The Ocala evening star., 1915-01-25

Accounts of Young EngIishmen Rush
ing to the COlOrs are Much
Exaggerated

London, Jan. 24.-Up to the pres
ent time one of the toughest nuts that
the war Office has had to crack is the
matter of recruiting. 1t is all very
well for statements to be issued from
time to time with big splash in the /
press of the fine show of recruits that I
have joined and the expectations have
been fully realized in this direction. /
The real truth turks behind the con-
slant special and editorial articles /
urging the young and able-bodied men
to join the colors. The cry is almost I
daily raised for "men and still more /
men,. to answer their country's call
and join their brave comrades at the |
front. The silence in SO many quar-
ters which greets these insidious
calls is the real answer to official op-
timisim
The youth and manhood of the coun-
try are not coming in their thous-
ands to help their country in her
hour of need. The reasons are varied
and not far to seek. The scarcity of
real information as to what is going
on at the front and the reticence of
the press bureau is great reason and
one which every thinking man has al
ready acknowledged. There are 9TH
er and more subtle causes. Again,
that bugbear of officialdom-fa
ism-which casts its lurid light around
in all countries, is another strong
factor. 1t is eating into the hearts
of many ambitious young men here.
However patriotic elegible youth may
be the personal equation will always
insist upon having a front seat in
the stalls. Take, for instance, john
son, of Lloyd's bank. He wants to
know why he should only be pri-
vate in the Worchesters, while Ali
son of Barclays, has been given a.
commission in the Yorshires. He
squirms and his interest dies out in
the work t which he started so en-
Enthusiastically.
Here is case in point. A young
man personally known to the writ
er, happens to be bit of a "nu'.t'
Actuated chiefly with the purpose of
obtaining commission, he enlisted
in Kitchener's army a few months
ago. He is British born and bred,
though of foreign parentage. His
burning desire lay in the prospect of
shortly becoming a British Officer,
when he could swagger and do the
dude to his hearts content There
was not frament of the real soldier
in him from head to foot. He has
just spent three months in camp hard
at drill, rough living and under the
stern military discipline which he has
let reduce military life in his eyes to
an irksome drudgery and something
I quite beneath his dignity as a "gen-
i tleman.'
i The result was that the other night
he walked into his residential hotel,
where he had resided prior to enlist
ment, attired in civil costume. After
dinner, he announced in the smoking
room to his astonished fellow guests
that he had "chucked it." A sneer of
ineffable contempt passed around the
room, and the words skunk" "shirk-
er" and other approbious epithets
were muttered by his ascandalized
A companions. Not soul made an answ-
lering remark to the delinquent. He
lis now "tabee" in the establishment
4 and talks of joining the Red Cross
Society.
3 From this story what conclusion can
we draw? The first question which
presents itself is, can private sold
} Ter, no matter what his social rank,
i "chuck" service at his own sweet will
after he has worn the Kings uniform
during course of preliminary train
J ing? The next is, are other "resigna-
) tions" of similar character likely to
! follow? The psychology of the whole
question is worth a moments consid-
GRAFTON.
Here we have young gentleman
who wants only the picture side of
soldering. He cannot obtain the in
fiuence to secure a commission with
out doing certain amount of the
dirty work of a common soldier He
: tires of drill and military authority
, and "chucks'' it. To be sure, such a
gritless youth is not much loss, but
there is the baleful light of his infu-
ence upon others, who are equally un-
willing to serve in the ranks