Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1904-04-22
HANDICAP OF YOUTH.
Young Men Of Europe Forced Into
Military Bondage.
Rival Nations vyinE with Each Othes
fer Armed supremacy-luAu-
y snes Of the Service on
+, nAA SuSjecta.

-
nAL- suDjscts.
Europeans who have resided in tn
United States for any length 0
time are usually struck by the larg
number Of young men who occup,
positions Of prominence and re
sponsibility in business, professiona
life or the service of the state. Thi,
is due in great part to the fact that
the American youth has ample op
portunity to work at his chosen
craft or profession without the un.
welcome interruption OF compulsory
military service. Conscription IL a
state Of bondage which the young
man OF the European continent must
undergo during the most valuable
years of his life. At period when
lad should be straining every nerve
to win place in the world he il
compelled to give up the struggle and
conform his ideas and even his phys
ical development to the Procrustesn
standards Of military martiLeta, says
the Chicago Daily News.
In the various countries Of conti-
mental Europe military laws and
service are very much alike. Inter
national rivalries and ambitions are
ever urging these nations to keep
up with their neighbors In matters
OF national defense. Even the small
er nationalities In some instances
have been armed by their big neigh
bors and proudly drag along their
burden OF militarism. France, Ger
many. Austria and Italy compel
every able-bodied lad OF 20 years of
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 uf
training. In addition to this period
the European youth must perforce
belong to the reserve and devote ac-
cordng to his age longer or short
er part Of his time each year to drill
and maneuvers.
At the present day there are 1885,
600 young men engaged In actual
service in France. Austria,
Germany and Italy. These figures
take no account of Russia, Belgium.
Spain and other countries, but sim
liar conditions prevail in and a like
reasoning applies to those natiors,
Of this large number Of young men
snatched away from trade, craft or
employment 100000 are French, 5io,-
900 German, $4,000 Austrian and
25o,000 Italian. This vast amount Of
productive labor IL annually lost
TO Europe.
Only men in frst-class physical
condition are accepted for military
service. From six to seven per cent.
of these men are permanently in
jured by the severities OF army life.
Many more are incapacitated from
pursuing the careers they had
mapped out for themselves. The
ease OF one young German IL sig
lificant He had devoted almost six
years to learning matchmaking. He
lad taken the greatest pride and
pleasure in his skill as a craftsman
md had become so expert in his
work that he saw before him the as
'urancc of prosperous career. Two
ioung sisters as well as his mother
we're dependent on him.
Hbio Io1 ,... Jro ft..t 49,
illery at 20. Handling heavy shot.
heavy guns. moving |
,un carriages and other rough work |
Incident to artillery drill ruined his
iclicate hands and unified him for
arrying on his old craft. When he |
ompleted his term Of service he saw
efore him the necessity OF learning
ONE other business or being reduced
o the level Of an unskilled laborer.
ieantime the family he had labored
o hard to keep together had been
catered.
One of the worst features Of mill
airy life is the cramping influence 1t
xerts on young men endowed with
ny originality of thought or native
overs of mind. Will power, the
aeaity OF criticism or analysis, pow
RS of organization, invention and
lit for the simplification Of labor
re not merely useless in European
rmies but even meet with the stern
st repression. Mechanical obedi-
nee and unreasoning execution of or
ers are the highest military vir-
nes in Europe. Snch training speedi-
, unfits young man for making his
lark in the, world of industry or
ommerce. The young European may
ave military life with body unim-
aired by it's hardships, but he 10
kelly to, be. handicapped for the
est OF his natural days by the arti-
cial. state. Of mind his training has
reduced.
While the military system 10 itself
n exemplification OF the survival Of
he fittest 1t encourages the survival