COMPULSORY TRAINING.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue XLVII, 11 July 1912, Page 6

COMPULSORY TRAINING.

(To the Editor.) ' Sir,-—What you have published in- Teply to my former letter can be taken with .the proverbial grain of salt. Even if I have got hold of the wrong end'of the stick. First, re your comments on the cause that lost England her American . colonies, I have only to say that- the Americans believed that they were resisting an unjust tax imposed by a majority in the British Parliament. I dare say. they were wrong, Sir, and. that you know best'; but that is what they believed, and still believe. You say the correspondent is not very clear about the right, of majorities to govern. Well, Sir, 'what; I. say is, when a majority (as in ' the case of 1 compulsory training) impose a law. on the minority which aims ■ to take away -liberty, and possibly life, to serve their own ends, .then the minority 'are quite justified in resisting such oppression, even as. it is allowed, now, that, the nien of America' were justified in xe ; sisting the injustice -put on them 1 . You 'say," Sir, it is for the good of the whole community for all able-bodied men to be trained or to be in a position to defend their hoiiies and their families; just so, then why in the name of common sense are the boys to be put' in that position — a more cowardly Act could not be put 'on the - Statute Book of any country. Youssaty t Sir, experience shows that if ■men are untrained [meaning of course such training as is given to the British Army) that should an army land on our shores, we should fight to a man, and to put it bluntly, we'should be butchered. Where, Sir, do you find.that experience? Was it in America, or was it in South - Africa?. No, Sir, if-you will look into the matter fairly you will acknowledge j it has ever been the trained men that have been butchered. You seem, Sir, like a lot more people, *to think that military training is good for the whole community; what .good does it do the boys either physical or mental or moral ? So far as I can judge the majority of our lads eet sufficient exercise to develop theiifphysical frame, and certainly on better lines than that which they are called to undergo at the hands of a drill instructor. Re mental development, I