The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1917-01-10
COMPULSORY MILITARY
SERVICE TRAINING
As 4 DUTY.

i compulsory mihtafY tFHsflfng anu
ieervice is more thon can under
stand at an. and. how any one can
i be found today who does not fully
| appreciate the seriousness st the idea
iof orr present 'haphazard system Of
/ trusting to willing volunteers to take
training is another wholly fncon-
ceivahle fact. too
Yet. there are some, even in this
enlightened age, that think merely
those who wish are the only ones
who should aud ought 20 take milf
tary training and education.
Some. there are, who 80 SO far as
to say that we ought to recruit up
with the 'down-and-out class.
| People, who seem more or less intel
lligent. in other particulars, have of
! ten suggested such things to me
wherever | have happened to be To-
Gated on recruiting duty for the re-
tuiar army.
Have such citizens no shame at alt?
tno they not see that such thing is
indeed very grave risk? The very
idea of leaving the nations welfare
| ESQ far as national defense is con-
eerned3 to be looked after by the un-
fortunates. the reliable class Of
idown-and-out DO you not think
that a little shame should mantle the
face of any person in this grand ma
ton who would even think of such
a suggestion, much less be brazen
enough to offer 1t to a man working
in the interest Of the public service?
1t is very common saying among
the young men of the country in all
localities where we seek ealistments
for the service OF the army, "I'l1 en-
list when | have 10. That idea is
general and common among egenf the
so-eallea better classes. Why is this
the case2 Simply because of the
fact that We have always depended
heretofore on securing enhstments,
either in time Of peace of in war
scare times. merely on the chance
system OF volunteers, making no eff
forts in the compulsory way to have
our Young men take training at the
right ages to be of the most useful
ness when the emergency of hostil
ities are truly and actually upon us.
This idea. I'll enlist il I have to, is
real fruit OF our lazy notion of
things military. It's somewhat an
Americanism Many even believe
We Americans can fight all right
without training. We are changing
just little right lately. / think
The war across the ocean is doing
great deal toward assisting US to
belief in training; it is showing US
how far we are behind If nothing
else, and that alone is some help,
But. we Americans will simply
have to wake up and train at the
proper time in life. There is no eseap-
ing this fact much longer. Duty Is
calling and We simply have 10 get
busy and heed the call to train and
to be fully prepared for the worst
that can possibly come,
In the end that is the best. the
cheapest, too, and vastly more seien-
tific and really the only democratic
way Train each mothers son and
do it correctly and at the right time
in life, thereby making true eiti-
zen and q most perfect and reliable
soldier. We would have q peoples
army" not this one composed of the
"down-and-outs." Even today il is
vastly better than it ever was, but
nothing to compare TO what the flu
ture army will be when we get good
awake in these United States.
II the -old-for-war and train
ing" would give a bit more real en-
couragement toward getting their
boys TO take training they would
show themselves more sensible and
patriotic than they do when they say
do not care to have nay son in the
army Mother Didn't Raise Her
Son to Be Soldier" ought 20 make
every mother With the least bit OF
national spirit in her ashamed to
hear it uttered,
Without national spirit We are
simply not nation at all. and today
let me tell you. frankly, that Won
have very little OF the real thing
called national spirit You are
(for one thingl a nation of money
gruhbers, gold diggers, if YOU like
better to be termed. You are crazy
about wealth. rather than about life
aud existence. your exaggerated mo-
tions Of freedom having lifted up and
at the expense OF national life and
Esprit in the social whole OF our