The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-12

Mrs. Louise Sorbier, Mrs. F. Bucknall of
San Jose and Mrs. Anna F. Smith.
Professor Mansfield opened the even
ing's entertainment with a mandolin solo,
Mrs. Hilderbrand-Cartw secretary of
the league, being the accompanist.
H. A. Higgins delivered a lecture on
Men and Dogs" in which he drew COM
parison between the treatment that dogs
receive and that which is accorded to men.
The former, he argued, were kindly treated
and well cared for, while the latter were
not treated with that degree of considera-
ton they are entitled to. This treatment
by those whose only aim seems to be the
acquisition OF money and property, one of
the results of modern civilization, he held,
is what has created the great army of
tramps. These, he said were created by
force of circumstance, not by choice.
After an instrumental selection by the
Kallander quartet Mrs. Mabel B. Osborne
introduced Mrs. Anna +. Smith, who spoke
on Military Training in the Public
Schools" and whose remarks aWoke con-
siderable discussion.
The speaker said that it had been an
nounced that she was to reply to an attor-
ney, unknown to her, who had stated that
he would discuss woman suffrage and
would endeayor to show why the ballot
should not be granted to woman, but that
having been advised mot to talk against
Mrs. Smith, as she would metaphorically
wipe him off the face of the earth" he
had taken alarm and declared that he
could not keep his engagement.
Military training" she said, "has for a
long time and consistently been prose-
cuted in the Sunday-schools. There has
been persistent effort made and is still
being made to establish and maintain a
military despotism in the United States.
The Sunday-school rooms have been con-
verified into drillrooms to foster this mill
tary despotism, and now it is proposed to
introduce the system into our public
schools"
She said that the result of this training
would be the making of butchers of the
boys, for teaching them to bear arms in
cites desire to use such. She spoke of
the purposes for which the public schools
were established and entered her protest
against the proposition to convert the
great institutions of learning into schools
to teach savagery to the young, to teach
them the art of war, and war, she said, is
barbarism.
what does all this mean?' she asked.
sit means that a plutocracy is training
their boys in the school of the soldier to
uphold 1t In the position it has secured
Why is this instruction given in the church
buildings? Why in the school? Why in
the colleges? In one college not thou
sand miles from here, there was recently
placed 10000 rounds of ammunition. What
was the need of this in a time when there
is no foreign power threatening us?
at is time that halt is called in the
teaching of the art of butchery. We want
to see man elevated to the highest pedes-
tai, but l tell you that it cannot be accom-
plished by teaching barbarism, for l re-
peat it, war and the art of war is barbar-
ism. Hugo's prediction that in the twen-
tieth century, which is not far off, there
will be no wars and that man will love his
fellow-man, does not look as if it would
come true in view of this great preparation.
l believe that there should be limited
militia to enable US to protect ourselves
from an enemy, but am opposed to teach
ing all boys the spirit of barbarism of the
past ages"
Mrs. Smith then called attention to a
series of resolutions which she had sent to
the Board of Education and which had
simply been read and fled" She read
the resolutions, which are to the effect that
there should not be any military training
in our public schools, and she asked the in.
dorsement of them by the audience.
Mrs. Anna Haskell, member of the
league, stated that she did not think the
league ought to take any action in the mat
ter until the other side had been presented.
For one," said she, ~ am in favor of mil
itary training"
President Osborne said that it was not
the intention of getting the sense of the
league on the question embodied in the
resolutions, but that of the audience.
Secretary Cartwright said that if the
boys are to be Instructed in military tactics
the girls also ought to be instructed, for, J"
said she, 1--WE are in favor of equal rights.
think that before the league takes any
action in this matter the other side should
be heard, and / suggest that Mrs. Haskell
be named to answer Mrs. Smith"
Mrs. Saxton, who stated that she had
been teacher in the East, said that she