New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-23
MILITARY TRAINING IN THE SCHOOLS
Regents Not the Military Commission Have Charge OF the 1ou
General Wnpate Defends Slater Act Against Repeal

ouposition TO war as we'll as to military IN
strlction in the schools is well KNOWN anu
DR.. George H. Fisher, who is prominent IN
the Young Mems Christian Association anu
Row Scout movement, and is not in favor Oh
militsrism.
. The Slater bill does not provide eompui-
sorry training for school boys between the
ages of sixteen and nineteen in the sense that
il is proposing to require such training III
the schools.
On the contrary, the military training is
provided for all boys. The only reference
contained in it TO schoolboys is that the IN
struction must be given TO them after schooi
hours and during the school year, with tne
execution of the period when camps are to De
held. -.
2 Az TO the campaign for military training
in the schools, would state that while as Is
the case with Mayor Mitchell, | am strongly
in favor of military training Tor the boys III
our high schools who are over fourteen years
old. | do not favor training the boys IN
the elementary schools, as | do not CONSIDER
,ba. the latter are sufficiently mature
also recognize that as the school hours are
necessarily crowded with scholastic WORK.
such military training as is given TO the hlgh
school boys shall be given after school Is
over. and the Slater bill so provides
You are. therefore, incorrect in stating 'ha1
military training in our schools is matter
belonging peculiarly to the educational 40
main. | may further say that as educational
instruction is given by educators military IN
structon should be given by military people
T. That the training of our youth so as to
fit them to efficiently perform their duty as
citizens in defending their country IN any
peril which may arise is not only proper out
indispensable seems to me too clear lor argu-
ment The clamor that this is "conscriptioh
and that CONSUMPTION is un-American ana u"-
democratic ignores the well known historical
fact that the first colonists brought 20 TINS
country the ancient English law, which is sun
upon the statute books of all the states, that
a Sheriff or other peace officer is authorized
as he still is-to command the services OF
every man TO quell all disturbances and 10
enforce the law and that every man is also
a member of the militia, bound to arm him.
self and serve his country when called upon
1t was through this provision that the sherin
of various counties throughout the states put
down disturbances where the same became
TOO great for the constables or police II
was through this that the colonies defended
themselves prior to and during the Revolu-
ton. II is contained in the Federal Constr
! tuition as it is now in that Of this state, and
/ service in the militia was made compulsory
/ by Congress in 1884 under an act which was
not changed for some fifty years and no"
| forms the foundation of our military law
The practical question, therefore, Is
/ whether. in view of the fact that all Amerl-
cans are under a constitutional obligation "a
/ serve as soldiers whenever an emergency
/ ebouId arise they should not in their youth
| be given some previous instruction so as no'
only to render them efficient. but prevent tnf
useless sacrifice of men and money and the
national disasters that took place in the Revo
| luton. in 1872, and, above all, in the Civil
| War, in consequence of having to call uh
/ trained men to defend their country.