The Washington times., 1915-12-26
Studying System For
Upbuilding Of Army
Many Look to Schools and Colleges As Proper Place
Where Military Expansion Should Be Effected.
May Turn to Vocational Training
BY JUDSoN C. WELLIVER.

That America. In its peculiar circum-
stances. ought to give the world a new
idea about styles In armies and army
preparedness, is feeling whose cur
rency among members Of Congress sug-
gests the probability Of long and in
teresting discussion Of the army appro-
priation bill.
new sort OF an army. that shall
serve some useful purpose in peace as
we'll as In war. is. Every generally de-
sired. There are all kinds OF more or
less fantastic, practical. and Impractical
ideas about II.
Some very earnest folks have the no
ton that the army could be made self
supporting by setting It at raising
crops, somehow or other. Others think
it could be enlisted and between drills
employed in building a national system
of roads. Still others believe the army
should be recruited from and trained,
to a large extent. in the public schools
high schools. and colleges.
Would Teach Trades.
Then there is the scheme of making
the army sort of vocational training
institution. with the purpose OF teach
ing trades. technical courses. and the
like, along with general academic tram
ing; all this to be supplemented by a
thorough military course that would
turn the young men out soldiers, ana
from which the more proficient might
be further trained in the professional
duties of officers.
This last plan has a good many ad-
inc cist that IL Is DeIIeT
adapted to the requirements OF TINS
country than the Swiss military sEs-
tenn. They urge that there Is nceo ol
more effective vocational training ana
that. as the controlled system OF
education has failed in most cases 10
nrovide II, the National Government
might very properly take 1t up. 1t Is
admitted that the problem Of fitting
such a nationally controlled system IN
with the public school organizations OF
the States Is difficult; hut various
nlsns have been tentatively worked out
for accomplishing this.
For the "Old Army"
Concerning such A project there Is
wide divergence of opinion even among
the professional military men. 1t is
noted that whereas the older officers,
men whose touch and early associa-
ton have been largely with the "old
army" regard such ideas as imprac-
ticable and impossible, there is large
element among the younger army men
who believe it will work
All such proposals are based on the as
sumption that this country Is never go
i,c to maintain in time Of peace 4
standing amy comparable with the ar
rarents that heretofore have hecn
supported by the more military nations
Of Furopc. PraDa rndncSR to draw a
real armv Of real soldiers from the body
Of the civic community. rather than pre-
parednoss with a great armv always un-
de- arms. is the deal in this case. The
sentiment in favor of such a policy IS so
genera! tnat 1t assures at east an
earnest effort to devise a plan that VIII
in time meet national needs:
Any project looking to the establish :
ment oe large army on o,d lines OF
simple miiitarism will meet objections
based on several different views. One
of the most important OF these is the
theory that at the end # the war in
Europe there NAV be an International
agreement for reduction of armamCnts
which will remove the need for any
great increase IN the American army
sta blishment There is large class Of
meu in Congress who believe that any
scheme devised at present will be unsat-
isfa ctory. They say that oir military
future will be decided for us. whether
or no, bv The results in EuroDe II the
allies win sweeping victory. they ex-
viii largely remove 'he need for an
cxransive scheme of increased standing
army. with a reserve and a continental
or militia systen. On the other hand, II