MILITIA 



3801 



MILITIA 



students desirable habits of self-reliance and 

 willingness to obey orders. 



All important civilized nations maintain such 

 schools to drill their officers. The academy at 

 West Point (see MILITARY ACADEMY, UNITED 

 STATES) is one of the best-equipped schools 

 in the world. The academic training is equiva- 

 lent to that offered in other American colleges, 

 the engineering course being especially fine. 

 There the officers of the United States army 

 receive their preliminary training in the pro- 

 fession of arms. Germany, Great Britain, 

 Austria and France all have famous military 

 schools, which have been maintained for a 

 long time. The greatest French soldier, Na- 

 poleon Bonaparte, founded the celebrated 

 school of Saint-Cyr in 1803. In Germany 

 picked officers receive their higher training at 

 the school at Berlin, founded by Frederick the 

 Great. England trains its young officers at the 

 Royal Military College at Sandhurst and at 

 the artillery and engineering school at Wool- 

 wich. The chief Canadian institution is the 

 Royal Military College of Canada, established 

 in 1886 at Kingston, Ontario. A certain num- 

 ber of its graduates receive commissions in the 

 'British service. See ARMY. 



MILITIA, milish'a, a term variously used, 

 but meaning, in general, a body of armed citi- 

 zens. In the British service the militia is the 

 reserve force, or second line. In the United 

 States, by militia is meant all able-bodied male 

 citizens and all other able-bodied males who 

 have declared their intention of becoming citi- 

 zens, who are not under eighteen or over forty- 

 five years of age. Certain Federal and state 

 officials, workmen in armories, arsenals, etc., 

 and members of certain religious sects are 

 excepted. The militia is subdivided into the 

 national guard, the naval militia and the un- 

 organized militia, the latter consisting of the 

 great body of unenlisted citizens. 



The National Guard. This defensive arm is 

 composed of the organized militia of the sev- 

 eral states. The Hay-Chamberlain army reor- 

 ganization bill, approved by President Wilson 

 in June, 1916, provided for 800 enlisted men in 

 the National Guard for each Senator and Rep- 

 resentative in Congress, and a number to be 

 determined by the President for each territory 

 and the District of Columbia. Under this law, 

 organizations of the militia cannot disband 

 without the consent of the President, nor can 

 their commissioned or enlisted strength be 

 reduced below the minimum prescribed by the 

 President without his consent. 



The period of enlistment is now six years, 

 the first three in the active organization, the 

 second three in the National Guard Reserve. 

 The qualifications for enlistment are the same 

 as in the regular army. In time of war one 

 reserve battalion for each regiment of infantry 

 or cavalry and for each nine batteries of field 

 artillery or each twelve companies of coast 

 artillery may be brought into the service of the 

 United States. This makes it possible for the 

 President to draft about 800,000 militia without 

 calling for volunteers. 



The law also requires a minimum of forty- 

 eight times each year for assembly for drills 

 and instruction, including indoor target prac- 

 tice, with instruction of not less than one and 

 one-half hours' duration for each such period^ 

 the character of the instruction is to be pre- 

 scribed by the Secretary of War. In addition, 

 the militia organizations are to participate in 

 encampments, maneuvers, or other exercises, 

 including outdoor target practice, at least fif- 

 teen days in each year, unless excused by the 

 Secretary of War. 



Captains and higher grades receive $500 per 

 year, first lieutenants $240 per year, second 

 lieutenants $200 per year. Enlisted men are 

 to receive twenty-five per cent of the initial 

 pay of the regular army of the same grade, 

 provided that the militiamen have attended 

 not less than the forty-eight drills per year; 

 and a proportionate amount of such pay if they 

 have attended not less than twenty-four drills 

 in the year. L.R.G. 



Obligations to Militia Service. The Consti- 

 tution of the United States declares that "The 

 President shall be commander-in-chief of the 

 . . . militia of the several States when called 

 into the service of the United States," thus as- 

 suming that the several states would possess 

 and make use of the power to demand of their 

 citizens military service. The country, and 

 under the country the state, gives to every 

 citizen protection in any lawful enterprise he 

 may undertake, and if such an enterprise is 

 of public benefit, the government usually stands 

 ready to furnish assistance as well as protec- 

 tion. In return the country has a right to 

 expect that every citizen will, when it is neces- 

 sary, be ready to defend its institutions and 

 safeguard its borders. 



Related Subjects. The reader is referred to 

 the following articles in these volumes : 



Army 



Conscription 



Landsturm 



Landwehr 



Military Preparedness 



War, Department of 



