Evening star., 1932-02-08


Soviet is predicated on the conception
that the next war will be one of
peoples rather than armies There will
be no civilians in it, all will be SOL
diers. Aviation, chemistry, far-strik-
ing artillery, will wipe out the diff
ference between front and rear
Because of the hly-industrialized
nature of future military operations,
the factory will become as much 4
theater of war as the trenches We
tory will go to the nation with the
Soviet schools are dedicated to the
service of both industry and army.
Education Is Technical.
Education in the Soviet union as
sumes a technical aspect the moment
| the pupil leaves the grade schools. The
very name for high school in Russia
today is 'technicum." Virtually all
secondary schools are affiliated with in
| dustry.
The oil industry supports technicums
where boys and girls with an interest in
oil obtain their book education along
with practical study of the industry in
which they will later seek their live
! lihood There are technicums affiliated
with the automobile industry, aviation,
with machine and tractor plant There
are agricultural technicumS in Connec-
ton with the huge collectivized or gov
ernment-owned farms.
Military education begins even earlier.
The training of the citizen soldier
starts with the childs entry into grade
school at the age of 7.
Part of Five-Year Plan.
Military training of the type which
in other countries is reserved exclusive
ly for students of military colleges was
made an integral part of the general
! school curriculum in the Soviet union
at the inauguration of the five-year
plan. This policy acquired added scope
in July, 1880, from the all-RuSSian con-
gress for military training in public ana
| higher schools. The congress, under
| the guidance of the war department
and the commiSSariat of education, has
greatly intensified the military program
for each of the three types OF schools
grade, secondary and universities.
From each category the government
requires: "A minimum of military
| training of a character that can be put
| to practical use at any time The
high spots in the program for each
follow:
The grade schools look after the
physical development of children with
view to their subsequent army fit
ness. Military discipline is maintained
in all schools. All children must be
sufficiently trained in war science to
become liaison agents between the
army and the home They must be
| impregnated with the idea that war
may come at any time; they should be
directed to inoculate their elders with
the same expectation OF war.
In secondary schools, military educa-
ton becomes more specialized. Here,
direct pre-army training is the order.
These schools are expected to turn out
Youths who can be designated with
the military classification individual
, soldier"
{ In the third category, the universities
are directed to turn out subordinate Of
ficerS for army, navy and air.
Training Held Important.
The extent to which universities and
higher technical and professional
schools have assumed an Importance as
military colleges is attested by the fact
that the director of military science at
such an institution also has the rank
of assistant to the president or chan
cellor of the institution.
The militarization of the Soviet
unions educational system has gone
ahead rapidly since Stain assumed
dictatorial sway over the country. IL
was Lenin, however, who originated the
plans Stain is carrying through.
The essence of Lenin's credo was
that the new Russian state, operating
! challenge to the rest OF the world.
Bol:hevism and capitalism, he averred,
can never function side by side. One
must swallow the other. But until this
occurs. Lenin predicted "A series Oh
terrible conflicts between the Soviet re-
public and the rest of the world is un-
avoidable."
THE fairy tale about the world war
having been the last war" Lenln
warned his followers, lis ridiculous ana
dangerous
BE on guard; take care of the Red
army as if it were the apple OF your
! eye" was another of his slogans:
The remaking of Russia milltarlly rs
we'll as economically by its young
people. its children, was one of Lenln S
fixed IDEAS, His widow, Nine Krup-
skaya. to the present day is devoting
all her time to this plan to have the
Young generation regenerate Russia
! economically and spiritually as well rs
! militarily.
Captious About Own Country.
Critical as LeninN was Of western
civilization, which he dubbed I'M
perialist capitalist" he was no less
! captious about the absence OF appre-
ciable symptoms of civilization IN his
own country.
The lack in the Russian nature OF
order, concreteness and practically, the
want of persistent methodical applica-
ton. the tendency to talk and dream
endlessly to put off until tomorrow
what should be done today, were con-
stantly emphasized by Lenin to his
disciples. He feared for the success of
the revolution they created, for their
dream of establishing socialist state,
if these tendencies were not counter
acted in the new generation. The chill
dren of the Soviet union, Lenin warned,
must not be infected with the ,indolence
of their parents.
| He advocated as the corner stone OF
the new Soviet educational system "a
military technical background for
every Russian pupil. This has evolved
into the present system of militarized
! Will Rogers |