The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-11-15
COMPULSORY TRAINING.


One of the important measures to
demand the attention of congress Is
the proposed bill for compulsory mill
tary training, and the necessity for
which, if this country is to have an
adequate military establishment to
meet any emergency that may arise,
more and more people are coming to
believe in.
In its present form, this bill pro-
vides for a six months military train.
ing for all young men during the cal
endar year in which they reach the
age of IS.
Among those who have SO far par
ticipated in the general discussion
that has been going on for some time
over the merits of the principles of
such legislation and its details is Lieut..
Gen. S. B. NJ. Young, U. s. A, retired.
In an interview which he has given
on the subject and which is a copy
righted article by the Association for
National Service. General Young
warmly defends the principles of the
proposed legislation on the ground
that compulsory military training is
essentially democratic. But he sug-
gests that six months is too short
training period in which to turn out
well trained soldiers, and he also
thinks that this training should be
given during any year between the
ages of Is and 81.
ST do not agree with the opinion"
says General Young in the course of
this interview, that a six months Pc
Rod of training is all we can hope
to get from congress or the people
simply because six months is not
enough, and 1 do not believe this is
a time for expediency or compromise.
Europe has decided after her long ex-
perience that one years unbroken SER
vice with the colors is the minimum
time in which a citizen may be turned
into a soldier.
1.-THE urgent need for a system of
national military training for Amer
lea is not military at all, but economic.
In my use of the term national mill
tary training, I do not mean simply
the drill-a proficiency in the drill
can be acquired in a very short time
by the American youth-but the form
ing of habits of lifelong value and the
acquiring of a knowledge of personal
hygiene, discipline and respect for au-
thority, and thru service to the state,
love of and devotion to the funda-
mental ideals of democracy.
Military training camps and
schoolboy drills are good things, ex-
cellent in their way, but if they lull
us into a sense of false security they
are very bad things. I believe that
every young man in America should
be compelled to undergo sufficient
military instruction, not only to make
him efficient for national defense, but
superior things which go to make
thoro and complete military training.
81 shall have to disagree with an
other point in the proposed bill-the
age at which our young men shall be-
come liable to training. My expert
ence teaches me that 1S is too early,
and that this training should be COM
but I emphatically dissent from MAX
ing it incumbent on all young men at
the age of IS.
However, in order to reconcile the
differences Of opinion on this point,
am willing to agree that the young
men liable for training shall be COM
PEELED to receive this training at some
time between the ages of 1S and 81.
This will allow for the differences of
/
listing between the city boy and the
boy from the farm"