The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-06
The COlOred Cadet Ques.
ton Again,
The Examination of the Gradu-
ates Continued.

since the first coored boy was appointed as cadet,
and ! dare say, nobody familiar with the subject
has as yet forgotten the howl that went up from
the '.nigger haters' all over the country because
OF the appointments and the predictions that were
made that the end OF West Point had come at last,
and with what hurrah they hailed the failure OF
little Howard, OF Mississippi to pass the .pleben
examination. Smith, OF South Carolina who can
claim to be the first colored boy who ever wore
the cadet gray, did not fail but the poor fellow
had to stand an almost incredible amount OF petty
persecution from the white cadets; SO much so
that at one time he seriously thought OF resIgning
and was only made to stand firm by
the advice Of prominent men who had
hidden him be Of good cheer and that they
would see he got fair play Then came a court
martial, OF which nothing serious Tor anybody
concerned resulted other than little "set backn
for Smith, and to-day he Is second class man,
and If he can weather through till next June will
become o full-hedged officer OF the regular
army. The nearness OF the close OF his
studies here, and the fact that as second
class man he was examined yesterday and
to-day in the branch of study generaliZed
under the head OF philosophy have both, 1t seems,
combined to renew the old discussion that was
thought to have been ended two years ago. with all
its old features OF malevolence and narrow minded
spites. There need be no begging the question
people here-judging from the little | have heard
dropped here and there to-day from the more In
cautious prattlers-that Smith may be found de-
fcient, anu, consequently sent home. l do not
mean to say that the boy has not been
SHOWN PAIR PLAY
by the professors and instructors. BY no means,
for II they have strained point In anything in
their dealings with him am GER tain IRON what
know OF them that the strait has always been mer-
cifully in his favor. Indeed, q cadet to-day, in
speaking to me about Smith, made the remark -
"He would have been found deficient last jan
uary II he mad been white boy" However,
this very remark, while proving what l
say as to the impartialty, with leaning to mercy
that has been exercised toward Smith by the Fac
uty, is in itself revelation OF the Keeling that
lists IN the corps against him. 1t Is very easy to
allowed to be found deficient, but 1t Is not so easy
to prove the assertion. There are two things,
prompted the boy to be the subject OF much quiet
talk and gossip just now among the officers ana
their friends, and OF
on the part OF lew OF the cadets. These are, as
said before the fact his examination In pnilo-
Is the custom OF the second class TO tender hop
to the graduating class before they leave the post,
to the properties that both classes attend
with the lady and gentlemen friends
they Ses no aSis Ha
indeed Jailed to pass his examination as satlsiac-
torliy US 1t ought to have been passed to him
IRON being put down In the register as deficient"
but as have been unable TO trace it TO any reliable
source aud, moreover as the Examining Board
never allow their decisions to be made known
until near the end OF the examination period,
give 1t simply for what IL Is worth But must say
mouth and made sweet morsel OF gossip, shows
quite plainly that the poor fellow has put few
ANIMATION is that he mas not failed. and that
therefore he will be able to be called member Of
the first class after september next. AS to the
matter oil the hop 1t Is just this that Is sOrey
troubling the minds OF many. Surprising smith as
second class man, having, by the very fact OF his
being member OF the class, all the rights and
privileges enjoyed by the other members, should
take notion not only to attend the hop himself
but to invite coored lady friend and as many
coLoRED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
would be the result Can 1t be doubted for a mo-
ment but that the graduates and their lady friends
would make an uproar and possibly so act as to
compromise them seriously under the Civil Rights
bill 7 Just think OF It, We shades OF Lee and Har-
die and Jackson A colored man in cadet clothes,
accompanied by colored woman. both rightiul
Mess Hall, moving amid the white beauties
OF the North and South, with no one to say them
second class will! be compelled to meet this little
difficulty. Smith is, learn, no matter what else
he may be, a fellow Of uncommon good sense.
Although he has been and IS
SOCIALLY OsTRACIsED,
and will doubtless continue to be so as long as he
remains here, and Will never be able, as he has
never been able yet, to exchange word with
any of the white cadets other than what Is
contained in military commands that ali alike
have to obey, he has sense enough to see that BY
pushing himself where he Is not wanted he would
be doing himself no good. Had ne been anxious
to get even as it were with those who look down
on MIN by entering social circle where he has the
right to go, he could have easily last summer,
assistance OF a colored damsel. He did not bother
his head about the hops, and I think that he Will
not bother his head about the one that Is soon to
be given TO the graduates, even though the tender
OF the ball to them is an affair OF the second class,
OF which he Is lawful member.
Now, looking at this colOred cadet question
purely as
QUESTION JUSTICE,
it does seem rather strange that there could exist
anywhere here nything like bad feeling against
this boy, and that hopes should be INDUCED In for
his misfortune. AS the first coored cadet in the
! academy who has managed by his own talent to
weather through three years Of West Point study.
| that every hand was raised against him lest lie
may weather 1t through to the end. He stood last
year, when examined as third class man, No. 81
grad sTaduates Of West POINT of 'o YEARS aso
gave good evidence by their military skill that to
be thirtyseven IN class OF fifty or sixty does not
always go to show that the thirty.nve ahead of
him had more brains than they had.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL.
The examination a OF The graduates in mtneraogy
study IN the FIRST class, ana the aPeatess
The manner of co nductlng the examination was
about the same as that on engiDeering-by oral
explanations and practical demonstrat on, as Tor
instance, In the cadets being compelled to single
out from tray varieties OF quartz, iron, zinc, lead
and copper ores. limestone sandstone &c, and
to partcularize their formations, how to test the
earth Tor them, and so on. In the simple oral ex-
plantations SUBJECTS OF peculiar character were
treated or as, for example, the first three and the
last three ages OF nature, laws Of distribution OF
organic matter, theory OF the origin and distrlbu-
tion Of gold and the distribution OF fossil remains
1t Will DC seen by these examples oil the subjects
dealt IN during the examination that the study is
no mere byplay, but that 1t means just what it
indicates.
THE MOUNTED SOLDIER.
The graduates had drill in the riding hall this
afternoon IN 1.-THE school OF the mounted sodieru
This drill Is very exciting one and always rather
dangerous. and l0r that reason, probably, never
fails to draw q large crowd OF spectators from
the h0tels-when there are any to draw. AS 1t was,