employed, or in which there is an immediate opening for her under conditions that will enable her to support herself decently and without suffering or hardship. prise. C-Necessary skilled farm laborer in necessary agricultural enter D-Necessary skilled industrial laborer in necessary industrial enterprise. CLASS III. A-Man with dependent children (not his own), but toward whom he stands in relation of parent. B--Man with dependent aged or infirm parents. C--Man with dependent helpless brothers or sisters. D-County or municipal officer. E---Highly trained fireman or policeman in service of municipality. G-Necessary employee of United States in transmission of the mails. H--Necessary artificer or workman in United States armory or arsenal. I--Necessary employee in service of United States. J-Necessary assistant, associate, or hired manager of necessary agricultural enterprise. K--Necessary highly specialized technical or mechanical expert of necessary industrial enterprise. L-Necessary assistant or associate manager of necessary industrial enterprise. CLASS IV. A-Man whose wife or children are mainly dependent on his labor for support. B-Mariner actually employed in sea service of citizen or merchant in the United States. C--Necessary sole managing, controlling, or directing head of necessary agricultural enterprise. D-Necessary sole managing, controlling, or directing head of necessary industrial enterprise. CLASS V. A-Officer-legislative, executive, or judicial of the United States or of State, Territory, or District of Columbia. B-Regularly or duly ordained minister of religion. C-Student who on May 18, 1917, or on May 20, 1918, or since May 20, 1918, was preparing for ministry in recognized theological or divinity school, or who on May 20th, 1918, or since May 20th, 1918, was preparing for practice of medicine and surgery in recognized medical school. D-Person in military or naval service of United States. E-Alien enemy. F-Resident alien (not an enemy) who claims exemption. G-Person totally and permanently physically or mentally unfit for military service. H-Person morally unfit to be a soldier of the United States. I-Licensed pilot actually employed in the pursuit of his vocation. J-Person discharged from the Army on the ground of alienage or upon diplomatic request. K-Subject or citizen of cobelligerent country who has enlisted or enrolled in the forces of such country under the terms of a treaty be tween such country and the United States providing for reciprocal military service of their respective citizens and subjects. L-Subject or citizen of neutral country who has declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States and has withdrawn such intention under the provisions of act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, and Selective Service Regulations. Member of well-recognized religious sect or organization, organized and existing on May 18, 1917, whose then existing creed or principles forbid its members to participate in war in any form and whose religious convictions are against war or participation therein. The months of January and February were taken up in the work of classification, the majority of which was done by Captain Taylor, as chairman of the Board, and by Dr. R. C. Paul. On February 15th, 1918, eighty-seven young men in class one ap peared for the first physical examination held under the classification system. Only men placed in class one were called for physical examinations. Regular examinations were conducted semi-weekly in the basement at the post office until all the class one men had been examined. During February and March a considerable number of men were inducted into various branches of the service, but no large contingent was sent out until April 2nd. On this date 41 men were sent to Camp Sherman. On April 30th 58 men were sent to Camp Sherman. On May 14th, ten men left for Ft. Thomas, Ky.; on May 27th 160 men left for Camp Taylor, Ky.; On May 31st, sixteen men went to Columbus Barracks; On June 26th, 25 men went to Camp Sherman; On July 26th the largest contingent sent out of the county at any one time-254---departed for Camp Jackson, South Carolina. On August 28th, 48 men left for Camp Taylor; On September 3rd, 26 men went to Camp Sherman; On September 6th, 75 men left for Camp Sherman. This was the last large contingent of men to go. Plans had been completed to send other very large contingents during October and November, but the outbreak of Spanish Influenza all over the country caused the heavy calls to be postponed, and the armistice, ending the war, was signed before these calls were renewed. More men than are listed in the above paragraphs went into service through the Local Board from Wayne County. Almost every week from late February until October there were calls for one, two, three, four, five or six men for special branches of the service. All of these calls were filled. A report made out by Secretary Walter J. Mougey, Sept. 1, 1918, showed that the total number of men inducted in March was 25; in April, 108; in May, 197; in June, 42; in July, 283; and in August, 94. All told, 1006 men were inducted through the Local Board. No escort to the depot was provided for the third contingent which left in 1917, nor for the first few to leave in 1918. The Spanish War Veterans, however, took the initiative in May, and decided that their organization would turn out every time a delegation left. Later the Guard of Honor, to which more space is given elsewhere, was formed, and acted as an escort for every group of men leaving Wooster. On several occasions there were short addresses made by various persons at Wooster or Orrville as the young men entrained. When the 254 men left July 26th, 1918, Dr. George N. Luccock, pastor of Westminster Church, declared in a public address: "We have come here this morning to do just one thing, beyond which further words would be impertinent; and that one thing is to recognize these men as soldiers of humanity, fit followers of the boys in blue who set them so splendid an example; to bid them Godspeed and make them feel they have our goodwill." Rev. R. S. Bowers, of Wooster, and Rev. Blosser, of Orrville, addressed the 160 men who went