The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-12
MANY CITIZENS ARE PREP AIRING FOR WAR Patriotic Societies Beginning
 To Get Busy. TEACH YOUTHS TO SHOOT National Rifle Association Aims To Have Science of Marksmanship Made q Study In Public Schools
 of the Nation
TEACH YOUTHS TO SHOOT

war occur, efforts the being made by
 representative in Congress to put the | United States fin a better condition oi
 preparedness for war. To this end num-
 bers of patriotic societies have joined
 hands. Possibly one of the greatest
 movements in this respect is that foster ed by the National Rife association
 winch for the past thirty years has
 been engaged in this work. The principle
 idea of those who have yearly subscrib- ed to the association is to teach the youth
 and citizens of the country how to shoot with the rife.
 In 1903 Congress passed bill provid-
 ing for prizes to be given in national
 shooting matches. Senator Root of New York, then secretary of war, created the
 national board for tho promotion of
 rifle practice. It's first official act was to
 recommend the encouragement by the
 clubs composed of those who would be
 available for service in time of war. The
 recommendations especially charged that
 this work be taken up in the schools. The post of improving national mark
 manship was taken up by the National
 Rifle association.
 | The markmanship over the indoor
 course for preparatory schools pre- scribes that each boy below nineteen
 shall fire ten shots standing and ten
 shots prone at fifty feet at a target with
 a one-inch bulseye, using the 32-calibre ] rifle. To every boy making not less than thirty-eight points standing, and AZ prone, or total of eighty points
 out of possibly hundred, a silver lapel
 button is presented, and thereby be-
 comes a Junior marksman.' Practice | is had several times a year.
 After boy has qualified on the indoor
 range he is taken on the outdoor range.
 There the firing is done at two hundred | yards, using the army rifle and target. The course consists of ten shots stand | ing and ten shots prone. If score of not
 less than thirty-five points standing and | forty points prone or total of seven | ty-f1ve points out of a possible one | hundred is made, the boy is presented | with a bronze medal.
 | Each one of the school clubs receives | annually from the National Rifle asso- citation a medal for which the members | compete. Where there are more school clubs in city, the association presents
 a handsome loving cup for interschool | target competition.
 Each year contest is held between all
 the school clubs in the United States l for the national championship. The win
 ming school receives the "Astor'' cup ta | be held for one year, and each member 1 of the team receives a silver medal. AS the association realizes that the | best possible means to interest the boys
 is by holding these competitions, tourna.
 ments are arranged for each winter ir | the large cities. The first one of these | was held in New York in 1908, followed l by ptl In pbiladaInhfo Do Washington, Denver and Los Angeles
 The first effort by the association to | hold an outdoor tournament was made
 at the national capital last year Prizes
 were donated by the secretary and as- | sstant secretary of war, chief of ord
 nance, chamber of commerce, local news-
 papers, and some of the leading citizens | This tournament was a success, in spite
 of the fact that not half of the boys who presented themselves at the range
 could be instructed owing to the lack tof time and target facilities. Markers 1 scorers and range officers were furnished
 by the U. s. Marine corps. the National | Guard of the District of Columbia fur
 nished the range. and many of the of l f1cers volunteered as instructors. | In New York state last year seven thousand boys were instructed in marks manship. There the work is highly sys- | tematized, and under the general direc- | tion of the Public Schools Athletic lea | gue, of which General George w. Win | gate, the father of American rifle shoot 1 ing, is president.
 | Great impetus was given the work | through the donation of sub-target ma
 chimes, an ingenious mechanical device | to which is attached a regulation service | rifle, and which records every movement | of the gun in aiming. It registers on q miniature target. the exact location of q
 Init" Tn Philadelphia ranges were
 built in the high schools for the use of | the boys.
 At present eighty-three preparatory
 schools in the United States are carrying
 on rifle practice. Thirty-five are public
 schools, thirty-eight military schools, two | grammar schools and eight private | schools.
 The funds to carry on this work Is
 raised through public subscription by | the National Rife association. Some of | the men who have contributed are Pres | ident Taft, ex-President Roosevelt, Am | bassador Bacon, Secretary of the Navy
 Meyer, Secretary of War Dickinson, Gov
 ernor Handley of Missouri, cx-Governor | Buchtel of Colorado, ex-Governor Guild | of Massachusetts, ex-Governor Murphy of New Jersey, Senators Root. Wetmore, Warren, Briggs and Dick, and such men as John Drexel, R. c. Prick, George l WeSLlnRnOuSe, MOrtlIneT oCHlII, Cld N
 ence M. Mckay and w. Bayard Cutt- | ing.
 Among members of the army stationed in Washington there is feeling that this l is a work for which the government should pay, and for eight years ineffect- ual efforts were made to gain congress
 sional assistance. A bill, however. was
 introduced in Congress at the close Of | last year providing for the issuance of
 rifles and ammunition to rife clubs, and 1 the promotion of rifle practice among the citizens of the United States. The bill is still reposing in the archives of the house committee on military affairs. When this bill becomes law, the gov ernment will be in position to give prac- | tical assistance to the schools in carry | ing on rife practice.
 A glance at what other nations are do- l ing in this respect shows that France
 is spending over $10O,0O0 a year in teach- | ing rifle shooting in the primary | schools of that country. Australia has | forty thousand school boys organized l into cadet corps who are taught to shoot. England holds yearly competitions. In l addition w. w. Astor, the congratulated l American has given s50,000 to forward the
 work. Last year Lord Strathcona do- Il mated s250,OO0 as an endowment fund, the | interest of which is to promote rifle prac- | tice in the public schools of Canada. 1 Should the citizens of this country be
 trained in rife shooting on the same | ratio as in other countries, the United | States would have 4,2S0,000 to depend up on in time of war.
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