Transmitted to the Legislature April 7, 1919 [Vol. 19] 17 and 18 years of age. In the following discussion, only facts and arguments pertaining to those ages will be presented. We ask, therefore, what qualities should be evolved in boys during this period in order to produce the best citizens. Obviously the boy citizen must possess certain mental, moral and physical requirements. Intellectually he should develop an alert mind, he should be a good mixer and have a democratic attitude toward his boy world on the basis of simple human fellowship. As a citizen, his moral obligations involve primarily self-control, obedience to properly constituted authority, a group spirit as contrasted with mere gregarious instincts, and finally a spirit of service to the State as contrasted with mere egotism and self-preservation. Physically his qualifications may be most easily summed up in the phrase "a sound body." These mental, moral and physical characteristics are to help him perform the duties of citizenship which cover both civil and military life. It is obvious, however, that the civil duties of a citizen claim more time and strength than the military duties, except in rare and in the future more rare periods of war. THIS MILITARY TRAINING LAW VERSUS UNIVERSAL MILITARY TRAINING The Committee desires to emphasize, at the outset, the fact that this report deals only with military training for boys 16, 17 and 18 years of age. This has no connection whatever with the problem of universal military service for boys beyond that age. The abolition of the law under discussion would in no way affect the establishment of military service for older boys. Many individuals and organizations which approve of later military service, have gone on record as opposed to technical military training for boys of 16, 17 and 18 years of age. Military training is not given to boys of this age in Switzerland where the system of general military training is acknowledged to be so good. Indeed, even in Germany boys of this age are not so trained. [Vol. 19] Transmitted to the Legislature April 7, 1919 MILITARY TRAINING LAW WHAT IT Is With these necessary qualifications for citizenship in mind as a goal, let us inspect the military training law that we may judge of its effectiveness. What does this law prescribe for boys 16, 17 and 18 years of age? It gives to the Military Training Commission the following powers: 1. To recommend to the Regents a program of physical training for all schools. 2. To prepare a course of military training for all boys in the State 16, 17 and 18 years of age. 3. To inspect physical and military training. 4. To subscribe rules for compulsory attendance at periods of military training. 5. To regulate individual exemptions from military training. 6. To maintain courses of instruction for teachers and physical instructors and cooperate with colleges and Federal authorities in maintaining courses. AIM OF THE LAW Evidently the purpose of the law is to give definite technical military instruction and adequate physical education to all boys of the specified age in the State with the exception of certain groups that were given exemption on the ground that they were engaged in an industry essential to the State. There are 300,000 boys over 16 and under 19 in the State. MOTIVE FOR FRAMING THE LAW The question as to the motive for the framing of such a law is more difficult to answer. Was the controlling consideration the exigency of the war, or did the State intend to establish a novel and permanent policy of giving military training to adolescent lads? If this law was framed for the exigency of war, its use is over. If its purpose was to establish a permanent policy, we should ask how far it has fulfilled that purpose. Transmitted to the Legislature April 7, 1919 SCOPE OF THE LAW [Vol. 19] The law, as administered, prescribes technical military drill lasting one and a half hours a week, and given in an armory. Is this enough to develop the physique of the boy, and to teach any adequate knowledge of the technique of military drill? Again, does this reach all of the people intended. There are 300,000 boys of the specified age in the State of New York. EXEMPTIONS All boys, however, engaged in an industry which is considered essential to the State are exempt from the operation of this law. This exemption applies to a larger number of boys than might be expected. As a matter of fact, the Military Training Commission reported that training is being given to only 77,000 boys. This means that the law, at present, reaches less than one-third of those whom it is intended to reach. Furthermore, it is just these boys who are in industry who need the best care physically. And they are the very ones who receive no benefit from the law. The Commission reports that they have thus far enrolled 200,000 out of the 300,000 boys of the specified age in the State. One hundred and seventy thousand of these 200,000 are employed. These working boys may file an application for exemption, which is granted by the Military Training Commission if the industry is considered to be one essential to the State. Since training is being given to only 77,000 boys out of an enrollment of 200,000, it is evident that 123,000 boys are exempt for some reason. Undoubtedly most of these exemptions are cases of employed boys. In other words, it appears that about 123,000 out of 170,000 employed boys receive no training under the law. The Military Training Commission's Vocation Bureau sent out a questionnaire for the enrollment of all boys 16, 17 and 18 years of age. One hundred and seventy thousand replies have been received thus far. The questionnaire contained 42 questions dealing with the education of these boys both mental and physical—and with their success and their ambitions in industrial life. The chief value of the questionnaire is the great influence it should have [Vol. 19] Transmitted to the Legislature April 7, 1919 on our estimate of education for these and for future boys, especially on the problem of giving education which shall fit them for industry. It is evident that such data properly belongs to the Department of Education rather than to any department whose functions are military in character. ADMINISTRATION OF THE LAW The Military Training Law is administered by the Military Training Commission. The instructors are usually army officers. The boys are sent to the armories to receive training. The exponents of the Military Training Law claim certain specific advantages for this method of physical training. ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF THE MILITARY TRAINING LAW These may be summed up under three headings: First. This form of training is already established and, therefore, provides some immediate definite relief which they say is better than unfinished plans for the future. The opponents of the law, on the other hand, claim that the present law is inadequate and should, therefore, be changed even at the cost of loss of time. Second. Those who favor the present military training law claim that it gives the only suitable and adequate preparation for the duties of the soldier, in time of war. Two answers are given to In the first place, they this point by those who oppose the law. say, we may justly assume that wars are becoming less frequent and, therefore, the military duties of the citizen relatively less important. In the second place, the opponents of the law state that even though technical military training may be necessary for boys over 18 years of age, such training is not the best preparation when given during the ages of 16 to 18, inclusive. Third. The third advantage claimed by those who favor the law, is the fact that this training teaches the boy that he owes a service to the State. Those who oppose the law claim that the idea of service to the State may be inculcated equally well by other methods a few weeks in a summer camp, for instance, where the boys wore the uniform of the State and were being trained by and for the State. Transmitted to 'the Legislature April 7, 1919 [Vol. 19] ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE MILITARY TRAINING LAW The objections usually advanced against the Military Training Law as it now exists are nine in number, and may be summarized as follows: 1. Present training interferes needlessly with the regular school curriculum because it is administered by outside officials, representing a different department of the State. If physical training were in the hands of the Department of Education, adjustments could be made in the time schedule which would save much time and which are now impossible. Under the present plan, the training is given at the convenience of the Military Training Commission. This is bad from two points of view. In the first place, the principle of double or divided authority is pernicious in itself. In the second place, the practical interruptions in the school work, due to a clash of schedules are wasteful. This could be avoided if the work were all under the control of one department. Boys are sent to the armories when they are most needed at school. Time is wasted going back and forth. The result of this arrangement is an increase in red tape and a decrease in efficiency. 2. The kind of obedience which is fostered in military training is not the kind that lasts. It is a temporary subjection of the will, which often leads to greater disobedience when direction is removed. Obedience is splendid when it is freely rendered or motivated, as in the case of war, when a man puts his will into submission because he wants to serve to the best of his ability. As soon as the motive disappears, obedience becomes irksome. We find that students who have attended military schools often react when the influence commanding obedience is removed. 3. The training given lasts one and a half hours a week. This is too brief to be adequate either for physical development or for military knowledge. If the training is inadequate, obviously the time thus spent is wasted. 4. For this kind of training the teachers are, and must be, army officers. These men have rarely had any pedagogical training. They are not really fitted to train young boys, since they lack technical skill in imparting knowledge to boys, and since they usually represent an atmosphere of sternness and formality |