The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1916-07-04
WHY DEPEND ON
SOMEBODY ELsE7
Universal Military Service Can Be
Effected Without Trace Of MilItar-
ism or Departure from Ideals.

land and Austria appeal to me very
strongly as models which we could
follow to our advantage in all which
pertains to military training. Swift
zerland has had her. system in oper-
alton long enough TO make its APP
plication general, and as result,
while peaceful, orderly country,
she stands always ready to defend
her rights and to guard her terri
tory. She is absolutely free from
all indication of militarism, as or
dinarily understood, and yet every
man in Switzerland who is physi-
cally fit has received sufficient
amount of training to make him an
effective and efficient soldier; that
this has served to benefit and up
lift the people is conclusively shown
by her low criminal rate, which is
only a fraction of ours, and by the
admitted conservatism of her peO-
pie, their law-abiding habits, their
patriotism and their respect for the
rights of others. Contrast her po-
sition of today with that of anoth-
er small European country, which,
unlike her, had not made due
preparation.
In both Switzerland and Austria
large amount of instruction is
given through public schools OF
during the school period of the
youth-so much, indeed, that only
two or three months of intensive
training in camps are necessary to
complete training of the soldier.
The officers take a longer and more
intensive course, but the system in
both countries is worked out so
that there is practically no inter-
ference with the industrial or edu-
cational careers of those under
training.
There has been little or no in
terest in this country in this great
question of military training. There
has been a general haphazard policy
and blind dependence upon volun-
teers; in other words, a dependence
upon someone else doing ones work.
1t is an illogical system. There Is
no reason why one group of the
population should assume that an.
other group is going to voluntarily
perform their military duties.
The obligation to military service
is universal 1t is a tax upon
which all others depend, and a ma
ton which fails to recognize this
prepares its own downfall This
general training can all be effected
as has been done in Switzerland
and Austria without a trace of mil
itarism, without any departure from
ideals, and with a great resulting
Improvement in the morals, physi-
que and character of our youth.
In Switzerland and Austria the
training of young boys is principal
ly of calisthenic character. Lat
er they pass to rifle shooting and
military formations. The final finish
is put upon them in training at the
camps which Immediately precede
their entry into the first line of the
country's defense.
You must not think that war is
one of the great destroyers of hu-
man life. Our industrial casualties
of all kinds amount to something
over 100000 year. OF these.
about $4,000 or 10000 result fatal
ly-a loss rather exceeding the
average loss of life of two years
of the Civil War. Most of these
accidents are preventable. The
public interest in life-saving is not
sufficiently keen to insist on ade-
quate legislation to this end. The
losses in the war are more dra-
matte, more startling, but the lives
- = os..-... l., ...o.I. -. Al. -.