Evening star., 1943-02-14
In Virginia's School of Military Government

even when We are dealing with hostile
populace. Subject to military neces-
sity, says the Basic Field Manual of
Military Government, the rule should
be "just, humane and as mild as prac-
ticable, and the welfare Of the people
governed should always be the aim Of
every person engaged therein" The man
ual adds that "as military government
is executed by force, 1t is incumbent
upon those who administer it to be
strictly guided by the principles of JUS
tice, honor and humanity-virtues
adorning soldier even more than
other men for the very reason that he
possesses the power of his arms
against the unarmed"
The civil affairs section, while 1t has
the responsibility so long as the military
remains, will welcome any civilian aid
1t can get-from the Red Cross, the
Lehman Commission on Foreign Re-
habilitation and the Board of Economic
Warfare or any other interested organ
ization, governmental or private.
Men Carefully Chosen.
1t is doubtful whether any section Of
the Army picks its men as carefully.
Officers sent to the school, most Of
them already in various branches Of
the service, range in rank from cap
tain to colonel. The school also is
allowed to commission in the Specialist
Reserve and enroll a certain number
from civil life with exceptional quail
fications There were more than 1000
applications. for the course that began
last month. The War Department
selected $50.
Demonstrated administrative ability
Of a high order is required 1t is not
enough, the commandant. Gen. Wick
ersham explained, for a man to have
had some experience along this line.
He must have been exceptionally sue
cessful in his field Foreign languages
also are stressed. The officer who can
speak the language of the country to
which he Is assigned always has an
advantage, and many of the candi-
dates speak one foreign language or
more. Engineers lawyers with admin
istrative background, public health ex-
ecutives, fiscal experts, economists and
welfare executives are needed particu-
larly. Those who know some country
important in the global conflict or who
have travelled widely enough to have
absorbed knowledge of several countries
are In demand. A good many of the
students have been officials of States,
counties or municipalities. Necessarily
most Of the officers are older men, Of
ripe experience.
Gen. Wickersham is a distinguished
lawyer, who served in France during
the last war and won the Distinguished
Service Medal and the Legion of Honor.
He is an ex-president of the Joint Con-
ference on Legal Education in the State
Of New York and member of the coun-
Gil and Executive Committee of the
American Law Institute. He is enthu-
siastic over the school, particularly, as
he explains, because 1t is pioneering
work.
The assistant commandant is Col
Frank H. Hastings and 1t. Col. Hardy
Cross Bullard, former assistant dean Of
the Virginia Law School and director Of
the Virginia Institute Of Public Al
fairs, is director of instruction. Mem
bers of the faculty include Prof. Arnold
Wolfers of Yale University, special ad-
wiser on Germany; DR.. Hugh S. Borton
Of the State Department, lecturer on
Japan, and Maj. Henry r Rowell ad-
visor on italy. The visiting lecturers
have included such authorities as 1t. Col.
I've n nf
of public health at Yale, and DR.. Edwin
E. Witte, professor of economics at the
University of Wisconsin, There are
many others who come for occasional
lectures. The school has used over
1000 documents of recent information,
and borrowed more than 5000 books
from 80 Libraries, and has purchased
approximately 1000 other volumes. The
catalogue numbers more than 5000
items. There are $500 maps.
The current class includes Maj. Ralph
Waldo Mendelssohn of the Medical
Corps formerly medical adviser to the
old Siamese government authority on
tropical medicine; Maj John Dawes
Ames, editor and publisher of the Chi
cago Journal of Commerce; Capt. John
B. Stetson, former Ambassador to Po-
land and a pilot in the last war, and
Maj James H. Angleton. executive of
the National Cash Register Co, who
represented it in italy for years.
Among the students are two British
officers. ten Marine Corps officers. one
Navy commander and four surgeons
from the United States Public Health
Service,