Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1849-09-21


be instructed to draw up an Address to all nj
tons, embodying the resolutions of the Con.
gress; and that this Address shall be presented
to the various Governments, and that sneciaI
means be taken to bring it under the attention
OF the President OF the French Republic.
NATIONAL ACADEMY-WEST POINT
There never was time since the organization
OF our Union, when the several States wera 60
actively engaged in the cause of education =
While we rejoice in the prospect of improve
ment which this movement holds ont to the
friends OF true liberty and free institutions our
eyes are naturally turned to the general govern
neht with the inquiry, what has it done, what
Is DONG to help on the enterprise on which its
very existence depends!
we cannot go into the inquiry farther than
10 say, that 1t Is remarkable fact in this aoe of
ll9ht ana IN this boosted land of schools thai no
congress mas yet thought it expedient to have
even Committee on Education, and no Presi-
dent has recommended the subjecto of public in.
srucuon to the attention of the people or of their
Representatives.
Inc government, however, has not entirely
neglected this important matter, and it NAV not
oe useless 1or US TO cast glance at Whatit claims
10 nave done. We do not refer to what Il has in
directly done by granting land to the new states
tor the purposes of education but to what il has
actually done itself to educate this mighty neo-
pie.
1t may be said that the education of the peonle
oy the government is not expressly provided for
In the Constitution, and if this BE- true, the more
Is the pity that the most enlightened government
IN the world Is authorized to expend any amount
tor the destructive purposes of war, and is for
Dldden to expend cent in the cultivation of the
arts OF peace, IN the promotion of that general
education, on which, more than on war. the safe
", and continuance, and real greatness of the
NATION depends. Yes, the government which
caiinol educate people, which cannot engage in
"oihS ol internal Improvement, has established
and continued for nearly half century ma
tlonal school, which, we fear. has been to opr ma
tlon what leaven is to the lump. KEEPING alive
and active that war spirit, which otherwise mil
nave died out by the natural operation of our
peaceful institutions, or by the natural progress
OF humanity.
West Point Academy was established in 1909
Tor the improvement of ten officers ofthe u. s.
army, bat now, the pupils are not officers, but
young men intending to become so, of whom
24o are admitted every year. Every member of
congress Is allowed TO nominate one pupil from
ms district, and the President is allowed to NOM
mate ten at large. Although so many are an
nuaiiy admitted, it seldom happens that more
ti'ail l4o are present at any one time, for the
examinations, which take place at their en-
trance, at the end of each year, not only to sift
OUT the cllaft, but most of the small seeds, and
few who are not distinguished for talents and
application, can sustain themselves through the
whole course of four years
The art Of war, as we have limited i, the main
thing to be studied, and as most of this is based
upon the mathematics these are taught as the
all In all OF education; but as geology. botany.
chemistry, and few other sciences arc useful To
the thorough warrior, these things are also
taught by the most accomplished teachers, and
with the most complete apparatus. Tho Insti-
futon has ordlnarily.cost the governments hun
dred thousand dollars year, and, for year or
two past, including the buildings, about one hun
dred ana llfty thousand a year. The three Nor
man schools OF Massachusetts have cost about
SIX thousand dollars year, and it appears that
the sum expended on West Point (whose object
Is 10 check civilization, chrstianization, and all
the best objects of Normal and Common Schools
would have supported two Normal Schools in
each OF the thirty states ofthe Union on a much
more liberal scale than the present Norman
Schools OF Massachusetts, and this is about
tar comparison of the cost of peaceful institu-
tons compared with those of war.
Among the apparatus of the Academy are
guns OF all sizes, from muskets tuthose of enor-
nous calibre,-vocanoes on wheels. as some one
has described them. Among the wonderful ex-
hlbtions of military skill is the flying artillery. to
which powerful horses are attached, and on
which the artillerists are carried with surprising
velocity from one part of the field to another 1t
was tins force which struck such terror into the
AeXIcans, and TO this the victories of Pao Alto
buena vista, DC, are mainly to be attributed
ne Oadets are often exercised in target firing,
ana eXpend about dollar minute in this exer.
clSe. Another expensive sort of apparatus at
tached TO the Academy is some scores OF horses
Tor the Dragons. These are highly trained,
and attended by grooms, and the drill exercise
the charge, and the onset are terrible even on the
peaceful lawn. The cadets are regularly drilled
morning and evening" and, occasionally, they
have practical lessons IN the attack and defence
OF toruticatlons, to illustrate which they have
miniature forts, and other apparatus very curl
Gus and complete.
And all this expenditure, and all this thorough
education is for what? Not to promote the
peace, and prosperity, and happiness of men, but
10 e. pedite their destruction. To show the
value OF this Institution, and the duty of govern
ment to support 1t, We are told that We never
should have conquered Mexico without it. This
is no doubt true, but what just man would not
prefer TO leave such wrong undoDe, and apply
the immense expenditure to the educating and
civilizing of the wretched Mexicans. We know
no greater insult to the common sense of man
kind than the maxim that the best way to pre-
serve peace is " to prepare for war" The pre-
uerltiUe discipline, of which We have said so
= rf-- ,s..l,xs Il.
we should just as soon think of promoting war,
by teaching peace and the arts of peace, as Of SCI
curing peace by creating kill in the art of war,
and making it the ambition and the inter st of
large and talented class of men, to avepge inju-
ries, and destroy their fellow creatures. w
have not word to say against the expenditure
OF millions, instead of thousands, for the educa-
ton OF this people, or any other that is unen-