MILITARY TRAINING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15861, 26 February 1912, Page 6

MILITARY TRAINING.

Mrs Page's objection to military training is flwrowed down to a very fine point. Our correspondent thinks that physical drill is an excellent thing for our young people and she would be glad to see rifle thooting encouraged under proper conditions. "What moves her to indignation against the whole defence system is her belief that during the course of their training the lada will bo set to elioot at models of the human figure and that when they make a particularly good hit tho eergeant nt their ©lbow will exclaim, "Well donel That would have got him in the heart." Mrs Page believes that practice of this kind and tho applause of their instructor wouTd make tho boys callous and brutal and that by tho timo they had learnt to hit lay figures they would be eager to shoot live men. But surely if sho haG sons of her own or if she has watched her neighbours' boys at play she has seen tho young ruffians engaged in games of "Bushrangers" and "Indians," which are. far more sanguinary than anything that could be imagined by tho cadets at rifle practice. Wo have seen half a playground covered, with the slain after Red Dog and his braves had swept over an immigrants' train going West, but we do not remember that the survivors. carried away'from-their.school days ans^.

insatiable thirst for blood. As a matter of experience military training does not imbuo tho soldier with a desire for slaughter. Tho horrors of war, much more than its glories, aro kept constantly before tho recruit by the very exercises h© is required to undertake, and though he may bo impressed with the neoessity of defending himself and his country ho is not encouraged, to assail other people. If tho alarmed mothers knew a lit-tle more about military training and what it involves their own good common-senso would soon reconcile them to tho very modest demand that is being made upon their sons.