The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-27
SCHOOLBOY MILITIA IDEA
OPPOSED BY EDUCATORS
Gen. Wingate Is For 1t, but Others Find Flaws With
Mayors Plan-WouldS Substitute
Athletic Training.

Mayor Mitchel's proposal for military
York has met with a varying reception
at the hands OF educators, peace advo-
Gates and others interested.
Gen. George w. Wingate. member OF
the Board OF Education and civil war
veteran, who introduced rifle practice in
this country as part OF the training Of
the National Guard. strongly favors the
proposal for boys more thar II years
old.
For the five years I was on the stan
Of the Commander in Chief Of the q A
r. Gen Wingate said yesterday. I'VE
were "endeavoring to introduce military
instruction in the public schools. That
was before the Spanish war. The Grand
Army Of the Republic tried It's mos
tn have the COUNTRY do something for its
protection experience had taught the
veterans that II is futile TO send mon
10 war without instruction.
The plan took we'll at first. hut edu-
Gators, the W. G. r. T.. and the peace
people were against a. We couldn't get
instructors. We couldn't get arms or uni
forms or places in which to drill because
We had no money. Then the Spanish
war came on and tho whole thing was
dropped.
would Exempt smaller Boys.
"i have changed my views since then
In one respect. | don't believe 1t is good
policy to W. military instruction in
the elementary schools. There is not
stt... fm. h lf.l. tN. ..V,tn, ~, ~
erciscs are sufficient for boys under II.
hut / approve strongly OF military train
iug IN high schuO. and colleges.
There has been "A great change in the
idea Of what military training should be.
The old idea was tho 'armory drill
with nothing but marching and the man
ual of arms. This has all passed away.
To make a soldier nowadays you have TO
do a great deal more, particularly in the
way of field work. The important thing
is To- teach young men to shoot, and In
that they ar interested.
"When ! became president OF the
Public schools Athletic league as a
member of the Board OF Education |
made up my mind to teach the boys to
shoot. Through the generosity of sew
eral men We have been able to install
tpenty-one 'subtarget gun machines.
which have an attachment by which.
without using a powder charge, the In
structor can tell whether the boy is aim
ing properly or not. and so can correct
the boys faults. When a boy is able
to make orty-fve out OF a possible fifty
by this machin we take him TO the
armories of various National Guard regi-
ments and instruct him in the use OF
light charges.
Five thousand boys are undergoing
this training in the use OF rifles. and
we are taking between ESQ and 300 boys
to the rifle range-all We can afford TO
do with an expenditure for the purpo Sc
OF about $1,000 a year.
Thirty thousand young men are grad
uated from the high schools every year.
IL they were trained marksmen they
would be the best possible soldiers. We
have got to do something. that's sure
and | think that with the proper
management military instruction in high
sch, OILS and colleges would he n success"
John Marin. another member Of the
Board Of Education. who is at Hurri-
cant telegraphed the following response
TO THE SUNS question:
at will be time enough to talk about
military training for children in the
United States after an appreciable frac-
ton OF the adults have undergone train
ing, Children are sent 10 the firing line