The daily critic., 1890-11-21
A LEGACY OF The WAR.
Military nrili May Make Americans
the Finest Men In the world.

the Finest Men In the world.
From ne S1b Francisco Chronicle.
Between the war Of 1912 and the war
of the rebellion military matters were
little considered or thought Of in the
United States, not even the Mexican
war being enough to arouse any general
Interest In the subject With the at
tempt 20 sever the Union, however. q
new order succeeded % the old. and
though quarter Of a century has
elapsed since the last shot Of the civil
war was fired the military idea Is still
10 existence. This is evidenced not so
much by the increase In the strength
pnl efficiency of the militia. though
noticeable In that direction, as by the
adoption of military drill and discipline
in various civil institutions. whose pur.
pose Is rs far removed from war as
could be imagined. Nearly all OF the
fralcrnal and beneficial orders have
auxiliary organizations In the nature Of
the drill corps. as, for instance, the
corps Of the Knights Tempar, the
uniformed ranks of The Knights OF
Pythias, the drill corps Of the Work.
men, and others which are readily
called to mind.
Nor is this all In school, and
colleges, from the primary public
school 20 the universities, 10 say moth
Ing of private military schools, dill Is
encouraged, AMI, In most cases. male
compulsory The children In the
lowest grades Of the public schools arc
taught TO march aud keep time 70 the
drum beat, while in the more al.
vanced Institutions a complete drill. IN
Cluding the manual Of arms, Is in.
CludGd In the curriculum. Congress
has encouraged this idea by detailing
officers OF the Regular Army 10 yarl-
Gus colleges and universities rs military
instructors, so that the students get
West Point course OF drill. less, Of
course, the very rigid discipline which
obtains at the National Military
Academy,
There Is everything to he said forthls
system not alone on account OF its
being an excellent primary school for
the life Of soldier, but as well as for
its immediate and permanent benefit 20
the youth Of the land. II inculcates
habits of instant and ready obedience;
II teaches the great lesson that TO COM
mand one must first learn 10 obey, aud
10 makes a boy respectful 10 his supe-
riOFs and cOusiderate to his interiors
As 10 the future, Il makes a nation Of
unaTmed soldiers, ready and qualified
% spring 10 arms az a moments warn
ing should the occasion arise. and capa-
bic Of being converted into veterans on
very short notice.
Nor must the physical benefits or this
system be overlooked The young man
who grows up lauk and slouchy aud
awkward, as many DO, is taken in hand
by a competent military instructor aud
put through the setting up drill, and
slmOst before he knows It he finds him
self chsnged int0 an erect. well gated
and even graceful fellow, with his Top
sided sbamhing replaced By square
march 10 the front and his halting walk
by a measured step. This then is ia
outline, a legacy which the civil war
ltftus, and one of which We should be
proud. Another quarter Of a century
will see the finest men and women IN
the world Ia the nilGd States, and
much Of the racial improvement viii
be tTaceable directly to tue universally
Of military drill