The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-21

NEARLY ALL SCHOOLS
TOTEACH WAR WORK
Military Training in Colleges
VIII Offset Draft.
Educational institutions Will
Not Be Demanded of Men.
GIVE TECHNICAL COURSES
Drafted Men Will Be Sent to
College for Special Work.
GIVE TECHNICAL COURSES
But Even at the Best Schools
VIII Lose Many Men.

Washington, Aug. 21.-The khaki
uniform of Uncle Sans soldiers will
be a familiar sight on every college
campus this fall and winter. While
the colleges and universities will be
hit hard by the new draft regulations,
government is working out plans to
adapt the training facilities and
courses of nearly all of the colleges
and universities to war work as much
as possible. Nearly every college with
an enrolment of more than one hun
dred young men will be used in some
degree or other.
Colleges a Hard Problem.
The future of higher education and
the colleges and universities during
the war came up in the house hear
ings on the draft bill. When Secre-
tary, Baker was asked about it he
described the college situation as one
of the 'insoluble" problems connected
with the draft and the war. 1t is not
to be desired that the universities
should be stripped of men, and the
years just ahead pay the price in the
lack of college trained men At the
same time it manifestly would be I'M
democratic to grant exemptions from
military service to young men in col
lege just because they were attending
such an institution. 1t would mean
the young man who didn't have
chance to go to university would
have to give for military service while
the boy who did, wouldn't. So there
will be no blanket exemptions for col
lege students.
Boys TO 10 Sure of a Year.
It is expected that there will be an
intensive campaign shortly to get
parents to send their boys to college,
at least until they are called for mill
tary service. AS the 1S-year-old class
won't be reached until late spring or
next summer those boys can be put
ting in almost college year at study.
AS the colleges all will have courses
that will be correlated to army work,
when he is old enough to go into the
army. The physically unfit who are
not taken in the draft of course can
go to school as before.
Colleges Will Teach War Work.
Plans are being worked out where
by nearly every college will give from
three hours to half its course IN
that will be correlated to the army.
The technical schools and the en-
cheering branches and shops of
schools like the University OF Kansas
at Lawrence, the University of Mis-
souri, at Columbia and the Kansas
| Agricultural college at Manhattan will
| be devoted almost altogether to classes
| in war work, training mechanics and
others for special army jobs. The
| chemical laboratories and such also
will be used to fullest demand. Right
| now there is a greater shortage of
chemical workers and experts than in
| almost any other branch.
Send Drafted Men to College.
| Young soldiers will be taken in the
| draft and sent to colleges for a por-
ton of the year for more intensified
| training to fit them for any needs.
Electrical laboratories also will be
used to fullest capacity. Literally
thousands upon thousands of young
men will spend a portion of the first
months in the army college. They will
wear uniforms and must take mill
tary drill part of the day. The re-
| mainder of the time they will put in
on technical training. When the calls
come, they will be sent to the camp
/ overseas
Any way the situation is figured out
the college and universities are going
to feel the warm the number OF
men students-most severely this win
ter. But by co-relating the college
and university work as closely as pos
sible to army needs, the situation will
be relieved somewhat. At the same
time it will help solve the army prob
lem of getting some quarter million
specialists trained and many OF then
| ouarSaaS hv Tavf Univ