking. He
ad thten the greatest pride and
leaslre IN his sbil as a era ftsmnn
hd had become 40 expert In his
iork that he saw before him the ns-
nranec of prosperous career. Two
"ung sisters as well as his mother
'erc dependent on him.
ms lad was drafted into the ar
llerS AZ 20. Handling heavy shot
'nnipulaiing heavy guns, moving
IN carriages and other rough worl
'cl1ent to artillery drill ruined his
silchie hands and untitled him for !
irryihS on bis old craft. Wien he
,mplefed his term of service he saw {
'fore him the necessity of lcnrninp
me other business or being reduced 4
the level of an unskiled lnborer. {
eantime the family he Ind labored @
hard y keep together had been II
altered
One of the worst features Of mill. &
ry life Is the cramping influence IL II
.erts on young men endowed with y
y originality of thought or native y
'wers OF mind. VIII power. the
Guilty of criticism or analysis, pow =
or organization, invention and b
Y for the simplihcatlon ~ labor n,
G not merely useless In European ri
mics but even meet with the stern Il
repression. Mechanical obedi-
cc and unreasoning execution of or ~
RS are the highest military vir- v
es In Europe. Such training speeds pi
units young man for mnlsing his IA
lrk In the world ~ industry or
The young European may dl
I'VE military life with body unlm- p,
ircd by It's hardahips, but he is III
ely To be handicapped for The W
" Of his natural days by the arti- vi
inl state Of mind his training has all
oduced.
While the military system Is itself pl
eIemplihcation Of the survival Of In
9 fittest II encourages the survival an
wcaklings In civil life. The halt,
Of