The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-05-27
PEACE ARMY TO
Be ALL-AMER|CAN
I|Iiterates Will Be Drilled Men,
tally as Well as Phys
lcaIIy.
CITIZENSHIP AS A REWARD
Major Ferris Development Battalion
at Camp Upton Furnishes Basis
for New Activity-SpIendid
Results Already Shown.

gained during the war in connection
with the training and instruction Of
illiterate and non-English speakers Ii
to be turned to account in the recruit
ing of peace-time army.
By direction of the war department
there is being established here the
first recruit educational CENTER" for
which so 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 a. 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 few
days the order to establish the center,
and recruiting has begun throughout
the eastern and northeastern depart
ments of the army.
viii Be Taught English.
An illiterate or non-Engl ish-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 has expired.
Under the draft act 24.9 per cent of
the men enlisted, or practically one
quarter of them, were unable to read
a newspaper or write a letter home.
There were 1900 such men sent here
and they were put in Major Ferris
of training and educating them at
tracted attention in Washington. In
the notification sent to General Mich
olson by Maj. Gen. Henry Jervey, as
sistant chief of staff, 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
in development battalion No.
5, 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 few who had
physical defects, were transferred to
It. The teachers selected were pri-
ya +oe ~. popoopap,;ccionad ofioarc x,ho
held university degrees or who were
,eachers in civil life Race was not
considered in the choosing of officers.
t was soon proven that squads and
]latoons composed of different nation
alities received their military instruc-
ion as easily as if racial groups had
,een organized for the purpose. Only
English was permitted to be spoken
n the mess halls, military formations
md general gatherings of the men.
Instruction except in the elementary
.lasses was given in English.
Made Good Progress.
Within three months men who. could |
,peak little or no English when they |
'uleItu Tie UdlldllOu DCCOluC
iently proficient in military English
O fulfill the ordinary functions of |
oldiers both in organization and on !
eparate missions. In addition prac-
ically all of the recruits proved their |
pirft of Americanism by becoming I
The recruits upon being accepted
or the new center will be classified
ccording to their knowledge of Eng
sh and assigned to battaliOns accord
ngly. A school of instruction of the
literate and Notwithstanding re-
ruits is being established. The
curse of instruction will be normally
our months, or six months in excsp-
iOnal cases. The men will be classed
l groups Of Is to 20 and will be grad
d according to the progress shown.
A board of examiners will examine
ne recruits for classification and pre-
are suitable tests to determine the
ate of progress especially of slow
earning men and the reasons for their
When the recruits
ave developed sufficiently for assign
rent Major Ferris will report them
the adjutant general Of the army
,r disposition.