Evening star., 1915-06-20


x couraging" Thus spoke
c., Leonard Wood at headquarters
Danartment of the East, Governors
island New York. The students
military instruction camps have MADE
,rinn,nr appeal to our young col
,.ee men and the boys just about 10
enter upon their last year IN 'he NIX"
schools.
eve were uncertain what would oe
+he result of the experiment when u
was initiated two years ago. nut we
know now that we are on the riseJ
track and that much good IS bound
to come of it When I say this
have not in mind alone the possioto
military value of these young men even
though that was the primary tasp'ra
+,on for these camps Just as man
with a legal training is more sppSe
ciative citizen and a keener business
man. though he follow not his prccsS-
sion. lust so the students taking their
work seriously a the military tnstrue-
ton camps acquire moral terpsr'rS
that makes them better instruments
for the common veal.
"Perhaps an example or two will
make my view clearer to YOU. The
average youth at the high school pc
r,od of his life and the run of young
men in college are very widely looked
upon as a carefree lot and rule
We think nothing of this. and by way
of excuse look for the years that fol-
low TO give them stability of character
and a developed sense of personal re-
sponsibilitv The military instruction
camps that we have maintained dur
ing the last two summers have oeen
a revelation in the way of stablllZlng
these youngsters. proving that disci-
pline coupled with work that interests
and calls for initiative and resource
fulness. stimulates a maturing of per-
ception of high order.
Not long ago high school boy came
here to headquarters to enlist our aid
In equipping an exhibit which he and
some of his fellows wanted to have at
the sportsman's show. He, like his
associates. had spent five weeks at the
last summer camp near Plattsburg, n.
Y. He wanted to give the public an
idea of what the students had learned
at that camp and he believed other
young men could be reached and in
terested in that way.
''One of my aids has this camp mat
ter in charge so far as 1t relates to our
end here at Governors Island. The
youngsters scheme appealed to him
and he saw to it that the necessary
arms. accouterment. first aid supplies
and a tent were issued from the Off
countability for the government prop
erty. He turned these over to the
high school boy with merely a casual
word as to the latter's responsibility
for the safe return of the things.
During the show another one of my
aids, dressed in civilian garb and un-
known to the young leader of the ex-
hibit. took occasion to drop in and to
quiz the youngsters. He was quite un-
able to stump them and was frankly
astonished that they had SO thorough
a grasp of the mechanics and the uses
OF the various outfits loaned them.
the job during the whole period of the
show.
Possibly this might seem to smack
of partiality, the praise coming from
the service. but that would be an in
Justice to the young men concerned.
During that exhibit an ex-army officer
who had served with marked credit in
the volunteers in the Philippines hap
pened upon the boys camp. and not
having seen the latest pattern of the
army rifle previously he was very
much interested in those which the
youngsters had. Naturally he began
asking questions, and SO thoroughly
and intelltgently was he. answered by
one of them that he was quite con-
WINGED he was dealing at least with a
non-commissioned oficer of the regu-
lars and was amazed when he learned
afterward that the knowledge was the
fruit of but five weeks training at the
Plattsburg students military instruction
camp.
Somehow a good many of US older
persons look upon government property
az belonging to no one in particular, and
therefore involving no personal burden Of
accountability in case Of loss or damage
1t would not have been surprising had
something gone astray from the outfits
loaned. especially as we had not supplied
an arms chest in which to lock the things
overnight But the high school boy who
had borrowed them thought otherwise. He
bought chain. This he bundled about
the rifles and ran through the trigger
guards and then secured it by means of
q paddock.
The blank cartridges were not given
to girl admirers by way Of souvenirs,
but every clip filed was returned at the
end of the exhibition. There was not a
thing missing except two emergency
packets; one of these had been purposey