Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-20
Soldiers First,
Then Mechanics
by Frederic ]. Haskin


combination work shop, school, and war
camp. Army training detacbnents com
posed of men selectcd from the ranks and
others just enllstlng are sent TO these col
leges for two months intensive study al "A
trade, fter which they are qualified as
lighting mechanics and get to work to
run and repair the machinery Of the army.
IL IL estimated that another year 0i
war would call for one million skilled
workmen To be sent over from this coun-
try to back up our fighters IL has been
difficult TO secure such men IN sufficient
numbers for our army at its present SIZE,
even though every skilled man is beng
taken out Of the ranks and placed IN the
army work shops and labor detachments.
10 supply the deficit and provide for
the future, The army is now giving the
man with fundamental knowledge OF a
trade, or with ntrained ability, the
chance to develop n der expert teachers
Two months at a technical college un-
der army supervision makes a recruit an
intelligent wor tman md a soldier. SIX
ours of the student-soldier's day are
gwen to study, shop training and lee
| t. res Three hours are devoted To miii-
tary drill
MAKING EN- UPER-nEcHANTcs.
The development Of morale - an I'M
portant feature of the training Regular
classes are held by professors especially
| detailed to in ulate INTO the students that
elusive spirit of co fdence. understanding
and poise known as morale. The unusual
| thing about these classes IS that the
st dents come prepared - ask questions
| and II Is the professor who must answer
| them Military strategy. diplomacy, IN
ternational law are few Of the topics DIS
cIssed
4 list Of questions asked Z one class
contains such SAMPLES az W hat IS We
| good Of international law What VIII
| become Of the German Empire after the
war and is Russia neutral?' 1t -
| understood that the knowledge OF war
| conditions obtained throu these classes
gives the soldiers glimpse INTO the pur-
| pose helm oil the monotOnous drilling
| and labor and thus tends to stengthen
! the all important morale Of the unit.
| Outside OF voroing Eours the men are
| qlartered N barracks built Tor them near
| the college Every effort IS made To pro-
! vide entertainment for them, and ID most
cases the college town receives its visitors
/ gladly. Y NJ C. A. huts are erecte1 IN
| some Of the student camps, and when tins
| Is impossible, the boys TT u an armory
/ IS a recreation hall nd hold their dances
and moving picture shows in gymnasium.
Every college that ms sufficient equip
ment for technical training ls opening ~
| doors 10 the army. As o rule not all Oi the
! training IS gwen at the college. In AKRON,
j for instance, the soldiers 20 into the tire
! factories for practical application OF lee
! lures gwen at Akron University. %
operation OF the factories IN furnishing
/ their experts as instructors md their floor
J q
ciablv the work Of turnin out fighting
mechanics in record time At another
school, where mining IS taught, there Is Q
real mine close by, at which the students
ret first hand ex erience.
Just LIKE a SCHOOL.
The school atmosphere il kept by regu-
lar qulzzes and reports which are a part
Of the system at each college. Instructors
Is we'll as pupils are gwen lectures, their
subject of study being methods OF teach
ing. 4 need for this teacher training IS
found In that the shop classes are taught
by expert wOrkmen who often have had
no experience IN teaching their trade TO
others The college professors IN charge
of the lecture classes have, Of course no
need OF this work.
The list Of trades needed by the modern
army Is long one 4 few oi the most
. essential are blacksmiths. miners, TIM
| smthS, electricians uachlnists, 'arpen-
tiers mechanics and gunsmlths- As ur-
gently as the army needs men OF these and
other trades, it has no time for me re-
cruit that Is lacking In ability and wiling
ness Few men of tins kind md their
waV into a training detachment ami II
one dosS, his career rs Stucent soldier
IS brief. \ training detachment has TOO
much TO learn IN Its two months 70 waste
time on even one indifferent pupil
The courses ann TO reproduce actual
field conditions, disadvantages and him
dranees included For this reason the
smooth concrete floors OF the average
work shop are replaced with soil. Soldiers
studying to be tlnsnlthS are taught 70
hammer out nonleaking tin cups and Try
ing pans IN a typical army work shop and
with a minimum of equipment as quickly
rs In perfectly equipped CIVILIAN shop.
[ ntI the students IN an auto repair de-
tachment can be trusted with an army
InotSr truck, they are gwen old and bat
tered automobiles 10 work on, and no
matter what the instructor does 10 one OF
these. the student must be able 10 locate
the trouble and know how to remove II.
THOUSANDS ~ TRAINING.
The government started its college
courses for training workmen about three
months ago Fifty thousand men are IN
training at time, and by November first
ninety thousand Will have graduated. SO
great is the necessity for workmen IN the
army that even raw recruits with only
promise of ability are taken IN II otherwise
qualified Under present regulations
few men who cannot pass the physical
tests of the army are taken for this work.
The army cannot assure man that he
will make good at his trade and there
fore II may be necessary later 10 transfer
him To some other branch, possibly to
fighting unit Then. too, the workman
OF the army goes everywhere with the
troops and needs as strong ply slque as
the lntan ryman.
Even when the colleges start on their
regular fall program, the army training
detachments will continue their work
Two hundred and twenty Thousand men
must be trained by next June, and to
accomplish thus the colleges must share
their faculties and halls with the army
This will be made easier by the fact that
the colleges themselves viii be run on a
military status during the coming year
! According TO present plans, which may
be altered by the proposed change in
draft ages students between Is and 21
years will be members of part Of the
National Army known as the Students
Army Training Corps. Olive drab Will