The sun., 1918-10-02
OF Nations 500 Institutions
Five in This City Start on
Patriotic Courses.
MESSAGE FROM WILSON
Pershing, March, Root. But.
Ter and Others Tell Of Great
Service to Civilization.

and Fordham, began yesterday the
preparation of young men for the
gigantic business into which Uncle Sam
was forced over night---the business OF
making war successfully. AT practi-
cally the same moment about 500 other
schools. colleges and universities
throughout the country added similar
courses TO their curriculums and be-
came adjuncts to the Government in the
training Of embryo army officers.
The feature of the opening exercises
at Columbia was the reading of mes
sages from President Wilson, Gen.
March, Chief Of Stan. and acting Secre-
tary Of War Benedict Crowsn 10 the
1900 members Of the university's
student army training corps, In his
message the President said:
THE step you have taken is q most
significant one. BY Il you have ceased
to be individuals, each seeking to per-
feet himself to win his own place In the
world, and have become comrades in
the common cause Of making the world
q better place to live In. You have
Joined yourselves with the entire man.
hood OF the country and pledged. as did
your forefathers. your lives. your for
freedom OF humanity.
The enterprise upon which you have
embarked 10 a hazardous and difficult
one. This Is not war OF words. This
Is not scholastic struggle. II In a
war Of ideals--yet fought with all the
devices OF science and with the power
OF machines. To succeed you must not
only be inspired with the ideals for
which this country stands. but you
must also be masters OF the technique
with which the battle Ia fought. You
must not only be thrilled with zeal for
the common welfare, but you must also
be masters OF the weapons of to-day.
There can be no doubt OF the is
sue. The spirit that Is revealed and
the manner In which America has re-
sponded to the cali Is indomitable.
have no doubt that you too will use
your utmost strength to maintain that
spirit and to carry II forward to the
final victory that will certainly be ours
WOODROW WILSON"
C"bieEram From Gen. Pershsns.
To New York University fell the honor
or receiving q cabled message from
Uncle Sans chief field executive in the
business OF making war successfully
Gen. John J. Pershing, commander of
the American expeditionary forces in
France. The cablegram was addressed
to Chancellor Elmer Ellsworth Brown
and said:
"Your catlegram from New York Uni
versity is deeply appreciated. Wishes
for success in your plan OF training.
There Is no more valued service the uni
versity could render tho country than
to prepare officers for their important
duties in battle. PERsHINo"
At Columbia the exercises which
marked the transformation of tho uni
Versity into a military school were held
In front OF the Library Building, on the
spot where Marshal Joffre and NJ Vivi-
AMI received their degrees of LII, d. from
the university. In addition TO the mem
bers OF the Students Army Training
Corps, the largest Of its kind in the
country. there were present military and
naval units formed by students OF CO.
lumbia before the university assumed its
present war footing. These were headed
by the band OF the third naval district
The principal addresses were delivered
by Elihu Root and Dean +. j. Wood
bridge, head of the Columbia department
OF philosophy, who introduced DIR. Nlcho-
las Murray Butler. president of the uni
yersity. Dean Woodbridge defined the
great issue OF the war as a question of
"whe Their the world shall be the kind OF
place we think il ought to be or the
kind of place the German Empire thinks
II ought to be-"
Elihu Root warned his hearers against
making the mistake OF thinking that the
war was over because of the blessed
cheering that comes across the water
Message From Gen. March.
In his message to the members OF the
Columbia students army training corps
Gen. March declared that the need for
officers was one OF the most imperative
connected with the army programme.
Patriotic young men," the General
added. will be given an opportunity to
acquire this training with the knowledge
that they will thus be enabled to better
serve their country in the great drive
which Is to come. Superior leadership
spells success In war, and 1t Is the duty
OF every member Of the student officers
training corps 10 do his utmost TO quail
lily as leader OF men,"
In his message Acting Secretary OF
War Crowell told the students that tho
work of fitting themselves TO be officers
would require the same tedious train
ing, the same self-sacrifice and the
same spirit OF teamwork that were de-
manded in college athletics.
At New York University, which has
virtually been on a war footing for the
last few months in the training OF cleo
tricians, mechanics. carpenters and
other specialized manual workers for
the army, moro than 1000 picked stu
dents were indicted into the Students
Army Training Corps
The corps was reviewed by Capt.
William d. Maulsby. commanding Of
ficer of the unit, and an address was
delivered by Chancellor Brown. who
was one OF the leaders In the movement
to place the colleges OF the country at
the service Of the Government during
the war.
Similar exercises were held at Man
haitian College. where addresses were
delivered by the Rev. Brother Jasper,
president Of the college United States
Marshal Mccarthy and others. The
Students Army Training Corps at Man
haitian is under the command Of Capt.
Emmons q. Farrar.
At Fordham l,200 stude 10 were in
Quoted into the military ssryce. and the
speakers were the Rev. y sph A. Null
~. Major Robert Milburn. conlInandant
of the Fordham unit; Frank oliver and
Morgan J. O'Brien.