Our National Defense: The Patriotism of PeaceMaxwell, George Hebard
History
Our National Defense: The Patriotism of Peace
Maxwell, George Hebard
United States -- Defenses
Switzerland could be reproduced in West Virginia, with the climatic and
physical conditions of the two countries so much alike. The Swiss Military
System could be applied to the entire State. With a million regularly
enlisted Homecroft Reservists at all times ready for service, there would
then be in addition a large unorganized reserve composed of graduates from
the Homecroft Reserves or who had received a military training in the
public schools. It would be entirely practicable to engraft the entire
Swiss system of universal military training in the public schools on the
school system of the State of West Virginia.
Switzerland has a total area of 15,975 square miles with a population of
3,741,971. West Virginia has an area of 24,170 square miles and a
population of 1,221,119. The addition of 1,000,000 Homecroft Reservists to
its population with their families, would bring the total population up to
nearly twice that of Switzerland. The marvelous adaptability of West
Virginia to the Homecroft idea and its possibilities as a fruit and
vegetable and poultry producing country were fully set forth in an article
in the "National Magazine" for December, 1913, which has been reprinted
under its title, "West Virginia, the Land Overlooked," in a pamphlet issued
by the Department of Agriculture of the State of West Virginia.
The following pertinent statements are made in that article: "Fifty years
of amazing progress in West Virginia gives a new significance to her
motto, 'Montani semper liberi,' meaning 'Mountaineers always freemen.'
There is something in the environment and in the rugged scenery of the
State that gives its people the freedom loving spirit of the Swiss." The
"strategic importance" of the State is shown in these words: "A circle with
a radius of two hundred and fifty miles makes West Virginia the center of
all the markets laved by the waters of the Atlantic and the great lakes on
the north. Within this circle is located the capital of the nation and
twelve of the world's greatest cities."
With these facts in mind, anyone who will look at a map of the eastern half
of the United States will agree that West Virginia is the right State in
which to rear and train and concentrate the Reserve Force required for the
defense of the east and the Atlantic seaboard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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