Absorbed as we are in peace celebrations and Coronation preparations the report of the Committee on Military Education which was issued at the end of last week has not attracted quite the attention that it deserved. But doubtless politicians and of recurring to the subject. "The report newspapers will find many opportunity
is by no means pleasant reading. The system of education ae Sandhurst and Woolwich is found to be exceedingly defective, the result being that the average army officer is by no means well educated either in a general or ina technical sense. Many of the regrettable incidents" in the Boer War may no doubt be traced to these defects of education in our officers, and it is to be hoped that great improvement will result from the reforms which the Committee recommends. "The only chance," the Committee say, "of a general improvement in military education and in the consequent efficiency of the Army, lies in an honest system of promotion by merit, following upon tests conducted in an honest and practical manner, honestly reported upon and daly acted upon by the authorities; for so long as} mediocrity is allowed to pass muster, and signal ability to meet with no substantial recognition, it is useless to hope for any valuable results from verbal amendment in the regulation." This insistence upon honesty as the great desideratum is about a3 strong a condemnation of the present system as could be imagined.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.