The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, February 09, 1913, SECTION SIX, Page 8, Image 76

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    OREGO'IAX, PORTLAND. FEBRUARY 9, 1913.
TtAOM
INL ADJy
9cfieris GolofoYctOurTidhlmdHcii.
Evenj Branch of Military Science la to Be Taught to United States Soldiers That They
May Be Able to -Compete With Modern Forcea in the field School for Officer
and Enlisted Men Teaching Aviation and Wireless Telegraphy.
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l8 a problem bo I IVftaS'C ViS'.. 1 1 IlPf XM
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BJ' WILAJAM Ij. ALTDOBFER.
IK you' want to be anything from a
cobbler to a college professor, enter
the ranks of Uncle Sra' lighters.
?o matter what your ambition may be.
you will there And opportunity to
realize It In full. In addition to re
ceiving free tuition In any trade or
profession you may choose, you will re
ceive free board and a roof over your
liead. and be paid a monthly stipend
for graciously honoring your Uncle
Samuel with your presence. For he
lias recently inaugurated schools of
all kinds in both the Army and the
Kavy that are guaranteed to,turn out
first-class mechanics, and even profes
sional men. so that when his protegesj
have given some return by way of
service in the ranks, they may return
to private life well equipped to fight
Hie battle of life.
The growth of the school system In
both the Army and the Navy has been
remarkable In recent years. Because of
the increasing opportunities offered the
young man In the 'average walk of life
today. Uncle Sam Intends to make life
In the ranks attractive, and to offer
at the. same time as many inducements
as possible to secure ambitious young
men. With this object in view, one
kind of a school after another has
been started. The schools Include
thorough courses In nearly all the
trades and many of the professions.
There are now schools for black
smiths, farriers, cooks and bakers,
stewards,, machinists, yeomen ..(which
covers the clerical branches, such as
typewriting and stenography), musi
cians, gunners, torpedo operators, vet
erinarians, wireless or radio oper
ators, aeroplane and balloon aviators,
and even correspondence schools.
Father of School System.
General William Tecumseh Sherman,
the Civil War veteran, who originated
the aphorism that "War Is hell," is
the real father of the school system in
the Army, and Colonel John F." Mor
rison Is the man who did most to bring
the Army service school up to its
present high standing. Originally this
school was Intended to supply gaps In
the early education of officers, but in
recent years it. has developed into a
school for the higher education of offi
cers. Brigadier-General WIHlam I
Marshall comes second as the origina
tor of the engineer school at Wash
ington Barracks, and Brigadier-General
Murray worked for many years to
get the coast artillery school estab
lished at Fort Monroe. Then followed
Senator EUhu Boot as the man who
was the - real force behind the Inau
guration of the War College, the high
est school of all, and last but not
least. Brigadier-General James Allen,
who put In the best years of his life
in getting the signal corps and the
aviators' school started.
The latest Innovation Is a correspond
ence school for doctors at Fort Leav
enworth. Kan. This is the first and
only attempt ever made to teaah mili
tary tactics by nialL Before a doctor
enters the Army he is supposed to be
professionally fit. No attempt la made
to teach him materia medica orsurg
ery after he la Is the Jurmft But
dead
battle
different from caring for those- who
come to a hospital, where there are
plenty of nurses, -clean beds, good op
erating rooms, and all kinds of sterll
Izlng apparatus, . that 'special training
is required.
What Doctors Mast Know.
The new correspondence course re
quires that the army doctor must know
a good deal about military history. He
must know the average number of
men disabled or killed In engagements
of various kinds, he must be prepared
to handBs different classes of wounds
resulting from saber, bayonet, artil
lery, or rifle conflicts." He must know
enough about military tactics to be
able to plan with approximate cer
tainly where a battle will occur, given
certain troop positions. A series of
military maps Is provided. These maps
show the disposition of troops in bat
tles that occurred during the Civil
War. and the correspondence school
student is required to work out a
proper scheme of hospitals on these
maps. There are many other prob
lems presented to the students by
means of this new plan, all with a
view to training the doctors to handle
their men 'and supplies to the best pos
sible advantage in time of war. From
among the doctors who go to. war at
long distance, by the correspondence
method, are picked those sent the fol
lowing year to the higher school of
Instruction. The new method of teach
ing has also been extended to the Na
tional Guard of the country, where the
medical corps haa shown greater de
velopment in the last year than any
other branch of the militia.
