IN ANSWER TO THE CALL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1408, 8 June 1915, Page 4

IN ANSWER TO THE CALL.

A correspondent of the Glasgow Herald gives some amusing specimens of the answers evoked by the Householders’ Recruiting Circular. If there he one feature more outstanding than another in the character of the replies, he says, it is the spirit of the women. Courage, patriotism and sacrifice are writ large on hundreds of forms, “Sorry I have no more left, only little girls : but thank God, I have no rhirkeis in my home.” One can imagine the tone in which that mother would speak the word shiiker. Another iorm shows a husband and four sous enlisted, a note i eing ridded as follows : "Dear Sir,- 1 wish I had another live !•' send. Got] save the Iking. ' The following contains a complaint <(uile l)e\uiid the power of the committee to rectify ; “Only a widow, oldest son not yet 13, but will give him freely, if of any use. Once was was proud my eldest was a girl. Now never was a mother more vexed with her lot.- liowevei, il you get a battalion foe women none will come foiward quicker than I. Not too old at .pa. Htavo, Ikilcheuei.” Vet another woman writes : “Ten years a widow, with many a hard light to bring up a

big family,” have given six sons, j but I only wEb my girls were ; boys. I. would give them, too, i before I’d let our little bit of | country be beaten.” Frankness is the clnracterbtic of others ; for instance : “Not being able to get a man for myself, sorry I cannot provide one for King George.” Time was when to many good people, the Bril Eli Army was known only as a useful dumping ground for such members of the civilised population as were unlikely to become efilciurl citi zens. That the hot inn lingers still may be gathered from suNt extracts as these : “Am yU too old for yon, hut I have a grace lazy hulk of a brother yt who w.l! not and cannot do a day's work bis bile is feet r i and bis dies. ,|o ; he is the soil yon want. Pices semi for him, you will mid him at- —.” 1 >r “This is a note to let you know 1 think I have one ol the most solii-di husbands eve) was pul on earth. It is lire soldiers he is needing lor a while to lake some of the selfish wavs out of him. Hoping you’ll oblige.’’ In what respect is tire widow to be congratulated who wrote’. “My old maa look tire wise plan ; he died before the war began ami no family