TREES FOR SENIOR CADETS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15133, 25 October 1912, Page 4

TREES FOR SENIOR CADETS.

Sir, your kind indulgence and space ,• in youMiaper to reply; to your correspon- , dent frm Rose Road (sex not indicated) on thelabovo subject. In my j ''.last I protested as I still protest, against the kindly £$ of a " womanly woman" being ; used as& handle for abusing the whole system « military training. ■ Tour;-corres-pondent Slinks with " Mother.''.. v I believe ■ it iis written " all great minds think alike." ■ Still - a fa' must think otherwise, for the; . success cfithe lady's suggestion is assured. » Adult . miliary training does: not enter into i the questjjn at all; . many of the cadets are ; mere kidfcs of 14 or. .15. V- As the question. | of populafty of compulsory ■ military traini ing has ,_l>fn introduced, Iv would state, that _ oompulsftf in any - form' •is generally : ob- ; jected jWjmore particularly with persons 1 who d«cliri-to run in the customary ruts of ; civiii&ttfioiijeo we may expect a few genuine conecimtio|s objectors, a . larger • number. i;' of re* ' socialists, and. some real shirkers, who fro prepared to enjoy all r the benefits i of xfty aid Empire without'.any. return » whawrer., The contention: that , the New [ Zeallid system is new, arid had its origin in . the I time land, cannot bo correct. It was advjjaled for years, and always to • most | entfisiastio audiences. It' became a ciis- ' tonffy. platform utterance, / and although j twcgMinisteries have been ;in power since ' theact was passed, the present one is more ' dew mined than, ever : to •; see, it carried into • effjjt, only there will bo no more martyrs, l Rosters will < receive " military detention," ; aifjl am looking forward with some amuse--4 mat to the "moral effect" when ; those so. i dJined undergo, the ridicule of a. military i cap, and 1 a course of instruction ■ of, say, . cfning up the horse lines, etc., etc. ; Now ' r tp the territorial understands; the ■scheme. r Ms beginning, to like it. He feels.he is of Mie account as ■} a citizen; lie 'naturally |juks of what ho has to defend, and values . fpioro: lie feels kinder to his fellow-man; §is learning to ■ know them better. -You an see his increasing pride .in his "set up »lk." 'Physically and nationally he'is a liter man. And now : for our dear "Non|nformist friends." • I noticed, their, resolu- . jon, and smiled. I wondered ,if they reIsmbered that the man who fought for "|heir "liberty of conscience" - was > the 3| latest military trainer of them. all. ajl'Cromwell's Ironsides" won / their cause" I ,nd England's liberties,. and Oliver left beI'und the keynote- of all nations' (worth call" . J|ng nations) greatness, "Trust -in the ftiord, but _ keep your powder dry." The ||ther day in Auckland some £9000 was : col" elected mainly in . the . interest of ' the first ifortion. Does the "Resident of Rose Road" -legrudg© a few cheerfully-given .shillings to x>urago the keeping of our powder dry?, I October 15, 1912.: A -. Father- J