The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-10-09


WEST POINT AcADEMY-ITs MERITS AND DE-
FECrs.-Our national Military Academy at West
Point has received, since the breaking out of
this unhappy war, we'll merited encomiums, as
well from the public voice as from observant
foreigners of high position. The highly fatter-
ing manner in which Prince Napoleon spoke of
its graduates in his letter to the Opinion Ma
tionale cannot have escaped the recollection of
our readers. We find more than half a mil
lion Of combatants on both sides of this great
contest Offered, for the most part, by men
who have received their military education at
West Point-the principal generals on the one
side and on the other being, in many instances,
graduates Of the same class. And Prince Napo-
leon was not far astray in his shrewd remark
as to the superior manner and bearing and
conduct Of the pupils of that institute
From the period of the establishment of the
Academy down to the breaking out of the
Mexican war, ignorant and contemplate politi-
clans, in all sections, never ceased to declaim
against and to revie it as something which did
not comport with the democratic and pacific
spirit of our institutions; but the experience Of
that war brought out in their true colors the
advantages Of West Point, and since then there
have been fewer political attacks made upon it,
There is one point Of education however, to
which there does not seem to have been atten-
ton enough paid at the Academy. We mean
the study of the constitution as the great char
ter of the nation. We believe that lectures on
The constitution come within the province of
some one of the many professors maintained
there: but we are too well aware that that
branch of study has not heretofore received the
attention which its Importance should have Sc
cured for it. The consequence of this neglect
has been made apparent in the innnmerable in
stances Of disloyalty to the government and
flag which Southern pupils of West Point have
presented. II is evident that what little know
ledge of the constitution they acquired there
was Of q warped and twisted character, and that
their conceptions Of the American government
were that it was a league Of separate nationali
ties, instead OF being republic one and indi-
visible This was the prolific focus whence ra-
dated most of the errors that plunged men into
this insane rebellion.
We trust that from henceforti it will be made
morally impossible to have such erroneous
views disseminated from The great military
school Of the nation. and that the government
will see to it that the pupils raised and educated
there at the expense Of the people will acquire,
with their professional attainments, such
knowledge of the principles that underlie the
political cdiice Of the United States that they
viii be little likely, no matter from what State
or section they may come, to stumble into the
pitfalls Of secession. The first element of
good military training is That Of answering
loyalty to the nation. Without that all other
attainments go for nothing. Military men,
above all others, should recognise no State or
sectional boundaries They have nothing to do
but with the republic as aunity, and it is to it
alone that they owe allegiance. moral re-
form in this view is much needed al West
Point.
VINO ARE THE REBEL OFFICERS FROM MIS-
souRI ?-One of the st. Louis journals complains
that in our article giving the organization Of the
rebel army '.one-haliT' of the names mentioned
as rebel officers from the State Of Missouri are
az good Union men as can be found in the
country. The names were compiled from lists
published in the st. Louis papers, which repre-
sented those officers to be secessionists. 1t
Seems, however, from the statement we refer to.
that some of them are neither in the army of the
South nor desire place in that category. We
are very glad to hear that some of those who
were believed to be traitors to their country
are in truth loyal citizens. If the ST. Louis
newspaper will take the trouble to give COR
rccted list we will be pleased to publish it
We wish justice to be done, though the heavens
fall