The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-09-24
Liberal Viewpoint
IL DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNEs,


WITH the opening Of the schools and COL
w leges comes the returning activity Of
the r. o. T. C.-the busting of Of uniforms.
the polishing Of buttons and buckles, the in
duction Of thousands Of young civilians, more
or less reluctant into the ranks, and their in
PRODUCTION to that branch OF liberal culture
known as military science and tactics.
Comes also the annual protest on the part
Of some Of the boldest against this form Of
peace-tIme concription. with inarticulate and
grumblng acquleSence on the part Of
others, and much discussion in the liberal
and religious press Of liberty of conscience
and the right Of conscientious DIRECTORS to pre-
pare themselves for the vocations of peace
without simultaneously lending themselves to
the preparation Of war"
The Christian Century thus leads of an
excellent editorial article on the "R. o. T. c.
An Educational ~Gold-Bric We also are
favored with an excellent study of the r O.
T. G. by Professor Willard L. Nash Of Column
bia university. New trouble at Ohio State
university long a center of dispute over this
matter gives the subject more than seasonal
interest.
The advocates Of the r. o. T. c. allege
in its defense that the nation must be ready
for war; that large potential citizen army is
DEGbCI llId4A q SldA4I4IlS army anu lIdG JIl6
best way in which to prepare for this large
citizen army is to train officers in advance of
hostilities.
THE first Of these contentious is largely a
i matter of opinion. The second is the sub
ject of a warm debate even among military
authorities. The third seems to be refuted
by experience and even by our war depart
ment.
Tho e,loerie,oce IF rho World uyor o,,o,,lv
proved that under present conditions warfare
changes so rapidly in nature that those who
are trained in terms Of existing military tech
nique are quite untitled to deal with new
methods of warfare. This is likely to be even
more true in the case of the next war, which,
in all probability, will be primarily an air and
chemical war.
Moreover, the R. o. T. c. does not offer
adequate training for officers even in terms
of existing military methods The secretary
of war himself said in his annual report for
1881 that students who take the R. o. T. G.
course for four years receive only the equiva-
lent of four months of continuous instruction
and require much further training in order to
fit them for performance of duties"
The advocates of military training in COL
leges do not, however rest their case entirely
upon the military arguments. They hold that
the r. o. T. G. has marked advantages in
physical training, training for leadership, dis
cipline, and education for citizenship. 1t is
not difficult to refute these contentious.
Our colleges have well equipped gym
nasluns. Properly differentiated classes under
skillful physical directors can produce in
fnitely more satisfactory physical training
than military drill.
MILITARY training may fit one for mill
I'VE tary leadership, but military leadership is
something quite different from leadership in a
democratic society. 1t is based upon "the
habit Of obedience to superiors and the de-
mand of strict obedience from interiors" This
might be highly suitable to a Fascist society,
but it is certainly highly inappropriate to one
where liberalism and democracy still have
dominant place
Likewise, with discipline, military discipline
is officially defined as the quality possessed by
efficient soldiers which causes each to appre-
ciate and accept without question the powers
and limitations of his rank and makes obedi-
ence to lawful superiorS a second nature" A
favorite manual of military training defines it
as the habit of instantaneous and instructive
obedience under any and all circumstances"
This stands in direct opposition to the eX-
hortation of President Roosevelt when he spoke
to the youth of the land as follows: i hope
that great many have been trained to pursue
truths relentlessly and to look at them cour-
ageOusly e. The country needs and unless l
mistake its needs the country demands, bold,
persistent experimentation"
How we'll the r. o. T. c. trains for citizen
ship in a democracy. can be discerned by turn
ing to the Manual on Citizenship" used for
instruction, which literally denounces democ-
racy as breeder of "demagogism, license, agi-
tation discomfort and anarchy" 1t certainly
attacks by implication everything embodied in
President Roosevelts New Deal, and denounces
bitterly and directly the enlightened spirit of
internationalism, such as is expounded for eX-
ample by Cordell Hull secretary of state.