Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-27
AMERlCANARMY
TOBESCHOOL
FOR SOLDIERS
Plans Being made to Change
System of Handling
Army Training.

Paris, April 22.-(correspondence
Of The Associated Presa.)-A great
new educational force In the shape 81
TIE American regular army viii come
into being in the United States in the
near future II the present plans OF
prominent civilian educators are real
ICED.
Briefly. 1t is proposed to make
Uncle Sans standing army q huge
university in which the young men Of
the country will receive not only
physical and military training. but will
be given opportunities to acquire &C.
might be beyond their reach in civil
life. Tho old days of virtual wastaxe
Of time which represented almost
blank pages in the life diary Of the
soldier will be a thing Of the past
Instead Of being turned back into
civil life in a more helpless state than
when he entered the army he will be
equipped to wage a vigorous Tight for
his place in the sun of the business or
professional world.
The possibilities of this plan have
been demonstrated in the wonderful
work done during the past few months
by the Educational Commission in the
American Expeditionary Force. in
France. Since the signing of the arm
istice something like $500 o Ameri-
can soldiers have been appreciably
benefited by the arny schools, which
have been put within the reach Of
every man and which have provided
facilities to study almost every con-
ceivable subject, from farming to
philosophy.
Few the army educators in France
realized at the outset how great a
work they we're starting. The avidity
with which the enlisted. man and his
officer have seized upon the preferred
opportunities has astounded them.
With this object lesson before 1t,
the army has been inspired to carry
IN this work at home in the standing
forces. The project assumes, it is un-
derstood, that the standing rna of
the future will be a comparatively
large one, and that there may be a
short period of compulsory training
for the youths of the country, al
though the scheme is not dependent
upon the compulsory feature.
Under the new system all subjects
would be taught, from A, B, C's for
the i%lliterate. up through perhaps the
first year Of university work. Voca-
tional training would naturally form a
most important phase OF thu program.
Boys who had had no opportunity for
schooling before entering the army
would be started on their way and
would be permitted to re-enlist at the
carry on their studies. Others, who
perhaps had finished high school,
would be given a chance to begin
their college course so that there
would be no waste of time in case
they were planning to go into profess
sions or business.
There would be military training,
Of course, and the soldiers would be
made as nearly physically perfect as
possible. A large part of their time,
however, would be devoted, If they so
desired, to improving their minds.
Thus, the army believes. any boy, no
matter what his standing In society.
would be materially benefited by his
period of service with the colors.
Probably the man who would profit
most would be the n who had &C
okuired either no education or had
been forced to leave school at an early
Side boy who has left school to help
support the family and has no equip
ment to enable him to secure lucra-
tive work and so drifts about in un-
skilled labor. If he enters the army,
he is to be put to work in the school,
housed and fed, and paid a regular
wage which he can sen home to his
people. At the end of the year 1t is
expected that he will be proficient
enough in his trade 50 that he can
secure a Job with good prospects: The
gate to the broad highway will be
opened to him.
1t is believed by educators that
many poor youths will devote not only
one year to the army but will remain
for several years. in order to acquire
at least some higher education
This, in brief, is the plan which II
being worked on in Paris now by
prominent men who have every hope
that it will be carried out.