Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-02-13

|
! Seminary ofSt Cyr, Young man must be q
| Frerrhman, of sound constitution, not younger
than sixteen, nor older than twenty. The aver
age age Of admissions eighteen. Bat there are
| Other conditions in the shape of examinations,
| which is rather more difficult to fulfil. The
school opens in October, and ahout the month
of May preceding, the candidate, who has gcner-
ally been going through aproccss of examining,
with which that operation at our Universities
| offers but few points Of resemblance, is sum
| inoned to the Sorbonne; and there, i'll large
, ROOM in company with couple of hundred
! other youths, he is given subject for compost
| ton in French. This subject varies according to
the fancy of the examiner. G5
When friend of mine. who ia now serving
with distinction in the Crimea, went up for his
examination. he and his fellow comrades were
| ordered to write historical and Typographical
| sketch of their native town. Nearly every large
| town in France had representative in the
| room and curious and interesting was the
| collection of examination papers, that, am told
it is to this day preserved in the archives at the
| Ministry of War. For this composition about
| four hours are allowed, and the candidates arc
allowed nothing but pen, ink, and paper. All
communication with each other is strictly forbid
den, aud the possession ola book of reference
ofanysorS would be followed, ifdctccted, by is-
|
1.-THE candidate has failed, he cannot try his luck
for another year. IT, on the contrary, he is
cesstul, in the month of July or August he is
| again summoned to the Sortonne, where he ul-
dergoes an oral examination after this fashion:
| In kind of,irn there are placed wooden balls
numbered from one to fifty, and each of these
| numbers correspond to question in the pro-
grammc, every subject being divided into that
number of questions.
| The subjects include arithmetic, algebra, in
Guiding quddratic equations, geometry and the
elements OF trigonometry, drawing-his is Gone
with piece OF chalk on huge b!ack-board-
history in a general way-that of France very
intimately, and particularly that OF Europe since
the French Revolution in l7s9-elemcn.ary
chemistry, physics-,his comprises the laws Of
matter motion, light, electricity, the steam en-
CINE, acknowledgements, &C., &c. This part
OF the examination is the most severe, and many
who have creditably gone through the remain
der Of the ordeal are pucked in this sect on. |
will, however, suppose the candidu.c to be sue
ccssful. In the course of September The Mon
itcur publishes list of the successful candidates
The terms are fl0 per annum paid quarterly
and in advance. The course of study of the
school is two years, but in time of war the sec
ond year is sometimes dispensed with. The pu-
pills are kept under the s:rictest military regime
own shoes, keep their mas,sct, sword, and ac-
coutremcnts clean and in good order,and the belt
which supports their side arms and cartrige-box
must be kept properly ppe-clayed They are
drilled like common infantry soldiers, and he
side have to go through the more trying drill
of the ChasSeurs de Vinccnnes, and that OF the
Artillery privates. Each of the pupils, in his
turn, taught TO handle number ofmcn-frst as
lieutenant, and lastly is co!oncl-the whole 4'tn
pupils being placed under his comlnaud. He is
also taught TO cook, or riiher-ior that is TOO
ambitious a phraSe-to make the SOUP which
constitutes the chief pabulum of the troupier
fraacais; ard, moreover he is taught 10 con-
struct OH a barren common, with the sole aid
of a spade and pckax, furnace which can boil
the camp kettle, and which, as far as efficiency
is concerned, is fully equal. not TO say superior
o many in a private kitchen. To accus- ON him
20 the hardShips which solder is exposed to,
he Is taken i'll the hot summer days promenade
miti!aire-i. e.. a walk of some twelve miles, in
IN heavy marching order. with his knapsack,
coo, ing utensils, and bread iorthrcc days con-
sumption. He is reused up aud called under
arms long before dawn in the cold winter morn
ings, and w,lt ungloved hands has TO limher,
unlimher, and put into position the field battery
which the school possesses He is also laugh. 10
ride, and instructed i'll the duties Of cavalry Oh
ficnr