The very day the young Germans come of age they are bound to offer themselves for military service.
In many of the towns, advertisements are put in the newspapers giving the names of the lads who are nearing the age of twenty-one, and telling them where to report for duty.
In other places the military authorities send each young man an order to report for duty on the morning of his birthday.
There is no avoiding this service, which was formerly for three years, but has been changed to two.
The young men who do not answer the call are searched for, and, when found, slightly punished.
Lads who are in foreign countries are ordered home. If they do not report for military service within a certain space of time, they are punished with an extra year of service.
When young Mayer was forced to join the German army, he appealed to the American Government to help him.
When the matter was brought to their attention, the German authorities denied the right of the United States to interfere, saying that Mayer was the son of a German subject, and therefore was a German citizen.
This Government has, however, made a formal demand for the release of Mayer, and there is little doubt that the request will be complied with.