The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1919-11-14
l5O,OOOLeft
Their Studies
1920 Gave
Their Lives
BY n. r. SMITH.


ing the activities of college men
In the war. are beginning to be
available. and only now can one
form any conception of the vast
amount Of work which they accom-
plished.
The colleges have suffered heavily
IN many ways. but they are proud to
nave been of service. At first call
members Of their staffs were placed
IN important administrative positions.
Their students left peaceful pursuits,
ana became part of the army. The
Following figures show the percentage
OF students who left to Join the armed
forces:
Ten per cent in IS colleges: 20 per
cent in So colleges; 80 per cent in "a
colleges: 40 per cent in II colleges:
10 per cent in 8 colleges, and over so
per cent in six colleges.
The total of these amazing percent
ages amounted to the number Of $780,
oOO students who left our American
institutions OF learning to become
identified in one way or another with
our war efforts. OF these. 50 less than
o,NO gave their lives, and the figures
are not yet wholly complete. Some
IDEA of how this loss is distributed
VIII De given in this table of the COL
reyes which lost more than 100:
Yale, 1856; Concordia. Ind. 14O; Uni
versity of Kansas, 1903: Harvard, 297
Princeton, l2O: Columbia, 1oS; Cor
nell, 15S.
by comparison. it is interesting to
notice the enlistment of the two chief
English universities. Oxford had H.
l'6 sons in the war. of whom 1.41o
gave their lives. Cambridge exceeded
'hs 9Th. total number Of 1928
ana or these LAOS were destined new
err to return from the battletields.
FROM the outset, it was character
istlc of the colleges to do nothing with
out planning ii. The first general
meeting OF colleges in the war period
was held in Washington May 5, 1917,
ana was presided over by President
Hollis Godfrey of Drexel institute.
The prevailing inquiries were What
can we do Immediately for our coun-
try:' and How can we operate the
colleges as national asset during
the war period:'
Following this conference, students
were advised not to forsake their
plans and rush headong anywhere.
in the face of plans that We're mate-
rializing; technical and medical stu.
dents. upon whom the war made an
unprecedented demand, were fairly
compelled to remain at their studies.
and finally government military train
ing was established at every college.
From that time on a more complete
war basis could not be imagined Ry
organizing camps within the walls of
our schools. from which officer mate.
rial could be recruited. the govern
ment ut once recognized the superior
potentialities of the educated man, and
siid for him all that was physically
possible.
Another result of the wholesale col
ie.e offer to help was the establish.
inent in Washington of the Intercol.
iegIate Intelligence bureau. the idea of
bean William Mcclellan of the Uni.
versity Of Pennsylvania. whereby over
four thousand students were placed in
positions for which they had peculiar
fitness.
Likewise there grew up in the war
department a committee on the classi-
tication of personnel and this bureau
sought to classify men according to
their experience. occupation. and edu-
cation: the number of men who were
placed where they could do their best
work will probably never be known.
The story of the students army
training corps is Well known While
not a triumph. the effort was charac.
teristic of the colleges. trying to do ell
they could in the face of many OBJ
stacles. and the country is not wanting
i'm appreciation.
Naval training units were likewise
established. and thus the power of that
branch of the national forces took an
upward swing. College men all know.
too, the story of their own institutions