The Monticellonian., 1917-02-15
Tt9dt ba MlLlIARYyCHOOLS 10 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 MAcDouGALL.

New 1ork.-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 be made available for second lieutenant cies and some higher ranks in the vol unteer 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 lieutenants. TIe graduating class is between eighty and one hundred and twenty men every year, and the in- Stitution has kept fairly good track of it's available sons after they have left college. At a conservative estimate, Norwich could furnish a thousand men who have passed an examination re- quired as entrance to the regular army as second lieutenant of infantry, five hundred second lieutenants of cavalry and about three hundred artillery sec ond lieutenants.
 Many of the men have kept well in- formed in military matteY, while oth- CTS, of course, would need eonsidera- ble 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 held to, and fully sixth of it's 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 litia captains and some ma jors in the National Guard.
 They have served under military of ticers 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 perhaps twenty-five other private military schools in the United States designated by the war department as 'dstin- guished institutions" These schools could bring to the colors, about 1000 fully or partially-trained lieutenants. Besides these there are some ten thou sand college men who have attended training camps like Plattsburg, and who 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 q close second to Norwich uni versity as regards cavalry material The showing made by Culver boys while stationed on the border in the recent mobilization attracted wide spread attention among army men.
 The Engineering corps of the regu- lar army could be readily recruited in officers and men from the civil popu- lation engaged in similar l..lrsuits as a daily occupation. The supremacy of concrete construction in this country would indicate there would be no trou- ble in securing enough capable engi- neers and op-commissioned officers to erect or construct necessary gun em- placements and additional defenses.
 The Signal corps picked from civi- Hans engaged in like work would soon be as good as the regular units, in fact probably better, as the class of men in the New York militia units of that branch of service made the regu-