The Alaskan., 1931-08-28
mate elimination of cOmpulsory training from our college.
 Morale Called Vital

MI U1IC ooASSl AActllSt, ACNS1N sympathy with the militarists who fail to recognize the extent of the growing opposition, think ing to hold compulsory military training in our curriculum by dint solely of aggressive organ ized support and consequent in inhalation of those who are re sponSible for the education O. tomorroW's citizens. I lac& sympathy with these becaus9 |they are reckoning mere num- |berS as a criterion for an arm? i If they think diSpassionately, they must know that numbers never yet made an army, any more than they make cities O. nations. Morale makes a mill tary corps. had rather have a corps of 750 at the University of Wash ingtOn, every mans son of whom believed to the death in the worth of his military education, than 1,500, half of whom were indifferent or hostile to thej training. It is rare day in any year of our Lord when you can expect to make a pacifist an eff fective member of combat troops. He can be used else
 where, however. The war prov
 ed this point.
 * * * Finally, to be fundament~ ally logical, I must object to mil
 itary training as at present ad-
 ministered, because it discrim~ mates against the wOmen-or ii' favor of them, according to the, point in view. If military train ing is unnecessary for women it is not needed for men; if it is needed for men, then it is ne, cessary for women, because in any future war every available resourse of the nation will Dc
 conscripted, and the women will
 be included. They were used eff
 fectively in the last war though in nothing like the proportion
 they might have been, or will be. in event of another outbreak of hostilities. In the meantime, while so much is being said about compulsory drill for men, the women are ignored.
 !: * !; would like. to see. the State of Washington take tha lead in solution of our militarr education program. The coun try is crying for its solution. Ouc biggest men should be on the Le zion Committee. 1t is not job for small minds.
 Legion Influence Powerful I return now to my general topic, Politics and the Ameri can Legion" having considered military education as an illus tration of the type of politics that must be the prime consid eration of the Legion. I have l chosen this illustration because of it's significance in our nation al life and because of it's evil dence of need for high construc- tive leadership within the Le- zion.
 The Legion has a place in the |politics of the country. But having this place, it's members cannot merely sit in their re- spective commandery meetings and pass resolutions on matters of national importance. If they do, America will suffer. What | is more, so far as we personally are concerned, our own sons and daughters will suffer; because the Legion, organized as it is, has a voice that is being heard | in legislative halls throughout the country, and a consequent influence that is powerful.
 Political Power Feared
 ***I have only few sen- tences to utter by way of conclu sion and of caution regarding that next war. If it comes. ve ourselves probably will not be in it; but our children will. May it be caused, if it comes, by the unrighteouSneSS of some other