New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

Union square III summer were Will
A tering in the sunshine Of the South
light snow had left patches of white
on the fenced-in ground of the square. Dust
from the street had blown on the snow, fleck-
ing its whiteness.
mist of the morning had fallen heavily
upon the benches which sparkled with drops
of dew. Despite the dampness, a number of
sad men sat on the benches. shivcring Just a
little in the crisp air and looking with duly
envicus eyes at the we'll dressed. hurryins
people who passed on the walks. Some of the
occupants of the benches had spread news
papers beneath them. Others, too far gone in
misery for even this, had sat down and let
the heat Of their bodies dry the Stats
Although the glory of her more warlike
days is history. Union Square is still a favor
ite stamping ground for the former warrior
and for thS mar ~ho wants to try his luck in
The army. AS a consequence the two non
commissioned officers duty there are the
most successful in New York They send
nearly three hundred men month to 80
army.
Sergeant William +. Foster and Corporal
Grover z. Pearson are the two non-conn1is-
stoned officers. In their daily work at the
square they have acquired an almost uncanny
ability to ss ect worthy recruits Sergeant
Foster. with six hash marks" enlistment
chevrors) Oh his seeve, has served in posts
in half the world, but he says he likes Union
Square the best.
There's something here to keep man
studying all the time he smiled. eve never
have dull day here. There is always some
thing happening in this business which makes
man use his head.
AS the sergeant talked he kept his weather
eye on the gayly decorated sign in front Of
the hut, which bears the mystic words
Men Wanted for the United States Army
A young man, still wearing an ar1nv over
coat. stood in front of the sign, looking at it
and looking at the pictures which adorn it.
The sergeant walked over to him.
Want to re-up?" he asked
The young man Strengthened up
Il sure do" he said emphaticaly "1'm sick
and tired of asking for jobs in this town.
Everywhere I've been it's the same thing
hundreds of men ahead of me and the Jobs
filled before | even get chance to give my
yarn. Yep, ship me down and I'll sign up"
The sergeant looked at the hollows beneath
the eyes and the paleness Of the mans face
when did you eat last?" he asked.
The young man grinned.
Il think it was yesterday morning"
The sergeant gave him a dime.
well, go get cup of coffee and some buns
and then come back" he urged. you'll do
better with the doctor.
The sergeant smiled.
"You talk all you want to about YOUR
unemployment commissions, but we are the
ones who can tell what unemployment is for
we get the stories first hand"
There isn't day but what we get stories
That would turn mans heart inside out We
can't take all, for we have instructions to pick
only the best sort of men for the army. and
when we turn them down here some of them
/ seem heartbroken. A man never seems to
know what army chow and comfortable bar
racks are until he is broke.
The most pathetic are the old men who
come here and try to enlist They have seen
better days, most Of them, and they are on
the bum now. I had one old man Of fifty
come up the other day and ask to get in. We
couldn't take him and turned him down and
he began to cry. We'll, it looks like the river
for me- he said.
well, l got in touch with some Salvation
Army people and they gave him lift and he
got job the other day and came around to
thank me. He had once been the vice-pres
dent of a bank, he told me, but the bank had
failed and he was down and out.
"We have lots of queer persons who come
up to u.s. The other day an old woman gave
me dime because / showed her the way to a
subway. She thought l was porter or some
thing. I gave her back the dime and told
her soldiers didn't take money for that sort
of thing. She looked at me and gasped: MY
goodness didn't know we had any soldiers
when weren't at war
"a middle-aged woman came up to me the
other day. leading mild little man by the
arm. She looks at me and asks if am the
man in charge, and when said that was she
says: i want this to enlist and he won't He's
my husband but he amt worth thing to me-
Put him in the army
'"rhe man begins to sniff1e almost like a
little boy and says: But don't want to go in
the army.
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