South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-12-16
Northern Indiana's Greatest Newspaper.
INOCULATlNG OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
WITH NIL LIARISIIC SPIRLI.

REORGANIZATION on the part OF certain of our "renzed
reparedists' make Of the United states miItarist
|ation is again evident from propaganda being ad-
|anced by American Defense league socalled plan
hing 10 work its way public schools and there
promote the militarist spirit by iuocuatng the young
mind retrospective pessimism and tuturlstc rear
Before us is a bit press sop" sent out from the
national headquarters league for which publicity
l. craved-anything 1t would seem. nowadays, being
that viii undercurrent for up
leaval insistent upon great military preparations
We are told that our school histories pack %
bnesided lies; that they explotve of the vic
cries won by American and too silent
N the defeats that of things ought 10 be
hanged, particularly with respect to the war OF the
revolution apparent aim being to bring our defeats
ut before our school children in bold relief, this to
Iet il out OF their heads that Uncle Sam can lick
everybody in the world" the league puts it, The
league appears especially socitous of having it under
TODD by the children that miserable reverses
we're suffered by American forces in both wars
With England" that lin other encounters at arms
hat are CLOSED over"
OF course now we all want the school children to
e taught the truth. That is settled. Were we con-
inced this the purpose it might have our
Endorsement but we are afraid rather, that If the
eefense league socalled. it's the eXaggeratton
yiu run In the other direction quite conclusively,
hen the whole article hand digested the aim is
OF so much 10 feed young minds Of the land with
ne truth as It is to pervert that mind with nrtar-
site spirit Any movement calculated to make our
Trough patriotic take to pleading for
<reat force the perpetuation and enlargement or
ur army and navy gratis, be little else than the
nderhanded work old himself, and this not
outstanding the being made of such eminent per-
onalities as Theodore Roosevelt Augustus Peabody
Lsardner Perry Belmont. and other-poliucal patriots
h the armament and ammunition manufacturers
The south Bend schools. told, to be in
AIDED by this propaganda and perhaps they will be-
ut the invasion anticipate will not be without re-
stance, in very peaceable surrender When
he armament and ammunition trusts take to invading
ur schools their damnable, undetermined cunning.
is going just a trhe too far and we hope can an
eipate that public call halt. Sane prepared
ss is one thing inocuated miltarism IS quite an
Their thing. the miltarist spirit born Of retro
pectve pessimsm futuristic fear is quite appar-
ntly what this propaganda is aiming at. 1t would
axe ruiItarsm high ideal and supreme aim of the
a.ion-and we fear furthermore that back of it all,
addition 10 the profits be derived from making
nns and powder. is the capitalisuc demand for mill
.4sry force, disable entrench its power in other
latters.
The main reason today that the states OF the Union
re unable TO maintain a national guard sufficient for
rejection to general government is the misuse to
hich the militia is frequently put-and the
enand for a great army resist imaginary foreign
bes is. fear. merely disguise for more internal
n ssedness.