PART COLLEGES SHOULD PLAY

Major General Leonard Wood, M.D. '84, LL.D. '99, chief-of-staff of the United States army, delivered an address on "The Military Policy of the United States" in the 'Living Room of the Union last evening. General Wood outlined a plan for a military reserve in this country along the lines of the system now in force in Switzerland. There, every citizen is given two years of military service with the colors, and after that period of instruction is dismissed. By this means a reserve of 250,000 to 300,000 men is kept constantly on hand and can be mobilized in about 40 hours.

In this country a reserve of 600,000 men is necessary to keep us adequately prepared for war. This reserve could be supplied by means of compulsory service and a more perfectly organized and salaried militia. At present we can mobilize at most 105,000 efficient men. A war, coming suddenly, as wars do today, would find us helpless. Moreover our growing power and possessions require a large army, not only for protection against war, but also as a preventative of war. For the surest way to discourage other nations from entering war is to be prepared to meet them.

The co-operation of the universities and military schools would be necessary in training the 15,000 commanding officers required by the reserve project. Five hundred graduates of each university in training under officer's salary would soon supply the number. As in Germany, only a year would be required for training and this period would not greatly interfere with a man's career, while its consequence to the nation would be of extreme importance.