The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-09-14
Head Of Wilson's Committee Ad.
vances Novel Plan for Build
ing Up Great Defensive
Machine for U. 5.
ENLISTMENTS TO
Be COURSES
Vocational Training Of First Rank
Would Be Given Men in Terms
Of From Six Months 10
Six Years
By United Press.

By United Press.
Indianapolis, Sept 14.-This nation
is in perilous position because Of
the European war; we must prepare
for effective defense; but a standing
army of adequate proportions is un-
American After summing up the sit.
uation thus, John A. Iapp, in a state
ment issued today, suggested the ap-
plication of vocational. education to
the army and navy as the solution.
Lapp, as a member of President
Wilson's commission on vocational
education, drew up the bill that will
be presented to congress. He is the
author of Indiana's vocational law,
which has been a model for other
states.
Vocational education and national
defense should go hand in hand. said
Lapp. In that way only, he said. can
the nation maintain an adequate
standing army without tremendous
waste of human energy and without
providing menace to our democratic
ideals.
I'VE want men trained for war but
whose thoughts are of peace" said
Lapp. "Why not couple up the two
and while making men efficient for
defensive war make them also effic-
lent productive workers? Let us have
million men in training all the time
for effective defense, but let that mil
lion be trained all the time for useful
employment. Let every camp and
battleship become school where q
few hours day can be spent in pre-
pairing for the arts of peace"
Lapp said the army and navy offer
ed opportunities for vocational train
ing in hundreds of different lines to
meet the needs of the army and navy.
There is no reason, he said, why the
army and navy should not do a large
part of the work needed for their sup
port.
Around every army post the gov
ernment should own large tracts OF
land for cultivation where the science
of agriculture. forestry and animal
husbandry in all their phases would
be taught and from which the troops
could be supported" said Lapp.
Lapp suggested that arrangements
could be made to give the carpenter,
plumber or machinist who Joins the
army supplementary education along
these lines so that he would become
better carpenter, plumber or ma
chinist.
To get the broadcast benefits from
such a scheme, different periods of
enlistment would be necessary, he
said, Enlistments for from four years
down to six months could be allowed,
and vocational training in lines re-
quiring greater or less training could
be provided as the case might be.
Lapp declared that the six month
enlistment term would be an effective
cure for unemployment because it
would offer both job and schooling
Undoubtedly this nation is in q
perilous position" said the educator
I'VE are the only world power not en-
gagged in conflict. AS great neutral
we have become the object of envy
and hate by all the warning countries
and this will increase as we wax fat
ter from world trade at the expense
Of our old time rivals
Lapp called attention to the fear this
nation always has had for large bod
les of men with training for war and
said he believed the scheme outlined
would give no ground for such fear