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 JupsoN G. WELLIvER.

That America, In It's peculiar ctrcum-
stances. ought to give the world a new
idea about styles in armies and army
preparedness, is a feeling whose cur
rency among members Of Congress sug-
gests the probability OF long and in
teresting discussion Of the army appro-
priation bill.
A new sort OF an army. that shall
serve some useful purpose in peace as
we'll as in war, is. very generally de-
sired. There are all kinds OF more or
less fantastic, practical. and impractical
ideas about It.
Some very earnest folks have the mo-
ton that the army could be made self
supporting by setting II at raising
crops, somehow or other. Others think
it could be enlisted and between drills
employed in building national system
Of roads. Still others believe the army
should be recruited from and trained.
to large extent. in the public schools,
high schools. and colleges.
Would Teach Trades.
Then there is the scheme Of making
the army a sort of vocational training
institution. with the purpose Of teach
ing trades. technical courses. and the
like, along with general academic train
ing; all this to be supplemented by
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-
vocates, who insist that 1t Is better
adapted to the requirements OF TINS
country than the Swiss military sys-
tenn. They urge that there Is need OF
more effective vocational training ana
that. as the State-controlled system OF
education has failed In most cases to
provide it, the National Government
might very properly take 1t up. 1t Is
admitted that the problem Of fitting
such a nationally-controlle system In
with the public school organizations OF
the States is difficult: but various
plans 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-
tlcable and impossible, there Is a large
element among the younger army men
who believe 1t will work.
All such proposals are based on the as
sumption that this country Is never go
ing to maintain IN time of peace a
Standing army comparable with the ur-
mauents that heretofore have been
supported by the more military nations
Of Europe. Preparedness to draw
real army Of real soldiers from the body
OF the civic community, rather than pre-
Darednoss with a great armv always un-
der arms. is the IDEAL in this case. The
sentiment In favor of such policy Is so
general tnat II assures at least an
earnest effort to devise a plan that wtll
in time meet national needs.
Any project looking to the establish
ment OF q large army on old lines OF
simple miitarism will meet objections
based on several different views. One
of the most important of these is the
theory that at the end IT 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
meI in Congress who believe that any
scheme devised at present will be lInsat-
isfactory They say that oltr military
future will be decided for us. whether
or no, bv the results in Europe II the
allies win a sweeping victory. thev eX-
pect such restrictions of armament as
will largely remove the need for an
army with a reserve and a continental
or militia systenl. On the other hand, II