Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-01-03
WHAT THE COLLEGES CAN DO.

When the United States needed officers for the
rapidly growing army than the training provided,
the War Department instead of enlarging West Point
establishing military schools for the emergency
turned to the colleges and universities and
asked them to provide quarters instruction forl
thousands of high school graduates, from whom candi
dates for officers commissions might be found. 1t
great task for the American colleges and great compl
For it testified that the experience of the War
partment with the young colegians who the
Plasburg camps for military training showed that the
American college, even peace curriculum, did
something for its students which fitted them command
The s. A T. c. organized last autumn in the leading
colleges States were necessarily tentative
and crude The program first worked contained
much drill and routine military duty that it left little
opportunity for study. If the had continued into
another expected when the S. A. T. c. was
organized, notifications adaptations would have
doubtless been made fit the conditions There is little
doubt the plan would and would have pro-
vided the army with junior officers
There was such valuable idea in the S A T. C. that
we cannot afford to lose it in the mobilization for peace
although already the students corps the universities
have been disbanded government offered to provide
through the S. A T. c., merely tuition and military
training at the public expense colleges for any
youth of eighteen who high school course but also
paid for his board and clothes and gave him small
allowance That is to the state, in the emergency
OF war, recognizing the trained leadership offer
ed to for the support education of large num-
Der of young from they expected to find sufi-
cent material to officer the new armies If the state
finds it advantageous to leadership manner
at the public expense during the emergency war there
is no why it should protaby follow the same
policy in the normal times peace Already especially
in state institution for high graduate of the
state who desires college education and can support
himself at college This puts handicap on the youth
whose family cannot afford maintain him beyond the
age OF seventeen eighteen If college education does
nothing for the boy assist him in improving his
individual chances for in life (Which until re-
Gently practical" could be found to deny then the
state has interest in providing college education of
any sort to those who cannot afford to get them
selves But if the college does something for capable
youths that makes them valuable officers and leaders
would be case according to the results of
war experience only here England Canada
then the state cannot afford lose this leadership in
peace through neglect and indifference
certain number of government scholarships in the
colleges and universities of the country could opened
to those high school graduates who especially
mended because of physical mental and moral promise
The government could require special curriculum in
the colleges for these scholarship boys drought
best require also military drill sol
that the graduates could be formed into reserve Off
Organizations reservoir of trained men.
The great has proved how is the demand
in modern life for specialists trained For
peace well for war progressive utilize
its best human material wisely depend the chances
of private effort and training Above ALL democratic
afford to handicap any of it's citizens in edu
caton-the fullest education Of which they capable