The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-01-03
BUT one RECRUIT
At LOCAL STATION
since IT OPENED
Army Life Not Attractive to the
Would-Be Soldier Life of This
Section.

That the young men living in and
about Hattiesburg are not anxious to
join the United States army, is at
tested by the fact that a recruiting
office has been opened in this city
since November II, and only one OF
the six who applied for admission into
the army has been enlisted.
This, Notwithstanding the large
large amount of publicity given here
and hereabouts by the government of
the opportunities offered the young
man who joins Uncle Sans service.
But the recruiting officer here expects
better results within the next two
the dull season of winter that recruit
ing picks up. At that time-January
and February-of the year, the streets
of the city are filled with idle young
men. and it is from these, it is pointed
out, that the government gets most of
its soldier boys.
All but one of the half dozen who
have applied at the local station for
enlistment have been rejected, the
reason given in almost every instance
is that he is under age" In perhaps
two cases the heason is given. under
size" The recruiting officer inform
ed News reported that the true
reason for rejecting most of those who
have made application here is that al
though they were not 81 years of
age, when the papers were sent to
the parents for them to sign, grant
ing their consent to the enlistment of
their sons, the papers were returned
unsigned. Only one or two of the
applicants reside in Hattiesburg.
A record is kept of the
names of those rejected on account
of being under age, and when they
have become of the legal age to enlist
the government will send them cir
culars, setting forth bright opportuni-
ties afforded the private. and the
pleasures of soldier life.
At a recruiting station like the one
here. the applicant is given an ex-
animation as to size, weight, and so
on, and If that test passed success
fully, he is sent to a general recruit
ing office, like New Orleans, and there
the would-be soldier is given very
rigid, physical examination.
The condition of the army, that is,
whether men are greatly needed or
not, determines very much as to how
strict the examining physician will be-
If he pronounces the applicant all
right, the latter is sent to a military
post where he is soon made a "regu-
lar" in the department of the service
he prefers.
Corporal j. C. Bodin has had charge
of the local recruiting work here dur
ing the past two weeks. Talking to
News reporter yesterday, he told
about what Uncle Sam has done for
me-" He has no crouch against the
government nor the army. in which
he has been for the past five years.
He is of French descent, and when
he went into the army, he said, he
knew very little about the English
language or anything else He at
tended to business, was obedient to
his superiors and three months after
enlistment was promoted, being made
a mechanic.
Corporal Bodin was asked whether
he agreed with the author of THE
Shame of the American Army" an ar
ticle which appeared in a recent issue
of a popular magazine. The young
corporal laughed and said that hard
ships anywhere were just as those
whose lot is to bear them make them.
He said that a lazy man in the army
never sees anything or thinks of any
thing but the undesirable work sol
der has to do. Mr.. Bodin remarked
that tact was required in the army as
well as in private life to get along
we'll, and the blockhead gets on poor
ly in the ranks as he does out of the
army.