The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1919-06-04
PEACE army TO
Be ALl-AmERICAN
uiterates Will Be Drilled Men,
tally as Well as Phys
j.. icalfy.
CITIZENSHIP As 4 reward
eeaJor Ferris Development Battalion
nj Camp Upton Furnishes Basis
for New Aetivity-Splendid
Results Already Shown.

Camp Upton, L. 1.-The knowledge
gained during the war in connection
with the training and instruction of
%illiterate and non-English speakers is
to be turned to account in the recruit
ing Of a peace-time army.
BY direction Of the war department
there is being established here the
drst recruit educational CENTER" for
which so barracks and other build.
angs have been set aside, and it will
be conducted on the lines followed by
Maj. Ralph Hall Ferris when he made
such q success Of development bat
TALON No. 6, which went out of being
when the armistice was signed.
Major Ferris is retiring as camp
morale officer to become commander
OF the center, which is the outgrowth
Of his own plan.
Brigadier General Nicholson, camp
commander, received within q. few
days the order to establish the center,
dndI recruiting has begun throughout
the eastern and northeastern depart
1tlentsE of the army. ~
a'os' VIM, ,se: Taught English.
w tlliterate or on.English-speak-
ang. slfsSrMt who enlists under the new
plaH YIN he taught to speak English.
wilI..Feseeiv9 thorough American train
ing !mSh' officers born. here, and will
in addition Iget citizenship papers
when his enlistment term Of three
years has expired.
Under the draft act 24.9 per cent of
the men enlisted, or practically one
quarter of them, were unable to read
4 newspaper or write a letter home.
There were 1,500 such men sent here
and they were put in Major Ferris
development battalion. His method
Of training and educating them at
tracted attention in Washington. In
the notification sent to General Mich
olson by Maj. Gen. Henry Jervey, as
distant chief Of stan, he said: "Your
camp has been selected not only
because It is centrally located;
but also because Of the excel
lent results in connection with the
teaching of English that have been
obtained in development battalion No.
4 Camp Upton"
On August 81, 1918. the Sixth devel.
opment unit was organized and all
rockies who were illiterate or did not
speak English, except q few who had
physical defects, were transferred to
IT, The teachers selected were pr.
vates or noncommissioned officers who
held. university degrees or who were
teachers a civil life. Race was not
in the choosing Of officers.
T. vas soon proven that squads and
composed Of different nation.
alittes received their military instruc-
ton as easily as If racial groups had
been Organised for the purpose. Only
English was permitted to be spoken
In the mess halls, military formations
and general gatherings Of the men.
instruction except in the elementary
classes was given in English.
Made Good Progress.
Within three months men who could
speak little or no English when they
entered the battalion became sufa-
GENTLY proficient in military English
to fulfill the ordinary functions of
soldiers both in organization and on
separate missions. In addition prac-
all Of the recruits proved their
spirit Of Americanism by becoming
citizens.
The recruits upon being accepted
for the new center will be classified
according to their knowledge Of Eng
;lish and assigned to battalions accord
A school Of instruction of the
illiterate and MISUNDERSTANDING re-
cruits is being established. The
course Of instruction will be normally
four months, or six months in excep-
donal cases. The men will be classed
in groups Of Is to 20 and will be grad
according to the progress shown.
A board Of examiners will examine
the recruits for classification and pre-
pare suitable tests to determine the
rate of progress especially of slow
learning men and the reasons for their
backwardness. When the recruits
have developed sufficiently for assign
ment Major Ferris will report them
TO the adjutant general of the army
for disposition.