PRESIDENT LOWELL'S STAND UPHELD BY MILITIA OFFICER

The following letter was received last night from Major Charles A. Stevens '04, Adjutant-General of the First Brigade Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. Major Stevens agrees with President Lowell that the proposed Battalion will have only a minor military value, and also calls attention to the state militia as a means for greater military preparedness.

"I believe that President Lowell is working along the right lines when he says that a Harvard Battalion will not have great military value and I would like to back up his suggestion that more Harvard men join the militia.

"One of the greatest needs of the militia is men of education and ability as officers and Harvard men or men of other colleges could do a great deal of good by enlisting in the militia and becoming officers in the course of time.

"Most young men have little knowledge of military matters and seems to have an idea that joining the militia is like going to jail for a period of three years--that it is impossible to get out before the end of the term. This is absolutely untrue. A man may be discharged at any time for business reasons or upon removal of his place of abode. The two chief requisites are attendance at camp for a period of eight days in summer (where, by the way, one will get more real work than at Plattsburg) and attendance at drills once a week during the winter. The former requirement will preclude men who live so far away that they could not return for the summer encampment, but these will be in the minority.

"Any young man who cares to look into the matter will be very welcome at any of the State Armories and if he will ask for an officer and talk the matter over with him. I believe he will at once become interested. Officers can be found at all the armories on almost any evening.

"At the Cambridge Armory a man may join the infantry, cavalry or Coast Artillery. At the South Armory on Irvington street. Boston, he may join either the coast artillery, field artillery, cavalry or the sanitary troops. At the Mechanics Building, he may join the Naval Brigade; at the East Armory the infantry and at the Charlestown Armory, the infantry or the signal corps.

"I have been in the militia about ten years, starting as a private in the Sixth Infantry, and have found it a much more valuable, sincere and serious organization than the layman suspects. The work has been exceedingly interesting and the officers and men very congenial.

"There is a saying among militiamen that it is harder to get men out of the game than it is to get them in. It is difficult to get them in, however, chiefly I believe, through misunderstanding of what the militia is and what is required of a man upon joining."