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Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5604, 10 February 1879, Page 4

The announcement that 5000 Snider carbines have been ordered for the South Australian schools by the Go. vermnent introduces an important subject. The question is, why does anybody advocate the drilling of schoolboys? Many will answer hastily that the benefits of drill are the increase which it gives to the respect for discipline, to the improvement in \hs gat and carriage which it effects, 53/ generally to the sharpening of | intelligence to which, as the chief ohja of education, it contributes. This 3 all true enough. Drill does produce all these effects, but they can behadij schools without military evolutions. Tb routine of a good school is not a bad training in discipline. If gymnastics and the outdoor games of each season of the year do not teach a youngster how to hold himself, then that youngster must remain a clodhopper after he has ceased to be young. In tbe same way, if intelligence is not developed by the school curriculum, it will not be developed at all In short, if drilling is to he taught in schools, it should be taught on its merits as a military training. In that light it has sufficient advantages to recommend it. As the country must be in a position to defend itself without a standing army, the training of its youth to military evolutions and tie use of arms is absolutely necessary. Such training is the only thing to ensure the efficiency of the militia, which at present, and probably for all time, will be our sole reliance in case of invasion. We can not hope to give our boys list completeness of training which is required to make them soldiers. But we can train them so far that they can very quickly be made into soldiers whenever in after life the neoessities of the country require tsar military services. The training not be bad, for the mind and wij are more susceptible to education of all kinds in youth. It will be cheap, i® it will cost little in comparison witi continental systems which yearly vitadraw an enormous proportion of youth of the country from the profc 1 tive industry of the country. B whole male population were ttos trained, it would be pleasant to 11 time of war that the number of b® familiar with the use of arms and acquainted with military evolutive was considerable enough to a respectable army. Few New landers can say that the eovnvj is never likely to be in Tli because nearly everybody gave way jthe panic which set in during Russo - Turkish war. And those like Colonel Whitmore, ridicnied tj idea of invasion, cannot hope that J will always have reason to think as thought last year. New Zealand country that we all believe will one _ be very rich. We must therefore lieve that one day New Zeidand have to defend herself. v method of preparing for emergencies to train the youth in the & And the best way to train give them arms as well as instructors.