Evening star., 1945-11-01
Letters to the Editor
Compares Compulsory Education
With Military Service

w lui NliAtui oSl Ni@S
To the Editor OF The Star:
Lowell Mellett's comparison in The
Star of peacetime conscription with re-
quired attendance at school, calls for
further consideration. He has performed
a service in his admirable column by
bringing this issue into the open. Let
us make comparison.
First, take required attendance at
school, 1t applies to young children,
not to men at 18 or over who are face
to face with getting established in life.
School attendance does not take the
child out of his home, away from his
parents, and away from his community
and local church. The school require
ment does not insist that the child at
tend any particular school--he may go to
a Catholic school or Lutheran school
or any kind of private school which
meets reasonable standards. Whatever
school he attends is in charge Of persons
responsible to the community. Educa-
ton Is guided growth. 1t does not seek
to force the child, but in cooperation
with the home and local church and
neighborhood to build his natural en-
dowment into the finest possible we'll
rounded character. The common free
school, more than any other institution
Is close to the people, responsible and
responsive to their wishes, and devoted
to the ideals Of the golden rule and the
brotherhood Of man.
His View of Conscription.
Second, take conscription. 1t proposes
to go into every home, community,
church and school and by force to take
from those homes and communities
their mature young men, to put them
under military law, in charge Of officers
not selected by the community and not
responsible to 1t. 1t proposes to put
these young men in charge of an Army
hierarchy whose whole outlook, training,
experience and faith are associated with
the use OF force and the conviction that
force and only force can maintain peace.
1t is proposed to give these young men
training in the art Of killing, which in
many cases will destroy the very finest
elements of their manhood 1t proposes
to give them training in citizenship"
Army style which by its very nature is
totalitarian and medieval. Every young
man is to be exposed to life which as
any one familiar with such life knows
multiplies drinking, gambling and
prostitution.
In a nutshell the fundamental differ
ence between educational philosophy and
military philosophy is this: Education
asks, What is right? What is best? and
allows wide freedom. The military asks,
Who's boss? and Who's STRONGEST One
builds democracy. the other destroys 1t
and always will The day the United
States adopts conscription, II 1t should
do so, which I do not believe it will,
would mark the beginning of the end of
American democracy and would be q
black day in the life Of humanity every
where. Conscription would be a con-
slant threat to our personal rights,
political liberties and representative
institutions.
Sees No Need to Hurry.
This is not a matter that needs to
be decided hurriedly. We can afford to
wait until the shape of things to come
is clearer; until the United Nations
Organization is In operation and We can
know our obligations under it; until
sincere effort can be made under Repre-
sentative Martins bill for a world con-
ference on the limitation of armaments;
until plans can be evolved for whatever
peacetime program is needed in form
that will not destroy our democracy and
produce riots and rebellion, and until
the issues can be thoroughly discussed
and considered in at least one congress
sional election.
Nothing could be more foolish than to
try to rush this issue through Congress
before Christmas to avoid the next elec-
tion. The issue should 60 over into the
next congressional election and it will
60 over unless its proponents drop It,
Even the passage of conscription by
Congress would not prevent that, but
would merely make certain that the
question would be an issue in every
congressional election until it was re-
pealed. Members of Congress know this
They know that the people will hold
them accountable and will not forget
The people will not forget because they
will be reminded year after year as
families are broken up, men taken from
farm, Office, store and community when
most needed. They will be reminded
when their sons who wish to 60 to college
and to prepare for the professions are
delayed in their careers. The people
will not stand for conscription in the
form in which the Army hierarchy is
trying to ram it down their throats by
methods which reveal all too well how
much respect many Army men have for
the democratic processes. We are all
proud Of the part our Army leaders have
played In winning the war, We shall have
to look to civilians to win the peace.
JOY z. MORGAN,
Editor, Journal Of the National Edu-
cation Association.
Is History Repeating?
To the Editor Of The Star:
s.-k - T. III