Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 June 1895 — YOUTHFUL SOLDIERS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

YOUTHFUL SOLDIERS.

Growing Movement to Establish Military Drill in the Schools. The movement lately inaugurated to train boys in the public schools in military tactics is meeting with great success. The boys have named themselves the American Guard, and those of New York and Brooklyn on Memorial Day paraded to the number of 10,000. All over the country the military drill movement is meeting with favor, and the schools in most of the cities, as well as in many of the smaller towns are getting into line in favor of the innovation. The question has become one of national im. portance, and lias already been.taken up In Congress, as well as in the Legislatures of most of the States. The Grand Army of the Republic is really behind the movement to give some soldierly discipline to the lads in the public schools throughout the country. Although the national movement is a new one, military instruction in the public schools has long been practiced in some cities. In Boston the system has been thoroughly worked out, probably, and there the “Boston School Regiment”

numbers about 1.500 uniformed boys. In New York and Brooklyn the movement is making rapid strides. The American Guard has been formed from the battalions of the public schools, and each battalion has its number and place in line. As in Boston, they turn out on special holidays, and have been the feature of more than one big parade of real soldiers. In Washington, Cincinnati, Columbus. Des Moines, Omaha and scores of other smaller cities and towns the idea is making headway. That military drill is popular among the schoolboys is evident to anyone who sees the lads at drill. They willingly give up part of their play hour to take part in it, and the competition for officers’ positions is keen. One has but to look at the air of pride with which these youngsters wear their neat little uniforms to appreciate their feelings. In most of the schools only the larger companies are uniformed and equipped, and there are one or two companies composed of the smaller and untrained boys, which correspond to a drill squad, from which the ranks of the regular companies are recruited.

MARCHING TO THEIR OWN MUSIC.