Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-10-16
The Decline of Patriotism in the United
States-the Cause and Ultimate Effect
By Albert S. Jones
Secretary Of the National Rifle Association of America

great army OF citizen soldiers. IhlS 1un0amental
theory Of military organization is sound economically
and politically. The maintenance of an army in time
of peace imposes a heavy financial burden on a nation
and the expenditure for this purpose should be Kept
at a minimum, consistent with effectiveness for war.
But reliance upon citizen soldiers is subject to the
Limitation that. they cannot be expected to meet a
trained enemy. until they, too. have been trained; and
such training must be done before war breaks out.
Our history is full Of the successes of the volunteer
soldier after he has been trained, but 1t contains no
record of the successful employment of raw levies for
general military purposes.
1t is obvious, there fore, that the citizen soldier
must have some training in time of peace if he is to
be effective, and it is our most important military
problem to devise means for some kind of universe!
training. Our schoolboy of today may be the soldier
OF tomorrow, and the training of the youth is a funda-
mental principle in the national defense policy OF
every, nation. The report of the division of military
affairs for 1912 shows that with over 10000, 900 males
between the ages of Is and d in this country, 122,377
were enrolled in the national guard. The strength of
the regular army is 84,736, of which about $4,000 are
stationed in the United States. We, therefore, have
one soldier to every 1855 male citizens. The regular
army and national guard united make a total avail
able trained force Of about 100000. For a war of any
magnitude we would require at least 100000 trained
Meli. Wucles Will We get Hell suppose we .oee
what the schools and colleges are doing to turn out
defenders of our country.
There are fifty universities and agricultural col.
leges, which, under the provisions Of the act of con.
gress of July 2, 1862, receive funds from the govern,
ment in return for maintaining military tactics in
clleir curriculums. Army officers are detailed to these
institutions as professors of military science and
tactics. These fifty colleges receive annually from
the government e., L350 1877. and in rnflrn tho great
majority of them do. as little military training as
they can to receive their proportion of the funds
appropriated. A glance at the inspection reports of
the army officers who inspect these departments
shows a state of affairs which needs correction. I'm
der the head of Amount of federal funds allowed for
military purposes" one reads the following state
.cnents: mo specific amount mot Known such
amounts as are needed" OF three universities, each
receiving $4,000 annually, one appropriates $2,1O0;
another $3.50; another. with only 1872 students in the
military department, appropriated $3.50 a year for its
support. The total enrolment of males in these col
Ileges in 1912 was S1,097,t while the number in the
military departments was only 1S,S43, or % per cent
of the total. Most Of these military departments are
required to do only five hours of military drill a week,
and in the agricultural colleges three hours a week is
the rule. Rifle shooting is seldom compulsory, and a
few of the colleges will build and maintain rife
ranges. buIIuS lie year l1lA Ill HlCceu OIL Luo SUI
sidized institutions above mentioned and Il other
military schools there we're only 17,144 students that
received gallery practice, and 7,O1S outdoor range
work.
There are 40 military schools in this country,
some of them second in efficiency only to our military
and naval academies, but the number of graduates is
SO small that they have little influence on our military
policy. 1t is in the public schools where we must
look for the defenders Of our land, for the high school
boys Of today will be our soldiers Of tomorrow. We
have about $4,000, 900 boys in the primary and high
schools OF the country; nearly a million reach man
hoods estate each year, and practically all of them
are available for military service. There are. in addi-
ton $3.50 private preparatory schools, with an enroll
ment of about 100000. The military spirit Of these
boys lies dormant and only needs encouragement to
be developed. TO foster and encourage such spirit is
the first duty of our state and national governments.
for some day it will be needed, and needed badly.
All those educated at the expense Of the state
should be trained to defend the state if necessary.
If, self-preservation be the first law of nature, it's
operation applies as much to- the state as to- the
Individual If the institutions Of our social and polit.
icai System are worthy Of existence, they are worth
preserving and defending. All legislative enactments
along these lines must, under our constitution, be
initiated. by the states themselves, but much could be
done in the way of drafting model legislation and
promugating information and data for military train
ing by the cooperation of government commissioner
Of education with the war department. Military drill
and rifle practice should be maintained in every
public high school. In connection with Fairgrounds,
there should be rifle ranges under proper supervision.
There can be no question but that military training
in our public schools would be of inestimable value
to the nation. The youth would benefit by the phys1
cal exercise, /. the discipline taught, and by the
principles of honor and duty to country instilled. The
state will gain through the training of its citizens in
habits Of regularity, precision, and obedience to law;
and the nation would be provided with its natural
defenders, men having some acquaintance with the
military instruction necessary to every soldier.
To demonstrate the benefits of military training
for the youth of the land, no argument is needed be
Ryond actual facts open to examination by any intelli
gent or inquiring person. Observation of any number
of students before their entrance to any ~frst-class
military school and of the same students after q
years attendance, or a comparison of them with q
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