The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-12-16
German Army
Recruiting
The System of Recruiting the Ger
man Army Which is Con-
Sidered the Best.

sidered the Best.
Paper r. ad Before the Chautauq,ta Circle.
In the " ar 1909, when Napoleon I
was at the height of his power and the
German States at the mercy of the
French Army, it became necessary to
create pew system of defense for that
country. King Frederick Wilhelm LII
therefore commissioned G eneral
Schalnhorst to reorganize the whole
Prussian Army.
General Scharnhorst created new
system of conscription, drew up new
articles OF war and completed the bat
talions, squadrons and batteries. This
new system gave the army an honor
able position, constituted the soldier
thesacred guardian of the greatest bless
ings of all nations-liberty and nation
ality-and gavehim country for which
to fight.
The soldier therefore must he citizen.
The army was no longer to consist of
hirelings but of the sons of the country
and to these must b g intrusted the
sacred and inevitable duty of learning
the profession of arms and devoting
some of their time to the service of the
Fatberland. The citizen was to be
transformed into soldier and the name
soldier was to become title of honor,
as in the days of the Normans. In or
der to bring this about it was necessary
that the distinction of birth, to which
the government had paid SO much at
tention, in the case of noncommission-
ed officers, should be discarded. Every
recruit was taught that b bravery,
courage, industry and intelligence he
| might attain higher position.
After the overthrow of Napoleon in
1914 the new system became law and
is still in force at the present day It
has been improved upon from time to
time and found to work with clocklike
regularity in supplying the wants of the
army. The law provides for recruit
ing commission which meets twice in
the springtime of each year. All men
at the age of twenty years must, upon
receiving notice, appear before the first
commission. Blind and lame, rich and
poor alike must be there. The commits
sion will draft all ablebodied men and
those so drafted become soldiers There
are some exceptions. In case widow
has family to support and her son is
drafted she may have him excused by
applying to the commission. The Sec
ond, or general commission, is of more
Importance than the first and consists
of some Of the highest officers of the
army. AS the first commission drafts
all ablebodied men and therefore makes
an overdraft, the second commission
drafts only what is necessary to fill up
, the ranks of the army. Each man is
; assigned to a regiment. If he has any
choice or prefers one regiment to an
other he makes his wish known to the
! General in charge who will grant the
Same. He is then placed in a garrison
where his regiment is stationed and
from then on belongs to the army.
, 1t has been often said that the men
so drafted are unwilling to serve be-
cause they are forced by the Cove n
ment to do SO. In some cases this may
} be true but ninetyfive per cent of the
men drafted are glad to serve. Every
German boy longs to become soldier.
It might be said. to be born In him. He
is educated up to it in the school where
twice week drilling exercises are held
in which he takes keener interest than
1 in the lessons inside the schoOlroom.
At the age Of seventeen, if he is strong
and healthy and with the consent of
his parents or guardians, he may vol
: unteer to serve in the army and by so
7 doing may select any troop orregiment
: he prefers. Il
!; There aretwo kinds ofvolunteefs, the
one who volunteers before he is twenty
j tOontsnasd n eosmn 4 THE pass.,