Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-23
CONSCRIPTIOM IN EUROPE.

In most continental countries mill
| tary mallngerng in order to avoid
| compulsory military service has reach
| ed the stage of q fine art In fact. q
| formidable list of new crimes has
| been added to the statutes as q re-
suit. and medical men frequently have
| to suffer for their assistance In this
| particular kind of fraud
Thus some time ago n number of
! Cologne doctors were arrested upon
charge of having administered pills
to young conscriDts- These pills
consisted of drugs which produced the
symptoms of heart disease so effec-
lively as completely to deceive the
military authorities. with the result
that the conscripts were declared unfit
for service. In this case, the fraud
was brought to light by one of the
conscripts as q result of an overdose
of the medicine.
In Germany. where the conscript is
frequently treated with the greatest
harshness, there are very few towns
where there are not specialists whose
living depends solely in inducing such
a condition Of affairs as Will render
young men exempt by reason of un-
fitness.
In the French army 1t is quite COM
mon for youths to feign all manner of
Ills. deafness being the usual ailment
service. AS result, the military
doctors have made an especial study
!! of methods of detecting feigned deaf
ness and to trap the cunning youth
who acts the part of deaf man.
Another common practice in France
| is to tamper with the eyesight, though
| this frequently results in permanent
| injury. For instance. short sight is
| produced by wearing powerful con-
! cave glasses for a considerable time,
| despite the risk of bringing about per-
manent blindness. 1t Is no uncom-
mon occurrence for men to commit
suicide rather than submit to forced
| service in the army.
| In eastern Europe most bruta
methods are adopted by parents in
order that their sons may be able to
] work for them instead of serving in
the army. The boys are frequently
ill-treated. and 1t is not at all uncom
mon even for their limbs to be broken
or their sight to be destroyed In order
! to prevent any likelihood OF their hav-
| Ing to become soldiers.
Switzerland probably has the cheap
| est army and the least burdensome
methods of conscription. the service
being much lighter than In the other
continental armies. Indeed. the con-
script In the infantry army has to
| undergo actual training for only 135
| uoSo bilS Ol his
| service.
1t Is fixed by the constitution that
no standing army can be maintained
within the limits of the confederation
though every citizen is liable to mill
tary service for a period of twenty
five years In addition to this al
able-bodied men between the ages
of II and so years are enrolled un-
der a special category.
The training during the first yeal
is the heaviest; aftcrward the maj
has to practise with rifle each year
while he Is called out for training
every alternate year Every man 4,
compelled to fire certain number
OF rounds of ammunition undel
stringent regulations. In this way, b,
constant rifle practise. every ma
knows how to handle a rifle. while
large number are taught to ride, ant
all have a good knowledge of drill
The officers are taken from the ranl
and file. but have to devote a lot o
time to the practise and study of mill
tary operations. Those persons VIII,
are exempt from service for any rea
son have to pay for the luxury, bein
subject not only to a personal mill
tary tax, but also to special mIlitar
taxes on their Income and property
Pearson's Weekly.