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

In Short

This document is a formal, government-sanctioned proposal intended to persuade educational authorities to adopt rifle practice as a standard extracurricular activity. It details a successful pilot program in New York City, where high school students utilized "subtarget gun machines" to learn marksmanship without the risks of live ammunition. By documenting the effectiveness of this technology and the organizational structure of the Public Schools Athletic League, the authors argue that such training is both feasible and essential for building a competent volunteer reserve force, ensuring the nation’s security through the mastery of marksmanship.

The Story

The narrative begins with a recognition of a persistent historical failure: attempts to introduce traditional military drill into public schools have largely floundered due to the rigid independence of local educational boards. The authors acknowledge that any new program must be voluntary and non-intrusive. The focus shifts to a successful alternative developed in New York City by the Public Schools Athletic League. Facing a crisis of urban congestion and a lack of constructive outlets for boys, the league implemented a program designed to replace "gang" activity with organized, competitive athletics, specifically targeting marksmanship.

The core of the program’s success is a technical innovation: the subtarget gun machine. This apparatus allows a student to aim a regulation Krag army rifle at a target while an electrical rod, moving in parallel with the barrel, punches a corresponding hole in a miniature target card. This enables precise, cost-effective instruction indoors, without noise or danger. The report tracks the rapid growth of this initiative, moving from the initial installation in ten high schools to the establishment of organized, interscholastic shooting competitions. The authors detail the creation of a "marksmanship committee" and the appointment of a general instructor to oversee the training of students—who often served as peer instructors—ensuring that the program could sustain itself.

As the program matured, the league introduced incentives, such as the Whitney trophy and various badges, to reward proficiency. The report highlights the transition from indoor simulator practice to live-fire field experience at Creedmoor. Despite initial nervousness, the high school students demonstrated remarkable aptitude, consistently outperforming experienced adults and military personnel in shooting matches. The narrative concludes that these boys, having mastered the fundamentals of the rifle through the simulator, learned significantly faster than grown men. The authors argue that this system represents a vital national asset; by ensuring that graduates are skilled marksmen, the country can maintain a smaller standing army, secure in the knowledge that a volunteer force could be readied for defense at a moment’s notice. The report ends with a call to action, recommending that the New York model be replicated in every state to promote both individual physical health and collective national security.

How It Unfolds

The problem of implementation The report identifies the inherent difficulty of introducing military instruction into diverse state-run school systems that jealously guard their educational routines. It concludes that only a voluntary, decentralized approach, driven by local cooperation, can realistically succeed.

The technological solution The authors introduce the subtarget gun machine as the mechanical key to overcoming space and safety constraints in urban schools. By providing immediate, mathematically accurate feedback on a student’s aim without the use of live rounds, this device removes the primary hurdles to classroom marksmanship training.

The organizational framework The success of the New York experiment is credited to the Public Schools Athletic League, which managed the logistics of instruction and competition. This section details how schools organized teams, appointed coaches, and created a hierarchy of student instructors to sustain the program.

The proof of efficacy The report presents data from interscholastic competitions and field tests at Creedmoor to demonstrate that the simulation training directly translates into real-world shooting proficiency. It highlights the surprising success of boys competing against university teams as evidence that the system works better than traditional methods.

The national call The final section positions the program not merely as a school activity, but as a long-term strategy for national peace. It urges educational officials nationwide to adopt the New York model, framing the trained youth as the ultimate safeguard against the need for a massive, permanent standing army.

The People

The authors, Generals George W. Wingate and Ammon B. Critchfield, serve as the clinical, authoritative voices of the report. They are pragmatists who view the school system through the lens of national efficiency, wanting to replace idle "gang" behavior with the constructive, patriotic focus of military marksmanship.

The late General L. M. Oppenheimer, their colleague, is remembered as a lost leader whose vision was instrumental in starting the inquiry. The students themselves are the primary subjects; they are portrayed as impressionable, energetic youth who, when given the right tools and instruction, possess a natural aptitude for shooting that actually exceeds that of their adult counterparts.

The instructors, such as Captain G. W. Corwin, are critical intermediaries who translate technical expertise into a format accessible to teenagers. The philanthropists—men like S. R. Guggenheim, Leslie C. Bruce, and J. A. Haskell—are the financiers who enabled the program by funding the machines and trophies. They act as the engines of the project, their donations legitimizing the sport in the eyes of the public. Finally, the school administrators and teachers are the gatekeepers; they are the figures whose "hearty cooperation" is sought, and who are ultimately tasked with balancing these new, militarily focused exercises against the demands of the traditional academic curriculum.

In Its Own Voice

"The vast territory over which the city has spread, and its congested streets have made it impossible for the children (particularly in the poorer districts), to get any physical exercise, and the physical condition of many of them has in consequence not only become below normal, but instead of spending their energies in play, as they do in the country, the boys are led to join 'gangs' and to become criminals."

The authors argue that the lack of open space in cities creates a social vacuum that rifle practice can help fill.

"If, however, the young men who are graduating from our high schools in the different States should be skilled riflemen the country can rest content with a small standing army, knowing that in case of war it can put into the field at short notice a force of volunteers whose skill in rifle shooting will enable them to be fully the equal of any army which may be brought against them."

The report concludes with a vision of a nation defended by a citizen-soldiery that requires little training to become combat-ready.

What It's Really About

The report is a testament to the belief that civic virtue and national security are inextricably linked to physical discipline. The central argument is that modern urban life has stripped young men of the rugged, outdoor experiences that once made them natural marksmen. By introducing the rifle into the public school, the authors seek to engineer a form of "preparedness" that is both democratic and efficient. It is an exploration of the question of how a free, anti-militaristic society can nonetheless maintain a credible defense force without a large standing army. The fundamental premise is that accuracy, focus, and technical mastery—honed in the classroom—are the primary requirements for a citizen-soldier, and that these traits can be systematically cultivated as a part of a child's public education.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of American education, the evolution of youth sports, or the origins of the "citizen-soldier" ideal will find this document fascinating. It provides a rare, grounded look at how early 20th-century reformers viewed the city as a source of moral and physical decline, and how they sought to use technology to combat it. The tone is dry, bureaucratic, and resolutely serious, offering a window into a time when the introduction of firearms into schools was viewed by many, including the President of the United States, as a standard, healthy, and patriotic endeavor.

The modern reader should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes regarding urbanization, juvenile delinquency, and the assumed necessity of military readiness in civilian life. There is little room for nuance in the authors' worldview; they are entirely focused on the "feasibility" of their mission. While the text lacks the emotional narrative arc of a novel, it possesses the distinct, rhythmic quality of a formal report from a bygone era of institutional optimism. You will come away with a clear understanding of the mechanical and social strategies used by the supporters of this movement, and a deeper appreciation for how deeply the values of the era were embedded into the structure of public institutions.