-Defense Courses Little Value> Poll Shows
(Editor’s; note: Following is the second part of an
article describing the results of a poll conducted
by the Daily Maroon, University of Chicago student
daily, on the status of the college and college stu
dent in the war program. The first part of the article
which appeared yesterday dealt principally with
the ROTC program. Today’s section deals principally
with changes in the college curricula made in con
formity with the war program.
The University of Oregon was one of the four
Pacific coast colleges polled. The other three were
University of Washington, Stanford University, and
University of California.)
# =K= % #
rJ''HE main “defense course” which swept the
country after the war broke out on December
7 was of the physical conditioning type, according
to a survey made by the Daily Maroon. Almost
every school in the country reports some kind of
emphasis on physical conditioning. That physical
conditioning is an insufficient substitute for basic
military training is clear on two counts. First of all
it is clear that being in fine physical condition will
not make a man a good engineer unless he has
had an engineering training.
It calinot be expected that a fine physical condi
tion will make a man a good soldier unless he has
had some military training. It is true that being
physically fit will increase the learning capacity of
something like military drill, in that the trainee
will not fall over from exhaustion at the third
time the command “to the rear march” is given.
At best, physical conditioning can only be a prelude
to military training. It cannot be a substitute. The
second count on which physical conditioning is
insufficient is evidenced by the fact that several
college editors report that student interest is peter
ing out in these courses, and close order drill and
bayonet movements have been introduced to
vitalize them.
# # # it
'JMIE main argument used in favor of physical
conditioning in the colleges is that proposed
military training is “skimpy,” to quote Editor
Caulfield of the Columbia Daily Spectator. The same
school that on December 12 reported 400 men
petitioning for basic training reports on February
4. “No student pressure for basic military drill
because of the skimpiness of such training.”
President Franklin Bliss Snyder of Northwestern
university lias been quoted as saying that this uni
versity would concentrate on physical conditioning
because of a similar opinion of improvised military
training. What seems to be in the minds of the
people condemning this type of training is the
student army training corps of World War I.
# * * #
COLLEGE editors also report that their schools
arc teaching Japanese, Portugese, “military
German,” military French,” Russian. Arabic, Ital
ian, Turkish, and classes in cryptography have al
ready been introduced in two schools and similar
courses are slated to appear in six more curricula.
Psychology departments have taken on signifi
cance by offering “pre-service” training in “mili
tary psychology,” “propaganda psychology,”
“morale psychology,” and the “psychological
causes of war.”
Other courses that were reported to The Daily
Maroon are courses in “the sociology of war,” “the
economics of war,” “naval history,” “military
history,” and courses in navigation and meteor
ology are standard in almost every curriculum.
Highly specialized skill courses have heavy en
rollments. College men are being trained in “quick
computation methods,” “ballistics,” “electronic
chemistry.” “ Pacific gegraphy,” “military car
tography,” “aerial* photography,” “practical
telephony,” “ship drafting,” “first aid,” “stress
analysis,” and “truck driving.”
* * # #
JN answer to the student and public demands for
pre-induction military training, the educational
institutions have offered these courses, but what
they have not offered is any assurance that the men
taking these courses will ever have the chance to
use what they learn in the army. These courses
are given entirely without army supervision and
for the most part without army consultation. They
have been instituted by the colleges and universities
themselves in their hasty effort to provide some
kind of war training.
On Friday, January 30, The Harvard Crimson
published an editorial entitled, “Information,
Please” which raised this question of special “de
fense courses” leading to army or navy practic
ability and even more bluntly, leading to a com
mission. “With second semester only three days
away,” the editorial says, “the very relevant ques
tion of what courses are acceptable to specialized
army departments has been unanswered. Most of
the new courses were organized without army
supervision and by instructors who lacked first
hand acquaintance with the details of army require
ments. Speed-up courses in languages and sciences
have been arranged, based on general knowledge
that physicists and interpreters are needed.
“But many of these courses have been announced
without hinting at the physical requirements that
may disappoint a trainee after a year of study.
And insufficient attention has been paid to the
fact that none of the new courses actually guar
antee an army or navy position.”
# # * #
^JLEARLY then, certain vital factors have been
overlooked by American educational institu
tions by going all out for defense which are not
only mistraining and inadequately training stu
dents. but are endangering the life of the institu
tions themselves. Non-ROTC schools have over
looked the fact that specialized training is of no
value unless it is accompanied or preceded by
basic military training. Both ROTC and non-ROTC
schools have overlooked the fact that they are
giving specialized subjects without having any
assurance that the men they.train will ever be able
to use this training in the arm or navy.
