The Madison journal., 1917-02-17
MILITARY SCHOOLS
TO give OFFICERS
Many Cadets in Private InStitu-
tionS Available for War.
CIVILIAN AID is IMPORTANT
Engineering, Signal and Aviation Corps
OF United States Army Could Be
Quickly Recruited in
Emergency.
BY KENNETH MAcDoUcAIL

New l"rk.-In the event of the call
Ing out of militia and volunteer troops
there are many cadets in the various
private military institutions in the
United States who could speedily he
made available for second licutenan.
cies and some higher ranks in the vol
unte"r forces.
one of the most prominent inStitu-
tionS in the country from military
standpoint IS Norwich university. at
Norwich, Vt, which has graduated nu-
merouS men into the army as second
HeutenantS. Tie graduating class is
/ between eighty and one hundred and
| twenty men every year, and the in
! Stltuuon has kept fairly good track of
| It's available sons after they have left
/ college. At Il conservative eStimatr.
Norwich could furnish thousand mon
VINO have passed an examination re-
| qulred as entrance to the regular army
as second lieutenant of infantry. five
hundred second lieutenantS of cavalry
anu about three hundred artillery sec
ond licutcnantS.
Many of the men have kept well in.
formed in military matters, while 9th
erS, of course, would need ConSidrra-
bic brushing up in modern tactics.
Norwich has maintained the same
standards of study and execution of
military drill that the cadets at West
Point are Mid to, and fully a sixt.
of its graduating classes have followed |
an army career.
In training. the graduates are prob |
ably superior in knowledge and exec !
utive ability to two-thirds of the mi |
Ntia captains and some major in the |
National Guard.
They have served under military Of .
iicrrS of The highest type for Il four
year course. and during that time have
had To work hard and faithfully in or
der to graduate.
1000 Men Available.
a like condition is true of nprhons
twenty-five other private military
schools in the United States designated
by the war department as "distin-
guiShed institutions" These schools
could bring to the colorS, about 1000
fully or partially-trained licutpnants.
BESIDES these there are some ten thou
Sand college men who have attended
training camps like PlattSburg, and
VINO In short time could be- whipped
into good enough shape to take COM
mand Of volunteer infantry.
The Culver school at Culver, Ind. is
perhaps close second To Norwich uni
versity as regards cavalry material.
The showing made by Culver bows
while stationed on the border in the
recent mobilization attracted wide
spread attention among army men.
The Engineering corps of the regu-
ar army could be readily recruited in
officers and men from the civil pOpu-
alton engaged in similar J.IrSuits as a
Iaily occupation. The supremacy of
concrete construction in this country :
would Indicate there would be no trou- (
Die in securing enough capable engi- I
ieerS and op-cOmmiSSioned officers to
rect or construct necessary gun EN-
placements and additional defenScS. ,
The Signal corps picked from civil ,
ians engaged IN like work would soon ,
'e as good as the regular units, in ,
act probably better, as the class of I
nen in the New York militia units of !
hat branch of service made the regu- ,