All this is excellent. We may -point out, however, that
exactly this course has been urged 'by us for a year and four months—i.e., since the end of -August, 1914. No explanation has been given why the War Office have failed till now -to keep touch with the rejected men,• and did not, till the end of last March, even take the names and addresses of such persons. We can only assume that the people at the top were too busy-to think of-the matter, and that the peoplabelowdid not have enough of a free hand to enable them to take action the importance- of which they surely must have realized. However, better late thanneven. Curiously enongh,• one of the arguments which we advanced for giving a -badge or other -token to -the medically rejected is no longer of any -avail, -owing to the adoption-- of compulsion. Our not-ion was that if the medically -unfit were given badges, the shirker would be unable to hide himself, but would be exposed to the' full weight of public; opinion. The man of military age who was not in khaki, or wearing a " medically unfit" armlet, or else. an armlet. marking.biza as engaged.inan indispensable trade, or employment, must be a shirker. Further, we should like to see the members of the Volunteer Training Corps habitually wearing their brassards. If that were done, the nation would really:be fully arrayed, and the middle-aged slacker-would not have -the easy time of it he now enjoys.
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