Evening star., 1913-11-02

/. certain. This justines the ambitious
Man that the War Department has de-
ferr,ined upon for the next year. Ihere
were but c45 student soldiers in the twn
encampments this year. The NUMBER Wiz
he expanded 10 a probable five thousand
next summer . -
be foretold how this Development Q,
national reserve may be eiaporatea.
Starting with the twenty million as tnS
number OF units availa oe-there are tnss
many students In the Cn,sso stdv Irn,,.T
states will have the finest second oe<
tense OF any nation IN the world.
or course. the men or the army Wh0
have the plan so much at heart ma tnenlS
selves Handicapped by the absence OF az
appropriation to cover the incidental eN-
penses II becomes essential that thela
shall be no increase in the cost or -
maintenance OF the regular troops uuri.s
the training period. The expectation "
that the picttresoue side OF the idea WIZ
so appeal that there will be clanor for
the camps.
Think OF the special attraction such an
encampment would be NJ any summer .".
ony In n moment the want or dancshs
mon would be satisfied. And there wouit
he that touch Of romance always aaue"
by the uniform. he IL the ornate run oress
ar the working khaki The decided assee
NJ the presence OF these soldier students
leads the War Department 70 believe ina.
those who control good camping sites near
large hotels with all the incidental en-
tertainments OF summer NE VIII oHer
the use Of such grounds free TO the gov
eminent
or course. only country suitable To-"
army exercises would be acceptable ir
must be fairly open. not thickiy cuitivat~
ed. IL possible near the sea, or even bet
ter. a large lake Above All things th@'
N.a4
right place for pitching tents inust u"
found. and then target range. Tnero
are thousands OF such situations through
out the United States. and certainly many
inducements will be offered to turn the
favor of those who have the plans In
charge.
The trivial cost of these proposed camps
Is a feature that should make them &C
ceptable to n people almost parsimonious
in the support of our army. Soldier stu
dents must, of course, pay their own rare
to encampment centers. and, as aireads
indicated the cost of their uniforms and
keep while in camp. After this the ex-
pense Is nearly nominal to the govern
ment-
Troops must be taken care of either In
barracks or camp throughout all the year
so IL needs only a modification OF their
usual routine to put them under canvas
at a time and place suitable to their serv-
ing as models to the collegians Add TO
this the railroad fare of the regular army
instructors and the expense OF the am
munition and you have the total cost 10
the people.
II must not he thought that every can
ddate for instruction, regardless or his
qualifications. will be received in these
training camps. While the terms OF ad-
mission are very broad, vet they are r.
stricted enough 10 bar the unavailable.
First, the applicant must be a citizen or
the United States or have declared his
intention of becoming one. The reasons
fpa ION al
He must be eighteen years old and un-
der thirty and physically tlt to be a sol
dier In all the hard work implied In tho
name Graduates of and all rnen attend
ing any college or university are eligible,
as also are the graduating classes at tho
different high schools in the country II
being necessary. or course, that tney Dc
, students In good standing ana weU rec
ommended This must be attested by
the heads of their colleges That IS all
When they enter camp they must sub-
scribe to the rules In force, and also
thew contract to remain the allotted tims
, unless prevented by sickness or serious
necessity.
Of course these first established camp,
can be looked upon only In the light of
an experiment, but successful have
thev proyed that the War Department
will proyide instruction for 5000 stu
dents next year. Already the spplica-
lions are being filed. A source of special
qualification to the army officers who
helieve In the plan was thef unanimous
onproyal IL received from the presidents
~ the leading universities and colleges
throughout the country. All OF those
consulted or heard from on the subject
and this includes a majority OF the lead
ing institutions-promised their aid an
|, forwarding the success of the camps.
While the special training and discipline
given these young men Will have the
purpose Of making them better fitted to
, serve their country in time of emergency
, vet more than this. ii will give them an
Insight into the military necessities of the
nation. Gen. Wood states this idea most
forcibly:
I'VE want the student soldier thorough
, ly to understand the difference between
militarism and military preparedness
That the United States has the resources
for putting an army into the field equal
to that of any other of the irst-class
point these resources are absolutely
developed.
Not that We i'm any way wish to ap-
proximate the standing armies OF Europe.
No But do want the young men OF
the country TO have certain amount or
practical knowledge to place behind their
enthusiasm that would make them useful
units in the army of the republic should
the call to arms come But the thought
OF making these young men reserve offi-
GERS is distinctly secondary To that OF
giving them a broad conception Of the
need Of a definite military policy"