Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-06-05
PEACE ARMY TO
Be AlL-AMERICAN
lIIiterates viii Be Drilled Men
tally as Well as Phys
icaIly.
CITIZENSHIP As A REWARD
Major Ferris Development Battalion
at Camp Upton Furnishes Basis
for New Activity-Splendid
Results Already Shown.

Camp Upton. l.. 1.-The knowledge
gained during the war in connection
with the training aud instruction of
illiterate and non English speakers is
to be turned To account in the recruit
ing of Peace-tilne army.
By direction of the war department
there Is being established here the
first recruit educational CENTER" for
which 80 barracks and other build.
ings have been set aside, and it will
be conducted on the lines followed by
Maj. Ralph Hall Ferris when he made
such success of development bat
TALON No. 9, which went out OF being
when the armistice was signed.
Ma jor Ferris is retiring rs camp
morale officer to become commander
of the center. which is the ontgrowth
of his own plan.
Brigader General Nicholson, camp
commander, received within n few
days the order 10 establish the center,
and recruiting has begun throughout
the eastern and northeastern depart
ments Of the army.
win Be Taught English.
An illiterate or n-English-speak-
ing recruit who enlists under the new
plan will be taught to speak English,
will receive thorough American train
ing from officers born here, and will
in addition get citizenship papers
when his enlistment term of three
years mas expired.
Under the draft act 2I.9 per cent Of
the men enlisted, or practically one
quarter of them, were unable to read
a newspaper or write letter home.
There were 800 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
sstant chief Of staff, he said; "Your
camp has been selected not only
because 1t 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.
9, Camp Upton."
On August u, 1918, the Sixth devel-
opment III it wa organized and all
rockies who We're illitcrate o. did not
speak English, except few who had
physical defects, were transferred to
1t. The teachers selected were pri-
Yates or noncommi STONED officers who
held university degrees or who wore
teachers in civil life. Race was not
considered In the choosing of officers.
1t was soon proven that squads and
platoons composed Of different nation
alities received their military inStruc-
ton as easily as ii racial groups had
been organized 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.
NlTIln IiTtt IibUtiS men W Nv t'uiu
speak little or no English when they
entered the battalion became suifi-
GENTLY proficient in military English
to fulfill the ordinary functions OF
soldiers both in organization and on
separate missions. In addition prac-
ticnliy all Of the recruits proved their
spirit of Americansm 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
ingly. A school of instruction of the
illiteratc and non-English- speaking re-
cruits is being established. The
course of instruction will be normally
four months or six months in eXcep-
tional cases. The men will be claSSed
In groups of 10 to 20 and will be grad
ed 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.