The task of the average male undergraduate to
day is to achieve the highest possible military effec
tiveness, both for his personal satisfaction and ad
vancement, and for the general effectiveness of the
United States in winning this war.
To this average student three things are import
ant. First, his college education; second, a sound
basic pre-induction military training; and third,
some assurance that any specialized pre-induction
training he does wil be utilized by some branch
of the armed forces. The institutions are making
is easier for men to complete their requirements
for a bachelor’s degree by using various devices to
speed up the curriculum; consequently, men will
soon be able to graduate a year or two earlier
than they would normally.
# # # #
^JOLLECE editors from the following schools
report some kind of an accelerated graduation
plan: University of Oregon, Temple university,
Williams college, Colgate, Oberlin, Carleton col
lege. Amherst, Northwestern university, Notre
Dame university, University of Redlands, I)e Pauw
university, Wesleyan college, Ohio Wesleyan col
lege, Columbia university, Yale university, the Uni
versity of Michigan, and the University of Chi
cago. Students equipped with ROTC or similar
training may disregard the problem of getting basic
training. It is the non-ROTC students that must
find a means to get this kind of training if they
expect to enter the army with qualifications equal
to those of an ROTC school graduate.
There must be a close cooperation between army
and educational institutions to standardize “de
fense courses” before the college men can have
any asssurance that his specialized training will be
utilized.
The Daily Maroon has conducted this poll to
inform its readers of the general picture of pre
induction military training in this country. It was
made possible through the cooperation of 72 leading
college editors. The Maroon believes that one of the
purposes of the student newspaper is to keep col
lege youth informed. It is therefore making this
report available to the college editors who cooperat
ed in conducting the poll in the belief that college
men with the correct training can give their full
value to winning this war the quickest way possible.
G&CuloJtA' -flltOif.! . . ,
Commander Kerr
To Discuss Navy
University men who have enlisted in the naval reserve will
have a chance to learn about naval customs and traditions next
week when Commander R. E. Kerr, U. S. navy, retired, speaks
in Friendly hall next Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Commander Kerr was a member of the ROTC faculty at
Northwestern university until this year. His appearance is
sponsored by the University De
fense council and is only making
two lectures.
Potential Officers
Commander Kerr's lectures on
“Naval Customs, Traditions, and
Etiquette’’ are aimed at acquaint
ing the potential naval officers
with what they will meet in years
to come. Enlistees in either V-7
or V-5 sections are urged to at
tend the lectures. Potential en
listees and interested faculty
members have also been invited.
“The naval reservists must go
through a 30-day training period
before they aiC sent to reserve
midshipmen schools and these
lectures will be a great help to
them there,’’ commented Dr.
Howard R. Taylor, chairman of
the University Defense council
yesterday.
Commander Kerr’s lecture will
be in accordance to requests
from Washington, D. C., that the
defense council arrange talks on
naval customs and background.
After the lecture members of the
audience will be allowed to ask
Commander Kerr questions from
the floor.
Both lectures will begin at 7:15
in the faculty room of Friendly
hall. The first will be the evening
of Tuesday, February 24, and the
second will be Thursday, Febru
ary 26.
Dr. William S. Carlson, direc
tor of registration at the Uni
versity of Minensota and an ex
pert on the Arctic, has been
assigned to the bomber ferry
command as a technical adviser
on Greenland air bases.
Library Given Portrait
Of Edward S. Burgess
Three days before her death
Miss Julia Burgess presented the
University library with a picture
of her brother, Edward Sanford
Burgess, to be placed in the Bur
gess memorial room.
The picture, a family portrait,
is now hanging on the north wail
of the special room in the east
wing of the library, where the
Burgess rare books and manu
scripts are collected.
Miss Burgess inherited the col
lection on her brother’s death.
She considered the room a dedi
cation to him, she said in a note
accompanying the recent gift,
and wanted his portrait to hang
there.
Symphony Will Honor
(Continued from page one)
Chabrier. With unusual orchestra
tion, it calls for two harps, bass
drum, cymbal, triangle, and tam
bourine.
In this rhapsody, Chabrier com
bined vivacious, fiery Jota tunes
and langorous Malaguena melo
dies in triple measure.
The concert is the third in the
Greater Artist series. Students
will be admitted with their edu
cational activities cards.
In 1859 the university of North
Carolina had the second largest
student body in America.
Charles A. Duffy, 37-year-old
New York policeman, is the old
est freshman at City college.
Let us all endeavor
to serve the United
States as well today
as he served us in the
past. Everyone must
do his part.
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