Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-12-03

the camp. for their subsistence at the
rate Of $3.50 per week. and also for
their uniform, costing about IS. The
government has furnished gratuitously
only the instructors and the camp
equlpage. You might imagine that
this proposition was not an appealing
one, especially as the government ex-
pected to be the ultimate beneficiary.
The results. however. have been ex-
tremely encouraging.
Camps Produce Results.
During the past summer we had
four camps, one at Asheville, N. c..
from July 6 to Aug. Z; one at Burling-
ton. VT. and one at Ludington. Mich,
at the same time. and one at Monterey,
Cal. from June 26 to July 81 inclusive.
Take the Burlington camp as an eX-
ample.
I'VE had there $50 students and at
the end of their five weeks Of training
129 were recommended to fill lieuten-
ancies and capta1ncies Of volunteers.
In five days Of target practice GO per
cent Of the $50 students made the rat
ing of Workmanship or better. which
is q high classification. The discipline
was excellent, and only one man was
sent home from camp because of an
1nfractton. The men were rs keen as
mustard for the work and were heart.
lily interested in both the practical and
the academic side Of the training.
Their student habits made it easy for
them to follow the books and to alb
sorb the lessons designed for them.
The officer in charge Of the Burling-
ton camp frankly said that the results
were such that had he not witnessed
them himself he would not have be-
lieved them possible. The extension
of this camp idea is full Of possibilities
both for officers and men of the volun-
teers, and its logical expansion would
provide e for an almost unlimited
number Of excellent material.
But back of these camps, as a
source Of potential leaders. there is
need for some such progressive mill
tary education as that which has been
developed so admirably in Switzer-
land. BY starting with the lower
grades the Swiss boy receives a pro-
gressive training which eliminates at
his graduation or when he reaches the
age requiring service with the colors.
Then, because of what he has learned
gradually during his school days, his
actual field service is but sixty days
for infantry and ninety days for either
the cavalry or the artillery branches.
1.-The actual annua! outlay to the
government for it's reserves does not
exceed $S.000,OO and yet with this
extremely economical outlay SwitZer-
land can muster in the hour of need a
fighting force of 100000 trained men!
We have Il population of more than
0O.OOO.0O0 while that of Switzerland
is less than 100000. but see how diff
ferently we are circumstanced in this
vital matter of military personnel.
Australia has lately found it neces-
sary to evolve Il somewhat allied sys-
tenn of military training for her youth,
with service accountability for all zap
able male inhabitants between the
years of eighteen and sixty. BY rea-
son Of this statutory provision Austria
liza will in the course OF Il few years
have available a trained force Of ap.
proximately 100000
Must Awaken Public.
Il have urged this matter in various
reports while chief of staff, and the
one thing needful is that the general
public shall awaken to an intelligent
need of Il suitable provision in the
way Of a potential volunteer army with
proport1onate reserves. We haven't
these men now, and who can tell when
they shall be needed?
"Of course the regular troops must
always constitute the working nucleus
Of our military service. and here again
the increment has not been proportion
ate to the national growth. We have
acquired outlying possessions. and
these have drawn from the existing es-
adjustment and wen when provided
for in addition have still left us IN
amplify our field army OF regular
troops within the continental limits OF
the United States. That means a field
army of about 10000 mobile troops in
a population of more than 90,OO0,O0O.
This certainly is very remote from any
thing approaching militarism and in no
sense anywhere nea the force needful
in time of war for the successful re-
polling of an invasion.
while quite aside from the question
Of u military needs, this matter OF
military education may have a deeper
and broader national effect in it's es-
%sentially moral aspect The soldier
training which starts with the mere
lad in school in Switzerland and goes
with him until his graduation brings
in its train Il notable fruit In the way
Of character building, In Switzerland
the murder rate is only one-tenth of
ours per million inhabitants. 1t is
larger IN Germany. but still away be-
low that which prevails here.
II believe that this military system
NJ o6rnntinp with ifS inuidaOf0l diSri.