Closing the Gates

At twelve o'clock last night most recruiting offices looked like bars when the last call for drinks has been passed around. The government had made up its mind at the last minute again. Contradiction, confusion, and chaos, have, of course, become familiar. December 15 is only a symbol of the whole bungling program.

The sudden closing of enlistments sent bewildered students "allocating" themselves in all directions. Living on rumors and inconclusive official statements since September, they were asked to decide whether or not to enlist without knowing how or when the present semester would end. From patting them on the head with one hand and handing them a commission with the other, the government had changed to a policy of crating them all in one box to be shoved off the cliff at some indeterminate date. The closing of the various reserves and Specialists' Corps should have been synchronized with the announcement of plans for the future. Because of the anarchy it has fostered, the government's sudden action only assured that the wrong men enlisted in the wrong services.

In the next few days, the long awaited announcement of the all-over plan will come. From the few preliminary statements that have trickled out, it will put the puzzle together. Last night's rush, however, spread many valuable pieces over the floor.