MILITARY TRAINING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15861, 26 February 1912, Page 2

MILITARY TRAINING.

TO EDITOH. Sir, —The best suggestion I have se-sn from an anti-militarist is that of Mrs Page, that- she and those of her way of thinking should betake themselves and their sons to some other land., whore they would be free to indulge their crude, illogical fancies to their hearts' content. _ If they'could persuade a few of the Bidder type, all the Semples and Hickeys, with their followers, to join in the new Exodus, what a glorious time it would be for New Zealand. I can fancy.the dominion rising up with a sigh of relief as all the cranks and faddists left its shores. It would be to attempt to. picture the condition of things in the unhappy land in which they elected to settle, but of one thing they might be sure. If the land proved to be worth having, they would stand a serious risk of an.invasion from some greedy land-grabbing nation, who would make them their- • " hewers of wood and drawers'/of water," a form of discipline which perhaps is foreign to their natures now, as it is work. But they would sleep all the better for it.— I am, etc., A.P.F. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I am sorry that you do not point out wherein we display our lack of information concerning the workings of the'military training Act. To me it seems undeniable that the people of New. Zealand have been betrayed by their faith in a Liberal Government into accepting a form of conscription which only needs to be administered by a Reform Party with Conservative tendencies to land us under the heel of a military clique. It is true that the electors of New Zealand (not the youths now suffering) are themselves responsible for the present state of things, but the result of the last general election makes me hope and believe that those who were appointed to . carry out the Defence Act are opening our eyes to the error of our ways. Your suggestion that our boys will be "morally improved" by it makes me almost wonder whether you yourself are well informed as to the results of conscription in older countries. I am inclined to agree with your statement that the,lads"themselves "would thor- , oughly. enjoy; a taste of soldiering after the first plunge," and therein lies the reason why so many of us object to soldiering for our young sons. Evolution has not yet eradicated the brute in us, I and the. instinct to kill is still so near the surface that we fear that a training by which children whose morals are still.unformed are'taught to shoot at "a model of the human form, and are told approvingly, "That would have J get him in the heart," is not calculated Ctol assist 'the -rising generation in ap-;. proximating the Christian ideal. , I Rational physical drill, wluch. did not 1

bring our children under the odiou* English Army Act, I think we; should all neartily approve of. That, with' a liberal encouragement of voluntary rifle shooting for men, would provide a sys-* tern of defence which has been proved efficient where people have had to defend their country.from oppression.—l am, etc., SARAH SAUNDERS PAGE.