The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1905-10-14
rHE MOST MARTIAL NATION.
.veov ABLE.eODlED AUSTRIA
LIAM TO BE A TRAINED
SOLDIEO.

Thirty.
The Commonwealth OF Australia i
no most martial nation in the world
pefore thirty more years have pass
pd every able-bOdicd Lian on the con
tirent will be a GOOD shot, trained
soldier and q disciplined unit of {
very comp s:ent and healthy fighting
machine. The schoolboys are never
riyen lessons in patriotism. They
sing God Save the King" with Ger
2in leyity and learn to speak OF that
song later on as the national an
J. hem" But as soon as every school
boy is eight years old he joins the
military cadet corps attached to his
school and then begins a course in
practical soldering that continues in
nne way and another until he il a
man of at least thirty.
And the soldering he begins learn
Ing at eight years is not at all for
recreative purposes. The yOungster
hears no likeness at all to the pupils
OF the Summer military academies"
The Khaki uniform he dons at his
Initiation is an exact replica Of that
worn by his big brother or father, and
once year he goes into camp with
his seniors and puts in week of
serious and hard campaigning.
Twice a month he goes to the rifle
ranges and puts in the afternoon
learning to shoot at moving targets.
He drills with his company for an
Lour every afternoon and once
month that company is paraded with
the regiment to which it belongs.
Each regiment has its juvenile brass
band and the assiduous boy soldier
/, may rise from sergeant to lieutenant,
from that to captain and finally to
the highest rank he can hold, that of
battalion commander. The school ca.
diets, as they are called, are organized
In regiments of three battalions each.
a battalion consists OF twelve COM
panies, 100 boys composing each
company. The drill book used is alb
treviated from that issued by the |
british War Office and the young sol.
,iers take the daily routine in quite
matter-of-fact spirit.
Every morning at nine o'clock in
every national school and big private
college in Australia the little cadets
are marched once around the school
grounds to the time of drum and
bugle and halted at the tall fiagpole
that crowns the entrance porch. The
bugle sounds reveille, the color SER
geant hoists the Union Jack to the
top OF the pole, the boys present
arms, salute the flag with blank
v0lley and are dismissed to their
classes When they have finished
drilling each afternoon they parade
again In front of the flag and salute
as 1t hutters down. And they display
neither Indifference nor enthusiasm
u these exercises. They look and
probably feel just as nonchalant 40
the men OF an ordinary British regi-
ment would look and feel at the same
work.
In Australian education is free, .
secular and compulsory" and no boy ,
y permitted under any circumstances ,
y ieave school until he has received
US NTH form certificate. When the .
Wy soldier graduates and leaves :
'snool ne joins the senior cadets and
irllls In the eTening instead of the !,
At twenty-one he trans
ers to the militia and remains there :
y at least three years. The enthu- :,
iasts remain with the militia :
nd frequently remove from 1t =
the regular army; but many =
lners Join the reserves and con- :
snt themselves with monthly rifle !.
'actice at the butts and yearly week =
ent.
ne is a good shot by then and a = =
Nu norseman-for every Australian =,
2 good horseman by instinct-but = =
= ming of vital importance in the .
aking Of linn is the grounding he - -
s01sou as boy at school.
ana the Australian boy soldier was - -
conception, not of a fierce mill =
le bearded like the pard,'' but of :.
pain, peace-loving, rather quaker y, =.
wholesale dry goods man named =.
ederlck Sargood. When the busi- r rpe
= VI tnat gentleman was flourish -
sumciently he went into Austria -
poiltlcs and was shortly made - -
aister OF Defense. His fertile -
IN, freed from the cares of bust "
!. conceived many Improvements
.ne national school system. When
brought into Parliament his very
= Dill establishing the cadet corps fe,
e integral part of defense forces a.
australia it was passed after tn,
hours debate and Immediately ci,
INTO force. Today the system is lea
piete and before Sargood died he no
MS seal on his work by present. inc
every school with the Jack" and no
hagpole with which each morn OF
work is opened. Pr
lere are now in the Australian ior
ol 30,40O cadets under arms" tw
o senior cadets and 5000 naval
ts. all very healthy boys under .
ty years Of age and all doing -
quite seriously. No people IN Ja1