VOL. X

No. 8

Training Camps

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INCE no obligation for military service is implied by attendance during the first three years, citizens' military training camps differ materially from other educational undertakings of the Military Establishment of the United States. They occupy a position so unique in the educational program of the Government as to warrant special consideration. The purpose of these camps is to bring together young men from all sections of the country on a common basis of equality, under the most favorable conditions of outdoor life, and through thoughtful behavior, physical development, athletic excellence, and mass training to benefit them individually, while affording them a better understanding of the position they occupy as citizens in the teamplay of the Nation.

Origin in Business Men's Camp While the military training camp idea was enunciated in 1913, it first came before the country as a national movement with the organization of a business men's training camp at Plattsburg, New York, in the summer of 1915. The national defense act of June 3, 1916, officially authorized training camps, afterwards designated as citizens' military training camps, and later amendments to the act have altered but little the original provisions. The record of accomplishment is impressive. Temporarily suspended by our participation in the World War, the movement gathered fresh impetus in 1920 and 1921. In the summer of 1922, 22,000 young men attended 28 camps; in 1923, 24,500 were enrolled in 27 camps; 37835°-25-1

By ROBERT C. DAVIS

The Adjutant General, United States Army

in 1924, 34,000 trainees reported to 29 camps. In 1925, 39 camps will accommodate approximately 38,000 candidates.

Wide geographical distribution has been a guiding principle in arranging attendance. Applications were received in 1924 from all but 247 of the 3,089 counties in the United States, and actual enrollments were secured from all but 420 counties. On the basis of the estimated total population of the United States, the rate of C. M. T. C. enrollment in 1924 was 1 to 3,225 inhabitants.

Majority of Trainees are Students

Inasmuch as the great majority of the young men who attend these summer camps come from the schools and colleges of the country, the schedules and programs are so arranged as to supplement the work of the educational institutions.

In the camps of 1925 formal lectures by instructors will be avoided, for it is thought that short conferences or talks, in which candidates take part in practical demonstrations and discussions, will usually accomplish better results. Some of the subjects which the trainees will be asked to discuss include the meaning of liberty, constitutional government, and national defense.

The trainees give their time, their energy, and their thought. The country becomes real to them not as an isolated village, a bit of a great city, a lonely farm, or a place that holds a job, but as an entity, an ideal-something to be guarded and loved. The duties and responsibilities of citizens are stressed. The significance of the Supreme Court and the

Constitution are considered, and each individual is expected to offer his own ideas on every subject, not for purposes of argument, but to develop that clarity of thought and knowledge of the fundamental principles of our form of government without which he can not hope to place a true value upon the advantages of American citizenship.

In the camp a young man counts for what he is, not for what he has or was. Each learns to obey and each is trained to lead. In the citizens' military training camp true democracy prevails. The young men live together in the same tents, work together in the same squads, are subject to the same firm but fair discipline, and share everything in common. Among them there is absolutely no distinction of any sort except that distinction which each man may earn for himself by his own character, his own ability, and his own hard work.

Calm Sleep Follows Active Day

It requires actual experience to know that the sweetest sleep is to be found in an Army cot after a full day in the open; that the fairest comradeship that comes to any man is that of men from widely different walks of life grouped together in the same tent, each fulfilling his own particular responsibilities, expecting no favors, and doing his honest best for the common good.

If nothing but physical betterment were to be derived from a summer's course of training under competent instructors, that in itself would make the course worth while to young men between the ages of 17

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and 31 years who come from the office, the store, the factory, and the school; but there is much more to be gained through earnest participation in a training camp, namely, a closer sense of business partnership with the United States Gov

all in the game and the game for all. The effort to develop athletic leaders is earnest, and the young man should return to his home or school with sufficient knowledge to introduce new mass athletic games to his mates. This results in more players

ernment, a keener interest in the welfare of that Government, a greater degree of mental alertness, a valuable experience in the benefits of discipline under proper conditions, and, finally, a new resolve to become more worthy of the title of American citizen.

Results attained in past camps indicate that the average American youth, under proper auspices and conditions, easily learns discipline and obedience discipline and obedience not merely to his superiors but to himself, which is more important. He learns team play and that after all the ability to cooperate is of more value than the ability to compete.

To Command, Learn to Obey

A cardinal principle applied in all camps is the well-established one that before one can learn to command he must first learn to obey. Whether a young man comes from a home where a sense of duty has been inculcated since his earliest memory or where he has been raised in an atmosphere of indulgence he is bound to get a new and better idea of his duty toward his country and his fellow

man.

