New-York tribune., 1918-10-22
Half Million Now Enrolled
for Various Courses
Of Study

a free education for every soldier
III the American expeditionary force
is promised IN the opening of the great
army university now being established d
in France. Five hundred throusand d
men are already enrolled for courses
IN French, mathematics, history and
applied science, and the courses car
ried on under the Young Mems Chris
tlan Association during the summer
have given evidence Of such an enor-
Gus "lnte .lectual awakening" among
Pershlngs men that the government
mas conserved 1t to be duty to sup
ply our armies with education as we'll
as Win food and ammunition.
Two thousand men are needed at
once to go overseas as school superin-
,cnuents. Recruiting officers will be
opened at once in the Young Mems
Christian Association Building, at 437
Mar.son Avenue, under the direction
OF Professor John Erskine of Columbia
diversity, chairman of the Army Edu-
catlonai Commission.
Professor Erskine. who has ust xe-
turned from France, outlined the policy
OIL the army university, in an inter-
view yesterday afternoon.
"As long as actual fighting lasts"
ne sald the edrcational work is sec
cndary and c.osses can be carried on
curing only few hours in the even
ing. We are looking forward. how
ever, to the long montns that will fol-
low peace, when our men will welcome
the opportunity to brush up on their
studies and prepare themselves for the
return to civilian life.
Even If peace should be declared
very soon, 1t wOu d be months before
the negotiations wou d be ended, and
our arin4es would not be d.spanded
until the peace is signed. After that
IT WI ii be many more months before
the last man viii return to this coun-
,aIy. 1t mas taken us year and d
half to send them over When they
come back we shall not have the as
sistance Of the British feet in trans
porting them, and we shall not carry
them back on such crowded ships. II
is safe to say that it will be two years
at best before the last of our men are
home again.
"Nurlng the period of waiting the
army wlli be sent to school. Six or
eight hours of schooling a day, under
military discipline, will be the rule.
Glasses will vary from the elemen.
cary subjects, needed by some, to ad-
an opportunity for the men best quail
fed to study at French and English
universities. The men will be exam
med by the educational commission
as to their scholastic fitness, and they
Will then be entered in the nest uni
versltles, according to their military
record. THIS education you see, is a
reward for service rendered
The men in France are hungry for
education. The worst enemy we have
to hight behind the lines is boredom
and worry. War is not always going
over the top. 1t is going over the top
once IN lifetime, perhaps. After that
1t is weeks and months of routine drill
and hard labor.
""Thousands of our boys are disap-
pointed over there. They aren't see.
ing the trenches at all. They are haul
ing ammun .tion. They are winning
the war by means of a remarkable
engineering system which keeps the
men at the front we'll supplied with
guns and ammunition, but they aren't
having very exciting time doing it.
You know the story Of the regiment
stationed at one of the ports of entry
unloading munitions who hung out a
service flag for one of their number
VINO was sent 100 miles further inland :?
These bows have long hours to
worry about their future lives. Per
maps they were in the middle of Il
medical or engineering course when
they enlisted. They reckon they will
be thirty-five years old before thew can
make up their lost years and be ready
70 earn thelr own living. You can un
derstand what bless ng it will be to
tnem to carry on some of their studies
during their stay in France