RECRUITING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2609, 3 November 1915, Page 6

RECRUITING

BENEFITS OF MILITARY LIFE MORALLY AND PHYSICALLY. (Contributed by Colonel Porter, C.8.) Tlie urgent call for recruits having sounded, throughout the Dominion, it will not he amiss to point out to those most closely concerned in responding to tho chll the many advantages of a soldier's life and training. 1 Friends and relatives must havo remarked at the extraordinary improvo-' ment in the physical fitness of tho men who havo joined the Expeditionary Forces, of this Dominion, and similar observations arc being made all over tho Empire. Thousands of men accustomed to sedentary lives are now leading strenuous outdoor lives of soldiers actualy engaged in warlike operations, doing brave acts and enduring hardships they before training could hardly bo deemed capable of. _ Tlie strongest factors in the physical improvement of tlio men are outdoor life, regular timo of. meals, set hours of retirement to sleop and rising, restriction and moderation iu the consumption of alcoholics and other habits detrimental to health. Neurasthenics no longer worry about the inner man (particularly in tho field or trenches), but study instead tho outer man. Morally the pursuit of a common object, tho spirit of comradeship in sharing a common danger, and disciplined emulation renders all selfishness difpioable, and men riso to a higher standard morally than many would havo done surrounded by the allurements and temptations of civilian life.

The home-left relatives and friends think sadly of their dearest ones passing through tho dangers and hardships of trench life, amongst bursting shells and decimating bullets, and are surprised when they receive such bright "and cheerful letters from - their bravo soldier lads. Given a fair standard of physical stamina, it cannot be questioned that the active, adventurous life of the toldier in tho field makes for health and strength. Hard work and frugal living in tho open air raiso the vitality and the moral being undergoes a salutary change, together with the physical. These pointy are noted from a long, practical experience, and are intended for tho consideration of men eligible for service, - also for the relatives of those who may be holding back their sons, brothers, or husbands from joining tlio brave follows now fighting the Empire's battles in foreign lands; and, apart from tho actual cesualties of war, there is no healthier or manlier life than that of tho active field soldier. Liberal pension provision have now been made in the Defence Amendment Act, 1915, for all those who may become disabled from sickness.