INCENTIVES TO RECRUITING.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2510, 10 July 1915, Page 12

INCENTIVES TO RECRUITING.

Sir, —By your courtesy and through the medium of your valued columns I cravo permission to say, that in theso days -when thero seems to be a dearth of men. coming forward to enlist, that if any-incentive ■were needed they /would only , need to read , oyer a. couplo of in your issue dated July _ 1, headed "Gorman Horrors." The fiendish cvuclty practised on the young, the old, the already maimed, arid helpless, irrespective of sex, makes ono shudder in. its awfuLness. Could any young man read .jjfesgs almost a,cta of Jbrutafe..

'ity and not feel moved to. tako the shortest route to the recruiting oflico and oll'er to go and close in the rank of a. fallen soldier and help to throttle and crush for ever this insano War Lord and his followers, ore all tlio flower of our manhood: be slam in the attempt 'i I do think, sir, that if these almost nameless horrors were. anoro widely known that it would stimulate the apparently apathetic to como forward and enlist. As an instaneo of tlio indift'orenco and ignorance of tlio war that does exist in many cases) I would - liko to quote that of a young, able-bodied man ol r twenty-two years, who recontly came under my notice. On my asking had he enlisted, ho smilingly said, "No, and did not intend to do so, either. Let Britain light her own battles," he said, 'and wound up by declaring that, ho did not care "which sido won." I give this interesting/colloquy in his own words, you see, sir, this youth or man did not possess the most elementary knowledge of the position at all. Alas, I am afraid that his is not an isolated case, and surely this makes us ask, Why not have the recruiting officers travelling round and lecturing, and so bringing home to each mind the urgency that exists today for more men, and appeal to their manhood to come forward and offer themselves before being compelled to do. so. Tlio mon who calmly stay behind in safety, pursuing their wonted avocations, and will not enlist for various "conscience" reasons, but lets others go who gladly ■ forfeit their lives in helping to maintain, tho prestige of tho country that protects these shirkers, ought to bo treated as outcasts and aliens by all who call themselves true Britons. ' "Will some abler pen than mine take up the suggestion of lecturing recruiting officers and emphasise the dire need of men for Britain, whose success or downfall in this unprecedented struggle will ,bo our own? Thanking you in anticipation for your valuable space—l am, etc., v A SOLDIER'S PARENT.