Evening journal., 1912-10-01
Lieut.. Eastman Tells Of Some
Essentials for National
Character
REVERENCE FOR FLAG
AND WHAT IT REPRESENTS

Lieutenant f. B. Eastman, U. S. A.,
commanding in charge of military in
struction in Delaware College. has
contributed this review of the work of
his department to the Newark Post
To fit a young man to take his
place as a citizen of the United States
in this day and generation, what
should be the most important topics
IN his curriculum? Surely the first
should be patriotism. He should have
a reverence for the flag and for ev-
erything it stands for. Secondly he
should have a respect for duly consti-
tuted authority. These two traits
more than any other, are lacking to-
day in American character, and both
are absolutely essential to the perma-
nent life Of a republic. Today our pa
triotism is purely emotional, as COM
pared for instance with that fine
quality of patriotism possessed by the
Japanese. and which the Germans
also have in such high degree. AS
for respect for duly constituted au-
thority, there is none Everyone in
Office, from the President of the Unit
ed States TO the policeman ON the
beat is the subject Of caricature by
the press and ridicule on the stage.
All this adds to the gayety of the ma
ticn, but it is dangerous and If allow
ed long to continue, is going to mean
something lacking in individual
character, the aggregate of which
J. cans national character. &c would
be well that the young citizens of a
republic should be talgh. hygicne--
how to live BEAUTIFULLY and to care for
the body properly. HIS muscular
strength, agility and ilickness and
accuracy of movement should all be
developed. In other words, he should
te trained to be as near physically
berfect a man as possible.
These are some Ut The virtues in
culcated by military training, and |
might say, also. the cardinal princi-
ples for the training Of boys and
soung men who are going 70 be the
healthy, broad-minded men who shall
keep this republic virile and strong
TO fulfill its destiny.
Another object Of the military in
struction given at this college is to
qualify students to be company Off
GERS of infantry, volunteers or mill
tia. To those who believe in unlim-
tied arbitration. treaties and univer-
sal peace and disarmament, this last
mentioned feature may not appeal
nut those who have given the subject
ierious consideration have not the
S. ightest confidence in arbitration
in a crisis. A person will not arbi-
trate about his honor, unless ii be a
person who has none and therefore
cannot be perjured. There are ques-
tons about which no nation will ever
arbitrate if that nation is fit to con-
tinue an independent existence. The
same may be said of an individual
The fact that We have several thou
sand cadets trained and under train
ing in various military schools
throughout the country has already
saved us from the third war will
Great Britain. During the -ntrov
ersy over the Venezuelan bounuar,
question, three British officers wer,
sent to spy out the land as one o
them afterward expressed il. and t
report on our preparedness for war
They Travelled the country over. anC
reported that the regular forces were
in splendid shape, but we're so few
in number as to be practically neg
ligible; that our National Guard wal
a very nice little social organization
that could not muster any reall,
trained soldiers, and not even hun
dred thousand partly trained. Blu
that they found on every seventh hill
top a military school which had beef
for years turning out graduates capa
bic of differing the numerous volun
teers, which we would have availa
Bile. They therefore advised agains
war.
1T has always been a question al
TO whether or not il would be a gool
thing to have national universit.
i'm this country. We have the othe
two kinds of universities-that is
those supported by the States, ant
those established upon religious o
charitable foundations. The latte
are all private corporations-al
though exerting an ever increasing
influence in public affairs IL ha
generally been considered that thes
universities furnished ample educa
tional opportunities and served tn
needs of the country. II is as gener
ally conceded. however. that no mat
ter how much professional education
might be represented by the diplom
Of any one of them, not a single uni
versity gives exactly the training tina
it most needed by the young men c
a republic. Most of them were mold
ed by the traditions OF the old worlC
more or less modified to suit the Gil
cumstances OF their environment.
none of these institutions, eXceT
those which have a semi-militar
character is there any attempt
teach patriotism, or respect for au
thority.
All students at Delaware Colleg
are required TO take military instruC
ton. Exemption is granted by til
faculty only pfor physical disabilit,
or conscientious scruples, but an
student who may be excused froI
military duty, for either of these res
sons, shall be required to select sue
other work as shall be deemed by IN
feculty equivalent to the militar
work omitted. The great benefit {
the exercise thus taken. and the fac
that it. teaches habits of promptnes
and obedience. aside from the bette