The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1918-11-02
DRAFTED MEN
TO Be Trained
BEFORE CALL
Nationwide Organization for
Preliminary Drill Launched BY
National Security League
Under Sanction Of Gen.
eraI CroWder.

Under the sanction Of Provost Mar.
shall General Crowder, the National g.
curity League has undertaken the or.
ganisation throughout the country Of .
systematic preliminary course Of train
ing for the young men In the draft, 80
that when they are called they will
know something of their duties and
how to take care Of themselves.
The League has drawn up q compre
hensive plan, which will be put in oper
alton in every state in the Union under
the direction Of q Committee on Pre-
liminary Training and Instruction Of
Men Registered for Draft" Of which
General Charles =. Stokes, q,
8. N, retired, u chairman.
crowdsr Approves.
Provost Marshal General Crowder,
to whom the Security League submit
ted the idea before acting. has ap.
proved 1t In q letter to Col. Charles f.
Lydecker, President Of the League, In
which he says:
Your proposal gives me great salts
faction. Your League can render val.
liable assistance In this manner"
The Security Leagues plan will be
made effective through the PSI branch.
e. of the League. scattered In al parts
of the country. and subcommittee Of
Surgeon-General Stokes's committee
cooperating with the Local Draft
Boards In all the stateA 1t provides
for the organization into instruction
classes Of the men soon to be called,
to be selected By the Draft Boards. the
actual training to be conducted BY 70
tired or disabled army ofhcers, whose
efforts to prepare the young men for
service will be supplemented BY local
clergymen and physicians.
Gen. j. Franklin Bell, commandant
at Camp Upton. is IN enthusiastic sup
porter Of the plan and has promised
the Security League cooperation In
obtaining instructors for the classes in
New York City and vicinity.
"clsan, Sober soIdiers."
The object Of our endeavor will be
to make the young men understand
why they are called for service to their
country, what Is to be expected Of
them and why they should be loyal.
clean, sober and intelligent soldiers"
says Surgeon General Stokes. Outlin-
ing the operation Of the plan. he con.
tinues:
There are three main working
points:
"(D Each Local Draft Board,
through its Chairman, will select q
Captain, who win procure the assem-
bly, of the registrants and obtain from
q local military or naval post, State
Guard or Home Defense Unit or from
retired or disabled veterans of the
present war an adequate training on
Ger.
ICY The Captain will also invite Q
local clergyman to give information,
instruction and advice to the young
men.
Save Time and Money.
"(O A local physician will also In.
struct the young men in matters Of
health, hygiene and physical well-beins
In order that when they 90 to camp
they shall present themselves with q
consciousness Of knowledge which will
add to their strength and usefulness.
AT present the vast majority Of our
young men are called to the colors I'M.
trained. It would greatly facilitate
their being turned into soldiers and
save the government time and money
II when they are called they are pro-
vided with some knowledge of military
training and a sense of discipline and
organization.
"The position of local Captain. who
will supervise the work, offers one of
the finest opportunities for patriotic
service for men Of standing In the COM
munity who are unable to get into the
trenches.
"oisersanixed Rabble."
Under the guidance Of such q man,
aided by an influential local clergyman
and physician, the drafted men will 20
to their environments In efficient, or.
ganized bodies rather than as a disor.
ganized rabble and with a spirit Of
self-reliance and comradeship. All the
strangeness Of the new life will have
been eliminated, and, since the men
will have been taught what lies before
them, they will face duty with the con-