Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-09-03
The Draft and Young Men.

Youths in their eighteenth year WILL under
the terms of the new draft bill. be placed
in separate group, TO be subject to special
educational program and will not be called upon
until the supply of available men in the other
classes are exhausted. In other words, they will
stay in school until the country calls them That
they may in measure be ready for active service,
military training will be distinctive in the
school and college curriculum this fall and winter.
Under the regulations provided for the student army
corps selected young men who are physically fit for
military service who are eighteen years of age and
over, and who have had grammar school educa-
ton, may be voluntarily indicted into the army and
enter upon course Of special training.
Those who have had a grammar school educa-
ton, but no more. Will ordinarily enter special
training detachments be trained along mechanical
lines of military value. These attachments will be
part of the student army training corps, and
young men Who prove in the course Of their ne
chancaI training that they are officer material
may he transferred to unit in one of the colleges
to prepared 10 enter a central officers training
camp.
Young men who have had at least a high school
education will be allowed to enter the colleges for
experts of various kinds according to their expert
ence and abilities. Those men who show promise
under this training will be kept in college until
qualified central officers training camps
or go directly into the service as technical experts
Those who do not Will be sent either to non-com-
mssoned officers schools or to the nearest depot
brigade or in case they show special technical or
mechanical ability, to the detachments where men
are training for such work
The plan opens to the youths of IS to q years Of
age wonderful opportunity to find themseIves-to
discover their special aptitude for leadership the
great movement in which we are all enlisted. There
will be great need of officers for the new army New
training camps must be provided, and by utilizing
our educational institutions the government takes
over at once advantages of buildings and campus
and organizations that Will speed without loss Of
time the making Of capable soldiers out of the finest
bunch of raw material that ever came under the
war lecturers tuteIage or the driImaster's orders
1t is great scheme that should produce some pro-
portiouate results.
That there will be strong inducements placed
before our young men to enter the commercial field
even though they may have but few months Of
service to give is pretty certain to happen In this
connection the statement Of President Wilson should
have great weight 1T would" states the presf-
dent seriously impair Americas prospects in this
war if the supply Of highly trained men were I'M
necessarily diminished I would particularly urge
upon all young people who about to leave school,
that many OF them possibly do so, will
avail themselves at this time of the opportunities
offered by the colleges and technical schools to the
end that the country may lack an adequate sup
ply Of well trained young men and women"