Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-14
Father Approves Military
Drill in the High Schools
40 the Editor of nae star:

4 TO the Edltor OF Inc Sbar.
ITO Abolish Military Training IN
High schools Is the subject Of news
article In The Star Of the 18th. As
one who Is unalterably opposed to MILL
| tarism In the accepted sense Of the
| word, It may appear strange that I
cannot sympathize with the movement,
nor agree that 1t can result, If success
full, In any good.
When my lad Of IL tender years
shouldered q gun for the first time at
| Central High I was extremely fearful
Of the results on his character. Visions
of the hateful spirit of national enmity
and suspicion rose before me. That
the apple Of my eye should be made
and kili' was abhorrent. When he
proudly insisted on my attending his
first competitive drill and uniformed
| officers appeared on the field, other
chimeraS Of wars cruelties and bar
| bariSms tempered my enjoyment Of see
ing the little fellow trudge through the
| parades.
As time wore on, and he became more
and more interested in his cadet work,
watched anxiously for some appear
soon became evident instead Of mill
tarism. None appeared. Instead, 1t
soon became evident instead Of o mill
l
suits Of cadet training are very different
and exceedingly beneficial. The boys
learn one Of the most precious lessons Of
! all life-obedience to the powers that be.
! Another, equally valuable, Is co-opera-
| tive work In common cause; and the
/ cause is not military one, but scholas-
tic one purely. The boys strive for the
success Of their company and Of their
school. They learn team play, they
| laaPVH 20 aka AvsA e.
the good Of the whole. They learn the
value Of organization, they learn to be
good losers, to win by great effort and
to lose with gallantry. Not BY any
means least, they learn to walk cor
rectly, to hold the spinal column erect,
and the value Of tidiness Of personal
appearance. Militarism is above their
| heads.
Mr.. Raymond Wilson of the national
Is correct in stating that the training
has practically no military value. He
Is wrong in believing it results In "cre-
atins mind out Of harmony with the
| Kellogg pact" Certainly this Is not
the case in Washington. The cause of
peace and the need to eliminate the
war spirit Is too precious for its friends
to waste their time shooting at sparrows
Let them train their guns on that type
| VA ulL1lCdIy ulhLl, no IudCOGI HOW nlBO
his position, who teaches that war Is
necessary or inevitable. Therein lies
the most virulent and dangerous heresy
of thought. Let the friends Of world
peace silence the reptile press" that
daily strives to stir up enmity between
different members Of the human family,
because they exist under different flags
| and occupy different shores.
Let them inform their Representa-.
tiveS Of the houses Of Congress In
prompt and emphatic terms Of theil
displeasure at any outbreaks Of jim
| goisf11, speeches or conduct calculated
to create misunderstanding and Ill feel
ing between nations.
My other two boys have been taught
/ trust, all needed lessons Of patriotism
They have been taught to revere theil
nag, to honor the men who, through
force Of circumstances and the kind OF
world they lived IN, fought and died
TO establish liberty and human rights
They have been told that great-great-
| grandfather Of theirs fought vAliantly
| in the Army of washington, and thei1
grandfather fought three years lacking
four months for the preservation OF
the Union. They are also taught that
the world Is now entering different
| era-an era where wars are utterly IiIi-
necessary and altogether evil.
When they become old enough I trust
that both Of them have the benefit
of the splendid training Of the High
School Cadets Of washington.
ROSSEL EDWARD MITCHELL.