Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-10
TO Our Youths,
From Uncle Sam
By Frederic J. Haskin

And n YOU have the e1ilcatiDn ana DRAINS
10 90 TO college. but lack the thousand or
more dollars which college education
has always cost go any way
The government, IN the first instance,
will keep You in college until your turn
comes To be called into service, and Il
| YOU show special aptitude along scientific
| or technical lines, it may keep you there
| longer And, in the second instance, lack
| Of funds is no drawback, for the govern
| nent will pay your room and board ana
| give you thirty dollars n month.
This is the gist OF the message which
| the War Department must bring home TO
| every civilian Of draft age IN the next
| few days The Student Army Training
| Corps II n voluntary organization; you
must signify your desire To be nducted
| into It And provided YOU have gram
| mar school or high school education, and
| are able TO pass the physical examination,
| YOU NAV do tins, no matter who you
are or where YOU live. This Includes men
| now IN trimming IN the various canton
| incnts But the school year starts IN
| few days. so that time IL limited And
| the capacity of the 300 colleges whIch
| have III reality been practically organized
| into federal educational system IS also
| hunted Therefore move promptly
| fOu have but 10 90 10 the one Of these
| colleges which Is nearest your home,
aud matrculatc registering also with
| your draft board fn due course, and
| probably about October /, you vii he
| indIeted INTO tho Student Army Training
| Corps, put IN uniform and under military
discipline and assigned 10 quarters
= A. r IT'S SYMBOL.
In the creation Of the $ 4 r e, the
War Department has four main purposes
ITO Obtain y supply Of officers for the
| army that will be raised under the new
Man-powcr law. to tram engineers
| tcchncans and mechanics for tho same
| purpose, ~ keep American colleges. UNI
vcrsitles and technical schools running
! and solvent and 70 insure that America
shall have the trained men necessary to
do the work Of reconstruction after the
war
bc now army vii need A. once APP
proxmatelv 10000 officer These can
be obtained only nv sitting he whole
registration for officer material This will
be- accomplished BY the ; A. r. G., where
every man will be carefully observed, and
all Of those who are considered likely
officer material will he sent 10 central
officer training camp, winch is yet to be
established
The War Department has heretofore
been training the mechanics and other
skilled workers which It needs a. ~
vocational schools These will be IN
corporatcd ~ the : A II c. and viii
continue heir work as before Men who
have only 4 grammar school education
will be assigned 10 these schools But If
such men appear to he officer material
they wll BE- assigned for officer training
CHANCE 70 srEefALIzE
Men VINO have special aptitude Or
training along certain technical lines
especially engineering medicine and chem
i5trY Wil whsn they have been lnducfed
INTO the : \ r continue u spcciai
intensive training along thoe" lines If
thclr abilities justify II they NAV be-
retained in college and gwen such tram
Ing when other men Of their age and class
have been called 10 he crvlcc but these
ea-es will be made as iew as possible
l he purpose IN retaining these men i
not only to supply the army with the
highly trained technlcians SCIENTISTS ana
doctors winch 3i needs but 10 insure an
adequate supply Of such men 70 do the
work ot reconstruction after the war. Ii
Is we'll known fact that ID Europe
where the universities have lam IDLE.
and where III the hrst months OF ne war
/ men Of al sorts and ali classes Of ability
and training were thrown lnt0 tne RANKS.
j there IS a dearth oi >cientIfc and technical
/ ability, which W!il constitute problem
! 81 tire grave~t klnd after ny war The
1 administration i determined That no
such calamity shall beiall this country.
! II IS estimated that $500 900. 900 are
/ invested IN the plants OF American uni
versities If deprived Of their usual en-
| roiment. these institutions would de-
y
/ would disintcgrate it would be wears
before higher education could resume its
| normal basis OF efficiency This has
actually happened IN England and France
| 1t will not happen III America, for the
| government will contract with the uni
| verslties for the housing. subsistence and
| tuition OF the men III the ). 4. 7. {.
THE TEACHING FORCES.
50 far IS possible, it viii make use Of
| the teachers and equipment which the
| colleges have In return. II will have the
right to specIfy what shall be taught the
men. Temporary contracts, providing Tor
housing and subsistence on the basis OF 81
/ per day per man, and for tuition at the
usual rates OF the institution entering INTO
| the contract, have already been sent 10
the colleges These w3il be supplanted
| later by permanent contracts based on
| the actual cost OF the service rendered by
| the universities.
These are the Immediate wartime
purposes which are 10 be served by the
) \. T {. 1t will also serve the Incl
dental but all-important purposes Of CIV
ing million or more young Americans
aS high a 5ypc OF education Is they are
tapanle of receiving ard of making
higher education Ter he first time IN this
| country matter OF brains. not Of wealth
The only entrance requirements of
| The ;. \. / G are physical fitness i
grammar school education for The vota-
! tional courses. and high school education
for the officer and technical schools
1t Is not mere hastA course Of forced
special training which is to BE- offered
but also a real education
SHORT TRAINING PERIODS
Ii Is true that the periods of training
will be short compared t. the three or
four college years Of nine months each
which have heretofore constituted
college education. But it must be remem
Dcred that going to college for the ma
jority Of students has heretofore been a
very leisurely business Athletics and
sofial affairs have absorbed large and
often prepondcrant part Of the under
graduates energy 1t would be hard To
disproye the statement that man IN
good physical condition and work. hard
can learn rs much IL orc yCar IL,
avtrtge college >tudc-t lear 5 /, r"a