The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-05
Movement Has Men of A. L. f.
EnfiIaded and Surrounded.
So Writes "Pink" Wingart to
Friend in Topeka.
ARMY EDUCATES THE men
There Are Several Schools
Where Soldiers May Go.
Part of Great Scheme of e. S.
To Teach the Men.

Interesting news about the back to
the farm" movement among the men
of the A. E. F. is contained in let
ter from Lieut. Earl ("Pink') Win
CART to a friend in Topeka. He writes:
1.-THE back to the farm movement
has the doughboy of the A. E. F. en-
filaded and surrounded. 1 do not
know what has done it but facts
collected here show that thou
sands of men in the army who were
engaged in city occupations before
the war now want to go to the coun-
try. Perhaps they have caught the
idea from the French farmers, who
go about their work so intensively
and diligently. In order to meet this
demand the educational department of
the army over here has made the fol-
lowing opportunities available: sd
The American E. f. farm school at
Allerey,~Cote Dor. which will be OPP
Grated as a branch of the American
Agriculture, American university,
Beaune, and CD French Agricultural
colleges for a limited number of ad-
vanced agricultural students.
5000 Men Take Work.
"As a result of these schools more
than 5000 men will be given expert
instruction in farm work in a three
months course The farm school,
which will provide instruction for men
of little or no farm experience, prob
ably is the most important or the
three. 1t will accommodate 1000 men
and no educational qualifications are
necessary to get into the school. All
a man has to have is a desire to learn
farming. He will be taught practical
work on a fully equipped $50 acre
farm. Among the subjects to be
taught the men will be soils, fertiltz-
ers, crops, live stock, poultry raising,
marketing, irrigatio1 dry farming
vegetables and agricultural opportuni-
ties in the United States.
1.-The farm courses are just part
of the great educational scheme
which our army has undertaken-the
like of which has never before been
done in any army in the world. Right
now there are more than $4,000 men
of the A E. F. getting expert instruc-
ton in all kinds of subjects in the
big American university at Beaune, in
British and in French universities.
This is a wonderful thing the army
is doing for the men and shows the
great potential possibilities of an army
in peace times"
For the seth Division.
A dispatch from KyIiburg, Ger
many. sent by Wingart, indicating the
activity along that line in the S9th di-
vision, follows:
Close to 1.5OO soldiers of the S9th division,
Army of Occupation, 4~A.E.F, will beat
their swords back into ploughshares"-
theoretically, at least-here next Monday.
March II. In the peaceful atmosphere of
the classroom these men Will submerge the
theme of war. Ballistics. weights of pow
der charges. battle-map sketching, yes, the
whole category of subjects in the cur
riculum Of Professor Mars is to be pushed
back on the mental shelf and vocational
training. agriculture, languages, economics,
civics and the other tonics. of peaceful
Instructors have been appointed, build
ings selected and courses mapped out for
will be finished this week. Major George
II. English, who has been officer of di-
visional civil affairs, will have charge of
The S9th division will have three schools,
each with field officer in command. CoIa-
missioned officers and enlisted men will be
drawn up for Instructors. Officers will
scarcely have majority on the faculty.
PieHty of teachers from all grades are
was drafted from the middle western
states, where colleges and universities of |
all types are numerous.
900 Students ut ex-War Plant.
Vocational School with nearly 900 stu
dents, will be the largest of the divisional
trio. With Lieut.. Colonel O. NJ. Leland.
IN German mnniton Mii p Gs aear
Halschlag. There, where the Huns were we're
to seek that "peace in the sun" by turning /
out shells and hand grenades. American
soldiers in olive-drab will study gas en- |
gines and general automobile repairing !
steam engines electric motors, ordinary |
and wireless teiegraphy and telephony |
carpentry: mechanical drawing; surveying. |
and perhaps the .scienee of the bake oven |
and the pastry pam. 4
An agricultural school will be at Herme- |
skail-a farming region-with Lieut.-Col- |
one Alvin S. Perkins, 341st b A, in COM |
mand. There about 800 students will study |
the scientific management of land, soil |
culture and animal husbandry. The Ger |
mans have a small agricultural experiment |
station at Hermeskail, which will be used. |
An academic school will be in a German |
convent ut Prum, with Major Z. E. Wat |
son, 341st Machine Gun battalion, in charge |
In this school about go students will take |
up college algebra and plane and spherical |
geometry; higher French, Spanish and |
German. economics and civics.
A CHIC. order provides for three |
month course, which Major English has di .
vided into two terms, each of six weeks. |
Thus. the first term will end on May 1 |
and the second could pe shortened il the
S9th should receive sailing orders before |
the expiration of the following six weeks.
The present schedule calls for the return /
of the S0th division in June.