CONSCRIPTION

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 107, 6 May 1916, Page 16

CONSCRIPTION

COMMENTS ON FRENCH SYSTEM,

In "Tho Soul of the War," Mr. Philip Gibbs thus refers to conscription in France:—

The~ mobilisation of all the manhood of France, from boys of eighteen and,, nineteen to men of forty-five, was a demonstration of national unity and of a great people vising as one man in selfdefence, -which to the Englishman was an astounding and overwhelming phenomenon. Though I knew the meaning of it, 'and it had no real surprises for me, I could never avoid the sense of wonderment when 1 met young aristocrats marching in the ranks as common soldiers; professors, poets, priests, and painters, as hairy and dirty as the poilus who _ had come from trie farms and the meat markets; millionaires and the sons of millionaires, driving automobiles as military chauffeurs, or as orderlies to officers upon whom they waited respectfully, forbidden td sit at table with them in public places, and having to "keep, their place" at all times. Even now I am astonished at a system which makes young merchants abandon their businesses at a moment's notice to serve in the ranks, and great employers of labour go marching with their own labourers, giving only a backward glance at the ruin of their property and their trade.

There is something magnificent 'in this, but^ all one's admiration of a universal military sendee which abolishes all distinctions of class and wealthafter all there were not many embusques, or privileged exemptes—need not blind one to abuses and unnecessary hardships inflicted upon large numbers of. men. Abuses there have been in France, as was inevitable in a system like.this, and this general call to the colours inflicted an enormous amount of suffering upon men who would have suffered more willingly if it had been to serve France usefully. But in thousands and hundreds of thousands of cases there was no useful purpose served. General . Joffre had aa many men as he could manage along the fighting lines. More would have choked up his '• lines of communication and the whole machinery of the war. But behind the front there were millions of men in reserve, and behind them vast bodies of men idling in depots, crowded into barracks, and eating their hearts out for lack "of, work. They had been forced to abandon their homes and professions, and yet during the whole length of the war they found no higher duty to do for France than sweep out a barrack-yard or clean out a military latrine. It was especiallv hard upon the reformes—men of delicate health who had been exempted from their military service in their youth, but who now were re-examined by the Conseil de Revision and found " good for military service in time of war." i'