The ratio of rejections on the ground of unfitness for military service 

 varies widely for different countries, not so much because of inherent 

 differences in vitality, physical strength or disease resistance, as on 

 account of the precise rules and regulations applicable to the recruiting 

 service, subject to far-reaching changes from time to time, especially 

 during active military operations. Not only is the ratio of rejection 

 governed by physical, physiological and pathological considerations, but, 

 also, by social or economic interests precluding the advisability of using 

 for military services men who for special reasons may be more useful 

 to the State in the government service or in industry and private life. 

 These considerations obviously must vary from time to time, and quite 

 materially during prolonged periods of active military operations. 

 In countries where the rule of conscription applies to all alike at a 

 certain minimum age, the new recruits are, of course, only represented 

 by a single year of life, for illustration, by age 20, except in so far as 

 volunteers may be drawn upon from earlier ages or as those temporarily 

 rejected may require to be re-examined at older ages, limited usually, 

 however, to only a short period of years. In the United States in the 

 future, if conscription continues, only the attained age 21 will require 

 consideration, except in so far as new rules and regulations may provide 

 for the re-examination of those rejected or temporarily declined at sub- 

 sequent years. Since the minimum age of recruits varies for different 

 countries and since the same conclusion applies to the rules and regula- 

 tions regarding subsequent re-examinations, the statistics for any two 

 countries are not strictly comparable and in some cases not at all. 



RECRUITING STATISTICS OF PRUSSIA 

 In Prussia, during the year 1850, out of every 100 recruits examined, 

 64 were temporarily relieved from duty, while 36 were accepted, 

 subject to examination. Of those accepted 11.2 per cent, were 

 rejected as entirely unfit, and 10.8 per cent, as unfit for the 

 field service, so that of those examined as required for service during 

 the current year, 22 per cent, were finally declined. Of the 

 remainder 28.1 per cent, were assigned to the supplementary reserves 

 and 0.4 per cent, were declined for military service, including reasons 

 involving personal integrity. An additional 4.6 per cent, of persons 

 otherwise qualified were for domestic and other reasons assigned to 

 the supplementary reserves, which with 9.2 per cent, of volunteers and 

 35.6 per cent, finally accepted, constitute 49.4 per cent, of the recruits 

 examined as ultimately considered fit and useful for active service in 

 the field (it is not entirely clear, but apparently the 4.6 per cent, were 

 considered fit for military service in the field when so required and to be 

 drawn from the supplementary reserves). When these statistics for 1850 

 are compared with those for 1860, it appears that profound changes had 

 been introduced in the meantime, so that in the aggregate the general 



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