The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-29
PLATrSBURG'S LESSON.
II Is That the Citizen Must BE viii.
ing TO Undergo Trimming.

at Plattsburg last summer as q factor
In the present awakening as to ma.
tional preparedness and security can.
not he overestimated. Probably no sin.
gle influence has contributed more to.
ward the sudden face about Of the
President from the discouraging and
deprecating attitude he assumed ons
year age to the recommendation he pro-
poses to max to Congress for increase
OF the regular army and the creation OF
a volunteer army of 4O0,0 600 men.
Last summer, and maybe still, the
P~lattsburs experiment seemed incom
p~rehensible. What induced all these
men. many Of prominence In various
ways, TO go to Plattsburg? Why did
these men. many Of middle age, beyond
he military limit, give up the luxury
or their own homes, many their sum
mer vacations. 20 endure the rigorous
training and discipline of the soldier,
the routine of the military camp? BE
cause they were alive to their cpuntry's
needs and wished to acquire that
which they lacked to be OF service In
case men might be required here for
the stern business Of war. Most OF
them had had no military experience
They wished to experience Mt first hand
what was required to turn men into
soldiers. Many did not delude them
selves with the idea they could become
serviceable private soldiers, much less
officers, yet they wished to offer them
selves as an example to the thought
less youth OF the country, who In the
main not only have NJ conception OF
the soldiers task but no conception
OF their duty as citizens TO At them.
selves to be soldiers.
The great lesson these men took
away from Plattsburg and are spread
Ing In their communities In that four
weeks of even such intensive training
as they had received falls far short ot
fitting the man for the business of mod
ern warfare. They knew that they had
only begun to master the principles and
that many more months would be re-
quired TO give them the training ncces-
sary to make efficient soldiers. But
they wished TO testify by their example
their belief that nll our men should
train n be prepared to some extent
for the eventuality of war. Plattsburc
was the expression OF the faith that
was In those men, their method Of max
ing known their conviction that the
country should adopt some comprehen-
sive and general system OF military
training that It is the duty OF every
citizen. of every free man In a republic
to NJ himself 10 fight his country's
''h t'h AtA' lA''u hNN u
not militarism II is not a cultivation
OF the spirit that leads to war, but q
realization OF the dreadful possibility
of war. n possibility as great for us
to-day as II was for England two year.
ago.. when Lord Roberts was crying
aloud in the wilderness Of British in
difference for his country 70 make n
preparation which. II he had been
needed, would undoubtedly have spared
l - ,Dt. 81 --,.L A..
has fallen to her lot.
We are all paciiists IN the sense
that we desire peace, hut not pacihsts
in the sense that We deliberately shut
our Eyes to the possibilities Of the fu-
turc. The other kind OF pacifsts in
sists either that the chance OF war for
us Is 80 remote that We should not pre-
pare or that war is 80 dreadful. so
wicked and unchristian anyway that
We should under no circumstances hght
and should refrain from any prepare
tion whatever. In order that by our cx-
ample We may induce the rest Of the
world TO disarm, To he consistent the
latter should insist that the army We
have should be dis.anded and the navy
thrown on the scrap heap. Some u
them say the people OF the old World
will have had so much Of fighting whcn
this war Is over that they will want
no more war. Upon what do they
predicate any such assumption? His
tory entirely ~refutes IL.
The last twenty years have been az fu'l
OF wIr as any In tho worlds history.
10 not believe that any of the rations
engaged in this wa will not fight FOR
vfat they will want or pretend the
need, even il We stand in their way :
and our Discrimination to fight Will
b" rather an incentive than a discour-
gemeu 10 them to gain their ends.
Others say all war is wicked and uH-
righteous. Undoubtedly all warfare il
wicked and unrichtcous-ou one side.
But Is not the other side usually just e.
fled either in combating the o!yressnr
or IN battling for the enforcement ~
some great right or principle? II all
war il wicked. the spirit that animated
the Crusaders was wicked. Cromwell and
his Covcnanters. Washington and the
men of the Revolution were an uurieht-
eous lot We should not have COM
batcd highlands violation % our rights
upon the sea In lNl2 the war 10 pre-
serve the Union should not have been
fought We were not justified In wacine
war with Spain ~ remove the hand Of
the oppressor from our Cuban brothers
Does not the time inevitably come when
the plouehsharc must he fashioned into
lIl' SWORD Sufn tunes nave come to tiS
in the past. They VIII IN the future.
If the reliance Of our country must
be not on n regular army hut on a
trained citizen army then : ii not
the duty Of the citizen to train and OF
the Government TO orer him the Oh
~portuntty TO train But the sleek. COM
Portable citizen will say 4 did not
raise my hoy to be a soldier" No. my
friend, and II your house Is attacked
and your home violated you viii want
some other follows boy to do your fight
ing. You would not fight Yourself or
let your boy fight. but YOU would cXpect
somebody elsc's hoy T. nGht for YOU.
Every young man, for his own good as
well as for his country's. should he re-
CURED 10 undergo some military train
Ing not Just the boy who wants to. some
other fellow or some other fellows boy,
hut every boy.
Just as IN Australia or Switzerland.
50 here every boy between the ages OF
Is n 81 who is physically III should be
required "a Doe enrolled and to go through
some training, Indeed. he should not
be permitted 10 vote until he has done
50. In this way our country in case ~
need would he at least in some measure
prepared. with all men finally trained
IN some degree, and how much better
citizens and men physically, mentally
and morally would be our young men
for having undergone the training and
discipline, particularly the discipline, OF
the soldier
This was the meaning OF plattshurg.
II was the embodiment Of this idea. Pos
sihly Congress may ADOPT some scheme
of training ana organization ~ n citizen
soldiory at the coming session. Asslr-
eddy tho President should have the synr
patty and support ~ all patriotic men
In Lilo nHnSnnA Lnln tnl E.nlAl n... L -