CONSCRIPTION

The comptilsory enrolment of individuals for military or maritime service, taken from the population at large. The conscription, in the Roman commonwealth, was made not by lot, but by arbitrary selection by the consuls from among the bulk of the citizens when a levy was required. In France the conscription was established during the revolution, before which period the armies of th^t country had been recruited by voluntary enlistment. The word is first used in a law of 1798. According to the law as at present established, all citizens are liable to the conscription at the age of twenty. Each arrondi ement has its contingent allotted to it out of the total number required for the service, and this number is filled up by lot from the youths liable to the conscription. There are, however, various claims for exemption recognised by the law. The legal duration of the service is seven years. [s. 286]