The spirit of camaraderie which prevails in all camps instills in the young man "on his own" the desire to cooperate cheerfully and to prove his mettle in the eyes of his associates.

An important feature of every training camp is the period devoted to athletic and physical exercises. There is no standing on the side lines or watching from the bleachers. On the contrary, it is a case of

and fewer onlookers; more enthusiasm and less indifference.

Such a program must prove of interest not only to the participants and their parents but to athletic and physical instructors and others charged with the physical welfare of large bodies of men.

This year it will not be compulsory. The great popularity of these tests is certain to cause a demand for them on the part of trainees who wish to measure their qualifications against a known national standard.

These tests are so standardized that they give an accurate gauge on the allround athletic ability and muscular coordination of every young man, no matter what age. They consist of four events, viz, 100-yard dash, running broad jump, running high jump, and bar vault.

Athletic Tests are Reasonable

The tests require that the candidate run 100 yards in a certain time limit, clear a certain distance in the running broad jump, clear a bar at a specified height in the running high jump, and go over the bar in the bar vault at a certain height in that event in order to qualify as up to the standard for his age.

A boy of junior high school standard, for instance, is required to run 100 yards in 13 seconds, to make 13 feet in the running broad jump, and to clear 4 feet 2 inches in the running high jump, and 5 feet in the bar vault. The senior high school and college standards are correspondingly but only slightly more severe.

By using these tests in all citizens' military training camps this summer a national yardstick will be applied for measuring the relative physical standards of young men in various parts of the country. The fundamental purpose of these tests is, however, to raise the

The justly famous Army setting-up exercises have an important place on every camp program. Boys are taught the correct methods of developing their bodies by devoting a few minutes daily to

Neatness is stressed; tents are inspected daily, and an example of efficiency is set in all things by the instructors. Courtesy is expected and required. Each hour of the 24 has its allotted task with the

physical training, which will stand them in good stead in the years ahead of them. Special training provides a means of improving the physical condition of those temporarily subnormal physically. Suitable candidates for the special training are those who, upon examination at camp, are found to possess such minor temporary conditions as postural defects, immaturity, underweight and underdevelopment, functional cardiac disorders, and other defects of minor importance which are capable of demonstrable improvement by training. Students possessing abnormalities which may be aggravated by training, or permanent physical defects not susceptible of improvement, such as markedly defective vision, defective hearing, and gross abnormalities of permanent and disqualifying nature, are not suitable for training and are rejected.

Idleness and Overwork Equally Avoided

The inculcation of the spirit of fair play in all things is fostered and developed. The full schedule of 30 days spent in the open air eliminates the pernicious elements of idleness. The necessity for making all instruction popular and for creating and maintaining enthusiasm in the daily work is kept constantly in mind. Among other things this requires that a nice balance be maintained between too much and too little work.

Carelessness and untidiness are among the worst of American faults, and these are not tolerated at the camps. The beauty of order is impressed in no uncertain manner throughout the month.

resultant regularity in hours for eating, sleeping, working, and playing.

Church services are never compulsory, but the candidates are encouraged to attend their own church service. The insistence by the War Department that

The finest testimonials that can be desired have been submitted to the War

Department by satisfied mothers and fathers all over the country, many of whom have personally visited the camps and studied them at first hand. These letters tell their own story-some dealing with the spoiled child, others with the backward youth who never learned to take his proper part with others, and still others with the normal boy who, like his forefathers, is determined to play his appointed part in the game of life.

All

of these letters tell of individual improvement and of the hope of the parents that other boys will learn of the aims, purposes, and accomplishments of the summer camps.

Tanned, vigorous, with new ideas as to personal hygiene, a sense of duty to their country fresh in their minds, a new feeling of comradeship for their fellow citizens, carrying themselves with a new snap and grace, these young men will scatter over the country at the conclusion of the citizens' military training camps of 1925 far more valuable as citizens than ever before. Indeed they are the vanguard of that new America which is destined to lead the youth of our country

into those endeavors which have for their one and only object the true Americanization of Americans.

Students from the camp at Fort Douglas bathing in Great Salt Lake sufficient chaplains of all faiths be assigned to training camps assures parents that they may lend their sons to the camps without a qualm as to the moral results.

NOTE. The United States Government pays all necessary expenses. Payment is made for transportation to and from home at the rate of 5 cents a mile over the shortest usual route. Uniforms, shoes, hats, shirts, leggins, and other articles of soldiers' clothing, necessary laundry, good wholesome food, bedding and living quarters, and medical attention are all furnished free of charge.

