Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-04-08

VXTASHINGTON, D. c., April 3.-Are the
wv young of this country, who nave
ambition but not money, willing to work.
their way through a good education by serv-
ing four or five hours :. day as soldiers, with
the liability of active service in case of war?
That is the question which the United States
marine corps is now putting to Americans. 1t
has established at the marine barracks at Guam
tico Va, school known as the Marine inSti-
tute, where it is prepare. to give men regular
grammar school and high school educations and
to teach them several highly-paid vocationS,
such as automobile engineering, electrical en-
gineering stationary gas engine work, building,
construction and contracting and live stock
| farming.
At this barracks it is an absolute rule that
only the morning hours are devoted to mill
tary exercises, and all OF the afternoon is spent
in classes and in athletic work The routine
is much like that of frSt-claSS military school.
j Men are now offered enlistment in the Fifth
regiment of marines, which is the one sta
toned at Ouantico, with the flat promise that
after preliminary training at Paris Island me
recruit will be Se1t t. the Quantlco School'
and will be allowed t. stay there until re mas
completed whatever course he desires to take,
subject to the single condition that if the United
States gets into war, he may be assigned TO
active service.
The opportunity for enlistment under these
terms, which amounts to contract with the
government to give a certain amount OF service
in return for an educ-tion, began on April
first.
This marine school, is the latest of a num-
Der of efforts by thu government to make MIL
itary or naval service attractive to young men
by giving them education in return TOR their
time Both the army and the navy have always
had some classes where man could spend
few hours a day and study grammar Schoo
courses These schools never amounted to
much, and they did not offer vocational courses
During the war, the Student Army Training
Corps, and since the armistice, the army uni,
verSties in Europe, have offered men in the
service much more "aried educational oppor-
tunitieS; but it was seldom possible for q
man to remain in any of these institutions more
than few months.
This marine school is a new departure ir
two ways. In the first place it offers mar
complete course leading to diploma and ii
, the second place he is given definite promise
that he shall be allowed to finish his educa
ton to his own satisfaction unless the emer
gency of war interrupts it.
The marine barracks at Ouantico is under
the command of Major General J. A. Lejeune
and Brigadier General S. D. Butler. For this
H. Craige who is aide t. General Lejeune anc
who leaves no doubt that the marine corps is
Sparing neither expense nor effort to make this
school real school where a man can tit him
self Tor the business or making living AS
Lieutenant Craige sees it, this is not merely
an effort to get men to serve in the marine
corps in return for a certain amount OF school
ing; it is an effort to put the whole business Of
military service on higher plane, and to at
tract to it higher type of men.
1t is agreed by all that the state of the
world being what it is, we must have CON
siderable standing army, large navy and
: marine corps of good strength. 1t is equally
} clear to all that there is strong sentiment ii
} the country against compulsory military service
and compulsory military training The alterna
tive is voluntary enlistment 1t is a notorious
fact that men are not voluntarily enliStng If
any branch of the service in adequate numbers
The marine corps has about two-thirds of its
authorized strength, but both the army ane
navy are in worse condition.
1t is not remarkable, from civilian view