Indicating that China is making great progress in mobilizing her manpower for the present hostilities and that soldiery in this country is no longer a profession as it has been in the past, numerous able-bodied Chinese have volunteered for military service while many parents have placed their only sons at the disposal of the Government. Judging from the contents of a long article written by a Chinese correspondent in Chengtu, apart from conscription, voluntary service is the order of the day in many "experimental" districts and "honourable family" plates are hung on doors of many Chinese residence in the interior indicating that men from these houses have volunteered service.
The correspondent calls the attention particularly to the Sanshen Experimental District where several hundred young men have voluntarily enlisted as soldiers. In the first period of registration, most of the volunteers were retired soldiers with workers, farmers officials and students coming next but in the second period numerous farmers flocked to the colours showing that the anti-Japanese sentiment has spread to the farm. In obtaining the second period volunteers, it is stated, little efforts were made by officials in charge of the movement.. They only used some posters and the crowds were attracted to the registration office.
At two recent meetings at which volunteers were given a farewell reception which was probably never witnessed before the present war, parents and other relatives of the able-bodied youths were present. The most important attendants at these meetings were mother-in-laws who seemed to have no worry about the future of their daughters. And there is the much respected patriotic woman, Mrs.-Liu, who has allowed her orly son to enlist as a soldier. At a farewell meeting she put a piece of red cloth around the shoulder of her son ard let locke firecrackers to celebrate the occasion.
The Reception Committee for the Families of the Expeditionary Force has been organized. It is headed by one, Mr. Lan Wen-bing who is charged with the responsibility of iakirg care of members of the families of the new soldiers. Public entertainments have been held to raise funds for the purpose and rich individuals who cannot go to the front have also cortribuled towards the funds generously. The committee tries: to settle all troubles in these families especially during the harvest. Free schools and children protection bureaux have been provided for families of the new soldiers. Rela-lives ard employers are willing to help the families.
Another interesting thing is that th committee gives "honourable famil plates to be hung up on doors of all families which have men volunteering service. In Sanshen, these plates are displacing kitchen god images usually found in all superstitious Chinese families. The correspondent has visited many such families and they all took pride in announcing that their men were at the front,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.