New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-06
TRAINED OFFICERS
Impossible to Improyise Leaders for
Veterans or Raw Levies.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: VIII you allow me space in your paper
to comment with most hearty approval on
your editorial in to-day's issue, entitled
Trained Officers Our Greatest Need?
The article Of Professor R. W. Johnston 10
Sundays Tribune certainly pointed gu.
danger o. the present awakening TO our
military deficiencies may make real, and tia.
is the danger that too much reliance may b
placed upon citizen soldiery; a good thing
in itself, no doubt, but at best a reliance
inferior to the regular troops trained In
rigid and continuous school Of discipline; and
particularly is this true IL we forget the a0-
solute need Of the trained officer.
The men in the ranks may be fairly trained
in year, but the efficient officer cannot b
made in twice that length Of time from the
raw material There is much more to tho
duties Of an officer, even Of the lower ranks
than merely putting a company through the
manual Of arms and the marching In close
order, or even "hikes" and more or less spec
tacular sham battles.
He must have the training in tactics ard
strategy. the experience Of actually handling
men under nearly as possible actual war con-
ditons. He must develop the ability 70 read
military maps at glance; be able 10 under
stand and himself formulate precise and clear
military orders lin Itself no small capacity;
possess the ability 70 estimate distances, M
derstand the cooperation Of the different
arms, infantry, cavalry and artillery, and u
the higher ranks the appreciation Of road DIS
tances. time estimates for movements. the use
of cover, and the disposition and use Of Gov
ering units for security and information, ana
the thousand other details which 70 20 ms"
uD the trained officer These must be 70 4
great degree instructive with him, springins
instantly 70 his mind and not having 70 "
laboriously thought out when the emergency
comes.
Fools rush in where angels fear 20 tread
and this is never truer than IN the case o.
the uninitiated though patriotic citizen VIZ
thinks that because he has business capacity
or an unusual education he can grasp 'n'
subtleties and necessities Of military COM
mand without the long and arduous training
which goes 20 make an efficient officer. ln'
lawyer, banker, broker or other business mas
torn from his desk. board table or counter
and fondly expecting 20 become Grant %
Lee. or even 70 properly handle company
in war time. will not only find himself ~.
capable Of his task but will be burdenea VIZ,
the dreadful responsibility for the ives -
those who he presumes 70 direct and con"0.
|, in the greatest Of lifes tragedies. It IS 10,
often that a Minerva can leap fully s'h''
and equipped from the head OF Joye
We must train a large body OF OBJECTS
arll
when the call comes, but 90 train raw reeru's,
of the second and third lines. We shou,S
have an enlarged West Point; there shoD'u
be regular departments Of military ins"us.
tion, not mere military drill, in our eolles s''
and schools, and particularly, the best M.
tary institutions Of the country shou''
encouraged and developed -.
have in mind such institutions ss ~.
Pennsylvania Militsry College, az Ches....
Penn. Oong ranked as second only 10 We.
Point, where infantry, artillery
ca-alry training Of the highest order IS s''-,
and civil engineer and other degrees .,'u
granted TO the graduates; the virginia NJ.
tary Institute and others not merely ",
paratory schools for boys, but colleges III
Young men. giving advanced courses as W.,
AS thorough military training. These sn0I -
he filed IN 10 the limit of their capacity ~
Young men seeking not only ar e.,.
for civil life, but a military training ~ 80
aration for commissions for national oe'e~,
Let us reasonably increase our res "a
army. organize citizen soldiery aeeoro%s y,
the Swiss or Australian systems, ara " -.
also train our young men FOR officers 70 ~ :.
mand this citizenry so tina, they sra, u,,,h.
something more than herd Of sheep. -.
out some such plan or other adequs's.
serve our military forces are Ike i0'''
team without substitutes.
JOHN W. LovELANp'
Major. 9th New Jersey iniah"0
New York, Sept. 30, 1918.