to Camp Taylor May 27th. In a special sermon at the First Presbyterian Church on July 7th, the Rev. D. A. Heron declared: "We want white-hearted men, not whitelivered men. Our sons' names are drafted, but their hearts are not. Many questions have arisen in the minds of the sons of America these last few months. Some had initiation which others had not. They did not have any particular choice of service, and did not know where they could serve best. The government should be their judge. When the call came, their hearts bounded. The nation has found it an easy task to train the feet that move beneath these hearts. It is no wonder that the program of the war department has been distanced." THE BOARD OF INSTRUCTION Upon request of the Adjutant General of Ohio, the Local Draft Board on July 22nd, 1918, recommended the names of eleven men to constitute the Wayne county board of Instruction. This board's func tions consisted of imparting to drafted men information prior to going into training camps that would be valuable to them in army life. The instruction was chiefly along the lines of morality and the necessity for keeping in good physical condition. The end of the war cut short the work of this Board, which was not appointed for some weeks after the the memebrs had been recommended. However, during the week fol lowing the signing of the armistice, a meeting of men who had been physically examined, was held at the city opera house. About 300 were in attendance. Dr. Robert A. Biechele, chairman of the Board, addressed the young men. The members of this Board were: Dr. Biechele, Chairman; George W. Ryall, M. D.; A. C. Knestrick, M. D.; Rev. R. S. Bowers; Rev. D. A. Heron, D. D.; Emil Paumier; Capt. Mahlon Rouch; Hon. Lyman R. Critchfield; Herman Freedlander; Ad. G. Smith; Hon. Chas. A. Weiser. THE THREE REGISTRATIONS OF 1918 All of the men sent into service up to the end of June, 1918 were those who had registered on June 5, 1917. Three registrations of men took place during the summer of 1918, the registrations of June 5th, August 24th, and September 12th. On June 5th, 271 men in Wayne county who had attained their 21st birthday during the fiscal year then ending, came to Wooster, where they registered, in the Post Office basément, under the direct supervision of members of the Local Board. The August 24th reigstration was also conducted at the Post Office, instead of at the voting precincts in the county. The advisability of the central registration is shown in a statement made by Chairman Taylor on June 6th, in which he stated that the central registration enabled the Local Board to make a full report of the day's proceedings to the Adjutant General at 9 p. m. on Registration Day. Order numbers were assigned the men who registered June 5th in the same manner as they were assigned a year previously. There were fifty-eight who registered August 24th. These were men who had reached their 21st birthday since June 5th, 1918, the registration being ordered because Class I. was completely exhausted in many registration districts. The largest registration of the war was that of Sept. 12th, 1918. On this date all men between the ages of 18 and 45 years, both inclusive, registered, except those between the ages of 21 and 31 who had regis tered previously. At the time of this registration the German armies in France were being steadily beaten back, but there were no clear indica tions pointing to a termination of the struggle before 1919. A great many of the Sept. 12th registrants expected almost immediate army service. Local Boards, in fact, were under instructions to mail questionnaires first to men aged 19, 20 and 21, and those from 31 to 36, and to leave the remainder of the names untouched until this group had been classified, and the men in class one physically examined and ready for service. It had been planned to send at least three hundred men from Wayne County into training camps before winter. The influenza epidemic postponed the calls long enough so that none were entrained before the signing of the armistice, which immediately stopped the war department's plans for training additional men for overseas service. At this Registration, 4951 men registered, and others whose cards reached the Local Board later raised the number to 4970. The county at this time was near the climax in war spirit. There was an anxiety on the part of registrants to do their full part--to go to the front or accept deferred classification as Local and District Boards might dictate. A paragraph from the Doylestown Journal portrays the demeanor of the registrants faithfully. The Journal says: 'Judging from the facial expressions and the general good nature that prevails at regular political elections, it would have been impossible to have told Registration Day here from a day of regular election. Young men, as well as the older men within the registration limits entered and left the booth, not with hearts burdened with grief, but with a glad how-do-you-do, topped off with smiles." A few men were sent into special branches of the service after the September registration. The last ones to leave the country, having been inducted by the Local Board, were David M. Warner, who went to an aeronautical supply depot at Garden City, L. I.; and Walton John Kinney, sent to an auto repair unit at Camp Holabird, Maryland. These men left Wooster, October 30th A comprehensive report, on file in the office of the Provost Marshal in Washington, forwarded there from the Local Board, gives statistics concerning the work performed by the Local Board. It includes the following: First Registration, June 5, 1917-A total of 3137 men registered, of whom 3120 were whites and 17 colored. Up to December 15th, before the Questionnaire system was adopted, 117 men were inducted into service, and 115 of these were accepted at training camps. From December 15th to November 20th, 1918, 729 men were ordered to entrain, and not a single one failed to reach the camp designated; 695 of these were accepted for service, and 36 were rejected. Of the 3137 who registered, only 40 were classed as delinquents, having failed to return a Questionnaire, or failed to report for physical examination. Question |