MILITARY SCIENCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7024, 12 January 1910, Page 6

MILITARY SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY TUITION. THE QUESTION DISCUSSED EY EXPERTS. Tho recommendations of tho Military, Committee of Victoria College to tie. Professorial Boards of tho four University Colleges, for submission to tho Senate, for tho establishment of a) Chair of .Military Science at each ofj the colleges, were discussed by a "Now' Zealand Times” reporter yesterday with 1 a number of local military experts. “The scheme is based on wholly wrong premises,” is tho opinion of one officer, olio whoso opinion on matters military is respected from the North Cape to the llhio. "Not the college, but the tented liekl is tho true recruiting, or at anjrj rate, training ground, for your leadetal of men. What is t he hist qualification l in an oflicer t To bo fitted lo command others. And are university lectures, l» study of tho theory of what you call ‘military science,' going in any measure to give him this etiuipmcnt? One can understand these young follows; enthusiasm. They have j list come m irom, camp, and no doubt they feel them - ; solves responsible for tho success or tu© now scheme. .. . "But apart from tho question of whether or not a university is tho Tilaco to look for likely material, on what principle is a corps of mien a description as part of / m w “®* fence scheme, to bo justified.’' dn a democratic country could there bo anything moro anomalous than, uu ouic&rs training corps which none but university students aro permitted to Hero is class distinction if you ij ke. "THROUGH THE MILE/' And your own plan? “Au officers' corps, but a democratic one. Let it bo composed of specially selected men—men chosen lor their qualifications for t Ho position., men who have been ‘through tho null. Let it bo one of tho first requirements that they have gouo through the ranks. Then yon would have tho Swiss system in operation. In this corps they would pet all tho special training that most would require. Hero in New* Zealand - we havo officers quite qualified to teach nil that is needed without establishing nny ‘chairs of science/ And if their desire is to make a profession of soldiering, and if they have shown themselves to bo adaptable, let them enter n colonial military # college and subsequently tho Imperial institution. OUR RESOURCES LIMITED. "Remember, our resources are limited, though, to hear many people talking, one would not think so. The country can devote only a limited amount of money to defence. We should learn to walk before wo try to run. Tho common-sense course just now is to ccmo to an arrangement with Australia whereunder wo can take advantage _ of the military colleges she is proposing to establish as on adjunct of her new defence scheme. After that tfioro is tho Imperial Staff College. "What is tho cause of th G failures •you hear of on the part of officers? It is that they havo not been_ through ‘the mill/ havo missed tho vital point in their education. Have you read tho story of 'Duffer's Drift’? No? Well, read it. There you have a general versed (theoretically) in all the arts of war. Ho attacked—and failed. Ho -failed again and again. And thou ho recognised the truth. Ho had neglected the very elementary principle of soldiering—tho principle which, is nevor laid down in any drill book. What is required for immediate purposes is teaching based on good sound commonsense." THE MILITARY SPIRIT university teaching needful. A FAVOURABLE! VIEW. Quito another standpoint was taken by tho next officer interviewed—an officer also who is thoroughly qualified to speak on. such a subject. # " If wo want to incorporate tho military spirit in our national life, we must do it through our universities/’ was this officer’s unequivocal declaration. ‘‘ And seeing that Australia and New* Zealand have determined on service for all, involving the adjustment of tho sentiment I havo named. I thoroughly approve the proposal which tho Senate is to b© asked to consider. In England, Canada, > India, and in the States they have their staff colleges. Why not here? If we are going to affect the .military life, it must havo recognition at the seats of learning. The first thing to do will b© to arrange that it bo a pass subject for tho arts and eoionoo course. This dono a big step will havo been, taken toward attaining the ideal I havo named/’ You don’t think th© scheme too am-| bitious? Well, yo©, I do. X think it will quite suffice to have one lecturer and lot one of the four colleges specialise in military science.” And you approve of the university as a recruiting ground for officers? "I do. The ago to como is destined to b© th© age of the theoretical soldier rather than of tho Berseker, Thor© are two kinds of leaders of men. Tho attribute© of ono depend on his ascendancy ae a scholar. H© triumphs by tho skill of fife intellect. Tho secret of tho other’s power is in his personal attributes. To holu tho seal© between tho two and define just who is who is difficult, but th© tendency of things is to emphasise th© value of th© former qualities. Take Kitchener. Sis achievements have been the result of his ability as an administrator more than of personal leadership. He has never figured in the forefront scaring a flaring sword and shouting, * Follow mo/ The leader of to-day a© ffie man who can Bit down dispassionately away from the distraction of tho engagement, and by his manipulation of his forces move them as if they were pawns on a chess board. It was this that enabled Moltke to so successfully conduct the war with Franco. THE TRAINED MIND. "‘Yes, practical work is essential, but yon must have the trained mind. Without it, without acquaintance with milL tary science, a man may be skilful dh rough tactics. Your footballer Is a tactician more or loss. He knows his place in, and how to manipulate, tho fccru-m. But ask him to devise a fresh Bchomo of play. TVhoro h? ho then unless ho have the trained mind? THE NEW ZEALAND ARMY. “A New Zealand army will soon bo in the making, and wo have to start in and make our own leaders. Ther© is no better material than our own. And it wants to bo home-trained. Local conditions, if th© best results are to bo attained. must modify tho conditions governing training. The principles of soldiering do not vary, but environments obtain which are peculiar to individual localities. Hence it is that I welcome a movement which will help to ensure the training of New Zealanders for Now Zealand.” NO OTHER WAY A TIMELY MOVE, rra VALUE TO STUDENTS. "I know no other Tray," said Lien-tciwmt-Colonel Chaytor, "so. calculated to make tho field for selection of officers less restricted than, bv introducing a

