The daily Alaska citizen., 1919-11-14
UNIVERSAL SERVICE

As a result of the war and consequent agitation for an adequate system for na' tional defense. 1t seems unQuestionable that the United States will be forced to adopt a permanent military policy which will provide for an army of trained citizens ready to respond at a moments notice to any alarm. Reported statements of several high army officers do not favor any large standing army and soldier organizations composed of men from all grades who serv- ed in the world war, have gone on record as opposing large armed forces for the regular establishment and disfaVoring any idea of compulsory military training These organizations are however, in favor of a system of universal military training which in addition to providing trained soldiers will fit American youth for peace-time vacations.
 Professor John Erskine, who as head of the Educational Corps commission of the A. E. F., rendered valuable services to the nation, from his observations made in that capacity recently published some sugges-
  which would primarily be the means of i'm proving citizenship and at the same time provide soldiers for any emergency, how ever great, that might arise
 The principles, says Mr. Erskine, ac- cording to which we would envisage such national training are five. In the first place. the idea of universal service should be expanded to include training for all oth- CT duties of citizenship beside military, and to include training of all prospective citi- zens, even of those physically unfit for military service. In the second place, the temporary cantOnments in the United States, or equivalent cantonments, should be converted into permanent training schools for citizenship. In the third place, a permanent educational corps should be added to the army; this corps should be formed of the most competent experts in school, in vocational and in the more ele- mentary college subjects; from time to time competent officers of other branches of army service should be assigned to this corps In the fourth place, there should be a compulsory training period of twelve months with the colors between dates found practical, care being taken simply to fit this period into other educational or voca- tional training. This training should be begun between the ages of approximately eighteen to twenty. About one-half of the training should be for military science and for physical development the other half for training under military discipline in school, in vocational, or in college subjects In the fifth place, the citizen in training should be free to elect the kind of civil edu- cation he receives, with the exception that training in elementary subjects should be compulsory for the illiterates and for the foreign born.
 The professor would utilize the army as university of citizenship. He says that the history of the American forces in France shows that it can be transformed into such an institution and made perman- ent
 In urging the adoption of his plan, or one similar to it, Professor Erskine says "The most direct advantage would be for the large majority of our young men who at present receive no high school training at all, nor even much elementary educa-