The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-01-20
Military Training in the Schools
Scientific American.)


1t is true. and ii is significant. that
any system, cult, belief or practice
which is even to approach a wide
measure of acceptance must be in
grained primarily in the mind of the
up-coming man or woman. Suffrage,
whether on parade or in campaign,
has always more or less of this youn-
ger element about 1t, an ally desirable
and strong In It's enthusiasm, freshness
and very youth. A new party springs
up, and its ranks are filled by young
men who have the power and eager
often where older heads might sense
neither success nor the advisability of
fight; and it is not surprising that
this newly conceived preparedness, for
a future. If not indeed a present, very
real deficiency In our natural makeup,
embraces, first, this country's great
prospective asset, the schoolboy.
A few years ago, and things mill
tary were quite willingly consigned to
West Point, Annapolis, few univer-
stiles and the so-called military
schools; some of these latter, by virtue
Of exceptional standing, being dignified
by the war Department with the term
Distinguishing Institution" The mil
itary schools enjoyed an increasing
vogue, and gradually such work found
a place In growing number of col
leges where from a frequent disliked
first-year extra" to be taken If nee
essary, to be avoided II possible, it
came to prove its worth and find its
present place. The military schools
deserve much credit for the efficiency
which characterized their work and
popularized this mode of training; for
at the present time there are 102 mil
this country having we'll drilled corps
of uniformed cadets, with military in
struction compulsory for all physically
fit students during period of at least
two years, with not less than 81 hours
for each academic year. officers of the
United States army are detailed as
professors of military science and tao
tics at each of these ga universities, 80
schools and separate insti-
buttons of academic grade For 1915
there are ten Distinguished Institu-
tons among the universities, and an
equal number from military schools
Anyone need not be an alarmist to
preceive the advantage of such SPLEEN
didly constructive work as this; and
the conscientious pacifist must know
the good to come from proper disci-
pine finch competently. outlined and
wisely administered. This official CO.
operation is available for all educa-
tional Institutions under certain con-
ditions which are not difficult to meet,
and in several cities they have been
met, quite recently, by public high
schools For such work to be success
full it Is very essential that the boys
themselves show the fullest interest
in 1t, for in these schools such train
ing cannot well be compulsory This
however, has nowhere been
lacking. Perhaps the scouts and Boys
Brigade have helped to this, the one
with roughing it and out of door
deals, the other with the manifest
advantage of military discipline and
systematic whipping into-shape of the
whole boy which such training rem
iers possible. The benefit of one and
he practical value of the other have |
,aused both to grow with the times,
md Boy Scouts of America report
ID some time ago an active organiza-
ion of 5000 Scout-masters and 100000 |
'oys. 1t is probable that this is ex-
'eeded now. The last information OBJ
ainable as to the strength of the
United Boys Brigade showed them