The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-01-25

Gods love. though in our wealth unheapeu,
Only by giving 1t Is reaped:
The body withcrs. and the mind,
If pent In by n selfish rind
Give thought give strength, give deeds,
A Word TO the Working Glasses OH
the Military Training OF their
My FRIENDS
| wish to call your attention to the
fact that determined effort is now
being made in England TO impose mil
itary training upon all boys between
the ages of IA and Is. This training is
already given in connection with
many of the Public Schools, Work
house Schools. and Sunday Schools.
and movement Is on foot Tor forming
the lads of the Board Schools into
Cadet Battalions. The telegraph mes.
sengers in our large towns are also
drilled in military exercise, and com
peeled to sign a paper, statlng That
they have no claim to permanent EN-
ployment unless they are willing 20
enlist in the army when they cease to
be messengers. This movement is sup
ported by many well-meaning people
in the supposed interest of the lads
themselves, on the plea that it is at
tractive to them, that it gives them
pbysicaI training, that it is good dis
discipline for them, and that it accus-
toms them to habits of order and obe-
dience.
II i, also supported by the military
authorities in the interests Of the army
and navy. They rightly judge that II
the boys are inspired with the military
tastes, there will no longer be the dlt-
ticulty which now exists OF getting re-
speclable la,is to enlist; and by-aud
bye. the objection 10 the conscriptlon,
which is so strong at present, can he
more easily overcome, the reopIo nav
ing been famiiiariZed with the idea Of
general military training For this
Rus been the case on the Continent of
Europe, where military training is
given in the boys school, and now the
law of universal military service is
everywhere enforced. =.
But YOU who are patents, have you
nothing 10 say TO all this? Have you
given the subject your sserious consid-
GRAFTON? Do you wish your boys to be
soldiers? Is the life of common SOL
dier a~wholesome or profitable one?
In the fir.t place, he receives miserable
,,ay, and very small share of the so
called glory and honor of warfare.
But these are the least of the draw
backs to the life of a soldier. He hires
Himself out for long years of servltude,
from which he cannot free himself,
however much he may dislike
his position, except by heavy pay
ment quite beyond soldiers means.
He gives his liberty, his reason, hi>
cnnscience, into the hands of another.
He is deprived of all manhood's re-
sponsibililies. He is fed, clothed,
housed, exercised, like one OF lower
animals. For him, no home but the
tainted air of the barracks, with all It's
degrading temptations, and In mosl
cases no wife nor child. His lilies
work is to learn the art Of taking the
life of his fellow men his chief duty
is to forget his duty to God and to|
man, and to become tool in the hands
CT Others and tool too often ed in
the interest of greed, oppression, and
Injustice, From The Soldiers Pocket
Book" we learn that he is deliberately
taught pride, ambition, hatred, deceit,
dishonesty, and brutality towards other
people, in order to be prepared for the
great crime of war, (which necessa-
ily suspends all the rules Of moral ob.
liyation." The chances are that a.
last he dies on the batlle-fields or in
the military hospital. an unknown
unit, far from home and loved ones,
and it may be in unulterable agony.
- ;.,h hoin,r H,,nI for
the moral aud spiritual welfare of SOL
-diers in our own times, but the above
facts remain to be absolutely true. |
am sure that none of you wish your
BOYS to be soldiers, but you think thai
a little playing at soldiers will do no
harm, so YOU let your children be en-
rolled in Cadet Corps and Boys Brig
ades. You let them learn to love the
attractive side of soldiering-the uni
forms, the music, the hanuers. the toy
weapons, the exercises. the marches.
the sham fights, whilst you hide from
them the hidden evils the wicked
ness, the bulchery, the agony of real
war. CYet even in play you would not
like to see your children learning to
hang men, or to poison them. Is
there much difference in their learning
to hang them? Are you not deceiving
and misleading your children are
you wise in allowing and encouraging
Them to taste the pleasures OF military
life, whilst you strongly object TO their
enlisting in the army? Major For
dyce, speaking of the War~ickshire
Cadet Corps, says :-"Most OF these
young men have, during their service.
obtained a soldierly instinct, and the
majority join one or other branch OF
her Majesty's army" This is just
what may be expected and what pa
rents must he prepared for if they lei
their SOUS start on this military road.
Even if your lads do not join the
army, they will have learnt to believe
in violence, and to rely on brute force,
instead of on justice and righteous
ness; and it will be hopeless ~ look
to them, the men of the next genera
ton, to bring about the most needed of
all reformations, the substitution OF
Arbitration for War as meaus of set
tling International disputes. / must
not dwell on the advantages of Ar
bitration, nor on the folly of the mill
ilary madness of our day, nor on the
enormous amount of wealth with
drawn from the people for these pur-
poses, nor ON the anti-Christian nature
of all war. There are many excellent
pamphlets which deal with these sides
of The subject. / am appealing TO you
now as parents who love their chil,
\ - t1Nnf "a