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About Kendall Chronicle (Kendall, Mont.) 1902-190? | View This Issue
Kendall Chronicle (Kendall, Mont.), 25 Aug. 1903, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/sn85053338/1903-08-25/ed-1/seq-7/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
Kendall. M-+ntana. August 25, 1903. I HANDICAP OF YOUTH. Young Men of Europe Forced Into Military Bondage. R I v al Nations Vrlar with Barb Other S., Armed Sapremacy—laata- race of the Service oa *abject's. Europeans who have resided in the United States for any length of time are usually *truck by the large number of young men who occupy positions of prominence and re- sponsibility in business, professional life or the service of the state. This is due in great part to the fact that the American youth has ample op- portunity to work at his chosed craft or profession without the tin- welh , ome interruption of compulsory military service. Conscription is a state of bondage which the young man of the European continent must undergo during the most valuable years of his life. At a period when a lad should be straining every nerve to win a place in the world he in compelled to give up the struggle and conform his ideas and even his phys- ical development to the Procrustean standards of military martinets, says the Chicago Daily News. In the various countries of conti- nental Europe military laws and service are very much alike. Inter- national rivalries and ambitions are ever urging these nations to ke-p up with their neighbors in matters of national defense. Even the small- er nationalities in some instances have been armed by -their big neigh- bors and proudly drag along their burden of militarism. France, Ger- many, Austria and Italy compel every able-bodied lad of 20 years of age to devote two years of his life to military service. Actually tio. perkid of service required by law is longer than two years, but financial considerations limit the term of training. In addition to this period the European youth must perforce belong to the reserve and devote ac- cording to his age a longer or short- er part of his time each year to drill and maneuvers. At the present day there are 1,655,- 000 young men engaged in actual aereice in France, Austria, ierrnany and Italy. These figures Inks' no account of Russia, Belgium, Spain and other countries, but sim- ilar conditions prevail in and a like reasoning applies to those flattops. Of this large number of young men snatched away from trade, craft or employment 560,000 are French, 513,- 000 German, 335,000 Austrian and 250,000 Italian. This vast amount of productive labor is annually lost to Europe. Only men in first-class physical condition are accepted for military service. From six to seven per cent. of theme men are permanently in- jared by the severities of army life Many more are incapacitated from pursuing the careers they had mapped out for themselves. The 4ase of one young German is sig- nificant. He had devoted almost six years to learning watchmaking. He had taken the greatest pride and pleasure in his skill as a craftsman and had become SO expert in his work that he saw before him the as- surance of a prosperous career. Two young sisters as well as his mother were dependent on him. This lad was drafted into the ar- tillery at 20. Handling heavy shot, manipulating heavy guns, moving gun carriages ad other rough wort - incident to artillery drill ruined his delicate hands and unfitted him for carrying on his old craft. When he completed his term of service he saw before him the necessity of learning some other benineas or being reduced to the level of an unskilled laborer. Meantime the family he had labored 50 hard to keep together had been scattered. One of the worst features of mili- tary life is the cramping influence it exerts on young men endowed with any originality of thought or native powers of mind. Will power, the faculty of criticism or analysis, pow- ers of organization, invention and gift for the Fknplifieation of labor are not mere, useless in European armies but even meet with the stern- est repression. Meehanipal obedi- ence and unreasoning execution of or- ders are the highest rn'iitary vir- tues in Europe. Such traininz speedi- ly unfits a yotiminan for making his mark in the world , of industry or commerce. The young Euro7ean may leave military life with a body unim- paired by its hardships, but he is likely to be handicapped for the rest of his natural days by the arti- ficial state of mind his training has p , ..oduced. While the military systeto is itself an exemplificatkin of the Sttrvival the fittest it eneburages the am -viral of weaklings in civil life. The halt. the maimed, the consumptive, the- asthmatk, the young men with chronic complaints of whatever sort, are given an immense advantage over their . competiters from plle military ranks, no matter hbw. sckind in body The army wants only lads of the highest physical standards. The others are rejected. They pay a small yearly tux and are exempt. They are thus enabledalto attend to business or to work at ; their trades, for which the army is meanwhile un- fitting the others. In America parents value a sound mind in a sound body for their off- spring. In Europe oar its often thank God that their sons have sound minds in more or less decrepit frames. MARRIED THEM AFTER ALL,'it u , The Bride -to -13e Objected at Hot K•errthlaa Turned Out All Shortly after taking the office of probate judge at Wellington, Kan., W. H. Steffelbach was called to one of the local hotels to marry a cou- ple. The young woman was a school• teacher of Burden and the young man - a merchant of Lamont, Okla. Arriving at the hotel, the judge was informed by the bridegroom that his sweetheart believed she would ratti• er be married by a preacher. relates the Kansas City (Mo.) Journal. The Wellington News continues the story as ,follows: Judge Steffelbach was new in the business and he replied that he could get them a preacher. The young woman drummed on the floor with .her foot and finally asked the judge to what church he belonged. \Don't ark him that kind of a ques- tion,\ urged the young man. \It's all right.,\ replied Judge Stef- felbach. \When I married I joined the church my wife belonged to— the Methodist.\ \The Methodist's my church,\ mid the bride -elect with a smile. \To what political party do you belong?\ asked the young man of the court. \I'm a republican,\ answered the judge. \That's my politics,\ replied the first. \We wouldn't let a populief marry us. would we, dear?\ he said, s.miling at his girl. She shook her head. \Are you a member of any lodge or secret order?\ the young man asked Judge Steffelbac.h. \I'm a mason.\ the judge replied. \Well. she's an Eastern Star,\ he said, pointing to his sweetheart, \and she's matron at Burden, in the chap- ter there.\ \We're brother and sister, then,\ replied Judge Steffelbach. \for I am a member of the Eastern Star lodge. myself.\ There were a few blinks and signs parsed between the judge and th- bride-eleet, and ,hp began to smile and ex:ended her hand. \It's all right. .Jim,\ she said to her lover. \He'll do as well as any preacher,\ and the knot was tied. Have Your JOB PRINTING done at the Chronicle Job Office We Print Letter Heads Bill Heads Statements Business Cards Visiting Cards Posters in fact everything in the way of Job Work at Lewistown Prices
