Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1917-01-10
MILITARY TRAIN.
ING IN PUBLIC
SCHOOLS PROPOSED
Many Register Their Objec-
tons

The Association for National
Service has just announced that a
campaign is under way to secure
the passage of law for compul,
sorry military training by the next
Congress. A movement is also on
foot to enact laws for compulsory
military training in schools in
every state that holds a legisla-
tive session this winter. The
Peace Committee, of the Philadel-
phia yearly meeting of Friends
has recently issued a protest
against the introduction of mill
tary training in the public schools
The article, in part, follows:
Governor Brumbaugh Against
In February, 1916, in reply to a
letter inquiring as to his position,
Governor Brumbaugh, of Pennsyl-
vania, said: 81 have never felt
that it was right to have military
drill in the public schools. \ =
The school is essentially a pre-
paration for life in it's broad
sense, and not a place to train
our individuals for possible and,
let us hope, improbable service.
Last year, when New Jersey
was debating the matter in the
legislature, William A. Wetzel,
principal of the Trenton High
School, addressed a letter to the
State Senate, in part as follows:
"Some men say that the exam
pie of Germany proved not only
the value but the necessity of
such training. In the first place,
Germany's military training is in
no way connected with her pub
lie schools. Military training in
Germany does not begin until the
boy has left school and has be-
come a man. In the second place,
Germany's military efficiency is
simply an incident in the General
program of Germany's efficiency.
Germany is efficient in her public
life, in her commerce, in her in
dustries, in her schools, in all her
activities, ecause organized
thought underlies all these activi-
ties.
"Other men cite Switzerland to
rrOve that we should have COM
pulsory military training in our
schools. But the first thing that
one learns in a study of this sys-
tenn is that here again there is no
contact at all between the schools
and military training. Shooting in
the national pastime in Switzer-
land, just as baseball is our ma
tional sport, and there are some
voluntary, not compulsory, mill
tary organizations among Swiss
schoolboys, held together by this
national pastime. But the mill
tary training of the Swiss youth
does not begin until he is 20 years
old.
No Military Country Trains
SchOOlbOys
"Others countries, like France,
Austria-Hungary, Italy, Russia,
Japan, provide efficient military
training. In none of these cOun-
tries is this training given thru
the schools, nor does it begin I'M
der 20 years of age"
Mistaken Ideas the Basis of Agi-
tatiOn
A false conception upon the
part of many people is the basis
OF the present agitation. By mill.
tary training, a large number OF
people understand that only the
setting-up drill is meant. The set
ting-up drill is not military train
ing at all, but is pure gymnastics
given to counteract the one-sidet
development of the drill. Every
one who believes in healthy boys
and girls advocates such physica
exercises with their disciplinar!
training.
Walter S. Cowing, Philadel
phia Scout executive, expresse
his views on the subject in thi
way:
al am not an advocate of mill
tary training in our public school
because | believe it to be educa
tionally and biologically wrong
and because it fails to produce a
efficient soldiery, which is its ain
"The intent of our educationf
system and the purpose of teach
ing in our schools is to bring OF
initiative and responsibility. Mi
itary training for boys, with il
unquestioned obedience to con
&c,