Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-08-10
TIE MILITARY SPIRIT.

General J. N. Phelps, of Vermont, was
a delegate to the recent National Educa-
tional Convention held at Saratoga, New
York. During the session the General,
Watching for the opportunity that he
feared would be denied him, introduced a
resolution severely oondemning the growth
OF the military spirit of the age In the
document he opposed military schools un-
der private tutorship, deprecated the mill
tsry displays go generally INDUCED in, and
noted among others the observance of Dec
Grafton Day by military instead of civil
parades, the marching of troops on civil
occasions and celebrations, the formation
of cadet corps among scholars of public
and other schools, etc. All these things
he declared are hostile 10 influence to the
spirit of our institutions, and antagonistic
TO the perpetuity of forms OF popular gov
ernment. An effort to have him Withdraw
the resolution failed, whereupon the Con.
vention unanimously -saving alone the
vote of the moyer-tabled the matter.
General Phelps is by no means crank.
He ia clear headed man of pronounced
views and great courage. He becomes en-
thusiastic in any matter which he ID con.
WINGED it is his duty to undertake, and gen.
orally backs his views with arguments that
command hearing. He is a graduate of
West Point, and was thirty years in the
service of his country as soldier. He is
an impatient man, and hencs, because of
the slow progress made in crushing the re-
beliion he resigned his Brigadiership in
1862 at New Orleans. He retired from
the regular service some years before, when
sent 70 Utah, because, as he put it, he
could not serve the twin evils-slayery apd
Mormonism. He is one of the old school
of Abolitionists, who could brook no de-
lay in dealing with the peculiar institu-
ton. =" There is something in the
Generals idea about the military
display INDUCED in. but his
resolution was extreme and in the wrong
direction. Mere dsnnnciation accom-
plishes nothing It is not improbable that,
had the resolutions been adroitly framed,
the Convention would have conceded a
committee to report at some more distant
date than that session upon the whole sub.
ject of military training in schools, and
whether or not the time given to it, outside
the Government educational Institutions,
is wasted, and wether we are, az people,
giving undue prominence to military dis
plays. We do no believe that the iber-
ties of the people are menaced by the
proper cultivation of the military spirit, or
that the present militia systems and Fed
eral military schools in the least menace
the system of popular government. On
the contrary, the citizen soldiery is bal.
wark of liberty. But we do strongly irr
cline to believe that, in some direction,
there is expended upon semi.military or.
ganization and semi-militsry educational
lines an amount of human energy that has
not compromising results. But in the 40
sence of statistical showings and thor.
ough investigation of the subject. no posi-.
tive judgment can be formed, and 20 such
an investigation, we doubt not, Che Ma
tionsl Convention would have consented
had less impetuous and radical man THAI
General Phelps led the movement.