The mounted service school at Fort
Riley, Kan., graduates about 200 men
every year. Its department of farriery
alone enables a graduate to command
1100 a month In civil life. For the
methods are advanced, and no such in
struction is to be obtained outside the
army school. Ordinarily a blacksmith
may learn his trade In two years; here
he gets a much better training In six
months, and with far less torture of
defenseless beasts. First he practices
on a wax foot and learns to make and
manipulate a leaden horse shoe before
he is allowed to work on the horse.
Not for him the Injurious practice of
clapping a red-hot shoe on the hoof
and letting it burn lta way to a good
fit. Tet with all this nicety of prep
aration and fitting he works far more
expeditiously than your ordinary
blacksmith. Where the latter takes
an hour for the Job. he accomplishes
it in SO minutes. He la also given a
course In veterinary science and finds
In the horse's Infirmary all the most
modern appliances.
School for Cooks mad Bakers.
There are two schools for cooks and
bakers at this post, turning out about
500 men each year. Very good cooks
and bakers they are, too, equally well
versed In Indoor and outdoor cooking.
They get both theoretical and prac
tical education, with much sclentlflo
knowledge of sod values. Incidentally
the school supplies all bread, cakes.
immmmu nil i i win,.-., "qHMawtiiasfta-n n . 5 k ' ,r
43A&VMV J?3Syu-r fAre,jyt
tiles I i(
pies, etc, to the garrison and furnishes
the menu for the kitchens. ' A special
point Is the training of mess sergeants,
who order the supplies and keep the
accounts of the mess, arranging each
day's bill of fare with due regard to
variety and nourishing quality. This
latter course especially is valuable to
the man when he returns to private
life. He is fully equipped to fill a po
sition as steward or caterer for a hotel
at a salary ranging from 1100 to fSOO
a month.
The latest thing in the educational
line, however. Is the radio or wireless
telegraph schools Inaugurated by the
Navy Department at New York City
and Mare Island, CaL This school was
started only last year, but several
young men already have been gradu
ated and are today receiving good sal
aries as radio operators In commercial
life. The students at these schools are
taught not only wireless telegraphy.
but also given training in general elec
trical problems pertaining to' that baby
branch of electricity. Of course, the
primary object of Uncle Sam is to train
men for his own use on his battleships.
upon every one of which there Is today
a wireless outfit. But after a young
man has served the four years required
of him he Is well fitted to return to
private life and pursue his vocation of
wireless operator. The salaries now
being paid., for this kind of work run
from 1100 to $150 a month. One of tne
best wireless operators In the country
s a graduate of this school. He passed
the ' examination for Government radio
operators recently held In New Tork,
and was given an appointment as radio
Inspector, starting at a salary of J1400
a year..
The Aeroplane School. -
Another school along this same line
was established by the Army Signal
Corps at Fort Leavenworth. This
school includes a thorough training In
aeronautics as well as wireless teleg
raphy. The aviation school at College
Park. Mi, Is a branch of the school at
Fort Leavenworth. The principal ob
ject of this school is to train officers
and enlisted men in the use of aeroplanes,-
balloons, and --all methods of
signaling, both from great heights and
also from the ground. In addition to
their military training, the students
are schooled in various technical mat
ters, such as telegraphy, visual signal
ing, telephony, and other kindred sub
jects, the course lasting one year, after
which a man is carried on the Army
roll as- a graduate. At Fort - Omaha,
Neb., is located the balloon school,
where the Army has a "large gas gen
erating plant. All officers with aero
nautical Inclination are given Instruc
tions - In the art of ballooning . after
finishing the course of instruction , In
aeroplanlng.
