The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-22
DEFENSE DAY IS DESIGNATED
 SEPTEMBER F
General Pershing Asks ' Nationwide Observ-
 ance Of Citizens
MARK ANNIVERSARY
 OF MIHIEL BATTLE
Purpose Is To Visualize Military Mastering
 Process

To arouse public interest in national defense, to educate the public regard ing necessity of mobilization plans and to subject the underlying principles of such plans to an analysis and test, September 12 has been set aside by General John J. Pershing as Defense Test" Day.
 On that day patriotic demonstrations will be given by all camps, posts and stations in various cities, towns and communities designated in the general mobilization plans. The date chosen is the sixth anniversary of the battle of St. Mihiel
 The demonstration will be carried out with the following objects in view:
 To picture the evolution of mobiliza- tion.
 To afford a practical demonstration of the dependency of all units on a sympat athetic cooperation of communi- ties.
 To give a demonstration of the con- tribution of military personnel re- quired of each community, by stimula- tion of mobilized units.
 Consequent education and inStruc- ton of citizenry and soldiery as to their mutual obligations and duties to the state.
 There are A units of the organized reserve in Jefferson county. Virtually all of these are located in Greater Bir- mingham and it's suburbs.
 ''The primary purpose of the defense test" is to enable our people to visualize the initial processes necessary to mus ter our forces for nation defense" General Pershing states in communi- cation accompanying his announcement of the day.
 "Our plans are not secret, as the methods of organization and the sue cess of the system require the co-Opera- tion of communities and the voluntary action of individuals. The defense test" will be demonstration of our military organization and plans of our dependence upon the great body of citizen-soldiers, supported by the pa triotism of every community throughout the land.
 "In past emergencies we have had no plans, and, relying upon hastily ere ated forces, we have suffered from the confusion incident to sudden expansion. Now that a scheme has been devised to carry out the terms of the national defense act, we purpose to afford the people an opportunity to become fla miliar with the principles upon which it is founded. The keynote of any military plan is organization. This test will be a tryout for our small reg ular forces and the national guard, but more especially will it show the pre- liminary steps required for the promp utilization of our large reserve force of patriotic citizens.
 In the World war after enormous expenditures, and serious loss of time in construction and in transportation, we eventually concentrated masses of untrained individuals in q few centers distant from home ties and associa- tiOns, where they were segregated and trained with the most difficulty.
 We hope by this defense test to impress upon the individual officer and soldier his particular function If war comes. We have never before under taken such a step in instruction, and in the last emergency we found our selves in a very serious dilemma. NOW we are trying LO euuCulc CaNh AHS in practical way, so that when the time comes, if it should come, he will not expect someone to lead him by the hand and point out what he should do, or, perhaps, even do it for them.
 Idea Outlined
 'The idea is to suggest to the officers their respective duties and undertake to indicate just enough to enable them to visualize the problem for themselves. When we went into the World war everything was confusion; nobody ap- preciated the task, and it is little won der that there was so much lost mo- tion, we propose to make beginning now in the hope that we may avoid the hopeless confusion of past efforts.
 ''All of this, then, has for its pur- pose the demonstration to the Amerl- can people that it is necessary to have some preliminary organization in order to avoid the danger of delay if war comes. We want the people to realize the expediency and the wisdom-in fact, the necessity of having some sort of foresight in this matter. We expect them all to participate in this defense test, and in some suitable manner cele- brate the day in commemoration of the victory of the American army at St. Mihiel."