The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-12-07
URGES MILITARY PRE-.
PARATORY SCHOOLS
The Graduates of Which Could Be Fur
ther Trained at West Point and An
napolis-Secretary Baker Would
Dispense with Present System
Of Appointment.

Washington, d. c., Dec. Efficient
military organization OF the nation de-
mands abandonment of the present sys-
TEN of selecting candidates for admis-
sion to the military academy, Secretary
Baker declares in his annual report
made public to-day. Instead of having
the president and members of Congress
designate students to take the entrance
examinations, the secretary urges that
preparatory schools be established by
the government ard graduates of these
institutions who show the greatest fit
ness be further trained at West Point or
Annapolis.
"lt seems likely" Mr.. Baker says,
that schools of this sort would spread
the field of selection ideally over the
country and make the cadets at West
Point and midshipmen at Annapolis bod
les of young men selected by a demon
stration of their special aptitude for the
pursuit of military service"
Amplifying his suggestion, he adds:
"The method of selection of cadets for
West Point has for years consisted of
designation by the president, senator's
and representatives, with examination as
a prerequisite to acceptance; but we are
learning daily that nation efficiently
organized from military point of view
must of necessity be efficiently organized
industrially. We are learning also that
the ideal military preparation OF any
country is one which is readily expanded
in an emergency so as to include great
numbers OF men in the industrial and
commercial life of the nation who have
had enough preliminary training to make
them convertible by brief additional
training into officers. Should the United
States ever be called upon TO meet a
great military emergency large army
would have TO be sustained and support
ed by high co-ordinated industrial sys
TEN. There should therefore be in the
country at all times great body OF men
trained as mechanics, whose places in
such an emergency would be not in the
ranks of the fighting forces but at the
la thes and forges from which the ammu-
nition supply of the army must be
drawn.
81 venture to believe that if the fed
eral government were to establish in a
number of places throughout the country
schools preparatory to the military acad-
emy at West Point and the naval acad-
emy at Annapolis, in which the rudi-
ments of a sound education, the elements
of mechanical skill, the principles OF
business co ordination and the beginnings
Of military science were taught. these
schools would develop the natural apti-
tudes of the students in such a way as
to supply those fttest by temperament
and talent to pursue in the military
academy and the naval academy the
study of military science; and inciden-
tally these schools would furnish a great
body of men returning to civil life fitted
by training either to respond in an emer-
gency to call to the colors or to take
their places as civil soldiers in the service
of the government in those industries
and undertakings fundamental to the
successful conduct of military operations.
"The suggestion here made ought not
perhaps to be further elaborated in this
report, but ! think ii will be apparent
on reflection that no expenditure in con-
of great military emergen-
cy would be more apt or helpful than one
which gave to 25.000 or 10000 young men
the inspiration of industrial education
at the hands of the government, indoc-
trinated them with the spirit of service
to their country, and tabulated them so
that they would be always available for
either the military or industrial service
which their academic experience lndlcat'
cd most in accordance with their apti-
tudes"