THE UGLY DUCKLING

An editorial in yesterday's Transcript offers new proof of the success of Military Science in the realms of higher education. The answers to a questionnaire sent by the Research Organization on Military Training to students provide the evidence. Ninety-five percent of the answers support the statement that military instruction is of importance to a liberal education. These figures were cited to prove the merits of military science as an adjunct to education.

But no account is taken of the prejudices of those who answered the questionnaire. It is not mentioned that only students who had taken at least two years of military training were canvassed. In the words of the editorial, "Who could speak more authoritatively than the men who have taken these courses as to their usefulness and desirability?" It is not to be supposed that those who have not had military training can judge its value.

This "Answer to Pacifists," as the editorial names the survey, is bolstered by false and prejudiced reasoning. Those who choose military training or submit to it can hardly be its most open-minded judges. If the principle of giving military instruction in liberal arts colleges is sound, that principle should be extended. If training to become a soldier is college education, then training to become any sort of uniformed public servant is college education, and courses in Letter Carrying, Fire Fighting, Dog Catching, and Street Cleaning, all have their proper place in the curriculum.