Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-05
Education in the Army.

How Uncle Sam keeps the officers
and men in his army up to the top
notch OF efficiency is told in a special
report on Educational Systems in the
American Army" in the annual report
of the commissioner of education just
issued. The statement was prepared
by Capt. Douglas Macarthur and ap-
proved by General Leonard Wood.
No country in the world has as
complete system of professional
scholastic training for its officers as
the United States declares Capt. Mac
Arthur. This is due to the inherent
difference between the military estab-
lishments Of foreign nations and that
of our own. Their armies are at all
times kept upon a war footing, as a
result of which they have ample oppor-
tunity for the perfect training of the
personnel in the practical duties of the
military profession.
In such an army. the main object is
to train every man for the efficient
performance of his duties in the grade
which he holds when war comes. A
lieutenant does not dream of becoming
captain merely as the result of war
except as a vacancy is made for him in
the casualties of battle. Only in the
same way does a captain expect to be-
come colonel; nor would the idea be
tolerated that great numbers of
trained line officers are to be suddenly
transferred to various staff positions.
Their organizations are founded
upon the theory that there is nothing
mysterious in the art of war; that
technical and scientific training is
needed by only small portion of mill
tary officers; that certain things which
a Napoleon must know, every officer
must know, and can as readily acquire
as he; while those things which diff
ferentiate Napoleon from other gen.
erals can not be acquired in any school.
not even in that of war.
Such system would be thoroughly
unsound if transplanted to the Ameri-
can Army, the organization of which
is quite different from continental
armies. In fact, the most striking
feature in our service is the absence of
what constitutes the very essence of
the foreign establishments; that is, a
great standing army serving in corps,
divisions, and brigades, in which the
average officer of any grade learns the
details of his profession by practical
work and with the minimum of theory.
Our system of military education
-.
other great nations of the world. 1t
must be such as to educate our officers
so that they win be able at moments
notice. when the war expansion comes,
to perform the duties of r-advanced
grades and to render service in
branches Of the Army, both line and
staff. in which they are not commits
stoned in time of peace. For this
reason we have established a pro-
gressive system of schools designed
to teach officers and men, limited only
by their individual capacities for its
assimilation, the duty of the man-in-
arms in all grades from lowest 10 high
est.
THE military educational system of
the United States comprises: The Mill
tary Academy at West Point for the
education of cadets; post schools for
the instruction of enlisted men; garri-
son schools for the instruction of Of
ficers in subjects pertaining to the per-
Torrance of their ordinary duties; the
Army Service Schools at Fort Leaven-
worth. Kans., including the Army
School OF the Line, the Army Staff
College. the Army Signal School, the
Army Field Engineer School, the Army
Field Service and Correspondence
School for medical officers; the Spe-
cial Service Schools, consisting of the
Engineer School. Washington Bar
racks. d. c.. the Coast Artillery
School, Fort Monroe. Va. the Mounted
Service School. Fort Riley. Kans., the
Army Medical School. Washington. D.
c.. the School OF Fire for Field Artil-
lery. Fort sill. lpkla, the School of
Musketry. Fort Sill. Okla, the Signal
Corps Awaited School San Diego