A' new school has - recently been
opened by ' the ' Navy- Department1 at
Charleston. S.J C, for the training of
machinists. - Here a man is trained to
be a -thorough machlnlstv-so-tbai'after
he has given Uncle Sam four years'
service he can return to- private life
and earn good wages as a skilled ma
chinist. The foundation of this school
marks a long step forward. Years ago
the Navy was compelled to draw its
skilled men from the machine shops
and practical schools throughout 'the
country,' bidding for them with high
pay against the industries. Now Uncle
Sam takes green youths of little value
to . the community and after a few
years returns trained men to the
trades. And the pay has Increased rath
er than decreased. Both Uncle Sam and
the' country at large benefit from this
new arrangement. He adapts mere
boys to the peculiar needs of the Navy
at an impressionable age, while the
country receives along with insurance,
a considerable return in educational
value..
' ' Tralalag ef Engineers.
.' In addition to these schools the gov
ernment .conducts many other schools
in various sections - of the ceuntry.
There : Is" the Coast Artillery school at
Fort Monroe, where both officers and
men are -taught the practical and theo
retical, handling' of eur big guns. They
graduate from there, and are sent to
the various coast ferts of the. United
States. '
The engineers have a technical school
at Washington barracks and also an en
gineer field school for military Instruc
tion ..at Fort Leavenworth. At these
schools- the ' different -cffleers-and men
are given courses in all branches of en
gineering work, such as building pon
toon bridges across streams, or rivers
In -addition they are taught how to
throw up breastworks and all the work
usually done by the engineer corps
sometimes known as the advance guard
of the Army. All this work fits the man
who takes part In It for work-in private
life as bridge builder and co-ordinate
branches of this trade.
Some of the other things a man may
take- up in this service are the art of map
making, photography, map reproduc
tion, the handling of explosives, a
course in packing, sapping, and mining.
In fact, any person -who puts In a few
years in any one of Uncle Sam's com
panies of engineers may leave the serv
ice well trained in many things that
will help him to earn a good living. The
engineer corps well represents a small
university where the officers are the
Instructors and propessors, and "every
enlisted man a student.
The-line of the Army proper also has
a school at Fort Leavenworth for of
ficers. After an officer graduates from
this school and the engineers' school he
Is promoted to take a course in the
staff college at the same post. This
course requires one year. The graduates
of the staff college are supposed to be
fit for all staff duties that may be re
quired in time of peace or war." From
here officers are sent to the highest
military school in the country, the War
College at Washington, and the bright,
est graduates of this college are picked
to fill positions on the general staff at
Army headquarters tn the War Depart
ment. ' : ' v
A School for Mnsketrx Fire. .
Another new school Is that of mus
ketry fire at the ' Presidio, California.
This Is the Infantry school of fire re
cently established at this place, where
the various types of infantry small
arms are experimented with and the
students are given special courses . of
instruction in the best way of getting
results on the field of battle. ,
In addition to all these schools Uncle
Sam conducts elemental ' schools at
every post in the country, where poorly
Instructed boys are given the common
grammar school instruction..: So . that
even though a young man is not ambi
tious enough to take advantage of any
of the other opportunities offered by
the Government, he may leave with a
fairly good public school education.
Shortly after the khaki boys opened
their cooking school, the Navy immedi
ately got busy and established a school
for cooks and bakers at Newport, R. I.
The men are sent to this school from
the battleships, and are given an eight
months course. They are also taught
to be good commissary stewards. lis
this work the men become expert in
food values, and in preparing meals for
large numbers of men.
The yeoman school- at Newport is an
other recent innovation In Uncle Sam's
big scheme for fitting the young man
to make a living after he leaves the
ranks of the fighters. At this school
he Is given lessons In typewriting ana
all kinds of clerical work. . The student
Is shown how to handle all paper work
in the Navy, and at the same time he
is paid for learning. That Is the unique
part of the scheme. , a .
