Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-04-26
"A CITADEL MAN.

Erom Wednesdays Daily
Daniel @. Roper, Jr., son OF the
United States internal revenue COM
missioner, IL one of the many thou
sands Of American soldiers whose OBJ
servations, experiences and service
records constitute unassailable afgu-
ments for universal military training.
Yesterdays dispatches carried a por-
ton Of q letter young Roper sent to
his father from France. Thus he
wrote:
You will be proud to know of
the case of q South Carolina man,
son Of Dr.. David, near Clio, g. G.
He was overwhelmed by the boche
but he had a pile Of human flesh
in front of him. He fought like
tiger, accounted for seven
BOOBIES with his pistol and then
was nghting with an empty rife
when struck from behind. My
friend was q Citadel man and
flne officer.
Almost in the center Of Charleston,
s, c.. the homo state of the Ropers.
stands an imposing structure, walled
and lowered and extending over sew
eral squares. Inside Is an immense
parade ground, and surrounding this
are barracks and recitation rooms.
auditoriums and the varied paEapher-
MALTA Of q military school. This 10 the
South Carolina Military, academy, one
of the finest schools for soldiers in
American and IN institution with
which many Of the fondest and
proudest traditions Of the southland
are connected.
To the world It presents Its full
name, but South Carolinians designate
the school, its plant and its whole
story Of bravo men and true, a. The
Citadel.
A Citadel man in South Carolina 10
all that West Point man 10 in the
army, but he is much more. West
Point IL q wonderful military school;
so is The Citadel. But Tho Citadel
IL moro than q school. It is South
Carolina's pride, ito soldiers arc the
flower Of South Caroline's manhood,
and the sray-haired generations Of
Citadel graduates Ire among South
Cardinals foremost men
Thus, when Lieutenant Roper writes
that his friend, who died the glorious
death Of soldier and q hero. was .
Citadel man, your South Ca10linfan
knows all about him that Il IL neces-
sary to know.
Traditions and sentiment 90 deeper
down into the heart of the old south
than they do in our middle west. It
10 necessary to understand this to
read into young Roper's tribute all
that his father could find there.
The Citadel and schools like It are
all too few in America. But they are
the backbone OF Americas military
fabric today. A Citadel man, or .
West Point man, or q graduate OF
some Of the other institutions where
education is not education unless 1t
includes the science Of national de-
fense, can BE- found in many an i'm
portant post Of honor and RESPONSE
bf1fty In tho big army which the
United States IL getting together ur-
der the urge Of necessity and menace.
Soldiers cannot be made overnight;
We have learned that in the past year
by hard experience. But II moro
American cities had Citadels. and II
the American government had uni
versal military training law, America
would be able to work out her des-
tiny among the nations Of history
with far more security, far more sue
cess and far more Of her days peace.
full ones.
Wars win occur while the world
lasts. This will be by no means the
last war. America must defend her
self in the future. perhaps more than
in the past. Military training Is the
only safeguard on which she can de-
pend.