Evening star., 1916-01-13
DRIVING THE WEAK
INTO BRITISH ARMY
Demand on Every Side That
Each Englishman Shall
"Do His Bit"
BOYS AND MARRIED MEN
CAUGHT BY RECRUITERS
Native of That Country, Now Re-
siding in New York, Relates
His Experiences.
BY HERBERT COREY.
Copyright, 1916.)

NopyrlSht, 1Slo.)
Somewhere between 100000 ane
1000. 900 men have been enlisted in the
British forces since the war began
The exact figure is unknown. 1t Is pos
sible that the exact figures will moi
be known until the final stocktakine
when the war is over. OF this num-
ber perhaps one-half were volunteers
in the true sense Of the word. The
other half were enlisted under moral
compulsion. They could not resist
the pressure brought to bear upon
them. England has been going through
precisely the same process that the
United States would be forced to
undergo if we were involved in war.
Moral compulsion is Infinitely more
unfair than conscription. 1t is an
archie" as George Bernard Shaw calls
it, There is no pretense of decent
process of selection.
Il almost became a volunteer by
force" said a man Of British birth to
me the other day. Il was almost
shanghaied."
That isn't a pretty or polite way of
describing what happened to him. Let
be. 1t is a fairly accurate one. I know
this man well. He is over military age,
although he doesn't look 1t. He is
the sole support of a family. Although n
his income has for years been well
away a penny Culpable extravaganza;
of course. Nevertheless, if he were
to die his wife must earn what part
of her living his life insurance would
not provide. His little folks must leave
school,
80 that I went to England" said
he, "to become a stretcher- carrier in
the hospital corps. l felt myself pulled
two ways by duty. / wanted to do
my bit. / felt l had no right to take
the risk of death as a soldier. Any
how, l was over military age"
When the steamer from New York
landed in an English port he walked
into the shed where his baggage was
limp hailed him. He thought the Gus
toms inspector had given the soft
spoken man nod.
"And a Coward, Too"
Pardon me- said the soft spoken
man. but are you not British born?"
The New Yorker-for this prospective
applicant for the post of stretcher-
bearer has lived in New York SO long
that he is almost native son-sus-
pected what was coming. So he brought
to bear the true Britons capacity for
rudeness to a stranger.
L dont Rno" you, Sald ne, ana
do not want to talk to you"
"You are British-born," said the soft
spoken one. majestically, "and you are
a coward, too. Why don't you do your
bit?"
He got to London. That night he
went into a restaurant on the Strand
1t was not a top-notch restaurant. He
learned afterward that in the Savoy or
the Cecil he would be free of the at
tentions of the recruiting sergeant. Blu,
this restaurant. He wanted to recall
the time when he was not a big man in
his line, but little man. with pinched
belly and a few hopes and a game little
wife to support. He sat alone at a
table. When the entree came on, so
was toplofty Scotty in kits and med
ais He sat down at the table and
leaned across it and said in an in
sinuating way:
The British born felt that his cheeks
were flushing. He looked about him
shamefacedly. He could not help it
Every one else in the restaurant had
postponed mastication to watch the
scene He preserves the recollection
of a misty tableau in which the actors
seemed to have spoons suspended mid
way between plate and lips 1t angered
him. Mind you, 1t was his first meal In
the old country, and he felt his inten-
tioHS "SlS Aiohoi oo1S' &AO @SpbSe
briefly.
"'E says" said the recruiting ser.
geant. passionately, to the other diners
for me to go to ELL. Hive been a,
Ipers, l ave. Him doin' my bit. Wot
Him arstin' i'm is, wy isn't e doin
'is?"
The British born put money on the
table for the waiter and left the res.
taursnt. He was conscious of disap-
proving eyes, but as he turned at the
door he discovered that the interest
had shifted. The toplofty Scotty wa.
seating himself at another small ia able
occupied by a small and visibly shrink.
ing youth. The British born watchet
the sergeant lean over the table with
an insinuating air, and saw his bis
teeth gleam. He could almost heal
the question:
why aren't you doing your bit?"
Street Orator Harangues Crowd.
Next day he walked through Trafal-
gar Square. Between the paws of one
of the hons a man in khaki was har.
anguing desperately A small and
lanouid crowd listened alphabetically
The British born, still conscious Of his
good intentions, stopped to listen. He
wanted to know what the soldier was
ga ying, and how he could possibly ex.
press his country's need SO badly az
not 10 arouse his listeners. Obviously
he had not aroused them. Some o,