, 1863-09-09
West Point---Its Advantages and
Disadvantages.
4ke New Special of the London
Times

uons t. West Point, and the Secretary bas
decided accordingly. The effect will be to,
deprive Iowa Of four scholarships ut the NIL
italE Academy, and several Of tho most pros
perous Of Tie Northwestern States will be
lcsers In like degree. believe that Illinois
hos four additional members Of the House.
ana under . different decision, would haYe
nag a. ,oar hore representatives at West Point,
When az absurd usage has no better f0an-
dation to re4t upon than mera precedent
IMAM Inc 1aft that the eame Inconvenience or
1n1n8t1ce haa been of long standing, think It
ID aoout.stiGae to abandon it. In the present
case can sec nothing better In the shape Of
amsta leason i9r denying to every STATE It's proper
em1. = new session Of the school COM
mthces about the present time, and \ new
Gongrees vas elected, as It regards every
state which will have an additional number
Ct Representatives, Inst year. They hare done
tneir duty and should not have their rights
postponed hacause other States choose not to
elect their delegations to Congress until si1
Or eight months after the period when new
Congress is liable to be called, ia extraordin.
a1y session. and after the date from which the
pay Of these non-e!ected delegations actually
runs. Every Van to be elected to Congress
from this TINA forHnrd to the meeting -of the
animal sessions Will draw pay from the fourth
day of March last, and 1t is the fault OF two or
fhrte tree States, and Of nearly ali the slave
states, that their elections are not held in dne
time, to meet the public excgencies.
IN connection with this subject OF Military
SCHOOLS, must cay that In my Judgment
there Is much III founded prejudice against
men Of military education, and that there IL
snapger Of this prejudice BEG oming highly detr-
cole ges designed to educate the youth for
every other hnslness Of lite-we have, first, lit
erary and scientific Institutions, to Inv the
basie Of knowledge Then ne have schools
specially designed to fit yonng men for
einas folp pfoGsa5Sn:, as tns Law Msd
ture, tor civil engineering, and 10
forth. In the professions which are sup
posed 10 require less nterature and science,
saeh nt the mechanical trades, 1t is still uni
ve1,anJ found to be necessary to train youth
preposterous the Idea tlien, that eyeT stump
and pulpit should supply us with q military
commander, skilled In an art, which has been
Illustrated BY tlse trained genius Of Napo-
tsSat sso3tt = WELLINGTON = Warrington, and
It viii be said that Washington aud hlt
eompters had no military schooling. True;
bur they had military trimming, from their
{onth up, IN vars with the Indians aud the
Flcoch, Washington set ont in his military
career sa. e. not as btigadier, Or major general,
CT militia, tent out to defend the frontiera
agaihst the saEages. He had years Of expo
flence IN this sort Of subordinate service,
before he was appointed to command the
armies of the United Colonies.
We know that jackson had similar train
Ing, and 60 with all our eminent military
men: But great as was their success, they
would have been tar more accomplished III
the art of war II, like Napoleon, they had
been thoroughly, educated at . military
The country hxs just reason to complain
OF West Point, not on account Of It's defect
I've military training, bnt because,' In the
la1ds, or under the direction Of Southern
politicians, 1t has been hotrbed Of Southern
treason, and the thiDg to be done nom, Is not
who are put in charge Of it are men Of tie
right Stamp. By the way, sincerely trust
that an officer OF Kentucky origin, I be1ieye.
who for some years had charge Of the West
Point School, and who Is now in the Army of
return to that Institution, TO- in
press the students By his iupe-
rious and striking manners, with the idea Tat
slavery Is the corner stone Of the Republic, Of
law and Of order, and that the present rebel
lion and civil war are due entirely to the
With the peculiar Institution Of the south,
Doubtless there are now many men Of the
same stamp at West Point; md would re-
1spectful1y suggest that the corps Of instsuc-
tors In that Institution be thoroughly purgci,
:of every suspicion and faint Of &1sloyalty.
man should sit at that fountain Of tie patrio-
tism, al Of tho science Of the army, to dis
pensc 1ts voters, who is not thoroughly In
bqed with love Of freedom and nationality.
