The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-07-29
COL, CHURCH
TALKS OF MILITIA
Continued from mage one.

every citizen should be trained i'm the
use of arms is as excellent now as ct
any time. Government support is Of
course necessary and in an outlying
province like Hawaii the necessity for
keeping up a good local force seems to
me to be apparent.
1T is not so much indeed the actual
existence of a military body which is
valuable as it is that the young men
receive a training in military affairs
slight perhaps, but none the less valu-
able for teaching the benefits of organ
izaton, of obedience and of other vir-
tues. The new Militia Bill is doing
much to encourage the militia and it
would be shame if Hawaii should put
herself outside of the benefits that
must accrue from a participation in
what is offered by the National gov
eminent.
There is of course another side NJ
the question" continued the Colonel,
land that is in the difficulty Of keep
ing up a militia body in a state of eff
cheney. In many places, 1 am sorry
to say, the different organizations be-
come simply a sort Of social club which
are military only i'm name. The good
fellow who is popular simply from
that fact. gets to command and very
often makes the worst possible COM
mander i'm a military sense. The man
who takes his militia duty seriously
and insists upon discipline being main
tanned becomes unpopular from that
very cause and promotion, which he
really deserves, is not for him. Every
thing depends on the quality of the Of
ficers, for one good officer can do more
to make up a company that is efficient
than can half a dozen who look
to the mere social side of the work.
do not know your local conditions here
in Hawaii. but the principle is one
that can be generally applied. Still
the underlying idea that all citizens
should be trained i'm the use of arms is
a good one to hang on to and it should
be made the starting point for all dis
cussions on this subject"
Colonel Church was born in Roches-
ter, N Y, in 1886, and in 1855 became
engaged with his father i'm editing ant
publishing the New York Chronicle. HI
became publisher of the New York SUI
in 1860 and i'm 1862 was Washington
correspondent of the New York Times
He then was commissioned captain il
the United States Volunteers and serv
ed through the war. He is the autho
of those two standard works, "Th'
Life of John Ericsson" (the invento
and builder of the Monitor which revo
lutionized naval cOnstructon). and als'
The Life of Ulysses 5. Grant" 1t wa.
, a signal mark of appreciation Whicr
was paid him on January, 1903 wheI
the leading officers of the army an,
navy, with distinguished civilians
. gave him a banquet i'm honor of tn
fortieth anniversary of the Army an,
Navy Journal.
Col. Church's present intention is Z
return to San Francisco on the Man
churia. The Taft party is making to
. rapid run through to suit his inten
ton of studying conditions from h
. own standpoint and he VII return t.
go through the Philippines later.
Col Church, by the way. is no rela
tive of Fred Church Of the Royal HIT
waian Hotel, but oddly enough he Wa,
= friend of Fred Church's father, VIII,
is now dead. The two families are botl
from New York and are of Connection
origin and the two elder Churches wer,
acquainted i'm New York many years
ago. Col. Church was delighted t,
meet here in Hawaii the son of his olc
friend and namesake.