59 
short term under military instruction or to bear the expense of uniforms. Recog- 
nizing that they can not be made officers or soldiers within such a short period, we 
excuse them from military instruction. But four-fifths even of those young men 
apply for and receive permission to enter the battalion; they do so voluntarily. I 
mention this as convincing evidence, in my mind, of the merits of the military sys- 
tem — that the young men coming to our institution for the purpose of taking only a 
six months' course, with a view to engaging in the cotton industry or entering the 
machine shops, are willing to go to the expense of providing their uniforms in order 
to take this military course, when they might be excused. 
I hope that we shall carry out the order of the "War Department — those of us who 
can carry it out — to the fullest extent, and that those who can not carry it out to the 
fullest extent will do the best they can in that direction. I hope that we shall ask 
the Government for additional facilities for military instruction instead of asking 
that some of the present requirements be withdrawn. 
Let us ask the War Department to make a further supply of arms and equipments 
so as to carry out to the fullest extent this great purpose of the National Government 
to train y< rang men all over the land to be ready in time of national danger to help 
defend their country as officers and as drillmasters. Such service is one of our 
greatest privileges and duties, and I hope we shall do what we can toward that end. 
D. F. Houston, of Texas. Personally, on general principles, I am opposed to mili- 
tary government in college work. I do not believe, however, that this is a matter 
to be discussed on general principles. I believe that a moral duty rests upon every 
land-grant college to furnish instruction in military science. Personally I have felt 
opposed to doing or attempting to do anything in college work that we can not do 
efficiently. I do not see how it is possible to give efficient military instruction in 
our land-grant colleges, if we attempt to do substantially less than what the War 
Department requires. I believe, therefore, it is our duty to attempt to carry out this 
order of the Department and to give substantially as much instruction as that order 
requires. 
There seem to be, Mr. President, two antagonistic suggestions here. One is that 
this committee should continue to endeavor to induce the War Department to change 
or modify the requirements; the other is that we should endeavor to get the War 
Department to give the colleges still further aid in carrying out a course of military 
instruction. }sow, it certainly would be exceedingly unwise, in my judgment, to 
ask the Government to reduce its requirements and at the same time ask it to give 
more in the way of military supplies than it is now furnishing. 
For a great many years many of the colleges have complied in only a very meager 
way with the requirement that they shall teach agriculture and the mechanic arts. 
They are now teaching agriculture and the mechanic arts more or less efficiently; but 
very few of them are giving efficient military instruction. It has been a wonder to 
me that a movement has not been made to withdraw support from some of these col- 
leges on both these grounds. It seems to me to be the part of wisdom to comply as 
fully as possible with the military requirements, as the best colleges are now com- 
plying with the agricultural and mechanical requirements. 
I hope, therefore, that this committee will not be requested to ask the War Depart- 
ment to modify materially the orders which have been referred to, but that the 
committee may request the War Department to give us help in carrying out those 
orders. 
I fully recognize the difficulty experienced by institutions which have the agricul- 
tural and mechanical features in combination with the regular university features. 
I realize the great difficulty of carrying out these orders of the War Department in 
such institutions. I do not see just how they can meet the problem. But I do know 
that agricultural colleges which are isolated can carry out these orders efficiently: I 
know several that are now doing it. 
