The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-03-14
Military Instruction.

The Century, The Arena and Other
magazines of first rank are advocating
as of paramount importance. the plal
outlined i'm the resolutions adopte D..
the Grand Army of the Republic IL
its tweuty-seventh annual encam p
ment.
These resolutions may be summed
up as follows:
|. Resolved, That the Grand Army
cordially endorse the words of eX-Pres'
ident Harrison, that "the strength
and defense of our institutions, not
only in peace but i'm war, is to he found
IN the young Of the land who have
received from the lips of latriotlc
teachers The story of the sacrlilce
which our our fathers made to estab'
lish our civil institutions, and when
their Sons have repeated on hundreds
of hattle-felds. The organized army
of the United States, even If we IN
c!ude the militia of the States, is OF in
significant proportions when put ln
contrast with the armies OF the DINER
great powers of the world. Our
Strength is not in these; it is in the
great reserve to he found in the in
structed young of our land, who come
to its defense in time of peril"
9. That the Grand Army recon-.
mends an organized effort TO impress
upon the various municipal, state and
national authorities 1.-THE advisabillty
of the adoption of a system by which
scholars attending the public ana pri-
vate schools, as well as the high schools
and colleges, shall receive instruction
in military matters, and to impress
upon the rising generation of the
country the tact that, as American
citizens, it is their duty to bring to the
defense of their country; in its need,
the education which they may have
received in this particular III their
youthful days" :,
3. THAT the department com mand-
ers give especial attention to this WORK
through staff officer, and that the
various posts give their earnest coop
Grafton aud support in securing neceS-
sary Legislative, municipal ana scnooi-
hoard action, IS well as to obtain,
where required, national aid by pro-
vision of arms, equipments and IN
.tructOrS."
This movement, stripped of all the
glowing rhetoric of its Whereases,
means nothing less than that our
whole country is to be put under a sys'
tenn of compulsory military education
that our schools are to be turned into
recruiting halls for the army OF the
future that our boys are TO be taught
ideas of patriotism after the old stand
ard of military glory. 1t means that,
while the whole world is more and
more looking to arbitration rs The only
rational way of settling disputes be-
tween nations, this nation, whlcll
should be by virtue of its very eXls-
tence, in the forefront of all reforms,
is turning its face towards the bar
ba ric past rather than towards the true
enlightenment of the future.
1t is well to face the facts. and brlehy
stated they are these: For some reason
or other, best k nown to the astute pol
ilician, il seems best that there shall be
d reserve military force in this coun-
try, which can be drawn upon III days
to come if occasion for war should
arise. At first sight this seems feasl-
BILE, but let us examine more closely.
Does not the very existence of such
force make war more probable? Ger
many's petty wars throughout the ages
would have been vastly fewer had not
Germany's huge standing army been
always at hand, always ready to take
part in knocking the imaginary chip
off from some protruding foreign shoul'
der.
President Harrison, in letter sent
to the Century concerning this plan.
argues for 1t strongly, using for an an
alOgy the late Civil War:
"If all the school boys of the North
had, from 1880 on, been instructed in
the schools of the soldier and of the
company, and in the manual of arms,
how much precious time would have
been saved i'm organizing the Union
army in 1861. We were in low state
US q people in military knowledge and
training when the great civil War
broke out; volunteers in plenty, but
few soldiers"
The analogy is most unfortunate
one. If there be anything from when
we, as q nation, should pray to be de-
livered it is repetition of anything
like that most unfortunate struggle
Its blight is still upon our country
and each year the fact is becoming
more apparent that what was needed
in those dark days was not more
knowledge of military tactics, bul
more of The spirit of mutual love anC
goodwill. which would have made
peaceful arbitration possible.
We quote President Harrison's clos
ing words: Nothing will so mucf
aid to enlarge our State militia and tt
give it efficiency and character as TIT
plan proposed. The military taste ant
training acquired in the school viii
carry our best young men into the mil
itary organizations and make those or
carnations reliable conservators o
public order, and ready and competen
defenders of the national honor" Coz
forbid that the day will ever conn
when our "best young men" will crowt
into the army, when that will come t.
be regarded as the only reliable con
servalor of public ORDER"
There is a nohler training for tn
bows of our land than the drill of drum
and muskets. The principles OF tru
patriotism are the principles OF eternaa
Justice, of universal peace and good
will. Let the public schools by al
means teach craftsmanship; but b.
no means narrow partisanship, o
even narrow nationalship, ii we ma,
coin the word. Our boys and girl
will not love America less by accepting
the fact that there are other nation
upon earth. and that those other na
tions have an equal claim upon God
love, and therefore upon human jus
tice. We should by this time hav
reached state of evolution in whic