The San Francisco call., 1905-03-21
TO CUT SHORT
MILITARY WORK
President Wheeler Makes
Important Announcement
Upon Return From East
WAR DEPARTMENT ACTS
Obnoxious Regulations to
Be Modified in Response
to Request of Colleges
WAR DEPARTMENT ACTS
Berkeley Office San Francisco Call,
214S Center Street. March 20.

2148 Center Street, March 70
President Benjamin Ide Wheeler of
the University of California announced
to-day, upon his return from the East,
that the War Department at Wash
ington, in Difference to united requests
from the land grant colleges Of the
United States, Is to make important
concessions to all the universities
where military training Is required,
which will have the effect. 1t is hoped,
of lessening the disfavor In which the
military feature of college instruction
is held at nearly all these institutions.
1t is promised by the War Depart
ment, says President Wheeler, that the
drilling period, which hitherto has last
life, shall be reduced to two years, and
that instead of five hours Of drill and
guard mounting each q week three
hours only will be required.
1t appears that while the University
of California Joined with all the other
land-grant colleges. so-called. in beg
ging the War Department to moderate
the severity of its requirements, the
news of the California institutions CO.
operation with other institutions in
this matter has just become known,
President Wheeler having decided to
make public the facts now, In view OF
the approaching action OF the War De-
partment.
The riot in which the class In mill
tary instruction at the university par
ticipated last term, when Captain
Nance's famous marching order was
enforced, with it's attending train of
conflicts between students and military
instructor Is supposed to have infiu-
enced the California University to join
with other colleges in asking for an
abatement of military requirements.
though President Wheeler does not ad-
nit that the Nance episode affected the
matter.
1t is confessed by President Wheeler
that the military part of the college
curriculum has always been rather
perfunctorily carried out, here as else
where 1t being almost impossible TO ex-
act from students all that the college
regulations call for in the way OF mill
tary drill, and which the War Depart
ment expects when it details an army
officer to drill and teach the students in
military affairs
President Wheeler paid particular
attention, while in the East, TO the
relation which agricultural farms sus-
tain to agricultural colleges, with
view to ascertaining the best method
of locating such a farm with regard to
it's proximity to the agricultural col
lege. AS a result of his Investigations,
he says that IT will be most unwise. in
the opinion Of experts in this work, to
have the farm farther than few miles
from the agricultural college The
farm is not TO be a model farm, IL the
best models in the East, such as the
Iowa and Illinois institutions. are fol-
lowed, but rather laboratory for the
students in the agricultural college.
President Wheeler has been absent
from the university for three weeks.
He witnessed the inauguration of Pres
ident Roosevelt. and visited the larger
cities. including New York. Boston,
Chicago. Baltimore and Philadelphia.