Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-10-16

ing a national record for themselves along these lines.
II we cannot have cadet corps and military drill.
which is often impracticable in public schools, on ac-
count of the expense of uniforms. then let us, by all
means, have rife instruction. Such instruction also
has it's obstacles, OF which the most serious are, lack
of arms, ammunition. ranges and instructors, Rec
ognizing this and with a view to, getting the national
guard to aid, the assistant secretary of war a few
months ago addressed a letter to the governors of all
the states, asking the national guard to cooperate
by offering the use of armory ranges to the high
school boys, and by supplying voluntary instructors.
About twothirds Of the states replied, offering to
cooperate in every way. Only two states, Massachu.
sets and PENNSYLVANIA, declined to assist.
One Illustration shows how little consideration the
average educator gives to the subject of military
training. In over IS years the subject has only been
considered once, in 1893, at the annual convention Of
the National Educational association. At the annual
meeting in that year, the adoption of military train
ing was urged by Chancellor Henry NJ. MacCracken.
D. D., L. I. D.. then head of the New York university.
One of his observations was:
"Frst, instruction. in military tactics in private
and public schools, SO far as tried, has been eninently
useful to the boys and to their teachers and the
nation. And, therefore this convention should organ.
iZe a propaganda and secure the extension of instruc-
ton in the high schools, until, instead of less than 5
per cent of the public schools giving such instruction,
There should not be per cent neglicting this in
struction.
" My second proposition is that in communities
where no high schools exist and where sboys are
continued in the grammar schools until. they are Is
or 16 years of age, this convention should encourage
such schools to give military drills such as is else
where given in high schools"
That there is a lack of coordination in the depart
nents of our government is apparent, but nowhere is
it more fully demonstrated than in the opposite posi-.
tons taken by the war department and the depart
ment of education. The former is doing all it can
to foster patriotism and military training, while, on
the other hand, the policy of the educational depart
ment is to stiHe such development. While such an
anomaly exists in the United States, we find foreign
nations pursuing just the opposite policy. In France,
military instruction, especially rifle shooting, is taught
to boys of 10 years of age and upwards in the prim-
airy schools. Three departments of the government
take active interest in the development of marksman-
ship: the war department, through the issue Of arms
and ammunition; the department of the interior, by
financial assistance; and the department of public in
%struction, by encouraging the development of military
drill and rifle shooting exercises in the public
schools.
Australia, which has less need Of military e6icen.
cy than the United States, has over 10000 school boys
iorganized as. cadet companies, who receive arms and
y icA INC SoNSA AiANAt. LII 1lLly lAO
work is carried on by a central committee organized
in the departments of war and education, and in 1910
this committee formulated a program of military in
struction for secondary schools.
In certain countries, it has been left to- the patri-
otto liberality Of some citizen to do what the govern
ment has neglected to do. In Canada, Lord Stratf-
coma has donated 100000 to promote military train
ing and rifle shooting in the schools. In Hungary,
a patriot by the name Of Nicholas %deszemere built a
magnificent rifle range on his estate and placed over
the entrance the words: 81 have built this range
50 that the young men of Hungary may have an
opportunity to learn to defend their native soil"
This is the kind of philanthropy that benefits a nation,
the kind we need in this country.
Results of an investigation to ascertain how many
Americans in different branches of the service, as
we'll as civilians, received instruction in rifle practice
during the year 1910, furnishes food for thought. The
records of the war department show that during that
year 1920 members OF the regular army exclusive
of those in the Philippines, received rifle instruction.
of which 17,473 failed to make#a qualifying score.
During the same year, the navy instructed $4,000
men and the marine corps, 1000 men. In5the orgal,-
lied militia, 51,749 were given rife instruction, of
whom 20,63O failed to qualify as marksnen. There
were over: 10000 who were not even taken to the
range. This makes a total of 120,379 men il, the reg
ular military service Of the United States who re-
ACASC GOAC oOlI4 ~ HS AAHSA oSlAOiA NNllA IuS yCd
To this might be added 5000 members of civilian rifle
clubs and 7,71O students of colleges having military
departments. In the aggregate, this will give us a
total number of male citizens between the ages OF
Is and As who had practiced with the service rife
during one year, Of $4,000 out of a total male popu-
lation between those ages Of 2O,53S, 9S47, a percentage
of .0OO64.
What will be the effect of this decline in the mar.
tial spirit of our country? History gives us the
answer. But we hope that history will not in this
case repeat itself. The highest civic mental and
moral development of the great classical civilizations,
Greece and Rome, was coincident with the periods Of
their highest military ardor and training. Both civ.
%ilizations went down to decay and dissolution under
the corroding influence of their inert and luxurious
peace. signalized by the disappearance of the military
virtues from the body polite. The strength Of Rome
was in her free citizens, who formed the, legions
which built up the nation. When Rome BECAME