Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-07

Youth will be served. The passage of
the man power bill, drafting for military
service American boys and men from Is to
IS years old, does not alter the great fact
that young America by the thousands antici-
pated the new move by enlisting. When the
numbers come out the balance of them, who
are Of fighting age and condition, will be just
as eager to join the colors OF their country
as were the stripping marines who fought
at Chateau Thierry, the youthful aviators
who bombed the boche, or the alert boy
| fighters of our battleships and destroyers.
When the time for registration comes, 1t will
be reported of many a boy from ~ to ~
that he has been at the front for months
| OF the remaining 1877, 900 electives of that
age estimated to be available under the draft,
when we get to it, there will not be many
exempted, if they can help it. Many OF them
have been on their tiptoes ever since this
country entered the war. waiting for their
chance to break away from parental control
Those of US who have boys of soldier
| and sailor age are swayed by conflicting
emotions. We would not think much of
| them if they did not want to serve, even it
they ran away from home to do it. Yet
we hesitate to let them 60 unless we feel
sure that they are strong enough and we'll
prepared enough to undergo the ordeals of
war. As one who has made the rounds of
recruiting stations, and has talked with many
boys keen to be in the service OF their native
land, am summing up the situation in which,
American youth finds itself in this national
crisis.
What a story of youth in all its courage
and ideaiism we read in the Congressional
Records statement, which sets forth how
many of the boys of the United States are
already in the ranks of the Army of Freedoml
While the draft was reaching out to men OF
from Il to 80, the enlistment ages reached
from 10 to Al, and in some of the branches
of the service men OF As were accepted. Up
to August last, when the War department,
anticipating the passage OF draft legislation,
ordered enlisting to cease, most Of the re-
cruits were boys. The recruiting officers in
the large stations in New York were over
whelmed at times by applications. Most of
the youngsters had an enthusiastic interest
in some special branch of the service, and
they offered themselves eagerly so that they
could have the choice of seeing the face OF
danger in their own way.
The writer has looked over records of
one recruiting station, dating from April last
until the closing order. There are such ages
as IS, 49, 1914 and 20, with here and there
only a sprinkling of more mature applicants.
Fully 80 per cent. of those accepted were
minors and most of them mere boys. Line
cause it had been found that they were only
10 and II. 1t is hard thing to tell the
age of boy. Hundreds of l6-year-olds
have applied for all branches of the service,
relying on the fact that they looked 70 or Il.
The government does not take any boy
below Is, except under unusual conditions,
and the applicants who were besieging the
recruiting sergeants did not hesitate to put
ahead their own calendars and even to swear
to false statements. Dismissal from the serv-
ice is the penalty for perjuring ones self
| even for patriotic purposes, but these young
sters were taking the risk when other means
failed.
Scores OF them were caught offering the
birth certificates of older brothers as evil
dence of an age that was within the law.
Many a mother had been importuned day
and night, until she went to the recruiting
Office and swore to false date for the birth
OF her son, because he would give her no
peace until she did.
Sturdy boys of II have been crossing the
borders into Canada. where they said they
were 20 and took the oath of allegiance to
the British Crown for the period of the war,
because that was the way to get into avia-
ton service, as the enlistments for airmen
in the United States had closed in March
last. The cavalry of the air stirs the magma
ton of youth. 1t offers the newest phase
Of warfare, it throbs with adventure, and it