Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-04-27
WHY YOUNG MEN
WILL not ENLIST
Question of Salary is One Gov
erning Reason-Loss of Jobs,
and Crushing Of Ambitions,
Have Weight in Deciding the
Matter.


Richmond, Va, April 26,-Young
men won't enlist, is the despairing
cry of recruiting officers here. Vir-
ginia remains near the bottom of the
list in the number of enrollments in
the navy proportion to her quota of
men, and those who do not stop to
consider the cause of things, dumbly
wonder why this is so, and are con-
tent with the soothing thought that
something is wrong with the patrio-
tism of the generation.
But it isn't the fault of patriotism.
Patriotism is no more dead now than
it was in the glorious days of '76, or
in any other day. Men are as brave
now as they were then, and love their
country possibly more. But it is one
of the fundamental social problems
that is involved, and the solution to
it will never come, as regards the
army and navy, until the volunteer
system of raising men is either
changed or placed on a newer and
firmer foundation.
1t all goes back to the same old
question of money. Not money for
its own sake, or for the mere love Of
it, but money in its relation to neces-
stiles of life and its place in society,
and until soldiers are paid more by
the government for their services
the army and navy ranks will never
be filled until the government forces
men to go. .
it is simple question, and does
not reflect on national loyalty or
national unity if brought down to the
last ananysis. 1t is in itself the very
outgrowth of that selfsame liberty
and pursuit of happiness for which
the Stars and Stripes is spokesman,
and for which, when worst comes to
worst, hundreds and thousands of
good Americans will be found willing
to give their lives.
The proposition is this: The large
majority of young men Of military
age and of sufficient responsibility
% become the kind of soldiers Uncle
or profession. These men make good
soldiers. Men who are found in the
poolrooms, and in the other numerous
masterpieces of the cities, as we'll as
, the smaller towns, as q rule are not
the kind of men best suited to up
holding the honor and dignity of any
flag. They have no occupation. They
live from hand to mouth, and from
day to day. In society, any standards
are suited to them, and they can ad-
just themselves to any style of liv-
ing, provided it isn't too high. They
may or may not volunteer, as the
case may be, but Statistics show that
they are the last to answer the call.
On the other hand, the young pro-
fessional and business men, who COM
pose the largest strata of society,
have definite, fixed places in life,
and have adjusted themselves, either
by heredity or by long association,
to particular standard of living.
Further, this manner of life has built
up for them certain ties that they
GSnnot break. For instance, they
haYe lif insurance for which they
must pay certain, a regular amount.
They have various club dues, as
rule are members of societies that
require money, and numerous forces
draw upon them for funds that are
absolutely necessary to these mems
lives. You couldn't take a bank clerk
and isolate him entirely, and still
leave bank clerk. You couldn't take
a clothing salesman, and allow him
to live entirely to himself and still
keep him a good clothing salesman.
Consequently, when Uncle Sam
calls these men to the colors and Of
fers them fifty cents day, they can't
accept the challenge. Some of them
have dependents who look to them
for a living. For fifty cents day
these young men can't do it, and there
is no way in which they can make
fifty cents pay the bills. For a young
man, who has been receiving from
sS75 to $125 month for his services,
to volunteer in his country's cause,
OF in any other cause, for SIS month
fos an indefinite length of time, is
a proposition that fails to agree with
all the laws of business, society and
custom.
Not that they would dare think of
serving their country for money
alone. 1t isn't that. The fact is,
they can't give up their life as citi-
zens to fight for SIS month, when
they have been accustomed to live
on $50 or $50 plane. If the gov
ernment will give them enough mon
ey to pay their bills while they are
sacrificing everything, their time, pos
sibly their ambitions, and their chanc-
es for life itself, they will be so glad
TO "do their bit" extra recruiting Of
fees will have to be opened to ac-
commodate them.
Englishmen Join the Colors.
This week eight young Englshmen
left Richmond for Canada, to join
His Majesty's expeditionary forces
there and to leave shortly for the war
fronts in Europe. They We're given a
big parade, and made the subject of