The Washington times., 1915-12-17
WAR TRAINING FOR
SCHOOL CADETS
Competitive Wall Scaling, Tar
get Practice, and Week-End
Camps introduced.
(ConLlnued from Flrst PaEe.l

Continued from First Page)
the range at Congress Heights, and the
series Of preliminary matches and semi
finals will culmtnate with an inter-high
rop Heights, May 6, on the range OF the
Marine Corps. The use OF this range
already has been offered by Captain
lfarlee.
Girls To Be Sponsors.
Another striking feature of the re-
organization Of the program OF the
cadets win be the appointment of girls
OF the high schools as sponsors, both
for the marksmanship platoons and for
the companies. The sponsors Will be
elected by the companies and platoons,
and they will wear the camaign badges
TO be awarded members of winning
groups in the various competitions.
The annual drill at the White Lot and
the competitive drill at American
League Park will be retained as ytea-
tuTe OF the cadet work.
While the entire yearly program as
worked out by Lieutenant Steever. cam
not be included i'm the cadets training
course this wear. the Workmanship, of
Ulcers study, encampment, girl sponsor.
and summer encampment features can
be. %.
The basis on which the program was
arranged. Lieutenant Steever explained,
IS that OF having half a dozen compe-
tluons OF various sorts during the year,
each representing a different, phase Of
activity. rather than drilling the men
throughout the year in only one depart
ment of the manual. to eliminate in the
annual competitive drill in the spring.
War Games To Be Played.
In the troop leadership competitions
war games will be played on the
twelve-inch Gettysburgh map. This
course is intended to give officers an
idea OF now men are to be handled in
the field.
a feature OF the competitions in all
departments will be the adoption of
campaign badges, similar to those used
in the army. and the split color badges
viii be given winners I'm all compett
tons except the winning company IN
the annual competitive drill. whose
members will. get solid color badges,
instead of the red ribbons formerly
awarded to them.
In the target practice, the group idea
Will prodOmnate. Lieutenants will
choose men IN turn. Stress is laid on
this point by Lieutenant Steever be-
cause the result will be to include all
cadets in the running for the target
championship, and not merely to send
out a team Of picked men of one school
against group of picked men from an
other school
From April Il tc a the two platocns
Of each company will compete. The
firing will be done wholly on figure
targets. The better platoon II each
company will be known as that COM
pCny's craftsmanship platoon, and this
platoon will enter the field firing CON
tests from April p to May T.
Big Moral Background.
On May the six highest platoons
will meet in the final competitions on
the Winthrop Heights range. This COM
petition will determine the champion
platoon OF the District.
Next year the cadets training will be-
gin with six weeks preliminary drill
and setting up exercises. covering in
those six weeks practically all that has
been covered in the entire year OF drill
work
Then will come the wall scaling exer-
cises Lieutenant Steever places stress
on this phase of the work because OF
1t bodybuilding value. lie states II Is
especially valuable for chest develop
ment.
I'VE feel that by these exercises. and
by the weekend encampmcnt. city boys
will be taken into the open. and they
will be given a physical training that
will make better and sturdier men OF
them.
Likewise. there IS q big moral back
ground to all this training. In the first
place. the boys must stop smoking. and
they must keep In training. II they are
to keen uU their places in the group
i competition. They also will learn group
loyalty. and the necessity Of suboTdnat-
ing their individual. good to the benefit
of the group By the platoon method
the small hoy will have the same
chance rs the larger boy. 1T will be
question of the survival OF the fttest
group, not the attest individual"