My Life before the World War, 1860–1917: A Memoir

6. New Assignments, New Challenges, New Friends: September 1891–April 1898

81 6 New Assignments, New Challenges, New Friends September 1891–April 1898 When service with the Indian Scouts came to an end in August, I returned to Fort Niobrara, and in a few days received notice of my detail as military instructor at the University of Nebraska. That the suggestion had been made by members of the faculty and by state officials during the visit to my family at Lincoln two years before that I should return sometime as military instructor gave me assurance that my assignment would be looked upon with favor. The position appealed to me as affording greater opportunity for intellectual improvement through association with both the college faculty and the townspeople than continuous service at some isolated frontier post. As there seemed to be no immediate prospect of further active duty in the field, I made official application for the detail. Upon reporting in September the change brought but one regret, which was that the family meanwhile had moved to Chicago. Commandant of Cadets, University of Nebraska, Lincoln Service in the cadet corps, though required of all male students, had never been popular. The training had been erroneously regarded by many students as of no particular value. Some of the professors opposed it and others were indifferent; about half the faculty thought it beneficial to both students and to the university. Among the latter was the new Chancellor, Doctor James H. Canfield, an unusually able, far-seeing, vigorous man, with a delightful personality. He had received military training during the closing days of the Civil War and was outspoken 82  My Life before the World War, 1860–1917 in its favor. He saw its advantages as a means of inculcating a sense of loyalty and responsibility among the students at the university. He realized , and said so, that it promoted mental discipline as well as physical improvement. He had no fear, like some of its opponents, of making militarists of the young men and fully agreed with me that the training possessed high educational value. This encouraging support from the top increased my enthusiasm and enabled me from the start to insist on higher efficiency in the corps. Moreover, it influenced many who were indifferent. During the autumn and spring, outdoor elementary training was given on the campus, where there was then ample space; and in the winter we used Grant Hall, an armory built at state expense through the efforts of one of my predecessors, Lieutenant E. S. [Edgar S.] Dudley, Coast Artillery, a veteran of the Civil War. The work consisted of what is known as close order drill of the various units from squad to company, exercises in the mechanism of extended order training for actual combat , and elementary instruction in target practice. The cadets were required to provide their own uniforms, but for lack of funds for this purpose many willing boys had to be excused from military work. Some of them were paying their own way through college by selling newspapers, serving as waiters in restaurants, cleaning offices, or doing whatever odd jobs they could get. Among them were some of the best students in the university. As I had done much the same sort of thing in my earlier days, these students had my entire sympathy, but whenever at all possible I insisted upon the student’s attendance. There was a small element who took the position that the training was not compulsory. I contended otherwise. The Supreme Court has since held that military training, in all land-grant colleges, such as the State University at Lincoln [University of Nebraska], is compulsory.1 This has cleared up the question and authorities, if they fulfill their obligations to the government, must insist on all male students taking the military course. At the end of the first year, subject to the approval of the faculty, I reorganized the corps, instituting the system prevailing at West Point of taking corporals from the sophomore class, sergeants from the juniors, and officers from the seniors. This system gave the different grades the prestige of class seniority. Many of the details of training and discipline were left to these cadet officers and noncommissioned officers, who were thus given useful experience in leadership which could be obtained in no other course at the university. New Assignments, New Challenges, New Friends  83 Green, awkward country boys were transformed within a few months into smart-looking, alert...