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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



They were not as well able as the older 

 men to withstand the test of my long ad- 

 dresses, and I thought I discovered a little 

 more somnolence among them than 1 did 

 among the drafted army. Of course, they 

 were not so mature, but they were very 

 bright, and they were certainly well 

 drilled in the manual of arms and in the 

 calisthenics with their rifles. It would be 

 difficult to select a site where the winter 

 winds have freer sweep than at this train- 

 ing station, but the buildings seemed to 

 be well heated and the command in excel- 

 lent health. 



THE SELECTIVE) DRAFT LAW VINDICATED 



On the whole, the result of my trip was 

 to confirm me in the view that the select- 

 ive draft law has vindicated itself in 

 every way. Its democratic provisions, 

 reaching the rich and poor alike, its op- 

 portunity for selection of those who can 

 do better work at home, are admirable 

 features. It may be questioned whether 

 the age limit should not be reduced to 18 

 years and from 31 to 28. Between 18 

 and 21 young men are less likely to have 

 become settled in life and "are required 

 to make less sacrifice in becoming soldiers 

 than men between 28 and 31, and it is not 

 too much to say that men between 18 and 

 2.1 will make as good private soldiers as 

 men between 28 and 31. Therefore the 

 cost to the community in lowering the age 

 limit is made less. 



The draft law doubtless needs amend- 

 ment, as defects appear in its adminis- 

 tration, but it is a great tribute to the 

 self-governing capacity of the American 

 people that, with so little prepared and 

 trained machinery and so few salaried 

 officers, it has been possible to call upon 

 the body of the country for locally self- 

 created tribunals to administer the law 

 and carry it through effectively. 



AN ARMY OE 5,000,000 NEEDED 



The law should be amended so as to 

 authorize the President to increase the 

 army from 1,500,000 to 5,000,000 men 

 with the colors, or more. We must win 

 the war, and we should now lay our 

 foundations abroad so as to make that 

 inevitable. 



Of course, airplanes, artillery, and 

 other instruments of war are necessary 



in a modern campaign, and we should in- 

 crease the supply as far as our resources 

 will permit, but in the end this war. as 

 other wars, must be won by trained man 

 power. We should look forward with 

 large vision and make ample provision 

 so as to strengthen our allies, give con- 

 fidence to our own army, and convince 

 our enemies now of our determination 

 to win the victory. 



I am frequently much concerned to 

 gather in perfectly loyal quarters the im- 

 pression that the war will be over in less 

 than a year. One may note in many cen- 

 ters of sinister influence suggestions that 

 peace is to be brought about by negotia- 

 tion with Germany. If this is the out- 

 come of the war, it will be most humiliat- 

 ing to the United States and will only 

 postpone further evil days for her. We 

 have said, through our national spokes- 

 man, that we can have no confidence in 

 a treaty made with William of Hohen- 

 zollern and his Prussian military regime. 

 This was assumed before Germany's 

 treacherous defeat of Russia through the 

 disintegration of her army. In spite of 

 her phrases of high principle she has dis- 

 closed again her real lust for territory 

 and power, in placing her paw on the 

 valuable parts of Russia. Now, there- 

 fore, we should be more determined than 

 ever in our purpose to defeat German 

 militarism before we consent to close this 

 war. 



WHEN THE WORLD WILL BE EREE AGAIN 



We can raise as fine an army and as 

 large an army as there is on European 

 soil, and if we transport it as rapidly as 

 we may and have it all upon European 

 soil within two or three years, our object 

 will be attained and the world will be 

 free again. 



On the whole, the deepest impression 

 that is made by the camps and canton- 

 ments on the impartial visitor, without 

 technical military knowledge, is the evi- 

 dences on every side of the loving care 

 of the American people for their boys in 

 the service. Their food is of the best. 

 My own boy in the ranks has told me that 

 they have a tradition among the men — 

 and think it is sustained — that their food 

 is better than that of the officers. The 

 provision in the hospitals, in the Y. M. 



