MIl4  s OF TIM BOARD OF THWSTE       _      December 13, 1910



aware of what a small proportion of our people now have the slightest knowledge

of the simplest principles of rifle shooting.   There are no more frontiers. Wle

are, unfortunately, becoming a people of great cities, and city bred men have few

opportunities of handling arms. We are getting to a state where we are not only

not a nation of marksmen, but are little better off than the European countries in

that respect.   Indeed, we are not so well situated, for they are aware of their

weakness and through their widely spread civilian rifle clubs are preparing their

citizens in this important branch of instruction.

     "Iete have in this university a splendid opportunity to do good work along this

line.   We have a military organization one of whose duties is to know how to shoot.

We have excellent raw material in this organization.   The government furnishes the

ammunition; but unfortunately the college provides no facilities for carrying on

the work.

     "tThis is hardly fair to the general government which has done a great deal for

colleges of this class.   The War Department requires me to teach the military students

a minimum of four subjects, and one of these, the Small Arms Firing Manual, at least

the second in importance, and as some maintain, the first, I am forced to neglect

entirely, because of a lack of facilities.   This is not as it should be.

     "I realize the difficulty of providing a regular out of door range, where the

service rifle could be fired with the service charge and at long distances.  This it

would be practically impossible to do in or near a crowded community like Lexington.

But such a range, while highly desirable, is not absolutely necessary.    The great

and mere important principles of rifle practice can be taught in an indoor gallery,

fifty feet long and with small caliber rifles.   This is an undeniable fact, for with

a preliminary training in sighting and position drills, topped off with work in the

gallery, a man can be made a fair shot before he fires a military rifle.

     "Such a glallery is what we need here, and I have in my possession plans,

specifications and estimates on such a gallery that can be constructed for smne