"CITIZEN SOLDIERS."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1094, 5 April 1911, Page 6

"CITIZEN SOLDIERS."

A JUDGE OX DEFENCE. During the course of his remarks at the annual meeting of the Wellington Boys' Institute last evening, Mr. Justice Chapman observed that die institute apparently had included military training in its programme. New Zealand hud come into the field somewhat late m the day m tho matter of reorganising her defences. Part of his educational career had been spent in Germany, where every schoolbov looked forward to the day when he should take his place in tho ranks as a citizen soldier, l'ha swell of the barrack-room was, it was to be noted, not a feature of the citizen soldiery of Germany, which was essentially an army of citizens, though the most efficient army in the world. This army had been mated from an original necessity—the necessity of defending the Fatherland from the invasions of Napoleon. The necessity had since passed, but tho military spirit had remained. This spirit was, perhaps, too aggressive, but thai; was by the way. The point now was, so far as the New Zealand citizen soldier was concerned, to educate the young man of the Dominion to look at defenco as his own affair, not the affair of a special class. That was tho ideal to be aimed at. Some time ago, continued the speaker, he took occasion, when addressing the school cadets at Napier, to make certain observations on the subject of military training. His remarks were telegraphed all over the country, and he had been criticised by the press. They were not very well received. What had since happened? Within a year or two all political parties had united on the question, and were unanimous in the opinion that every man's duty was to take up arms for the defenco of his country. An important aspect of the question was that one-half —or even less—would not be able, from various causes, to take their places in the ranks in an emergency, and march with their regiments. The other half should be trained on a system which would afford them a period of instruction parallel to that given those who jftined in the ordinary way. Thus would bo corrected a tendency to establish two classes of menone class incapable of joining (he army, and the other capable of bearing arms. It might be suggested—he didn't suggest it—that the institnto might become a sort of military aid society.