Trench and camp. ([Admiral, Md.) 1917-1919, 1919-05-29

soldier will return to the United
States illiterate. In addition to pro-
viding opportunities for higher edu-
cation, and education in the profess
sions. they get down to the A B C's of
the matter by giving men an oppor-
tunity to take up elementary subjects,
thus making it practically impossible
for anybody to get back to the Uni
ted States without having acquired a
knowledge OF English sufficient to
enable him to read and write.
The enthusiasm Of the men for
education work Is the most amazing
thing. Everybody at the University
is there voluntarily and the professors
are, many of them, men of great en-
inence; the head of the Department
of Philosophy. for instance, is a pro-
fessor of philosophy in one of the
great American universities. was
told with one accord. every place
went, that a man in Beaume would
get the same amount OF work done in
a month that the average, or better
than average. college student would
do in three months. The boys are
more mature. For some time their
minds have been fallow-at rest ON
intellectual subjects. This educa-
tiOnal activity is taking the place OF
the old interest in war and the CEN
trail idea is sliding over from one
thing to the other so that their con-
|centration of attention is marvellous.
1.-THE University at Beaume is
striking in two respects; In the first
place, the cheering and stirring thing
about it, to me, is the readiness which
the American soldier lays down his
arms and takes up his books; and, In
j the second place, it shows what,
think, in the future will be the nor
NAL occupation of permanent army.
Instead of the men of the permanent
Army living in idleness, we will have
them doing military things half the
time and educational things the rest
of the time, so that they will come
out with an education and the Army
will become the West Point of the en-
listed men. That is really a great
idea.
Eat the University at Beaume, they
have in addition to the courses al
ready enumerated, a school of art
and a school of music. Some of the
work done by the students in archi-
lecture, drawing and in painting is
quite striking. / went into class,
for instance, where l should say a
dozen men were painting from life.
There was a French poilu as the
model and these fellows were paint
ing him. In another place we went
into a room where big, brawny fell
low stripped, was being drawn by a
large class.
I'm the college of architecture the
men are doing some very talented
things and a very large number of
men are going about France making
notes on medieval architecture and
coming back to the University and
drawing them into buildings which
they suggest.
men are sent to the University by
volunteering. In addition to what l
have been telling you, they have
University Extension Course, which is
something like the old Chautauqua
Literary Circle. This was established
for the benefit of men who could not
get to the University, or did not want
to do so. These men write in, for in
stance, that they got as far as alge-
bra in mathematics and would like
to take up plane geometry. They
send him text book, tell him how
to study it. and he sends in the re-
sults-the work is carried on in this
way 1t is a complete educational
system"