The sun., 1919-03-02

kind. IT behooves a nation, as a man.
I to cultivate a certain degree Of humility.
| Not the nation but the truth is what
must triumph. Let people then In
steady resolution work out the truth as
| il can see it in the hope that by the
illustration Of the truth 1t will itself be
better and peradventure other nations
will delight - share in it's heneficence
| let It work in hope to learn. however. as
we'll as teach.
If we are to emphasize the history
of our nation, what parts shall we
| select to teach? In a time Of almost
universal war some have become in
| dignant at the tendency which we have
| seen in recent years, resulting partly
! from the pacific propaganda In the
liberal countries. of leaving wars out of
the text books, War is with us, they
declare, and will be with us, and we
had best raise our boy to be a soldier"
II military life may be his portion, then
| military history should be his study.
| But II the militarists hope thus to foster
pride in the proves OF American armies
| they may be disappointed. for. as Mr..
JDuidekoper has shown recently, our
victories have owed but little to superior
military organization. Nor has the In
| dividual American soldier been the
product of the drill sergeant. Henry
!
| of 1919 remarked, The greater skill OF
the Americans was not due to special
training, for the British service was bet
ter trained in gunnery, as in everything
| else, than the motley armies and fleets
that fought at New Orleans and on the
lakes
Critics constantly said that every
American had learned from his child
hood the use of the rife. but he GER
tainly had not learned to use cannon in
shooting birds or hunting deer. and he
knew less than the Englishman about
the handling or artillery and muskets.
The same intelligence that selected the
rife and the long pivot gun for favorite
! wearSfm WIS SHOWN In f-esk .nS tbs
carronade. and every other instrument.
however clumsy" Personal efficiency
learned IN peaceful arts produced the
result
But had each genera ton of Ameri-
cans been teachers OF the world In
military science II would not pay us
| now to follow the campaigns of Wash
| ington or Grant. For. new standards
have been set and old methods, once
effective, are now obsolete One does
| not learn an art, technique or n
science by the historical method. and
| though we need to know in general
! what made for power on the land and
sea to diagram the field of German
| town or Lundy's Lane or Buena Vista
| or Antietam would not be worth the
time it would consume in an elementary
course.
| What Is counting now in Paris Is
| not tho fact that we had many ships
and many regiments, though these were
the Instruments that made victory pos
sible, What Is most interesting Is the
American point Of view and the Ameri-
can philosophy of life. Hundreds OF
millions want to know OF the American
idea But when in the spirit Of sacri'
fec we have spent our money and oul
blood for the liberty of others and to
make the world safe place for
democracy 1t is desirable that
our youth should learn what thes,
things are and how we got them fo
ourselves. Wars may have registered
their victories, but they did not hav,
|Sheir origin In wars. Whence cam'
American traits and ideas" This ~
course should be construed to elucidate
90 dear my country, beautiful and dear.
Ultimate dream OF June,
! | By all thy millions longing to revere
| pure, august. authentic commonweal
| Climb TO the light. Imperilled Pioneer
! OF Brotherhood among the nations, seal
/ Our faith with thy sublime"
Il FRANK s. HAcKETT. Secretary.