The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-02-16

prove the point.
Need Feel No Alarm.
| The untitled ranks of the National
| Guard, the small number of enlist
ments during the past year need cause
Us no alarm. These things simply
show how loyal Americans act when
there is no cause for war and no real
danger of our being attacked.
In the present war England secured
5,041, 900 volunteers before conscrip-
ton was put into force land she has
| secured precious few soldiers by con-
scription). So would it be in Amer
| lea. If there was a real danger, the
volunteers would come as Gen. Miles
stated last March.
According to Admiral Fletcher, Com
| lnander in Chief of our Atlantic Fleet,
end also OF his predecessor Admiral
Eadger, our navy is the equal of any
navy in the world except only the
navy of England. They SO stated be-
fore the Congressional Committees
since the present war began; Admiral
George Dewey said since January,
1916, that the navy of the United
States was never more efficient than
now.
Tell Us Coast Defense Equal.
Gen. Crozier and Gen. Weaver. ex-
perts in charge, tell us our coast de-
lenses are the equal of any in the
world. With all of the above facts in
mind and remembering that the lead
ing nations are greatly exhausted by
the great war. the cry for compulsory
military training, or conseription, in
Our public schools as a part of ma
tional preparedness is a severe re-
iigence Of those who propose it.
3. Military training in public schools
is an old discredited. discarded sys-
tenn. Years ago England tried it in
some of her schools, and finding it
harmful in stead of beneficial, gave it
up. France tried universal military
training in her schools after the Fran
co-Prussian war of 1901. After a
trial of over twenty years France dis
carded the system and sold the school
equipment at auction Australia re-
Gently tried upulsory military train
ing for her boys and after several
years trial discarded it by a majority
of $4,000 in referendum vote Octo-
Ter IS, 1916. With ali Of her devotion
to military efficiency. Germany has
lever thought it worth while to put
military training into her public
schools or universities, except in a
few that are strictly military schools.
similar to our West Point. The eX-
perieuce OF Europe shows that for
boys under Is or 10 military training
is positively harmful. hence not one
Of the leading European nations has
favored it in recent years The much
lauded Swiss system does rot begin
its real military training until the
boys are IS years of age. Just before
his death Lord Kitchener Of England
told his military commanders to cut
out much OF the drill because it had
so little value in modern warfare. Al
though Boston has had military drill
In her schools for years, Col. F. T.
Edmonds says he has never found one
truly efficient company Of school ca
diets. Shall California and shall the
United States be foolish enough to
burden her schools with discarded.
discredited system that has been tried
and found unsatisfactory and ineffici-
ent in Australia and in leading ma
tons of Europe? Not if California or
the nation retains her sanity. What
both the state and the nation really
need is a carefully prepared and sci
entific method of physical training for
all the boys and all the girls as well.
Peal Need Clearly Shown.
4. This real need is clearly shown
by the following facts: Capt. Philip
Andrews of the U. S. Navy. Com
r1andant of the u S. Naval Training
Station, San Francisco, told the Com
mercial Club of that city on June l,
1916, that IS per cent. Of the young
men who apply for admission to the
y. S. Navy are rejected because unfit
physically. Capt Steever of the War
College ct Washington, D. c., stated
il Scribner's Magazine some twelve
months ago that SO per cent. of the
young men who apply for admission
to the U S. army and navy are reject
ed as physically unfit. Then take the
icpcrt OF tho Surgeon-Gencral OF the
U. S. army. the Walsh Report recent
ly printed By Congress, take also the
best medical authorities and the Child
Labor Bureau Reports and find there
in these facts: Between go and &C |