Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-30

Inc problem has not reached the
surface of public discussion for a
strange reason. The college presi-
dents have felt the sting of criticism
that educational institutions were
alleged Ravens for draft dodgers and
it has been duly asserted by Army
men that the public wouldn't stand
for any discrimination in favor of
college students because their eco
nomic situation is supposedly better
than other 10 to 20 year olds.
So the executives of collegiate in
situations muzzled themselves and
because they have involuntarily &C
cepted the hush-hush policy, a
surgical operation is about to be
performed on American colleges
which not merely may set American
education back a decade or more,
but may fail to give the Army the
kind of intelligent officer personnel
which large military establish
ment really needs.
Nays Attitude Different.
The Navy, on the other hand,
seems to have handled it's educa-
tional relationships not only more
sensibly than the Army for the
present war, but with an eye to the
large personnel of officers who will
be needed for the postwar period.
The Navy isn't trying to set up a
system of new educational inStitu-
tons designed for military use, but
is ready to let the educational insti-
buttons adapt themselves to the edu-
cational requirements known to be
useful in the making of officers.
The Army's difficulty springs from
some queer idea born in the military
mind, that the thing to do with all
students is to withdraw them from
their courses of study, give them
three months basic training and
then send selected group back to
college. This means that pre-
medical and engineering students,
for example, and others in the
sciences would have their work
interrupted while the Army got
them all mixed up in regiments
after which they would have to go
back and try to make up for lost
time. Pre-medical students don't
need military training, nor do some
Of the other scientific classes.
Then there is the question of
teaching. The Army is clamoring
for professors to teach in certain
special schools the very subjects
in which the colleges could better
prepare the young men before they
ever go to camp. The college presi-
dents realize that college -as-usual
Is out for the duration of the war,
but they see no reason why the
system cannot be utilized so that
the selecting can be done by the
Army and Navy on the campus.
Then officer material could be deter
mined on the spot and arrange
ments made for uninterrupted study.
Macarthur Sought Change.
One of the tragic aspects of the
muddle that is rapidly developing
over the whole problem of how to
handle the student question is the
expressed view of certain high off,
Gals that college men make no bet
ter officers than any other young
men. Gen. Macarthur, when chief
Of staff, didn't think so; in fact,
he tried to revise the curriculum at
West Point so as to produce not so
many of the technically or rigidly
trained type. He urged that re-
sourceful and broad-gauged indi-
viduals be developed who could ad-
lust themselves quickly TO any
emergency.
1t had been thought that in this
war men with the background of
higher education would play
greater part in mobilizing the big