We have dealt elsewhere,Witl Che - subject of scientific
recruiting, but ma
3-11.6te here the seriousness of the reports ...aewspapers contain of the slack way in which the new appeal from the War Office for men is being met. That is a great misfortune, though it is not an unexpected one. When the last boom in recruiting took place it was quite obvious to all persons who had any experience in such matters that it could perfectly well have been maintained. There was practically no sign that it was dying down, and a very little extra stimulation from time to time would have kept it going in full swing. In these happy conditions the War Office most unfortunately intervened, and deliberately, though, of course, from the best of motives, killed the boom, not only by introducing the Guards' standard of height- en impossible standard for any European nation which wants to raise large masses of men—but also by letting it be under- stood in all the recruiting stations that the War Office wanted the embarrassing rush of men stopped. Now, of course, it is exceedingly difficult to make the mass of the population who do not study the situation at the front, and judge for themselves, understand that the need of men is as great as ever, and always has been as great. The attitude of ordinary Britons is to shrug their shoulders and say : "We do not believe we are really wanted. If we are, why did they tell us so plainly that we weren't !"
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