Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1828-04-12

1othna! ARE wa to consider iac cost of
tnaint aiming company of Bombard!ers, sappers
and miners from the regular army, for the Pnr-
pose OF preserving the disc, pino oi the Acad-
emy, and the expense Of superior band ot
musicians, las nothiog' Are We 10 consider the
500 or $4,000 year, given to The board OF eN-
-aminots the cost and wear Of the appendagcs
Of the osiablisLment-li IL. aims, munitions, ep.
pasatds, books, &c,-the Impeachment OF
the government lands by tho removal OF TIM
bcr, tie receipts from which are pocketed
nobody kn9ws by whom, as nothing? live
are 50 cdnisdsr them, than we cohcede with
out argument that you have replied 10 our
ctatcmcnt, otherwise you have attempted to
p:cyaricatc and dccei:c.
You ast whether We have ever visited West
Point, we repiy that we have, but We must
confess that We have rcycr dlscovcred the
"admirable economy" with which the none,
of the people is dIsburscd, in cducl,lng the
comparative small nan5er al young men, who
arc admitted there as jhc pets Of national gov
Crnmcnt. We cannot cera niJ recommend
the economy which requires 200 900 annually,
for the support and education oi2)o yo,nJ mcn
OF boys, as the case may be the effort Which
you have made to excite by your irresistible
riihos the sympathics o! the people IN favor
OF tho "galiant corps" who "ntrcr had fheT
egual " is too rid.culoualy absurd 20 be rcclp-
n
loss to perceive los thoy I.e obliged any more
"a IN tic youias Of or c,nutsy generally who
arc sent to u distance for instruction, 10 fore
90 the eadcarmonts Of friends and family to
forget for n season all the Joys o! young eAls-
tcncc. ."-They are indeed A" GxIlcd from the
wohl," If being lpcItad on one of the most
romantic and besutilh egIons Of the country,
Immediately on III. great rhoroughldrc between
New York and Albany, within few hours ride
from either, can be termed Gn "cxl'e.' II
the young men al the Academy are 80 very
muen Gag Iged in the highest Intellectual pnr-
suits, generously contenlInI with each other IN
the strife OF mnd,' YOU aver, they certainly
must be insensbc 10 the deprivation Of those
onjoymenis, the loss Of which YOU have So eio.
guentiy aud freiihgiy portrayed.
la tho COMMUNICATIONS made by us TO the
ecsyie tar1ugh the columns OF the Times, aiior
discussing fully and NO believe capdIdly, the
course of instruction NJ West Point, VIC came
10 the Following cpn"luslots, that"in the pure
abstract Mathe n1'ics, Natural Philosophy and
Cigl Engineering, the course OF instruction at
West PJnt ~ On i par with other scIn'na les.
In Military Science, Chemistry, MmeraIogy,
l. C. j, is inferior 10 Others; IN tho practical
Mathematics, ihc Anc;oat Classics, and two
important living language the Spanish and
the Engsh, il Is entirely deficient. Ii Is dciic-
icat lis cw:G in Metlphy slcs, II story, Nation
al and Political Law, the Laws oiNations, and
tk, Constitution and Laws Of oar own country.
In your anmadvers;ons upon Us, which are
so exceedingly correct aud seUerc, ana at the
same time modest, you s:ate " that from
your own ample experience, YOU can tasiisy to
tho uttl' illsIty OF the assertion" that IN the
pure abstract, Mathematics, Natural PhlIoso-
ray and CiYil Engineering, the course OF M
ttrnctioa at West Point, is on par with other
,ri 1e a
implicit faith should be placed IN your opinions,
rou announce in the most pompous manner,
that YOU " are a graduate of the first Univcrsl-
~ in America, VIZ. Harvard. This Ia indeed,
a. confirmation strong as holy wrt."-And how
shall we who dare TO think differently, and
who have never been dubb'd with the gna
Of college honors convince the people that
even "a graduate Of an University may be ia
error. Happily for us however, the time has
gone by, when. the possession OF diploma. Is
symbolcal Of scientific requirement. The
thing Of ribbous aud parchment, has lost its
INA gic power, and nothing bn, an cxemplliica-
aion, eau convince the people of the claims OF
an individual to be considered prohcIcnt IN
the different branches cf science. How well
YOU sre gvlhiol to Judge Of the cnpability OF
nhc West Point Cads's IN the sciences mention
Cd, lot your acknoN Judgements tell. At the
Dnivcrsty where you n.bbcd your knowledge,
the " study Of tAo Ma,homatics was for the
most par; mere farce. You have "studied
Algebra nc far as Qiadratic equations. and
consde ,dbic portion nj Geometry. To this add
very Little of the application of the most
common tr;g1nomctrjcal formulas TO Naviga-
tien ard n ,u,ical Astronomy, and tins small
skeleton course was scrambled through,
not by demonstrating from the black board,
but by the problems fiom the ycrv books them
selves" Verify the mautlo of the prophet
Daniel, has descended upon your shoulders,
and how exceedingly presumptuous must any
one be, TO wish or to venture to appeal from
your Judgement
Your remlr,ts on the subject Of Civil Engi-
necring, Military Science, &c. with which you
coaclude your crt'que. are too frivolous to re-
.aure Fl ON n,e an especial notice. Before TAX
nng our leave Of you, We mus. assure YOU that
we have no apology to make for the severity
with which we have replied TO yonr remarks.
Your humorous and apparently wilfsl msrep.
presentations, aRl the degmltIcal and superci-
lious manner in which they were delivered,
have fully warranted the course We have taxi
an. You need not have told us YOU weru the
graduate Of an University. The misrcprcsen-
tations which flow throughout the whole OF
your remarks, could never have emanated,
however interest might have dictated 70 the
contrary, from one who bears about in his bo-
som, the heart of a solder
Although We arc probably tho Younger Of
thc two. vet we caunot fothc1r o.!erlng you
a letter Of advice, in relation to your future
eendact. Having J1st completed your mairI-
eulation and escaped from the walls o: yosr
Alma Mater. QIixo,tc like, you have sailed
forth in search OF .iiycnturos. Armed with a
good stock of pcGan'ry and n euitable portion
Of self su!Iicicncy, you have come forward to
enightcn the darkencd minds Of your fellow
citizens, who, as your self concen whispers.
49, 40, a.. o,rari,y n ncrceiye thcir "A m