Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-06
INCIDENTS OF HUMAN INTEREST
AT THE REGISTRATION STATIONS

! tration blank asked the color of the
eyes.
Three young men hung to car straps,
each with an arm on the shoulder of
the other Two of them talked with
the buoyancy of youth that dareS adj
venture, but the other, white and nerv-
Gus. twisted the strap and compressed
his lips. as If to keep them from trem-
bling. The hand on his shoulder finally
gave him pat.
Say. brace up. old man. This isn't
dead sure funeral. you know. We've
got a fighting chance. You'd hate to be
turned down and let US go to the
trenches without you. Brace up.''
The nervous one braced.
I'll thrash any man who tries to
keep me out of the war. l want this
registering thing over with-that's all"
Which seems to show that even cour-
age is point Of view.
A middle-aged man waited outside
until a youngster in lavender tie and
silk socks to match sprinted out of the
District building.
At sight of him the man barred his
head and extended a hand.
And in his eyes was the something
that everybody feels when the band
plays The Star Spangled Banner"
Snowden Ashford. at the Force
School. had many perplexing questions
put up to him. In one instance a young
man said he was born in 1884 and
strenuously insisted that he was but
twenty EIGHT years old.
AT Reservoir School. precinct No. 7-B,
most of the registration was performed
in the early hours of the morning.
about eighty-five having registered up
to noon. While this precinct covers a
wide area. it is thinly populated and of
new settlement, so that the residents
have few men of registration age. 1t is
doubtful IL the total registration will
exceed $50.
The Conduit Road Citizens Associa-
ton took charge of affairs, and the
ladies of the members provided an ex-
cellent luncheon for the registrars. The
younger ladies of the association were
on hand and pinned roses to the coat of
each registrant. Last evening there were
brief exercises at the school building,
at which patriotic songs will be sung.
Persons who have not been over care
full about stating their ages had rough
| going yesterday. Women are not alone in
their supposed Discrimination to come
down to brass tacks in the matter of
years. many a registrar can testify.
One man called up The Star office and
! inquired what to do in a predicament
| like this:
I gave one age when I came into
this country. another when I went to
school and I think a third when l got
| an automobile operators license. Some
| make me over age and some under. I
have just learned from my brother that
| am thirty-one years old. What shall
\ I do?'
Similar discrepancies, when reported
| to registrars. elected the reply that the
government is now interested only In
| how old you really are, not in how old
you may have said you were.
Wives Of the members Of tho Mount
Pleasant Citizens Association present
ed to every man registering in the
Powell q small banner of the colors of
| the United States flag to wear on his
coat lapel.
| Several Chinese students were sta
place near B street, which covers the
! precinct in which the Chinese section
| is located.
! The,.were called upon in several in
stances to go to other schools to act
as interpreters. being conveyed by citi-
zens in their automobiles.
| At the Gales School, Massachusetts
! avenue and G street northwest. the
services of Italian and Greek inter
prefers were called upon several times
/ to aid the registrars.
The thousandth individual to register
late yesterday afternoon at Western
High School was man with an infant
] in his arms. Robert c. Saxton. the
registrant, was not accompanied by the
| mother of the child.
Only one woman appeared with any
man seeking to register at Western. Thi.
| was the mother Of a deaf mute, and
she accompanied him to act as in.
terpreter. She told OF another son
seventeen years old, who had enlisted
and whom. with much difficulty. she
had been able to have discharged. She
is a widow, she said. and the two boy,
are her support.
Five Fisher brothers were among
those who appeared for registration
They came together. They were: e
Ellsworth. Lindwood Lee, Percy. Rosi
and Isaac Fisher. The eldest is nearl,
thirty-one years. the youngest Is JUS
twenty-one years OF age.
An italian who could not spell tn,