Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1920-08-19
ARMY EFFORTS
Snyder Tells of What the New u. S.
Army Is Doing.

A large audience witnessed the
I "Price of Peace" pictures shown at
the Strand theatre In this city, Au-
gust 9Th and 9th. Actual war
scenes photographed by the u, S.
Signal Corps, and released through
the courtesy Of the Army Recruiting
Service, and a running lecture de-
livered by Sergeant Elmer r. Sny-
der of the Grand Rapids recruiting
party, Illuminated the pictures. In
addition, the sergeant spoke on edu-
cational and vocational opportunities
Offered to young men while serving
a one or three year enlistment in the
new peace army. Sergeant Snyder
said in part, "There has seldom been
a time in the history of the military
establishment when an enlisted man
of ambition and determination could
not improve himself tremendously
. along educational and vocational
! lines. The encouragement of such
improvement, however, was subsid-
airy to the main object of the small
pre-war army. which was the devel-
. .opment Of hard-fighting, depend
able force capable of expansion, and
which was to be the foundation and
nucelus of powerful army of citi-
en-soldiery. In pre-war days voca-
tional and educational improvement
did not constitute the goal to which
much of the energy of the military
a. cf n licb Il fnI h,,t J.
lessons of the great conflict being
studied diligently the new army has
committed itself to program of
education and instruction which as
sures every young man of a fair
start in life. At the larger camps
throughout the country regular
courses of instruction are being of
fered. These courses include cler-
ical courses, commercial courses,
modern language courses, English
courses, and practically all technical
subjects with which the army has to
deal, including instruction in many
important trades. Few persons real
ize the significance OF the education
al work of the new army. 1t is not
merely that enlisted men are going
to school and that soldiers through
out the army are receiving general
and special education as part of
their training: but that men are en-
listing in order that they may take
advantage of these educational op-
portunities and be better prepared to
re-enter civilian life, and the whole
purpose of army enlistment is being
subjected to ideals OF civic upbuild-
ing that are of tremendous import
ance. Never before, in the history
Of the American army or any other
army, have such opportunities been
put before the soldier Whether he
merely wishes to learn to speak
mother English dramatically, or is
ambitious to learn a trade, the new
system affords him way. Here
after no man need leave the service
without returning to civil life
equipped with knowledge that will
secure him good position at good
pay in the trade or occupation he has
learned during his enlistment. Those
who seek expert employees will look
to graduated army men as probably
the best equipped technically trained
men to be had. The army training
will, however, be broader than mere
ly to fit man into industry. II will
make him better citizen, a broader
minded man in every way. II will
bring to thoroughly practical in
dustrial training the cultsre that can
be reasonably combined herewith. II
is proposed to make the army not on
ly military force to be trained and
lContinned ON race fivel