Another new school for the blue-clad
youngsters is that for musicians at
Norfolk. Here students are taught to
play on many different instruments. If
any- should have special aptitude for
any particular Instrument he is permit
ted to take his choice. He is given six
months' training at the school and sent
from there to a battleship, where he
becomes a member of the band.
A Artificers' School.
' There Is also an artificer school at
Norfolk, where the men are taught all
the trades necessary to the Navy. The
work- Includes Instruction as shlpfltter,
shipwright, blacksmith, plumber and
painter.' At the Washington Navy-Yard I
the' sailor tnan-ltanght-the-' art of I
gunnery, metalography, practical work
on the machfcne forge, coppersmith and
pattern work. This work fits a. young
man for general supervisory work per
taining to any one of the trades men
tioned. It is work requiring a great
deal of executive ability, and today
there are many former enlisted men of
the Navy working for Edison, the fam
ous Inventor. The majority of the grad
uates of this school, however, remain
In the service of Uncle Sam. because,
they find there a better future than
could be had on the outside. i
The school for wireless operators re
cently planned by the Navy Department
Is an altogether new idea. It has not yet
been established, but everything has
been arranged, and actual Instruction
will start shortly. At first It Is the In
tention of the Navy officials' to assign
the most competent electricians on bat
tleships to this school, and after the
school is well under way to detail any
Ambitious man who may have a leaning
that way, from any of the war vessels,
for a course at the school.
' An aviation school with headquarters
at the Washington Navy-yard Is
another new institution planned by the
Navy. Many Interesting experiments
have been undertaken by the Navy
aviators already. While nothing offi
cially has been said about the estab
lishment of 'this school, yet it Is un
derstood' the' Navy Department In
tends to open .a school of this 'kind
within a very short time. ' There are
at present only a few officers and
men assigned to the work under charge
of Captain W. I. Chambers, but it Is
certain it will not be long before the
plans are put into operation for the es
tablishment of a school slmllar'to that
which now exists In the Army.
Aa Aero Lmcklw Device.
In connection with this new aviation
school Captain Chambers recently' wsj
successful In perfecting a wonderful
launching device' for the hydroaero
plane, the first' practical one of ite
kind. It was tested more than" a yeat
ago, when Eugene Ely flew from the
scoutshlp Birmingham and alighted on
the battleship Pennsylvania. ,' The new:
device Is called a catapult and It can
be clamped to the top of a turret and
the turret revolved to shoot the aero
plane1 Into the teeth of the wind with
out even turning the whole of the- ves
sel. The device takes only half an hour
to erect, and can be , taken down and
stored below in less time.
: Lieutenant Ellyson is the acrobatlo
aviator of the Navy, and his successful
try-out of the new launching device Is
principally due to his bravery. He al
lowed himself to be shot from the
catapult the first time it was used,
when it was not known what effect the
sudden shock wouJd have on either the
aeroplane or the aviator. It might
have blown both to pieces. But he had
been anxious to develop some practical
form of aeroplane launching that
could be used on a warship and toolt
the chance. Some months ago he flew 1
an aeroplane off a steel cable
stretched for an inclined launching
way, another extremely dangerous ex
periment. There are many other schools of a
technical nature conducted by Uncle
Sara in both the Army and Navy. A
young man may .today enter either
branch of the service, and in addition
to being taken around the united
States If he should go with the Army,
and around the world if he Joins the
Navy, he receives pay and at the same
time is given a choice of almost any
trade or profession. So that, after giv
ing even fairly good service to his
country, he may return to his own fire
side an accomplished worker of the
nation.
(Copyright, 1913.)
New Time Hate.
(Philadelphia Record.)
- Mra Towne Have you had this set
of china long? . -
Mra Sububs Let me sea I've &4
It Just four girls and a half.'
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