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REPARING TEACHERS in the College of Education, University of Cincinnati, involves both cultural and professional study. Believing that a liberal amount of each is necessary, the college provides five-year professional teacher-preparing curricula based on high school graduation as a prerequisite. Such curricula are organized in the following fields of specialization: Kindergarten, kindergarten-primary, elementary, high school, home economics, physical education, music, and art.

For the most part, the work of the first two years is of the liberal-arts character. The student registers in and pursues work that satisfies the requirements of the College of Liberal Arts. Certain of the liberal-arts courses, such as mathematics and political science, are especially organized and adapted for teachers. Certain other courses, such as educational psychology and general and individual hygiene, are prescribed during these two years of liberal training for those planning to teach. This 60-hour liberal arts prerequisite to the professional courses tends to eliminate undesirable students who might enter if the requirements were lower. Furthermore, the social status of those pursuing the teachers' professional curricula in the college is as elevated and dignified as that of any other professional group in the university.

Specialized Training Follows Cultural Study

The work of the last three years is of a professional character. The student registers in the College of Education and elects one of the professional curricula. Most of this curriculum is taken in the College of Education. During the first two (third and fourth college years) of the professional years, specialization is emphasized from the instructional or classroom point of view. Specialized subject matter and methods courses are given. "In all courses in education, the theory is coordinated daily with practice by the study of cases in educational psychology and actual classroom, teaching, observation of regular and special demonstration lessons in the public schools, visitation upon social agencies competent to illustrate certain scientific preachments, brief assignments to public

school teachers for assisting in classroom detail other than teaching, etc."

The city school authorities have designated two elementary schools as demonstration and experimental schools for the College of Education. Prescriptions such as world geography, sociology, or ethics must be completed in the College of Liberal Arts during this period, in addition to other approved electives before the student is eligible to enter his fifth year of preparation. Upon successfully completing the second professional year, students preparing for regular grade or high school teaching may receive the bachelor of arts degree from the College of Liberal Arts; those completing the other curricula may receive the degree of bachelor of science in education from the College of Education.

Practice Teaching in Fifth Year The last of the professional years (fifth college year) is devoted to advanced instruction, half-time teaching in the public schools, and daily preparation for the next day's teaching. This furnishes specialization from the performance, or field, point of view. The advanced instruction consists of practical discussions of the teachadvanced courses in education as seem ing problems that are faced daily and such

most desirable for the individual student.

Under a cooperative arrangement with the city school system the fifth-year student becomes a member of the city teaching staff on the half-time basis. He has actual charge of a group of pupils and receives for his services $600-half the minimum salary paid beginning elementary-school teachers. Thus the student teacher obtains his experience in a real public school instead of in a nontypicalso-called "model"-practice school. When he enters his first full-time teaching position, few or no adjustments will be necessary; no abrupt changes are made from theoretical courses, and his practice teaching was in situations like those in his new school.

The practice teaching is supervised and supplemented by (1) cooperating teachers on the staff of the College of Education who are skilled in classroom procedure and responsible for the grades or subjects taught, and (2) university specialists in educational theory and practice.

Each

elementary school cooperating teacher supervises two groups of pupils and four student teachers. Two of these student teachers-one for each group of pupils-teach full time in the forenoon and two in the afternoon.

The city provides an adequate number of schools for the cooperative studentteaching during the last year of professional preparation. Eight elementary schools, four high schools, and one junior high school are employed this year for this purpose. As many as necessary are available for the use of the college. To provide the most favorable opportunities for preparing teachers the college is affiliated not only with the municipal university, the city elementary schools, and the junior and senior high schools, but also with the Cincinnati Kindergarten Training School and its 90 kindergarten centers, the College of Music, the Conservatory of Music, and the Art Academy.

Vacancies Determine Number to be Trained

The number of vacancies in the city school system that will occur in succeeding years is estimated, and students with aptitude and ability, other things being equal, are guided into the curricula preparing for those fields in which the vacancies are expected. Thus the college hopes partially to regulate the supply of prepared elementary and secondary teachers to the annual local needs. If the student successfully completes the final year of one of the professional curricula, he is cation, equal in rank to the professional awarded the degree of bachelor of edudegrees conferred in law, engineering, etc., and is rated on the preferred lists for appointment in the Cincinnati public schools. He has completed approximately one-half of the requirements for the master of arts degree.

College graduates from other institutions with the required undergraduate preparation in education are admitted to the graduate school and are also eligible to make a contract with the city board of education to do half-time student-teaching with pay. Although the cooperative plan was not organized primarily for the purpose of assisting students through a stipend to continue their educational preparation, this by-result should not be overlooked.