Instead Of opposing West Point, as too
reflection, I think that the country needs flr
moro military instruction than that institu-
lion On It's present organization, will afford;
and the thing to be demanded Is not It's abo.
lition, bat tho establishment Of another, or
other military schools In different parts OF the
country. Three hundred students of the
military art might suffice, uhile the army con
s1sted Of twelve or fifteen thousand men but
henceferward it can never be less, perhaps,
than hundred thousand, and the number OF
men educated tor. command should be aug
mented in proportion.
After au that may be said In behalf of tho
achievements Of men who have been deprived
OF military education, the balance will still
be largely On the other side; just US In the lit
erasy and scientific world, while GONE Of
u. tne na,Sh1est Names tnhtstory bare heenmade
TIC education, their numbers are insignificant
IN comparison + With the hosts Whq haYe gone
up from lue lnsuluuons of learning 10 IN.
fcribe their names On the rolls Of fame,; No.
no would not be SO unWise as to propose the
abandonment, of high schools and colleges
because Shakespeare and Franklin achieY-
ed renoWn without the advantages Of such In
situtions. The prejudice which cxistsogaInst
Institutions OF. learning-because . few men
sid-ls oblivlous Of the fact that there would
be little or no learning to ba acquired at the
homely hreeide, and in the work shop, but
for the public, laboratories and: d:fountains Of
learning; and the remark is as true Of the
military art rs OF the others. II there is no
a nt+ T..
nlar road. The practice Of law or the prac-
nce ct politics., would not qualify
and no ore would be silly enough to imagine
i i9at ne popular ". Smith or the eloqunt
ar J9nes could make neatly fitting coat or
hat But strangely enough it is taken for
grated that the art Of war is far mora easy ~
acqsiAition than the mechanical trades and
whoever can command the greatest number
Of votes, for Congress, or draw the largest
Of course, IN u1developed Caesar or Ma
po1eoD, who only bldes his time to ahpot
forth q star Of the first magnitude.
Ile Washington correspondent Of the Lo1-
don Times, 1n not unfriendly spirit, under
date Ct July 81, gives graphic picture Of the
national Metropolis. concur entirely in al
be hss said Of the alienation OF dustand mud,
tf the drowsy, struggling trooes Ct untidy SOL
die1s who are seen u every part If the city and
! trust that the military authorities will learn
W rec LAElutd4ft6 rs QtuE1S Sec [uGm. l SIT
that the writer depicts Us in no unfriendiT
spirit, because In the same connection he has
done ample justice to the courage and detcr-
1nination Of these untidy soldiers, and to
their ga11ant conduct In tho field. Let US &C.
cept his criticism, then, as Just structure up-
on The rudeness and carelessness Of our in
mense, but newly organized army; and profit
by The hints he gives us. It Ia to be said,
however, that soldiers In barracks in a time
Of peace, and soldiers who have seen one or
two campaigns In the "SunnY Soath,' are |
scssce1y ct subjects Of comparison. II the
3in4s correspondent had seen the noble regi- |
ments here two years ago, when they wsfo
f]rrt mustered into tho service, armed aud
equipped In the highest style Of modern out
fit, Ee would have seer no cau1e for invidiou8 /
comparison. On the other hand, 1t Is highly |
probable that the correspondent never saw
Ere 1i5h soldiers In the Crimea or in India At |
the close or In the midst Of > summer cam |
ps'gn. Perhaps such sight would have
tfIaced his roseato ideal Of soldier on dress
parade In English barracks.
The same WnFor, without apparent resent |
,uent or M-pature, rather oyor states the anti |
sE1 glIsh. feeling, of the American peooio.
lan org whom be declares that the sentiment
in favor Of war Is universal. It cannot be d.
pied Tint the open sImpathy. with the rcbal.
liz .. manifested By the ruling cl.sses OF EaT.
lx.a, h1s awakened = universal feeling Of n.
st,tneatt 70 which tho material ald furnished