Evening star., 1917-12-08
Boys Of Eighteen at the Front.

Boys Of sixteen and one-half years of
age are now taken from their homes
and schools and sent to barracks for
the years drill and disciplining they
must have before they are sent into the
zone of active operations. If is doubt
full If boys less than eighteen years of
age ever reach the real front lines.
They are not stiff enough morally and
mentally at that age to stand the
frightfui grueling Of war under. mod
ern conditions. Men are taken for the
army up to fifty years of age. They
are taken between fifty and ffty-fve
years of age for some forms Of civilian
service. Over fifty-five they are still
free to die comfortably in their beds
Of dysentery induced by underfeeding
or pneumonia induced by weakness plus
chill.
1t is practically impossible for a
valid German man to escape service.
Every German in q. s. Due in Army
Every German in the United States
today is due in the German army.
The time Will come when he must ex-
plain to his imperial master why he
DID not wear the green gray Of the
German army.
Germans in the United States will
be forgiven-or many of them will
because of the impossibility of getting
to Germany across a well guarded
sea. But here in Switzerland no such
protection avails them. I have been
told OF cases in which men have been
mulcted of all they possessed, of we'll
to-do men who have been reduced to
penury because they refused to go
back to Germany to do their military
service. The empire can only reach
OF course. But these men can never
return to Germany except upon a
proper and well paid for permission.
II Is quite clearly understood that
No
many hopes to tap after the war is
the fat pocketbook of the Germana
resident In the United States and who
have been paid good wages or made
war They must paw If ever they hope
to go back.
Woman Problem VIII Be Serious.
Women are working at almost every
sort of Job in Germany today from
cleaning streets to running lathes in
shell factories. The woman problem
after the war which even now are
growing permanent wrinkles in the
foreheads Of thoughtful Germans. Four
years ago the typical German woman
was the hausfrau. The kaiser's three
Cs-cooking. church and children
| bounded her activity and her cnitnre
Germans say the German woman will
never go back to the three Cs.
women working on the Berlin trans
tainted from sheer weakness" one man
told me. They struck for moro food
| and got it.
No Civilian Employees.
'To show the complete manner ~
which the voluntary civil service has
| taken up the supply Of males outsjde
the mobilized lines" a friend told me
can cite my own experience. I Sc
iected a one-legged Office boy because
ne promised permanency. But after 8
time he was called to sit at a factory
door to check the women in and out
morning and evening. A Pole used to
give me a German lesson every morn
ing. He was little. weazened chap
OBVIOUSLY unit for work. but before
LETT Germany he was carrying letters
Tour hours day. I tried to fnd a clerk
70 MI a temporary need. but was un-
able to fnd one who had not some
voluntary civil service interest. ]
comfortable for any one to try to evade
this so-called voluntary but really
drafted service"
A similar economy in the use of the
human material may be observed in The
manner in which the fragments OF M men
that come back from the war are hein :
utilized. ! am not referring here to
the very remarkable relief work. IN
which crippled men are being taushi
36H.8unnOPtln0
This Is really part Of the machinarS
which Is being gradually created in
Germany to meet the after-the-war
conditions. Tho present-day nsed :.
such that men who have been +
seriously injured that they would b
permanently discharged from duty n
any Of the allied armies are stin doing {
The German theory Is . simple one
The soldier needs two arms and two
legs. a. well a. other physical equip.
menfs. A man can keep books without
legs. however, and at pinch with only
one arm: A one-legged man not only
can be. but very often is. q most com.
petent aerial observer. Men are used
about the various afiiliated services who
have been deprived Of the use Of one
or more limbs and sometimes are suf.
fering from very serious wounds. MOI
II great consideration shown these mer
because OF their physical condition. Thl
German theory 10 that II the wounded
man 10 petted and favored he II there.
by softsuA1. and that he promptly
ceeseg - - NveA what he can do wall
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