Debating War
Tracking the War
The declaration of war in the summer of 1914 was initially overshadowed by the death of Headmaster Launcelot Minor Blackford, an important school leader who transformed Episcopal after the Civil War, while students learned about the war and speculated about their futures. However, by the time students returned to the campus, it was clear that the Great War raging in Europe would not be something that could be just ignored.
Soon after the beginning of the cshool session on September 6, the faculty started addressing the students on the topic of war. On October 25, 1914, The fairly new headmaster, Archibald Robinson Hoxton, read to the Bible class a “short article on patriotism,” while Willowbough Reade, an English teacher, read to the class a speech given by British Prime Minister Lloyd George on the war a week later. Between 1914 and 1917, Mr. Reade regularly held events at the end of year when he read stories to the students, of which the proceed went to the Red Cross for relief in Europe. Some other Episcopal faculty took the opportunity to integrate the war into their curriculum.
Visiting scholars often gave lectures on the war, but very few kept a neutral stance. One of these talks took place on March 5th, 1916, when Mr. Daniel addressed the Episcopal students on the scientific inventions and trench warfare that caused great devastation and loss of life, “So far in the present war some thirteen million men have been under arms… It is the sacrifice of life alone which counts and the attacking side can probably take anything they desire, at a loss of five attackers to two defenders.” Daniel also stressed the financial burden of the war, which costed the Allies “four years of Civil War” every “sixty days.” Another similar lecture was given by Mr. Gardiner of Laurel, Mississippi. Gardiner discussed how the war in Europe affected American South, especially Mississippi. One of these lectures looked at the war outside Europe. In January, 1916, Mr. Carter, a visiting scholars talked to the Bible class students on “the Position of Africa in the Present War,” albeit with an Eurocentric viewpoint. According to the Chronicle, the students learned about “the probabilities and possibilities of this large area of uncivilized territory” and “the important part that the ‘Dark Continent’ is to play in the world’s history.” To bring additional perspectives, Headmaster Hoxton would occasionally read articles written by scholars such as Dr. Elliot, former President of Harvard, on the war.
As the war stretched longer and became more intimate to the students, the awareness of the war heightened in the fall of 1916. Cuthbert C. Buckle ’10, who joined the British Army earlier, died of machine gun fire in Ovillers, France, during the third day of the Battle of Somme, while leading a charge to the German trench. The death of C. C. Buckle, the first of the Episcopal alumni, attracted attention from the community. The school yearbook, Whisper, created a memoriam page for him, while the Chronicle dedicated the front page story “Dead on the Field of Honor” to Buckle, praising him of embodying the Episcopal characters of “truth, honor, gentleness, bravery.” Following Buckle’s death, the student body became more opinionated of the conflict in Europe, as the prospect of America entering the war grew.
Debates and Contests
To further raise awareness on the upcoming war, students and faculties designed debates and contests on the present war. In 1916, Headmaster Hoxton held the Seminary annual contest in public speaking at the Episcopal Chapel. The theme of the theological contest was “Christianity and War,” and some Episcopal students had the opportunity to observe the contest. The two rivaling literary societies on campus, the Fairfax Literary Society and the Blackford Literary society, focused their annual “dual contest” on the war. The 1916 prompt asked,
“Resolved: That the Federal Government should compel every able bodied male citizen between 18 and 24 years of age to take, under adequate provision, at least one year of Military or Naval Training.”
while the 1917 one revolved around the possibility of Anglo-American alliance after the war. In addition, the School named the its theme of the Prize Composition “Preparedness,” of which Homer L. Ferguson Jr. of Newport News won. Overall, the discourse that took place on campus helped students better understand the war.
Pictures of the locations of the two rivaling literary societies: the B.L.S. and the F.L.S.
War and Citizenship
It would be wrong, however, to assume that the entire student body was fixated on the present war, as the Chronicle critiqued the “lack of interest in public affairs among boys” twice in 1916, first on the issue of Preparedness and then on the election of Woodrow Wilson. The Chronicle chose not to take a side on the issue, but advocated for the spirit of “better citizenship,” a concept popularized in the early Twentieth Century by urban, middle-class, educated Americans. The supporters of the “better citizenship”--the Boy Scouts of America, for instance--promoted ethics, duty, and non-partisan civic engagement for the community. Considering the well-to-do background of Episcopal students, such value was greatly reflected in the Chronicle’s critique, “Most of the corruption and incompetence in our government comes from listlessness on the part of the voters.” According to the Chronicle, to be just intellectual is not enough for a “good citizen,” as citizenship must be practiced as well, “then, too, our literary society officers should acquaint themselves intimately with the methods of Congressional procedures.” The concept of better citizenship also included the element of military service to the country. A Chronicle article that advocated for military training argued that equal military service would transform both “the slums and the boulevard” and “the ignorant and the learned” to good citizens connected in “brotherly relation.” In a way, by “awakening” the duty, the Great War transformed the way that citizenship was defined, and, at Episcopal, the definition of citizenship conflated with the long standing tradition of honor.
Preparedness
“By Pursuing the other, they will perpetuate their memory as the prudent and patriotic people who, by their wisdom and foresight, guided their country through the greatest crisis in modern times.”
Emphasized in the Prize Composition, the belief of “Preparedness” was greatly echoed among the student body before the U.S. entered the war. The Preparedness Movement, led by Northern Republicans, Nationalists, and warhawks such as Former President Theodore Roosevelt, was a campaign that advocated for a larger standing army, increased military budget, and more extensive military training program. In fact, the supporters of Preparedness opened a training camp in Plattsburg, New York. In the summer of 1916, four members of the Episcopal faculty and twenty-five alumni attended the camp for reserve officer training. In addition, opinions expressed in the student publications were often aligned with the ideals of Preparedness. In the March, 1917 issue of the Chronicle, the editorial advocated for Universal Military Training, claiming that the military was what made the country a “first class power,” and the prowess of the military was dependent on the recruitment. “Recruiting stations are always open throughout the United States,” the author wrote, “but few answer the call, for reasons of their own. However, we must have a larger army, not only to back up our friends, but to defend our country.” The belief of national power and military preparedness certainly paralleled the Preparedness movement.
Influencing Speakers
Homer L. Ferguson Sr. was the President of the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, as well as the father of H. L. Ferguson Jr., the Episcopal student who won the Prize Composition. A former attendee of the U.S. Naval Academy, Ferguson oversaw the company in the war, which designed and constructed warships and submarines for the U.S. Navy. To the students, he spoke about the composition of modern navy in the war and “many instances of the unpreparedness of a country resulting in its downfall.” Ferguson stressed that while technological advancement was important, people were still required to man the gun, and “the length of time required to train men thoroughly” made preparedness a necessity.
The Secretary of the National Security League, a Preparedness and Nationalist organization, Herbert Barry came to Episcopal in January, 1917, with a similar message. His talk promoted universal military training, which, interestingly, was reflected merely two months later in the Chronicle.
Lastly, the school frequently invited William S. Shacklette of the Seminary to speak to the student. A former sailor on the U.S.S. Bennington and a peacetime Medal of Honor recipient, Shacklette shared with the Episcopal students his naval experience in Hawaii and Southern Pacific. Yet, when he returned one year later in February, 1917, Shacklette focused his talk on the importance of Preparedness and efficiency. According to him, preparedness depends on everyone fulfilling the duty promptly and efficiently, and such efficiency was especially critical in the navy during a time of uncertainty.