Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-03

WANTS MILITARY
DRILL IN SCHOOLS
Pres. Cromwell, of Summit Ed
ucation Board, Suggests Ask
ing Legislatures Permission.

|
SUMMIT, Nov. 3-For the physical
development, as we'll as the other adj
vantages which he believes would re-
suit to boys attending the public
schools, President James w. Crom-
well, Of the Board of Education,
would have the military drill or some
course analogous to that system of
training adopted in the local public
schools.
So deeply interested in the subject
is the School Board head that he sug-
gested at last nights session of that
body that the next Legislature might
be requested to give legal provision
whereby the State would bear all or
at least q portion Of the cost of such
course In the public schools 1t is
likely the matter will be laid before
the State Federation of District
Boards of Education at the next
meeting of that organization ON No
vember 29 by Commissioner Robert
Nixon, who is the representative of
the local board in the State Fedora
ton of District School Boards.
In bringing the matter to the atten-
ton of his colleagues, President
Cromwell said he had long felt that
the military drill or something similar
is sorely needed in the public schools.
while l do not mean that We
should make a soldier of every one of
our boy pupils he said, yet if such
a course as the military drill had been
taught in our public schools in past
nowadays of the fear of invasion, for
it wouldn't take long to defend our
fresideg The military drill, aside
from the physical development, in
sures orderliness, neatness, submits
sion to discipline, good carriage and a
methodical rather than a haphazard
way of doing things, while not neces-
sarily forming a military spirit for
our boys.
Il have noticed" Mr.. Cromwell
went on, that the boys of today gen.
orally are not of good bearing. They
are rather inclined to go about in a
slouchy, slovenly way. For these
physical defects the drill tactics are
unquestionably the remedy, and l be-
lieve such a course in our public
schools would be beneficial to the boy.
to the School Board and to the COM
mpnity."
President Cromwell requested the
members to give some thought to his
idea, and declared that he would like
to have the public consider his prop
osition. All of the members seemed
agreed that the physical development
of the girl pupils in the local schools
is being sadly neglected. While the
boys have the use of the gymnasium
in the Y. M. c. A. and are more or
less engaged in athletics, the girls
have not such advantages, 1t was
said 1t was suggested that perhaps
arrangements could be made whereby
the boys and girls in the schools
could have access to the Y. M. G. A.
gymnasium during a short period of
the daily school session or that the
physical director of the Y. M. c. A.
might be engaged to visit the schools
daily to direct physical culture classes
in the school auditoriums, but no
definite action was taken on either of
these suggestions.
School Superintendent Clinton s.
Marsh said that he had long realized
the serious defect through the lack of
proper physical exercises for the
pupils, especially the girls but he
had refrained from bringing the mat
ter to the attention of the board be-
cause he had found it necessary to
ask for so many other necessaries in
the school system.