course in military science into th© uni-; iveraity. The university, more especially in the colonics, is a democratic institution. All classes attend it. Now that our military service is going to bo part of our national life, a move in this ‘direction is ospocally timely. AMERICAN EXAMPLE. I "In America tho tendency is to intro-J dtico tho touching of military training ns a science into tho secondary schools, tho War Office lending an instructor to any school undertaking to give sufficient Ljno to the subject.” , And do you assume that those taking !th© course would contemplate soldiering ’as a profession? "Not necessarily, by any means. It ' may bo that students, who purposed fol- i lowing in purely civil paths, would choose to take the course with a view to being 'qualified for officers’ commissions in th© 1 event of the militia bcin" called out. ' Others might elect to serve as officers in I ’tho territorials. lit any ca.sc, a reserve ■ fore© of officers must be created, calculated to prove of the utmost value in' case of emergency. Wc have West Point as an instance, at the time of tho war' . jbclweciiL North and South j Practically all the West Point men had 1 Igono back to civil life, but they rejoined ■ tho army and practically all got their , 'commissions. ‘ A WAKENING INTEREST. ; 1 The great recommendation of tho sob erne is that it brings tho science of ( military operations into contact with tho ' everyday student, and must tend to * awaken interest on tho part of the people in questions of defence. This is tho supreme need—to got tho people interested. Of couivo, only tho principles governing military dispositions could be taught. There must be provision, for : field work, whilst for intending staff officers military college training would : Ik*, essential, and this tho colony could .not hope to provide. \ AN ASSET. ; "In. England, the practice is te give , tho university graduate obtaining lus ' commission a year’s seniority. Tho * more highly trained an officer is th© more advantage ho is to his nation, and , any steps to increase the facilities for : training should be welcomed. Know- \ ledge is power. Diffuse military know- j ledge—intelligent military knowledge—amongst a largo number of men, and * you are creating an asset for use in time j of emergency. . j "I talco it that men who wanted to - qualify as officers would be competent j to attend tho lectures without studying for a degree. Were the privilege further J .widened to permit of officer© themselves •< attending, the worth of a Chair—one •, would bo sufficient —such os is proposed j would bo still further enhanced.” ] There was another reason, concluded ( Lieutenant-Colonel Chaytor, why it was j -desirable that military history and ] .strategy should be widely understood, ] even by those who had no thought of ] becoming officers. An incident in the ] War of Secession, furnished it. There, j .because of a false alarm, the result of ] ignorance of these things, the whole 2 plan of campaign was upset. ] CAPTAIN ENYVETT'S DISMISSAL j WHAT SIR JOSEPH WARD SAYS. ' 1 PRESS ASSOCIATION. ' DUNEDIN, January 11. j Sir Joseph Ward irtis asked by a re- < porter to-day whether he, as Minister of ( Defence, was prepared to make any ( statement concerning the recei\£ dismissal ( of Captain Knyvett, of Auckland. Tho ] Prime Minis ter- returned a prompt and ( emphatic negative. He ©aid he was not 3 ready to make Uny statement, or take ] any action in tho matter at present. He - understood that Captain Knyvett was to [ write to the Defence Department in oon- » nection with his case, and. tho matter ] would then be officially considered by - him. ] AUCKLAND OFFICERS. j ] PROPOSED MEETING FORBIDDEN. ] • f PBESS ASSOCIATION. j AUCKLAND, January 11. - The meeting of officers of the Auck- - .land Garrison, which was called for the | purpose of discussing the dismissal of i Captain F. B. Knyvett, was abandoned, . owing to the posting of a general order : from th© officer commanding the dis- : triot. This order stated that he had - heard that a meeting of garrison officers - was to be called for the purpose of dis- * .cussing the result of the recent inquiry, ] that he deemed such meeting to be : illegal from a military point of view, : that the senior officer present would, be j . responsible, and that he absolutely for- : bade tho holding of such a meeting. : Ther© was a large gathering of officers, j and the advisability of holding the meet- t lug was discussed. The dominant note • in tho discussion was on©„of loyalty to } the officer commanding the district, and ■ many of the elder officers urged that 1 should th© meeting be held It would : fdceply affect th© standing of that officer, ; in lace of his order absolutely forbidding : ,tho meeting. The officers decided that • every effort should be made to obtain redress to Captain Knyvett, but that : ©very endeavour should also be made to keep within the regulations. Naturally at tho conclusion of the meeting the members in conversation [ among themselves eagerly discussed th© ; burning question, and the entire sympathy of the officers was with Captain : Knyvett. A public meeting will be held on Fri- ; day evening. The action suggested Is the appointment of a deputation to, in ; the first place, wait on the Hon. George * Fowlds on Saturday. |