1 Including Philippine scouts and Organized Militia.

closest study to this subject that the actual and immediate war strength of our regular army and militia combined, including combatants and non-combatants and troops in foreign service, is not more than 140,000 men; and that the total armed force which we could assemble on instant notice at any one point within the continental limits of the United States, a force which could be looked to for immediate resistance of invasion, is not more than 50,000 men, including regular troops and militia. The whole outfit could be put into the

Yale Bowl, and there would be room left for a good-sized crowd of admiring sisters.

Mr. Garrison's figures for Switzerland, on the other hand, are most conservative. Switzerland really has no standing army. Its permanent establishment consists of a general staff and a small number of recruiting, supply, and instructor officers. With a population of 4,000,000, Switzerland, in 1912, had a military force of 490,340 men, fully organized and equipped, well trained and disciplined, and instantly available. Incidentally, the military expense of the Government for that year was $8,299,941, or $16.77 per man. Our regular soldier costs us about $1000 each year. Mr. Garrison's figures for England, France, and Russia were low. The peace armies of these countries were greatly augmented subsequent to his report.

Back of our hired regular force, and back of our militia, we have 16 trained men as listed reservists!

Back of the whole is the citizenship - a

citizenship second to none in the world in hardihood, courage, intelligence, and patriotism. That this citizenship, in any conflict

WE HAVE 16 TRAINED MEN AS LISTED RESERVISTS

with any power on earth, would ultimately triumph, we none of us question.

What do we want to pay in life, property, and treasure, for ultimate triumph? About that question centers the whole military problem of the United States. There are two possible answers to it:

Either we can continue to ignore the principles of our military policy;

Or we can devise means whereby our whole citizenship will have opportunity to receive military training.

In other words:

We shall have a reserve;

Or we shall not have a reserve.

Or still another way: —

We shall continue to throw the whole burden of first defense on a handful of professional hired soldiers;

Or we shall undertake to fit ourselves intelligently to back our hired men in time of national peril.

It all means that:

We shall continue to invite trouble by our unpreparedness for it;

Or we shall discourage foreign troubleseekers by being ready for any military emergency.

Those of us who spend our week-ends in automobiles would feel a certain sense of disgrace if our neighbors should catch us start

ing out without our extra tire. Some of us are inclined to surround ourselves with an atmosphere of disgusting prosperity by packing along two extras; and if we head away on a particularly long, rough, dangerous, or important trip, a few of us carry a whole extra set.

What is more, we take pains in providing tires that fit our rims. Think of it! We make sure that tires and rims match. Why, we even insist that the threads of our extra spark plugs shall match up with the threads that are to receive them; and that extra parts shall be especially designed for our particular machine. Yet nobody ever accuses us of letting these precautions for safety, convenience, and comfort interfere with our commercial, professional, or domestic duties and activities. It is most remarkable.

Now I am not ready to admit that this digression is far-fetched.

Our army is a machine - a most expensive one. A nation keeps a military machine on hand for use in emergency. Its efficiency as a