The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-11
A NATION READY
Professor Leon Cushing Prince on the
Lessons of History.

rience Of the past. The constitutional
fathers did their best to protect the
future OF the American republic from
some of the moro obvious OF the demon
strated pitfalls of government, but the
United States has generally ignored
the guide posts n stop, look, listen!"
signs of history. We are particularly
deaf to. the ounse Of our own mill
tary experience, of which We have had
enough to warrant a far higher state
Of military and naval efficiency han we
are able to show to-day. In the brief
course OF Jul national existence we
have waged, exclusive OF indian cam
paigns, five wars. From lone OF them,
apparently. did we learn the lesson of
preparedness for the next.
Two lessons of paramount and per-
manent Importance we ought TO have
learned from the civil war; namely. the
necessity of maintaining a standing
army of adequate size trained to a
high efficiency standard. and the ne
cessity of protecting military admin
~istration m organization from civil
ian interference.
Had the United states possessed in
the spring OF 1851 ono full army corps
Of regular troops, reinforced by IA
trained volunteer reserve, the Federal
Government could ave suppressed Sc
cession In six months, with the conse-
quent saving OF thousands of lives and
millions of money needlessly sacrificed
by four years of waste and slaughter.
The American Il probably the best SOL
der material In the world. He Is self
reliant, cool headed, hardy. brave and
quick to learn, with an Unborn capacity
for Independent Judgment and action.
II any nation could improHse n army
on short notice IL In tho United States.
But not ever the United States could
create a fighting machine by Mr.. Bryan's
preposterous overnight process. II took
Mcclellan a yea to make one out OF
the splendid but demoralized material
turned over to him by the Wal Depart
ment after the first signal disaster at
Bull Run. The panic stricken mob that
ran all the way to Washington were
not towards they were n citizen rabble
in uniform. brave In spirit. but utterly
undisciplined. and Differed by men as
unframed and inexperienced as them
selves. Fortunately for us, in the mat
ter of discipline II experience OF the
rank and file the ~Confederates were no
better of. though they had ADLER lead
ers and superior cavalry.
Civilian summer training camps and
other related projects for developing
the military potentialities OF the citi-
zenry are an excellent thing as far as
they go. but as the art and science OF
warfare become more mechanical and
exact II will be found less possible to
repose entire reliance upon the citizen
soldiery. We shall more and more need
a standing army OF professional SOL
diers. The entire male population OF
conscriptive age ought to be periodically
drilled and exercised and forged into an
efficient weapon. The attitude of the
| $3.50. s..aAl a. ,.,- " ID
ture OF apology and contempt. The popu-
lar vogue of such poetical masterpieces
as 1T Didn't Raise My Boy 10 BE a
Soldier will produce in the rising gen-
Grafton a veneration for the uniform
and the flag equal 10 the respect at pres
ent inspired by the yellow ribbon OF the
suffragettes. Pay the enlisted man at
a rate corresponding TO the market scale
OF wages. put him In n dress uniform
that will make him look like a soldier
and not like a trolley conductor or a
railroad porter. and make n feature OF
public parades. In short, let the coun-
try act as II II were proud OF its fight
ing forces and not ashamed OF them.
and the recruiting Offices will be filed.
The curse OF civilian interference was
responsible for most OF the waste, the
delay and the laundering OF the civil
war. To hand over 20 professional poll
ticians the vital military function OF
selecting officers and directing COM
manders In the field Is TO destroy Ell
cheney and insure disaster. A notorious
example was tho Administrations inter
ference with Mcclellan in the spring
OF so. The same kind OF pernic!ous
meddling on the other side twice cos,
the C%onfederacy the capture OF Wash
ington OF the only two critical occasions
when the Federal capital could have
been taken. Northern p~ro1nec,s did no,
materially improve until President Lin.
coin reached the point where he was
ready to abdicate his military functions
in favor OF General Grant. Tn port.
rolios OF State. War and Navy ought
not TO be longer subject TO the winds
OF political cnange and the last tive
should be filled by professionally trained
army and navy men.
Another war would probably see tho
same blunders repeated on a bigger
scale and with c~orrespondingly calami.
tous results. With the abatement OF
the German crisis the ak OF appro'
priations begins to subside. and the hall
billion for defence has about as much
chance OF getting through as the pro,
verbal dog with the tallow legs In the
torrid zone OF theology. Opposition &c
liberal expenditures for adequate ma,
| FAlA 'A'll't ''llNAFNS vi l'hI tltlllFIlNE
first. the purblind. who hug the fatuous
~conceit that Uncle sam can lick tn,
world with his naked fists and not hal,
try secondly. the sentimental, who he.
lleve that Mr.. Rryan's peace lecture.
and similar inan!tles are n better pro,
lection for exposed coast ines thar ar,
tillery corps and torpedoes. and VIII
identify pusillanlmIty with moral lead.
ership thirdly. the foreign born popula
ton, who came here principally to avo!t
military service AT home and who there
fore have an instructive hostility foI
anything that suggests tine possibility o
mourning the duty which they ran ava,
to escape. and lastly. the demagogu,
with his unerr!ng scent for politica
utilities and his deadly gift for com
binations in the game whore patriotism
and morality are the preteNts and per
sonal exploitation is invariably tn,
stake.
In the meantime the appalling tota
Of American lives and property sacri
feed to the Mexican bandits will prob
ably continue 10 swell until the clos,
proximity OF a Presidential election shall
dictate tho tactical necessity OF militnr,
Intervention 10 unite n FESTIVE and dis
satisfied country In ~grudging support o
an Administration whose record for In
eptitude and vacillation has not bee,
equalled since the days OF Thomas JEFF
ferSOn. LEON CUSHING Prince.
=, CARLISLE. Pa, September S.
, The Position OF the Carnegie Endow
ment Explicitly Set Forth.