The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-02
BRITAIN'S VALIANT EFFORT
 TO AVOID CONSCRIPTION

ing, noon and night, and many are most interesting.
 In Trafalgar Square the other day there
 were or the 'plinth." as the base of
 the Nelson monument is called, group of
 black men in the Kings uniform. One
 of them made a speech He said he was
 from British Guiana, in South America,
 and that he had come 5000 miles to light
 for the King. He wanted to get just one
 man to go along to France with him, and
 he would be content He was quite frank.
 He declared that he thought he owed
 something to his country and that if he
 went to France and was wounded he
 wouldn't mind, if he was not wounded
 too badly, and that after being wounded
 he didn't expect. and obviously his thought
 was that he did not have the slightest
 desire, to return to France again Ills
 bit would be done and he asked for just
 one recruit to justify him In what he
 was trying to do. He got him.
 In Hyde Bark one day a workman took
 the stand, He was in rough civilian
 dress, with tattered cap, shabby clothes
 and no collar. But he had story to
 tell, in atrocious Cockney, and with a
 good deal of excitement as he progressed
 He had been in the army and had been
 discharg rged. He indicated where he had been wounded, pointing to so many places that he must have been sprayed with a machine gun. He was unfit for service now, but if he could go back he would gladly do so He declared he wanted to
 go back to lave another go at them Ger man 'uns, who'd murdered wimmin and children as Hive done" When he noticed his audience received this atrocious claim rather peculiarly, he thought back over
 his words and hastily added: "As H I've seen 'em done.' "a
 There are many paid recruiters, usually paid a pound a day for their work, while the soldiers who work through the crowds get shilling for every man they bring in. But there are even more voluntary workers. Appeals for recruits vary in
 kind Prizes are sometimes offered. A 10-shilling note will be held up for the
 man who will come forward At the Royal exchange the other day three pounds were offered to the first recruit. On another occasion in Trafalgar square a >recruter offered 10 shllings to the first medically unfit man who would present himself, thus seeking to eliminate any claims of unfitness on the part of those in the audience. The theatrical profess
 sion has done splendid work, always for
 nothing and with a notable absence of lnotoriety seeking. Prominent men and women from the music halls sing to at- tract the crowds, and then they make heart-to heart appeals
 | Many recruits have been obtained through the movies, A special film was prepared showing the soldiers life. Scenes in camp were taken, showing the
 men at work, play and food. The effect of setting forth the fine side of army life, with men happy and contented, is great. The film is followed by speaker who tells about conditions of service, the need of men, etc.
 Americans in London are in rather pre- carious positions. Many have been asked to joint by recruiting sergeants and pr1- yates. It is very embarrassing and the situation is fraught with possible conse- quences, for the chances are that when you explain that you are an American there is a decided risk that you will get 1 something like this:
 American eh! Then you're too proud to fight what?"
 Naturally you are not too proud to | fight, and it's pretty well up to you to prove it, which would mean few un- 1 comfortable hours with the police, to say nothing of what the soldier might be able l to do before the police effected a rescue. l One of the greatest recruiters in the United Kingdom is a clergyman. He has ! made more than 500 recruiting speeches 1 in England, Scotland and Ireland, and he l estimates that he has brought 4O0O men to his side. There is no telling how many OlnGTS nave ellllSLeQ elSWloI0 dllel listening to his eloquent appeals. He is an Irishman from Belfast, and he is Protestant His home now is in Mother well Scotland and his name Is s. Boal | His name and fame have spread through I England and he is in great demand Just now he is in London.
 "The Pastor" as he is known from one l end of London to the other, wears his I clerical garb. 1t brings the crowds, and his eloquence and fervor keep them there once they have stopped to listen. He speaks three and four times a day, at Trafalgar square, outside St. Pauls cathedral, or on the steps of the Royal exchange, during the daytime, and in Cinema theatres and halls in the even- | ing. He is a rangy Irishman, with a bit of brogue keen eye and snappy wit | that confounds those who seek to make excuses. A blind man might offer his l sff'iction as an excuse which would sat l isfy this unsuitable seeker of soldiers and the Pastor would reluctantly accept it. but anything less effective would not sat
 isfy him.
 | I watched him at work at Trafalgar
 square the other day. He stood on the l 'plinth," with a great crowd beneath him, surrounded by soldiers and off.
 cers, with a background of flags ant huge recruiting posters. The clerical cut of his clothes and his high hat coulc l be seen from afar, and people came te hear what this clergyman had to say about Christians going to war. If they thought that he would preach gospe | of peace they were sadly mistaken Pas l tor Boal is a fighter, an Irish fighter His own son is at the Dardanelles. He 1 has a brother in France, two nephew. l with fleet and two others in the army
 at home, ready to go out. He says thi:
 entitled him to ask others to fight ant | ask them he certainly does. He is fol
 war, war to the finish, war to the street: 1 of Berlin, war until the Kaiser is hanged | by the neck. He takes off the gloves l figuratively he throws his hat into tn | ring and strips to the waist. This wa must be won, and thoroughly won. Ems land must survive, emerging in greater glory than ever, and to do this German. must be crushed. He wants the Kai sers head and openly demands it. Hi | appeal is effective, and recruits conn forward. In one day he got more than 50 After one of his meetings I talked with Pastotr Boal and he told many in
 teresting things.
 '"There are still millions of recruit to be had and they can be obtained. W' don't want conscription and I do no think we will have it. If the appeal t' men is rightly made they will come for ward. I do not believe in bullying { T man, calling him a coward, shirke T and a stacker, and threatening that he doesn't come of his own accord h Il will be fetched later on. The thing t. | do is to give him the truth, explain tn necessities illustrate what will happel if we do not win. Tell him about tn
 brighter side of army life, the gloriou
 things of the battlefield. If he doesn' Il come then he isn't worth striving fol