Evening star., 1934-09-18
MILITARY SERVICE
FROM 5 TO 3 IS
DECREED
Children Will Be Prepared
by Fascist Groups to
Bear Arms.
LIAlS0N BODY ORGANIZED
TO FORM ARMED NATION
Military Culture Courses to Be
Instituted in High Schools
and Colleges.
BY the Associated Press.


ROME, September 18.-Compulsory
military service for Italians, beginning
at the age of 8 and continuing to the
age of SO, was decreed today by the
council of ministers in probably the
most sweeping military law ever
passed in history.
Declaring "the functions of citi-
zen and Of soldier are not dividable
in the Fascist state" the council Gre
ated the three following categories OF
compulsory military training.
/. Preliminary-Beginning at the
age of years.
2. MISUNDERSTANDING at the age
OF 81 years.
3. Post Continuing for 10
years after the military phase is con-
cluced.
Training in Two Divisions.
With reference to youths, the coun-
Gil declared that by this decree, boys
from the time they are 8 years old
until they are called to arms at 81
will be prepared spiritually, physically
and militarily by the civil organization
of the Fascist Balilla and by the Fas-
they enter the armed forces, they can
dedicate themselves exclusively to war
like professional and specialized train
ing in arms.
The youth training is divided into
two divisions: First, to 18; second,
18 to 81.
The council instituted liaison body
between the armed forces and all or
ganizations which will cooperate in
"the formation of an armed nation"
and will place an army corps general
at the body's head.
Aim to Instill MilitariSm.
Premier Mussolini presided over the
council, which announced:
THE purpose of the first stage OF
compulsory premilitary training Is to
give boys a passion for military life
through frequent contacts with the
armed forces whose warlike glories and
traditions will be re-evoked."
The purpose of the second stage OF
premilitary training, it was announced,
is ito perfect the spiritual, physical
and military training of young man
so as to form soldier physically and
technically prepared as an individual
and to prepare the specialized element
of which the armed forces have SO
much need-especially the navy and
air force"
At the age of 18 an Italian, the
Council decreed, is to be regarded as
a soldier. From that age he is obliged
to bear arms.
Until the age of 81 he still is under
the Jurisdiction of the Fascist organi-
zation, but at 81 he comes under the
Jurisdiction Of the army.
Dependency of Mussolini.
The new liaison organization Is
made a direct dependency Of Premier
Mussolini.
Post-military training, said the
Council, is ito keep alive in the re-
servists the military spirit and the de-
yotion to the regiment and to keep
men of the specialized division in
structed in the use Of new materials
and tactics" =.
The decree continued: "PoSt-mil1-
tary instruction is obligatory for men
I'D to the tenth year succeeding that
on which they were dismissed from
the army"
This instruction will be given on
Sundays and holidays and during the
annual period of the recall to arms
Employers were forbidden to impede
or to place obstacles in the way oil
their employees frequent post-military
instruction.
In addition to the foregoing, the
council decided on the institution OF
courses in military culture in all high
schools and colleges.
Culture Will Be Completed.
Said the council:
The general culture Of students
VINO are destined in the future to con-
stitute the middle and ruling classes
of the country will thus be cppor-
tunely completed by adequate mill
tary cultural preparation, which will
permit the best utilization of each one
in the officers rank of the state
armed forces.
"The military notion with which
each young man will be furnished by
the time he begins his military serv-
ice will permit him to devote the
little time available to the exclusively
practical part of his training"
This military cultural training will
begin with the scholastic year which
starts two weeks from now. 1t will
occupy 20 hours of each scholastic
year.
Curriculum Established.
The council established a regular
curriculum for this Spring, as follows:
Military history, centering particular
ly on Italy's part in the World War;
how armed forces are constituted and
their purposes; characteristics Of ter
rain from a military viewpoint; how
to read a typographical map; an ex-
animation of Italian frontiers; a COM
parative examination of the armed
forces Of the principal modern ma
tions.
The military culture course was
made obligatory, and students cannot
be promoted to higher classes or re-
ceive degrees without having followed