New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-04


+ on successive days, and these men were
much younger than the legal sixty-four
Among all these men on the retired list
there are many who have been taken from
active service so recently that they are
still up TO date in the trade of making war
And these men know, as all army mer
know, the Importance of providing AIDE
quate defence for the country. While they
would like to see in this country a regular
army much larger than VIC are ever likely
to have. they will not underestimate the
value of a large body of well trained men
even if they are "irregulars.' They know
! that the thing that counts is what a mar
or body of men can do. and not how he
or they learned to doi it. Show these re
tired officers that fifty thousand, or hun
dred thousand, or two hundred thousand
men are really in earnest about military
training. even as irregulars, and they vii
"take a hand" in the game.
| Let's take up the other matter, that OF
an organization, for a moment, before
going further with that of instruction, for
the two go hand in hand All these groups
of men who are taking military drill, 2
| hundred in one town, fifty in another, 2
thousand or so in small city, severa
thousand in larger place. but these thou
sands even in larger cities in isolated
groups, should be brought into one organi
zation and under central control, II
some degree. The organization need not
be of cast iron nature. but should be sur
. fciently we'll knit as to insure unity Of
purpose, unity Of methods. promote Z
spirit of comradeship in large way anC
provide for activities in military work OF
scale that would be impossible for small
bodies to undertake. The governing body
of any phase Of sport would serve as {
model: the Amateur Athletic Union, fol
example, although perhaps that organiza
ton is a little bit too rigid in its ways tC
suit the volunteers; the United States
Golf Association, or the American Power
Boat Association.
There is a central organization for ever!
sport, some Of them in direct control o.
all activities in their several fields, anC
others acting through subsidiary state Of
district organizations. The necessity FOL
such governing bodies became evident il
the early days of athletic sports, and theil
usefulness is beyond question. Those tina
are well managed, and most Of them are
do not concern themselves with minor de
tails or purely local affairs, but give thei
attention to the important things which af
feet the welfare of the sport, provide rule
for the conduct of events, and in som'
cases arrange dates for important event
so that there shall be no interference o
one event with another.
Scheme for Organization.
: In general the scheme of organiza
ton is this: Individuals interested in
= sport are members of clubs, organized TO
! the purpose Of promoting interest in tina
) particular phase of sport, and, in fact, al
, individual has no standing unless he is
, member of club. State or district organ
. izations are made up of delegates repre-
: senting the clubs, and usually the centra
, organization, the one Of highest authority
? is composed of delegates representing tn
state or district organizations. or cours
/ this is merely suggestive, but a study o
r the methods of organization will help tow
ard an organization OF volunteers. Whel
6 IL orets under IyaV the proup of fiftV me-
> or more who are drilling in the hall owe
on Main Street. or in the local armory
if they are lucky enough to get the use o
, il. will be Company A, or c, or X, as tn
case may be, of the 1st or 5th, or "steenth
/ regiment, United States Irregular Volun
, teers. State of New York, or whatever tn
state may be. irregular Volunteers
did YOU take notice Of that? Far be
from the purpose of the writer TO "wish
. a name on to the new army, but 1t may b
remembered that there are troops in India
particularly of cavalry, the officers an
men of which are as proud of their desie
nation as irregular Horse" as any of tn
= famous British regiments are of thel
titles. ANYWAY half n dozen officers, NOR
, or less. of each regiment in state WI
form n state organization. We are goln
, rather fast in this direction, for we haven
. ,rv officers IS yet, but we have got to wor
. from the bottom up and from the top down