Alumni Honor Nebraska High
School Principal

A trip to Europe, in the form of a gift of $1,000, was presented recently to the principal of the Aurora (Nebr.) High School, by the high school alumni association, as an expression of appreciation of 26 years of fruitful service. Leave of absence for a year with half pay was granted by the school board.

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INCINNATI, for the first time since 1915, furnished the setting for the fifty-fifth annual meeting of the Department of Superintendence and allied organizations. If courtesy, hospitality, and service could compensate visitors for the discomfort and timeconsuming inconvenience of living in homes and small hotels remote from the crowds and the meeting places, Cincinnati citizens certainly would have supplied that compensation. From Judy O'Grady to the Colonel's Lady, at stores, in cafes (when places could be secured in them), on street cars, or in taxicabs-and certainly these must have done a thriving business during the convention-all were courteous and ready to direct and assist.

The Department of Superintendence has grown beyond the capacity for entertainment of any but two or three cities in the United States. To this there seemed general agreement. Serious minded school officials intent on four days of intensive and profitable conference and discussion will scarcely find it agreeable to continue to accept meeting places where hotel and auditorium accommodations are not adequate and reasonably centralized. Many of the 14,000 reported as in at

tendance were forced to take rooms in the suburbs, and consequently long rides to and from meeting places and headquarters. They hope unanimously that it may be at least another 10 years before a city with as inadequate hotel accommodations is selected.

Materials for Instruction Well Represented On the other hand, Music Hall offered ample and convenient accommodations for exhibits rarely found elsewhere. The multiplicity and variety of exhibits showed the value of this convention as an advertising medium. From the smallest piece of school equipment to the modern motor bus, from a carefully prepared exhibit in art education to one in schoolhouse planning, nothing was overlooked which would familiarize one with modern school practice so far as materials are concerned. The school art exhibit was

particularly notable and helped to emphasize the portions of the program devoted to the schools' contribution to beauty in education for life appreciations.

The Program

If one judges the outstanding movements in education to-day by the programs for discussion as presented by the department, it is apparent that they center round the curriculum and its correlate organization, as represented by individualized versus group instruction. The curriculum held the center of the stage, beginning with yearbook reports of the Society for the Scientific Study of Education presented by Gray, Zerbes, and others on Saturday night, and culminating with the Wednesday morning program. Beginning with a consideration of the curriculum as the paramount issue in education to-day, by Doctor Judd, University of Chicago, the subject was discussed from the following points of view: How to attack curriculum making scientifically, Horn, of Iowa; how to

meet the needs of both the community

and the individual, Withers, of New

York; how one city has attacked the problem, Threlkeld, of Denver; ending with the proposal of a cooperative plan for curriculum revision by Scott, of Springfield, Mass. The last report was an outline of a plan for cooperation and exchange of reports on progress and experimental curriculum making, with the National Education Association acting as a clearing house of information. It proposed that each city superintendent of the country report to the National Education Association units of progress in curriculum revision as they are made and that that organization make them available to all other cities considering revision.

tion. The development of better international understanding through the secondary school and training for world citizenship as an eighth objective in secondary education were among the plans advocated. Teachers' colleges and normal schools took a prominent place on the curriculum band wagon and are considering new context and procedure in preparation of teachers' courses, discarding the experience and opinion basis for more scientific plans, that of job analysis being among those emphasized as of importance.

Individualized Instruction

Second only in prominence to the curriculum was the matter of individual instruction, organization for and problems concerned with its administration. Tues

day evening Superintendents Washburne, of Winnetka, and Stoddard, of Bronxville, N. Y., addressed themselves to the problems involved in its introduction and administration in the school system. appraisal of the Dalton and Winnetka Doctor Kilpatrick followed with an plans. Among other things, Doctor Kilpatrick emphasized the point that after all the large problem is revision of curriculum materials and that the main fault of both plans is that they make no provision for this revision. Another objection raised was lack of sufficient provision for group contacts through socialization and for necessary "concomitants"; i. e., indirect outcomes of teaching not definitely classified. Discussion followed, led by F. C. Ayer, of the University of Washington, and participated in by Courtis, of Detroit, Freeman, of Chicago, and others.

Opponents Demand Conclusive Evidence Opponents of the individualized instruction idea as well as the great mass of school people still working with the prevailing organization who are waiting, Micawberlike, for more definite and conclusive evidence to turn up, were equally intent on discussions of scientific methods of grouping children based on results of