Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-09-05

may never arise onehat standing alOOf bs
cause they have been s0ldieis, and the other hal
because they have not.
A difficult problem seems, then, TO lie befor
us' To fad a class available for purposes of mil
itary training q class which shall claim excmu
ton on grounds neither OF experience nor Of in
experience which shall ba discouraged nethe
by the ennui Of knowing too much, nor by tn
awkwardness Of knowing too little and which
wlthal, can spare the time, without fnancia
detriment to the community. Fortunately, the
solution OF the problem suggests itself, in par
at least, almost as soon as the problem itself il
stated. Tram the schooboys.
Every parson who has taken any interest il
athletic exercises knows the enormous advantage
IN their acquisition which the mere fact ol
youth confers. In gymnastics, swimming, skat
ing, baseball, cricket, it is the same thing. A,
mere matter OF economy one-half the time at
leas5 is saved ia teaching children as compared
with full-grogn men. Bat moro than this it ia
for them rot only ~ loss Of time, but, if it can
be taken out Of heir regular schoo-h0urs, it ID
positive advantage. Ihego IL probably but one
conceivable position in which all the physolo.
elsts agree, and that is, that the average time
now given 10 study in our schools is st least one
hour to- long. Take this hour and devote it to
military drill, aad you benefit the whole rising
generation douOiy by what ygu take away and
by what you give
W fortunately have the experience Of Switz.
erland and Lagiand, to which We may appeal,
in respect 10 thl9 method Of military instruction.
Charles b, Flint, Liq., Secretary Of the Massa-
9hnsctts Boegd of Agriculture, II bis report Of
an Official visit 70 Europe in 1852, gives the iol-
lowing 0Tlai SUMMARY Of tic Swiss method.
Tic amour! aud thorougless OF military in
ssructiOn in the schools, vary somewhat ia the
different o1ntone, though ia oil the cantopal
schoos military instruction ia given. In BeTne,
Tor example, tho csn.onal schools rank some
what like Che grammar and higheI-ryade public
schools ia BJs,on or the aIge towns generally
IN Massachusetts,. They are open to all boys
upon examination All the boys ia these schools
are organized With military corps, and oficered
ii0m their own class bus provided by Govern.
men. with special military Instructors, and fur
nIshed wish small muskc.s, rifles, or carbines,
suitable TO the strength and ego Of the boys or
II organized into artillery corps, they are sup-
Piled with small sldo.arma and deid pieces, which
they can WELD without difficulty
Tor these arms arsenals are provided By the
Government, ind cus.0dians ale appointed to
keep them safely ana u good condition when not
in actual use. Tho military instructors are Off
GERS Of tic federal military organization, odu-
Gated men, " AJ have ss1l service, aud who are
az tai! in the theory and ar Of war; The time
devoted q military studies and training in the
manual exercises varies with the season and in
the various canJons. During the summer about
three holidays IN the week ID the average time
There is also an occasional general muster, when
oil turn out together and occupy spacious pa
radegfouui. Then the whole population OF
parents and friends, as we'll as the cantonal su-
th0rties, turn ous for O. holiday, t9 witness the
nascent yalor and heroism Of the republic
1T should be added hat all these cantonal
cadets wear e simple and modest stripe Tor a
uniform, and one or two bright buttons, which
cost almost nothing but give the wearers Il sol
dierly pride aud love for this branch Of their
studies.
la England the experiment OF military drill
has thus far been limited to few schools, but
the result in those has been officially described
as being admirable The well-known sanitary
reiOrmer Edwin Chadwick, in his d" Report on
Military Drill, addressed to the Royal EIuca-
tional Commission, states the following PROPOSE |
tions as proved.
" lst. That the military and naval drill is
more effectively and permanently taught in the
iniantlle and juvenile stages than in the adoles-
cent or adult stages.
p. That at school it may be taught most
economically, a. not interfering with productive
labor and that thirty or forty boys may be
taught the naval and military drill, at one PEN
ny iarthing per week per head, as cheaply as
one man. and the whole juvenile population may
be drilled completely, in the juvenile STATE, as
economically as the small part Of it now taught
imperlaetly on recruiting or in the adult stage
and thst, for teaching the drill, the services OF
retired dtill-sergesnts.and naval as well as mil
itary officers and pensioners may be had eoomi-
oally in every part Of the country" L
Il seems that IN these English schools the mil.
itary training is not confined to the boys. " The {
glrs 90 through the same exercises, with the
exception that they do not use the musket, but
supply It's place with cane As to the age
required, the "lnlautlle and juvenile stages - {
lppeart 10 be dated back tOlerably near the cradle
Mr. William Baker, drill-master at st. 0layos {
Grammar School, testlfes as follows; From his
own experience in drilling children, he would G
say that they might be taught to work and '
practise motions At from FIVE to six years of age
that they may be taught the sword drill at eight
gears Of age; and that they may be taught the d
-iae drill at about ten years Of age He finds q
hat they can handle ligh, r1s very well at f
hat age. lie expects that prize given iot the '
lest rife drill, will be gained By boy Of that
,ge against older boys. IL there we're proper \
place, with space, be could practise them ia e
irng at from thirteen to fourteen years OF age. /
The most favorable results are stated to follow,
u regard to school discipline, among these En- d
,lish boys. Such, for instance, IS the testimony b
If Mr.. William Smith, Superintendent of the
surrey Distrie, School. 3
80 l0u have had experience OF the effect Of t
military dsii, on the mental and bodily training h
# young children in the establishment Il
Yes; but the effect Of tn, military drill Il
yas mos. shown By the effect of its disoontinu- v
.nco.
"' In what way was it shown2 Il
go In 1857 the drill-mas.er was dismissed by a
he guardians, with view of reducing the ex-
,sudturo. The immediate eject Of the dlscon- h
inuanoe Of the drill was TO- mako the school
Iuite another place an sure that within six l.
months we lost about two hundred pounds, in "
he extra wear and tear Of clothing, torn and "
,smaged IN mischieyous acts and Wild plays, 10 o.
he broakago Of utensils from mischief, and II
amage done to the different buildings the break Il
ge Of windows the pulling up OF gratings, aud b
be spelling Of walls. A spirit of insubOrdina- p
ion prevailed amopes: the boys during the +
whole OF the time of the cessation Of the drill al
q the workshop they we're insubordinate and 81
was constantly called upon by the Industrial q
eachers, tie master shoemaker and the master p
allor to coerca boys who were Qnte mpudent :
md who would no. obey readily. The moral
one Of the school seemed to have led from the E,
,oys, and thor whole bshavior was altered, as &C
displayed ia ,ha domitorics as well as in the "A
ards Of
During this limo were the religious soryi- 10