New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-20
THE LESSONS OF PLATISBORG
oug Purpose Educational and Military
of Training Camp life "A N'O
tsRenItn Roducn Mental Physical Reupeahon

applied to the classes called for nl,,.
instruction under system Of universal 80
ing, would suffice TO eliminate those evil
army life which have been urged as on. :,
the objections 20 universal service
| found the spirit of the place one ~
nest purpose. The men were there "a ,''
what they could OF an art through wb;,, ~
believed they could render patriotic .s-.s.V
and it was a common experience 70 hna ~
devoting large part Of the little l.;,..
accorded them TO a patient endesvor "a ,.'
fec. themselves in the manual Of arm, a, ~
technique of simple evolutions.
Finally, since every man was rated a, a..
basis of his military efficiency and a, -
groupings which determined intimate ,o,.'
intercourse were determined primarilv !
physical characteristics, the life was eb,,,
terized by more complete elimination =
social and other Fictitious distinction, Ana.
more complete acceptance Of the democ,,,.
ideal than any other that have ever kno,.
The first lesson that Plattsburg enforce,
that war is not an inspiriting drama OF b,,,,
bands and brass buttons and thin red li,,,
of heroes, but a very drab tragedy yh,r.,.
the participant is a mute, inglorous mas,
grel, compounded of trench digger, port,
street cleaner, scavenger, unskilled meeb,,,
and a variety of other occupations which A..
practised much more satisfactorily withov,
the stimulus of bullets and bayonets aroma
the next bend in the road. In a word A.
lieve that there would be no greater .neb,,
TO the shoals of peace than universal real.
cation by the youth Of the country OF 81,
drudgerv that war inevitably entail, a..
that no democracy such as ours in vhi,.
there was engendercd the concrete resli,,,,,
of these facts such as universal service Alan,
could render widespread will ever End i,,,y
involved in so wretched a busine. as "a,
until the last resource for honorsbl. pea.
has been exhausted.
The Best Vacation
On my conclusions as 20 the nse.s.., .,
universal service 20 enable the coun,ry !,
work out it's destinies In peace | shall q.
dilate. But believe that no man ear ,,..
into even so slight a contact with the W.
lens Of military organization and action q
is afforded By a months training vithos,h
ing convinced beyond the possibility Of dous,
that nothing short Of months % int.n,v,
training by skilled officers can suffc. to 20,
vert a body OF UNFRAMED men into = military
unit capable Of rendering the 81 gh,ss, s,.
vice. and that any attempt 20 employ "a
levies in real military emergency eoat
result in nothing but the prompt and 'uii,
humiliation Of tho men ~ whom they VET,
composed.
But. after all. the immediate question !,
not whether we shall have compulsory ut.
verssl service. but whether those Of ;hs yOg,.
OF the country who are intel. gently ssekfs
70 employ their vacations advsn'agsously ar.
those Of their parents who are anxious thai
they shall do so shall strive 20 avail ,hs=
selves OF the opportunity that he millia7
training camps offer. The message Of ~
own experience. taken AZ rs lowest level, =
that in no other way can thirty days Of he
summer be turned 20 such good account i'i
mental and physical recuperston
HOWARD s. CANS
New York, Sept. rs, 1915