The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-30

The SUBJECT RGSOlVed that all
is year olds in this country should
receive compulsory military edu-
cation during peace time" was
spiritedly debated by two three
man teams at yesterdays meeting
of the Wilmington Exchange Club
at the Friendly Restaurant.
The judges, Roy Phillips, Lloyd
Moore and DR. Edwin Keever,
awarded the decision to the affir-
NATIVE side which was represented
by Exchangites DR.. Guy Pigford,
Moses Guild end J. B. Edwards.
Speakers for the negative were
Louis Weinbert, Leo Sykes and
Robert Bell.
Speaking from his former ex-
perience as an Army physician, DR..
Pigford, stressed the fact that
army life and training would be
beneficial to the health of our
young men.
Moses Guild urging members of
the Exchange to write Congress
asking for legislation covering COM
pulsory military training pointed
out the fact that training our young
men IN peace time would act as
a program of preparedness in the
event of future war.
Stating that Wilmington is the
only city in the state of North Caro-
lima that gives high school R.O.T.C.
training, J. 3. Edwards explained
the fine factor of discipline deriv-
ed from military education. He al
so argued that since many high
school graduates are two young
emotionally to gain the full bene-
fits of a college education, year
of military training would help
them to mature physically and
mentally before they began a ca
reer, or entered an institution of
higher learning.
Speaking on the negative side of
the question, Louis Weinberg re-
futed the affirmative arguments
by stating that discipline really
begins in the home and went on
to explain that the average youth
of this country gets some SEM
blance of military discipline
through membership in the Boy
Scouts, participation in high school
R.O.T.C., and from there on has
the opportunity of continuing to
military school or to West Point
or Annapolis. Arguing against the
word compulsory" in the pro-
posed legislation, Mr.. Weinberg
pointed out tha' the European
countries who long had pursued a
policy of three years of compul-
sorry military training were noto-
riously agressor nations.
Asking instead for government
endowed colleges and universities
where boy could get an education
in a profession such as the medi-
cal or dental profession in addition
to military training, he stated that
with this procedure, it would not
be necessary fol an 10 year old
to lose one year during which he
could prepare for his future ca
reer.
Leo Sykes too stressed his OBJ
lection to the inclusion of the word
compulsory in any program of mil
itary training and went on to ex-
plain that the success of the high
school R.O.T.C. program lay in
the fact that it was purely volun-
tary. Showing how the methods
learned in military training very
often became antiquated before
they were put into use on the
battlefield, he proceeded to refute
the arguement that year of
peacetime army training would
provide this country with a back
log of trained fighting men in the
event of 4 future war.
Robert Bell. continuing the de-
bate for the negative stated Com
pulsory is the opposite of Demo
cracy." He suggested that large