, 1891-01-29
TO BECOME A CADET.
HOW PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS
ARE CONDUCTED.

The Ordeal That Is open to Every Boy
Who Applies INSTRUMENTATION to His
ConEreSsman How Many Candidates
Are wredrd Ort Of Many Applicants
Twenty-eight young men. between the
ages Of 10 and -, gathered in the Second
district court one night lately and made
formal application for admission As cadets
to the military academy at West Point.
Each Of these twenty eight young men
was from the Seventh congress district Of
the state, and all knew that only one OF
them could get disappointment. Yet they
all entered the lists with brave fronts and
smiling faces, as IL each was sure that he
would easily distance all competitors
Some Of them weren't so sure about it 10y
the time the stiff physical examinations Of
the night were'over.
The city examinations sre only preliml
nary to the finals conducted at West Point
They are held in each congress district,
and determine who Of the candidates are
worthy f admission To the hnnl contests
TO decide which is the particular young
man Of the district most likely to become
3 famous warrior. These preparatory ex-
amiuatious are no snap however, 70 use
n student phrase, There are two Of them
the physical snd the mentHl-and both
are severe.
The physical examination is conducted
by three physicians selected from the dis
trict by the congressman, aud the mental
examination is presided over by three pro
fessional teachers Of as high rank as can
be found The applicants are required to
know no Greek and little Latin, but they
must be pretty thoroughly mp in arithme-
tic and algebra, and must be able to pass
good examinations In all the English
branches
rms BOARD
The physical examinations on the night
in question were made by Drs J. 7. Maggie,
OF the board Of health, j. +. Keefe, and NJ
r. Feeuey Their instructions were vague,
but they Knew about the sort Of men
wanted at West Point, and gave the appli.
cants a pretty stiff o~verhnuling The court
room was crowded with boys aud young
men from the time the doors were first
opened. Nearly every applicant brought
at least one friend with him, and many
brought three or four II the visitors ex.
pected TO witness the examinations there
must have been considerable disappoint-
ment. The doctors retired 10 the judges
private room and examined the candidates
individually.
Tn first young man summoned into the
private room was II yenrs old, lie was
nearly six feet tall and well proportioned.
DIR. Maggie sat NJ a desk with a formidable
blank before him. lie entered the boys
name, age and address. The boy removed
his shoes and stood up under a measuring
machine while his height WIS recorded
Then DIR. Keefe said
Now, in the very start, my friend. you
had better tell us all about your physical
weaknesses. We shall find them out any
way, you know, and It Is better 70 be frank
about IL II you've ever had any diseases.
other than those common to all young
f.IEa Fan az oil aN.FHT TK.F. Tr,-. r..
lily snS any physical ailments peculiar to
IL, speak 1t out"
THE ORDEAL
Tn young man replied that he'd never
had nothing worse than measles, and so far
as he knew his ancestors were not subject
to consumption or any other particular
disease. Then DIR. Keefc said:
Strip to your underclothes."
The boy did so. He was an excellent
specimen when his physique was so dis-
closed. rather slender, but giving every
promise OF a fine manhood. The doctors
felt his muscles and nodded approvtngly.
DIR. kecfe got out IA tape and took accurate
measurement OF his chest, contracted and
Inflated These we're recorded. Then a
silver knife was produced 10 hold his
tongue down, and Hl three doctors made a
critical examination Of his throat. a
stethescope was applied to his chest and
back, and his heart aud lung sounds lis
tened to and discussed. It was decided
that both Of these organs were la excellent
the boy Tor pur.---LIIs snd AT length
said they were satisfied that he was sound
and hearty,
As a final test they examined his eye.
sight DR.. Feeney produced several cards
with culored spots and black lines OF vary.
ing t~hicknesses. He stood the boy at one
end Of the room, and made him read As far
as be could from a card filled with letters
of constantly decreasing height. Then
from the same distance he vas required to
tell which were the thicker Of certain
lines, and then was asked to name, or at
least describe. the slightly varying shades
OF color on the card covered with colored
spots The boy passed he tests success
fully and was sent out. All the boys were
by turn subjected TO the same eNaminA
ton. They were an excellent lot physical
by, all giving good promise OF a robust man
hood Most Of those who failed TO pass
were found to have defective vision
VIVA AN EXAMINEE sAYs.
a visitor asked Brother James, OF De La
Sale Institute, who WIS one Of the exam
liners into the intellectual qualifications Of
the applicants, wherein lBy the fascination
OF n laborious four years course at West
Point lie said he thought many Of the
boys wanted to take the course for the sake
OF the fine education it afforded. II wa,
frequently possible, he said. TO escape serv-
ing three years after graduation, and many
bright young fellows entered the academy
with thcdlsJIurt pIrpuse OF ~resigu!ug from
the service soon after graduation aud en-
tering other paths in life. Brother James
has been conducting examinations for
West Point for the past twenty years, and
knows u good deal about the boys who
apply
He said that some were doubtless infu.
enced by the glamour Of the service and a
romantic yearniuE TO become great, which
perhaps they ouJgrew before they grudu.
RJed Perhaps most OF the applicants, he
said, were the sons and nCphews OF army
ohlcers. and wished TO get into the service
as the most natural aud ittinE thing for
them to do. Just as baukers' sons take to
banking and BARRIERS sons naturally think
OF earning their living 10y shaving chins,
so do the sons Of army officers, born and
brought up in the barracks, consider a
West Point education the only thing in
the world.
III l am not very much mistaken, said
Brother James, pointing 20 n tall and
rather handsome young fellow, THAT boy
faile1 You would be surprised at the per
sisteucy Of some. They begin at 10 and
keep on trying year after year, until they
finally get in or pass the eligible limit Of
age. Some, after falling in one district,
will move into another in order to try
there'-New York sun.
A. Z. Roeiel. druggist, desires to Iu-