Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-19
The S. A. T. C..

M1HESN our American colleges opened last
" September they were confronted with a
new and serious problem-how to weather
the pecuniary deficit attendant on the loss
of the bulk of their students under the
operation of the new draft. The army. too.
had its problem as to these younger men,
who had passed through selectire process
by which they were prepared to enter college
or were already students there. Among them
there obviously Officers MATERIAL: but
Just how to try it out? To meet both these
questions and others involved with them, the
students army training corps was devised.
by means of the provisions of which young
men of this class were to combine continu-
ance of their work In college with military
training of a kind which should sift them
out with the ultimate purpose of sending the
best Of them to continue their military edu-
cation at an officers training camp. The
S. A. T. c. was n war measure, and with
the emergency at an end the thirty or more
thousand students in various colleges
who have thus carried on" are now being
RAPIDLY mustered out of the service, to re-
turn to college under normal educational
conditions. AND this Is precisely as 1t
should be.
VIyHEN the s. A. T. C. was inaugurated
w college teachers to man offered their
services for what they could do in a curricu-
lum modified under military advice to serve
a specific purpose Mathematicians. lawyers,
Grecians as well as political economists and
historians accepted the new work in teach
ing" and 'quzzlng' in the novel course
called War Aims; for 1t was recognized
that the embryo officer should assuredly be
informed from the first as to what he was to
fight about. Science was adapted to its mill
tary applications, French to its prospective
use In the trenches the mother tongue to
the writing of military reports and orders.
All recognized that the man in khaki knew
more about these things than the costered
scholar, and for the most part the colleges
gave over the student to a divided control,
reservjng for his college work his few un-
occupied hours. which In the course of the
weeks became fewer and fewer. '.
WITH all these difficulties. which have
w been by means confined to Pennsyl-
| vania. It is not fair to judge the s. A, T. C..
as thing tried and found wanting, OF
course. the deans and professors are rejoced
| that the experiment is over, for such are by
nature anti-militaristic. And the students,
| who have no doubt benefited by the setting
UP drill, by the regular hours by the inculca-
| tion of unaccustomed habits of tidiness and
by an acquaintance at times with strange
domesticity are glad that they are to be
| benefited In these ways no more. The
| Gownsman has yet to meet q student a
| student soldier returning from training camp.
| or from abroad for that matter. who does
| not rejoece that this 'ineffabe thing Is
| over. The one exception to this universal
| satisfaction within his experience is the feel
| ing of certain mother with one duckiins.
| a darling son. whose youth, stature and in
| experience have delayed his incubation. 80
| that he only became a full-fedged officer
with the ending of the war. and hence is still
| at home In the nest. This dear lady feels
| that the conclusion of the war is to be
| deplored. For, you see, as matter OF fact
Thomas has really never had chance"
lU1HE S. A. T. C. has worked out variously
i In different places and under various con.
ditions The tractability of the military per,
sonnel, too, has differed and varied. Obvi,
ously the small colleges most easily adjusted
themselves to the new conditions. TheiI
machinery was less cumbersome and they
had smaller bodies OF men to deal with Al
Amherst the usual students activities such
as athletic teams. the daily paper. the Chris
| tias Association, II eseems even the frater
mites were not In any wise interfered with
students under military training and tn,
others carrying on these activities as be{or,
the war. Even chapel was continped and TN
customary hours for academic work ver'
4,tl& III rs. IS. vs. n n .. 4 a f =.