Evening star., 1920-04-04
UNIVERSAL TRAINING
CRITICISED; NEW PLAN
Former Tank Corps Member Suggests
Education, With Drill Secondary,
Would Produce Results.

, teers. In the Army school this does
not change.
Education cannot be real unless
there is freedom of thought and free
dom of speech; unless there Is an en-
vironment which encourages the reel
ing of equality, liberty and individ-
uality. The Army instructor must be
an officer and the result Is there can
never be the feeling Of intimacy and
consciousness of individual worth be-
tween the enlisted man, the inferior
and the officer, the instructor-supe-
rior. This can be avoided and yet the
inducement of Offering an education
realized upon.
Land Grant Measure.
The proposal. II: During the civil
war Congress passed the land grant
bill. giving to our state universities
lands upon the conditions that tney
teach agriculture and two years mill
tary instruction to every student
Practically every man who had at
tended these schools and entered the
National Army became an officer. a
few of them stopping at non-commis- s.
stoned officers. The men who wouio
not become a trained ~xnilitary man
under the plan proposed ought to be
drafted and remain a private through
out any war.
Put the money required for con-
scriptive training into education. Say
to every citizen of the United states
the government will feed you and
clothe you Gin a respectable. semi
civilian 1niform). house you and send
you through school. be 1t business
trade, vocational, grade. collegiate or
professional institution; and while
and education shall not be in anywise
under the influence Of the military
except at the specified times when
you don your Service uniform, each
day. week. month or period. for &C
tive military training.
In turn. you will enlist for the nee
essary period of your training or
schooling, and train as required. such
training in no way interfering with
your school work or life or freedom
except when in actual training; and
you will be subject to active service
whenever necessity requires. but will
be returned to your school as soon as
any emergency has passed. When you
complete your training or education
you agree to go into the Army re-
serve for five years.
In five years after the plan is devel.
nually or $1,000 per boy. there could
be a reserve army of 100000 men;
while $1,000 a year would more than
train each boy. or $3.50. 100000 a year
would train 250.000 a year. What
would a billion dollars a year do?
System OF Examinations.
Have psychological experts and eco
nomics experts. on boards throughout
the land, to examine as to the mental
and physical qualifications of each
applicant. and help him to determine
what he Is fitted to do or be. Have
those boards study during leisure Pc
RODS economical and industrial condi-
tions, and be able to tell student
when he has completed his study or
training, where the best openings are
for the particular student. This sug-
gestion has q far-reaching possibility
in the matter of distribution of all Ia
Dor and in the adjustment of all in
dustrial problems dependent upon Ia
Dor,
Our educational institutions need the
money and would spend it honestly
Our boys need the education and
would take it gladly. Our nation needs
a higher standard of culture and train
tinue her fights, born in feudal and
military tenure and land and nation
grabbing, but let US never stoop to
become her handmaiden. through any
league Of nations that could order
Congress to declare war. and by
means of an ever-present conscription
such as universal military training
force us to fall back thousands Of
years and become the serfs and vas
sails Of grasping lords and barons
worse than cave men.
AS conscription and old army life
have shown that real red-bloodet
Americans lost interest and will mo-
voluntarily enlist after one experience
by draft, so new conscription vii
wipe out the regular and naiona
guard-vo1untary armies.