The Detroit times., 1916-04-10
THE NEW ARMY.
~ Or. FRANK CRANE
(CopS right. 1915. by Frank Crane)

The reason why American young men
10 not enlist in the army is simple. Our
army is organized on the monarchic sys-
tenn. the class feeling is dominant in it,
the officers are supposed TO be gentlemen,
and the privates are little better than
slaves. We folow-the Englsh-and Ger
man ideals rather than those of the DEM
ocratic French.
Also the soldiers business Is, in
word. to kill and to get ready to kill. and
Americans do not take to killing AS a
profession.
The one proposition that is most thor
oughly American, that will appeal to our
youth, and that has any prospect of pro-
ducing such body of trained men as
shall give the country the preparedness
liz may need, is the plan of "construc-
tive army"
TO test the popularity of this plan one
newspaper printed an advertisement ask
ing for letters from men who would like
to sign for several years service doing
hard outdoor work. such as making
roads, improving rivers and harbors, and
similar public service under the super
vision Of army engineers The advertise
ment stated that the proposal was under
consideration only.
In response 533 written applications
were received The newspaper had
circulation of 100000. If the same adj
vertsement had been inserted in papers
all over the country, having a circulation
of 100000 600 copies, and if the replies
had been in proportion. approximately
10000 applications would have come in.
which is twice as many as were received
for the present army system from adver-
Using during one entire year.
H. c. Traver has analysed these let
tiers, and states.
Among the sentiments expressed over
and over again in various form in the
letters, the most conspicuous were mot
afraid OF hard work, believe the hard
work in the open air will do me good,
think the military training viii be bene-
icial,' intensely interested in your
plan, "the training will be good for me
and for the country, your project APP
peals to me- glad Of chance TO learn
a trade or be out in the open air, why
didn't some one start such a thing be-
fore ?"
Is not this the real way out? If we
democratze and make constructive our
army, will it not appeal to our young
mon? These words of President Will
son ought to be often rcpublished:
There are two sides 20 the question
If preparation. There is not merely the
military side, there is the industrial side.
We ought 10 have IN this country great
system Of industrial and vocational edu-
tcation And it witt toe perfectly feasible
land highly desirable to add 70 that and
Combine ~ith it such training IN the
mechanism and use and care OF arms, IN
the sanitation Of camp IN the simpler
forms Of maneuvre and organization, as
lWill make those mon ludustriallY efficient
and individually serviceable for national
defense
"The point about such system will
he that It's emphasis viii lie on the indus
trial and civic side Of life and that, like
an the rest Of America the use OF force
will only be i'm the background and as
the last resort.
$50 that men will think first Of their
fanihe, and their daily work, Of their
service in the economic fields Of the coun-
try. and only last Of all Of their service
ability 10 the nation as soldiers and men
At arms.