St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-03


| other again. The varnish of our civiii-
| zation is thinner than tissue paper, and
| as easily broken. / think it is clearly
discernible that the patriotism of the
| young men of to-day partakes more
I than it ever did before of this same
| commercial spirit. We all love our
| country-not with the reverential
| affection due from the son to the mother
| who gave him birth, but with that vari-
| ETY. of affection the dairyman yields to
| the town pump. which is the potent
| producer of profitable variety of
| milk.
| The citizen should be taught to esti-
mate the military profession of his
| country as one of honor, and then hon.
| CRADLE men will consent to serve in the
ranks. How is it to-day? If the male
| representative of reputable American
| family enlists in the army of his
| COUNTRY to-day the same feeling pur-
| sues him that would follow bis
sister if she entered house of prosti-
tuition. By rendering honest service to
| his country he makes himself an out
| cast from any home that considers itself
Respectable, no matter how poor that
home may be. Why IS this? Simply
because every door to honorable pro-
motion in the service has been blocked,
ana he is regarded as having deliberate
ly thrown away every chance he might
have had for success in life. This ma
ton was founded by honest men who
hated caste and
LOVED FAIR PLAY.
1t was intended that every young man
should have fair field against every
other young man in every profession
and pursuit of life. 1t was crudely
but clearly laid down by the fathers,
that the young man born with financial
aptitude should have the road clear to
achieve fame and fortune among the
money changers. That the one who
was circumspect and prudent prevari-
Gator. might indulge to the fullest
his predilect on for law or journalism;
that the natural healer might exercise
his talent as physician and the spirit
ual-minded enter the pulpit. Every
where has the promise been made good
Except in the army. Here, and here
alone, has the ugly devil of caste en-
trenched himself. In the other trades
and professions those who gain prizes
must work and scheme and plan-must
lay awake nights and rustic" must
endure hunger and cold and fatigue,
and thus WOO the coy maiden of For
tune before he wins her.
How is it i'll the army? The boy of
seventeen or eighteen is transplanted to
big school, where he is met by the
treasurer OF his country, who sets aside
a good. fair stipend, which is to pay
him for learning his lessons. After four
years of parade. drill and modicum of
study he graduates and enters upon
a fat salary for life: spends it
after the fashion of gentle
mana West Point gentleman
usually Tor, at any rate, ofteu)
impaes an heiress for wife upon the
point of his maiden sword, and dev0tes
his life to inducing his friends and
relatives to get him soft job in some
large city, where he can enjoy the
refining Influences of good sassety."
In the three-quarters of century that
West Point has existed as an educa
tiOnal Institution. does any one remen-
Der good book that has been written
by one of its children? How often has
one of the graduates resigned from the
army and made good showing in law,
finance, medicine, science, literature or
any of the artS-aSIde from engineering,
and how frequently even there3
3 Let us do justice. however. They
showed themselves competent soldiers
on both sides during the war, and their
record
except for the tendency toward con-
spiracy against the soldiers from civil
life But the law schools and the med
ical' colleges and universities of the
nation gave to the nation many
good soldiers during the war.
Why should not the army with
all the leisure vouchSafed to it in this
time of profoundest peace give some
thing again to the nation in return for
all that the nation is giving it? Is it be-
cause the gentlemany code so whr-
slipped by the alumni of our military
academy forbidS graduates of that school
from backing their fingers with the ink
of literature or distracting their intel
lects with the secrets OF science?
There is no general feeling to-day
amongst civilians to close either the
naval or military academies, but there
is very widespread and very earnest
impression that neither of these edura-
tional institutions are returning quid
pro quo for the money lavished upon
them; and there is also an
impression that, under the guise
aud excuse of ''discipline." there
being created a tyrannical caste, whose
egotism is cultivated to such an I'M
limited degree that the time is not far
distant when they will become danger
to the republic. 1t will be wise for con-
gress to thoroughly investigate the
methods pursued at these schools, and
also to examine carefully the fruit pro-
duced by them. The West Point ana
Annapolis committees of the national
legislative body have gotten into the
habit, seemingly, Of discharging their
duty in severely perfunctory manner,
and thus have grown up abuses that are
fruitng to-day in mistakes and irregu-
larities which, If not corrected, will fill
the nation with scandal.
The terror of C8Sarism in popular
government may be the savior of lib
erty. Sulla learned to "discipline"
his legionS before he became the assas-
sin of Roman citizens. Napoleon the
First destroyed the French revou-
ton by the agency Of cannon, but
the freedom OF Frenchmen and the
peace of Europe were buried under the
ruins for twenty years. Washington,
the citizen soldier, led the armies of
the revolted colonies through seven
years of war to the goal of liuerty. He
then served as wise and liberal chief
executive of the new republic for eight
years and returned to his farm at
Mount Vernon, like Cincinnatus. Since
that day the simple gentteman'S country
home has been the Mecca OF Republican
liberty. Ulysses S. Grant, the West
Point soldier, led the armies of the
great and rich republic through three
years of civil war. and after eight years
as president, was anxious to break the
ruiz. established by Washington. This
was only straw, but 1t indicates the
direction OF the wind.
There is no disposition to destroy the
military academy, but there is senti-
ment very prevalent among patriotic
citizens that slight amendment Of
manners and modicum of simplicity
in the discharge Of their duty would be
highly commendable.
Her Presentment Confirmed.