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who can in time of wiir or stress be called upon for service of this kind, and I 

 wish to point out to you tlie fact that since 1S';2 there lias been an entii-e revo- 

 lution in our s.vsteni of national militia. At that time it was wholly and totally 

 inefficient : to-day we have a very efficient National Guard. If we were able to 

 Inquire in detail into the facts. I believe we would ascertain that the introduc- 

 tion of military instruction into the land-grant colleges is chiefly responsible 

 for that result. This fact became (piite apparent particularly at the time of our 

 late wr.r with Spain. .Many commissions were issued in the United States Army 

 at that time to persons who had had their training in these institutions. So that 

 not only through the direct participation in military affairs by the students 

 who had been graduated at these institutions, but by their participation in the 

 legislatures of the States, and by their influence in molding public sentiment 

 throughout the States, they have aided in establishing a system of national 

 defense far superior to that of forty years ago. Notwithstanding that fact 

 there are many things in our system that need amendment, and it is possible 

 for this association to do much that would lead to a better state of affair.s. I 

 would call attention to the f:ict that while for lorty-two years we have had this 

 law upon our statute books, there has been very little done by the Government 

 to i»rovide for adequate instruction within the colleges. We have been supplied 

 with a portion of the e(iuipment necessary — guns and ammunition chiefly. 

 There are many things needed for proper instruction which are not supplied. 

 While the National Guard, drilling less than one-twentieth of the time that the 

 students do in our colleges, are supplied with uniforms, the students of the sev- 

 eral colleges are not supplied with uniforms. I believe this association should 

 urge upon the War Department the more adequate equipment of the military 

 departments of the several institutions. While I have this high appreciation 

 of the value to our nation of this instruction, and while I believe it would be 

 possible and very desirable indeed to be better equipped for it, yet I certainly 

 feel that the present attitude of the War Department is by no means a for- 

 tunate one. You will lemember that for many years the ofBcer who was 

 detailed as commandant in any institution was directed to report to the presi- 

 dent (if that institution for orders, and that the War Department did not give 

 direct orders to the commandant. I think you are also aware of the fact that 

 to all intents and purposes they now ignore the institution and its officials and 

 give direct orders to the officers of the Department as to their duties. I think 

 you will ail concede that it is utterly impossible to administer any institution 

 properly where some other authority may come in and direct or modify or con- 

 trol by order the programme of work. I quite sympathize with the suggestion 

 which has been made that stei)s should L)e taken, perhaps through the Secretary 

 of War or by calling the attention of the Pj-esident of the United States to the 

 question, to improve the present situation. It seems to me the time is ripe for 

 doing something in this direction, and I believe it will not be to the injury, but 

 to the benefit, of the great system of national military education. 



I believe this association should also solicit or attempt to secure some further 

 recognition of the work done by the land-grant colleges in the direction of 

 the military instruction. Lately we raw v.ith approval an order for the ap- 

 pointment to commissions certain graduates of schools where military instruc- 

 tion is given. Of the six schools chosen last spring I think not one was a 

 land-grant college ; all were private military schools where young boys attend 

 and where the leading feature is military drill. It is true that the older, nioi-e 

 experienced men in the land-grant colleges liave perhaps not given so much 

 time and attention to military drill as the younger boys in c-ertaiii military 

 schools which make their military departments a specially attractive and 



