A report on the feasibility and advisability of some policy to inaugurate a system of rifle practice throughout the public schools of the country

Excerpt

NOTICE

At the annual meeting of the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice, held at Washington, D.C., January 24, 1906, the question of building up an interest in target practice throughout the schools of the country was discussed, and a special committee consisting of Gen. L. M. Oppenheimer, of Texas; Gen. George W. Wingate, of New York, and Gen. Ammon B. Critchfield, of Ohio, was appointed to inquire into and report at the next annual meeting of the board upon—

The feasibility and advisability of some policy to inaugurate a system of rifle practice throughout the public schools of the country.

At the last meeting of the board held at Washington, D.C., January 25, 1907, the report of this committee was submitted by Generals Wingate and Critchfield, and is published in accordance with the following resolution of the board, which was unanimously adopted:

Resolved, That the report of the committee on rifle practice in public schools be approved and the thanks of the board be tendered Generals Wingate and Critchfield for their valuable paper; that the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice recommend to the various educational authorities the desirability of interesting school boys over 13 years of age in the subject of rifle practice. It was

Further resolved, That this report be printed separately and given the greatest publicity, the matter of distribution and number of copies required therefor to be submitted to the committee on publicity, with power.

It is deeply regretted that before the completion of the report General Oppenheimer died, and his great help in assisting to promote interest in rifle practice is lost to the country.

This report is earnestly commended to the superintendents of public instruction throughout the country.

Robert Shaw Oliver,

Assistant Secretary of War,

President National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice.

Grote Hutcheson,

Captain, General Staff,

Member and Recorder, National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice.

Report on the Feasibility and Advisability of some Policy to Inaugurate a System of Rifle Practice throughout the Public Schools of the Country.

New York, January 21, 1907.

National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice.

Gentlemen: In pursuance of the resolution of the board requesting the late Gen. L. M. Oppenheimer, of Texas (who died since the last meeting of the board, and whose death is deplored), and the undersigned to report "on the feasibility and advisability of some policy to inaugurate a system of rifle practice throughout the public schools of the country," we respectfully report:

For many years attempts have been made to inaugurate a system of military instruction in the public schools of the country. As a rule, these have not proved successful. In a few private military schools situated in the country some target practice is conducted, but the difficulty of carrying on anything of the kind in the public schools has rendered it impracticable.

The matter, however, has recently been introduced in the public schools of the city of New York, and the success which has been attained there has demonstrated the feasibility and advisability of introducing rifle practice in the public schools among the boys over the age of 13 years....