The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-08-24
THREE soNs-AND THE WAR.
A Story By Harold Whitehead, Serving
with the American Council of
Education.

From the busy rush of the big city,
from the quiet peace of the village came
mighty force--volunteers to fight for
the most glorious heritage man ever
fought for--freedom.
The demands were enormous, for the
task was gigantic, but the demands were
met with a promptness and deadly ear
nestness that heartened our courageous
allies.
This war was no impersonal affair, but
something that touched every home and
every heart. An eager desire to antici-
pate the call to duty thrilled millions OF
men and women.
What that duty actually was, many
people only vaguely understood. Our
government promptly realized the need
for pointing out the duty to its citizens,
for it did not at once call everyone to
battle on the tortured fields of France
with the greatest scourge that ever
cursed the world.
In the small, busy manufacturing town
of Hammerville lived old man Parsons
with his wife and their three sons--John,
the eldest, was "a years old; Robert, who
would soon graduate from high school
was going on Is, while Dick-dear, mis-
chievous Dick-was l6-three boys
whose manliness would cause glow OF
pride to any parents.
On that memorable April 0, the orderly
routine of the Parsons household was
rudely shaken when Robert rushed ex-
citedly into the house and yelled
Its war, Dad It's war, Mother
Gee, now Wen give the Hun something
to remember. I've just seen John; he's
going TO enlist. . II says we're 60
! ing TO send millions of men to France
.....I hope I'll have to 90"
The father looked with pride on his
son, but the mother merely smiled faint.
! ly and turned away so that the Others
should not see the anguish in her eyes
"0f course if the boys had to 60, she
would be proud to have them go-but her
boys-John was a man, but he was her
boy ..,"
| And SO John marched away with the
loyal sons of Hammerville to do his duty
But Robert and Dick felt that they ought
to do something; they wanted to do Their
! duty, but what was it,
Robert graduated from high school and
then informed his mother that he must
enlist
1T isn't as if / was a kid, Mother
I'm bigger and stronger than many men
| just can't be Stacker. You see my
point, don't you, Mothers"
But mother didn't see his point" She
saw her son full of eagerness to do his
duty as he conceived it, but was it his
duty to gol Did he best serve his coun-
try and his flag in that way?
| She decided TO find out what he ought
to do. II it was his duty to fight at
once well, she would do her duty, and
send him away with smile on her lips
even if 1900.
The students army training corpsl
The words stood out as if written in let
tiers of gold Mrs. Parsons folded the
newspaper with trembling fingers and
moved to the window and read the item
This is what she read;
go The experience of France and
England has shown us the urgency of
training our young men, of encouraging
all who possibly can, even at a sacrifice
to attend college or university so as TO
provide body Of trained leaders and
specialists who, both during and after
the war, may efficiently meet the ma
J tions needs.
"If we send all our young men TO
France, we cripple our future, for the
Young men and women OF to-day have to
guide the destinies Of our country in the
strenuous fight for commercial develop
ment that will follow the war.
Moreover, the administration realizes
the value of college trained men for Off
cers-more than so per cent of officers
to-day are college men and the colleges
cannot graduate men quickly enough TO
meet the governments demands for Off
GERS.
"To make clear to the high school
graduates and those equally prepared
what is their duty, the war department
has created the students army training
corps In few words, this is what 1t
means:
"A student enlisted in the students
army training corps is in military service
of the United States. Because he does
not receive pay he is classed as on in
active service, but in a national emer-
gency the president may call him at any
| time to active service. He is called to
active service each summer when he at
tends camp for six weeks and receives
the pay OF a private.
His relation to the draft is as follows:
ANY student so enlisted, though IN
| the military service of the United States
is technically on inactive duty, and there.
fore must register after he has reached
draft age and upon notice by the presi-
dent. Upon stating in his QUESTIONABLE
that he is already in the military service
of the United States, he viii be placed
automatically by his local draft board in
class 5-B, as provided by the selective
service regulations, The draft board will
not call him for induction so long as he
remains a member of the students army
training corps.
Opportunity will be given for the en-.
| listed student, who so elects, to transfer
| from army to navy, and vice versa, and
to be assigned to active service in one OF
the various corps of the army upon rec.
ommendation of the college president and
the proper military authority.
Regular uniforms, including hats
shoes and overcoats, viii be furnished all
members of the students army training
corps by the government
"Should Congress lower the age OF liza
bility to immediate military service, men
of the new age not already enlisted may
find difficulty in entering the service 9th
erwise than through the draft boards.
In view of this possibility, all men ex.
pecting to enlist at all in the students