New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-05
LAST DAYS AT WEST POINT.
AN INFANTRY BATTALION DRILL BY THE
GRADUATING CLASS.
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS AFFECTING THE POST
CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD OF VISITORS
oy,xcFs FOR MORE WARRIORS.


cuANCEs FOR MORE WARRIORS
,. uont lime specian.-Ambhous parents
- aD,,ons TO have military titles in the family.
-. H. have been discouraged by the fewness of the
o. po,p, vacancies may take heart when they hear
~, the present Board Of Visitors seriously dis
sn.snr their multiplication. There this year
ors openngs in the Army for second Eeutenants than
N. graduating class will be able 10 fill The Academy
Aa hitherto invariably fallen far below the maximum Of
,tndents for whom accommodation is provided This is
spe 10 the remissness or indifference Of Congressman ex-
,rcsing tho power Of appointment. Many name can
Hdates naturally disqualified, who rejected or a
,ary in the course and whom there aernaes TO
replace. This. Of course. gives the Congressman
another opportunity to his patronage and to oose
political supporters with martial descendants VINO are
.ager to shoulder-straps but cannot spcn
cabbage without ~ks But it keeps the Academy
rolls low.
To remedy all this 1t is proposed to extend the ap
pointing power and to change the method OF ap-
pointment The Board held an animated oeOaVe y" V''
subject at It's daily meeting this afternoon ocha'or
Pugh among Others favors the suggestion that Sehs
tors az well as REPRESENTATIVES. be empowered TO name
candidates Another proposition that finds genera
support contempates the selection OF caoete' no' "
haphazard among youths of all types OF mental anu
physical tncapscity. as at present. out anone !" Nv
pckod out for intelligence and general fitness oy inc
state educational authorities and approved OF Dy al
examining board at the state capitals ms nrs'hou
would undoubtedly elevate the standard Of matcuses'
and the Academy would always be full
The soldiers Of the early guard were much astonlSneu
this morning when on turning out soon after DAY
they found General Peck and Father O'BrlA' OF 'ue
BOARD of Visitors waiting TO inspect them ouch Leal
Is unusual and the jewellers at the post are stn p
zliny over the Boards ubqu!ty. Ordinarily one Ut
two energetic members do all the investigating Willie
the Others sit on the hotel veranda and tell stories
This year everybody seems bent on finding out ior
himself exactly how many pounds Of -four are coli
sumed at the mess-haI. how many brass buttons arc
ed on the cadets tuncs and how many tons OF nay
are fed 10 the overworked horses This Is largely u
10 the influence of Major Carson, whose interest III to
Academy is effective of ongstanding, and the IT,
ort this YEAR TO the Secretary of War is sure To be
hacked with valuable suggestions. Father y hrieii'
nv the way is interchangeable. He is the inst Roman
Catholic priest appointed Visitor, ana MS as
socrates have attested his popularity by linking nm
With CONGRESSMAN Burrows graduation ORATOR.
Father OBren says in the Catholic quarters every
uorntng He was visited yesterday by Monslgnor
Farley OF St Gabrel's Church, Newfork
The Visitors spent the morning watching the cadets
trace sine and cosne on tile library backooaros' 'h
ing 10 the soft Casan pronunciation of the Candidates
in spanish and looking down from the riding nail gal
leres on the eccentric capers Of the pracuce-norsS
At half.pAst L. the Committee on Appointments
md Examinations met Colonel Wilson to obtain ihhlS
or use in their forthcoming inspection Colone! D. l.
Murfee of the wel-knOwn Marion Military Institute
IN Alabama chairman OF oh Di9NP-4'N
md Instruction He studied at the Virginia MlI'ary
,nstitnte in stonewa Jacksons day and graduated
In 1s53 For thirty years he has been active in mill
fairy education. and his comments on the west foho
svsten are significant Il am amazed" ne says at
the perfection of the discipline our committee mas
examined it closely. and have seen nothing Una. Is
rot cOmmendable The regulations could not he I'M
nrovod On Colonel Wilson is an admirable Super
ntendent fun Of energy and tact and inspired by
manly ideals The instructors seem mghy eIhclen|
But the remarkable thing is the uniformity OF the
standard attained. In other places standard Is SET
ND for the students that none Of them reaches here
two hundred minds fashioned in the same moulu
with success and when problems In optlcs
and astronomy illustrated othsnd on the oachboaru
by lads who years ago were simple a1thihetclaS
one rsaizes The educational achievement involved Inc
only defect I have noticed is the inadequacy OF tie
course in English" This criticism was also made oy
thA BOARD OF 1882 of which General Lew Wallace was
member The present Board may emphasize IL IN i's
report The English course was cut oo"h "H"n VIC
ACADEMY Term was reduced from five years 70 iour anu
has not been again extended
I'm, cadets drilled infantry battalion at O'Clock
,rder the command Of Colonel II. s. Hawkins. They
were armed with light Springfield rifles and bayonets
and wore shakoes and white cross-1e!tS Inc urll
was made interesting by the voley nTlhg in plat0Ons
An companies and battalion that SET all the nervous
carriage horses In the avenues dancing. The cadets
marched and counter marched, and doubled and wheeled
d torn,ed hollow SQUARES as only West Pointers know
now Colonel Hawkins III full uniform and was
closely followed by a buGleT he gaOped about the
field The o.her mounted officers were First Lieu
tenants Edward F. Hardin and Daniel L. Tate Two
of The cadet priyaes called from the ranks in
turp and put the battalion through It's facngs. The
lads wore White duck trousers, although the Their
Tnometer has dropped twenty degrees since Yesterday
and nr capes and dark dresses nave taken the place
~ sumner gowns among the ladies
Colonel Wilson Is much pleased at dramatic note
IN recent issue OF The Tribune, announcing Ihat the
cadets will witness comic opera performance IN New
Work al which their conduct, unlike that OF most col
lere parties is sure to be irTeproachabie Ihats a
handsome recogntion,7 said the Colonel shall paste
the clipping the bulleun-board TO REMIND them OF
their reputation ,.,, ..,A -. at,,o, 20
nish1 General Peck. Major and Mrs Carson. Father
0,I,rien Mr. and Mrs. Fuller. Congressman Lanliam,
and Con gresham and Mrs. Burrows
CAPTAIN H. L. TOtherly, OF the ISL cavalry, pro
lessor of military science and tactics at Cornell IS
rsitne West Point for the first time in nineteen years
I;nif4d States Commissioner Shields and United
states Marshal John W. JacObus from New ork
to1ay 10 swear In Herman J. kOehler, the Academy
svor and Frank NJ Bailey. civilian contractor
a. DEPUTY Commissioner and Marshal. Heretofore
there have been no officers with civil jurisdiction on the
reservation.
FIFTYTHREE GRADUATES IN STENOGRAPHY.
The graduating exercises Of the class Of stcnography
and typewrtng Of the General Society Of Mechanics
and Tradesmen took place at Hartman Hall last night
Fiftvhree Young women constituted the class large