Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1892-10-28
FAMOUS WEST POINT.
NO MrLITARY SCHOOL OF THE
OLD WORLD EQUALS 1T.
1t Takes Four Years of Very Hard
Work to Become Proficient In
Arms-The Daily Routine
European Schools.
MANs in tho backwoods may

| heard oil West, Point. Of all American
Institutions, the Military Academy at
that charming place is by far the most
American on this continent. 1t is the
peoples school. It's pupils are sum-
noned from every Congressional district.
The only conditions which appointecs
nave to fulfill before entering the Acad-
envy are that they must be healthy, have
good morals and the necessary scholarly
| training as required by the law. During
: the time the pupils, or cadets, as they
are called, stay at the Academy they arc
we'll paid, housed, fed, instructed, or,
in one word, they are we'll prepared for
their future position in life as officers o.
tho United States Army. In exchange
for all these advantages the Nation
requires the cadet to work hard for four
| gears and become brave and faithful SOL
dier. In Europe young men have to pay for
their training, and there is no more dis
appointing existence than the one which
poor officer leads abroad.
To be successful at West Point two
things are needed, namely: Application
aud brains. This being 30, the number
of those that drop out of the course
during four years naturally is large; but
thoy are no loss either to tho institution
or Army. 1t must be matter of pride,
not only to the cadets, but to all Amcri-
cans, to look at the long list of distin.
suished men who have been graduated
from West Point.
The first thing that strikes forcibiy a
visitor to West Point is the Quiet,
academic atmosphere that seems to have
prevailed the whole place. Wore it not
Tor the few scntincls who gravcly and
silently pace up and down here and
there, one would hardly imagine that
he was within the boundaries OF a mill
tary institution. 1t mas often been as
serted that too much academic and too
little military learning is pumped iuto
the heads of the cadets.
This is not so. Year after year history
proves that there is just as much fight
ing spirit in the American Army as
among the soldiers Of any in the world
West Point is one of the best, if not the
very best. of the military schools of its
kind on the globe, especially with regard
to infantry drill. This, however, is not
astonishing, considering that the cadets
always march during the four years of
their sojourn at the school. They Fever
walk; they march out of thor beds in
the early dawn, they march to breakfast,
exercise, duty, dinner, supper, and after
their days work is done and the stars
begin to shine, they march to bed Each
cadet is expected to do five hours work
every day; but, as u matter of fact, they
do much more, including gymnasium ex-
ercise. Ia the classroom they spend Only
one hour and u half in the forenoon and
one hour in the afternoon.
Beside the professional and physical
instruction, they are taught fencing, rid
ing and dancing. Graduates from West
Point are well trained matnematicians,
chemists and engineers. They are also
masters IN the various branches CT their
profession; they know how forts should
be made, guns built bridges constructed,
and they are also fairly we'll acquainted
with the literature of their profession.
As for marching, no body of troops
can rival the cadets, not even the First
Regiment of the Prussiau Footguards.
The corps at West Point forms The
battalion consisting of four companies.
Officers and commissioned officers
are selected from the ranks. The daily
routine is simple enough, and it becomes
perhaps monotonous to many of the boys
after some time, yet they have no reason
to bcmoan their late. At 6 o'clock a. IN.
the man falls in with his company at the
rcveille, at 7:30 he takes breakfast, at
sharp he marches to his section room.
The fencing lesson begins at $50,
whence the young soldier returns to bar.
racks at 1915. Dinner is taken at
p. III. At o'clock the men march
again to the section roo u, and afterward
they drill from lis TO $3.50 p. m. Dur.
ing fall the cadets of the first, second
aud fourth class receive riding lessons.
Nearly all of them become good riders.
Though the cadets do not receive
leave OF absence until after the second
year, when they are allowed to visit
relatives, social receptions and evening
dances are frequent at the Academy.
From the middle of June to August the
cadets camp, and it is during that time
that especial attention is paid to their
military o. rather tactic training. AS q
rule the boys look eagerly for the camp
ing period. which is less monotonous
than the barrack life.
After four years of successful study
the young cadet graduates and becomes
commissioned officer, but his military
education is not finished II nc be an
engineer, he goes to Willett's Point; if
an artillerist, to Fort Monroe; ii of the
cavalry or infantry, to Fort Leaven-
worth, and if he has chosen light artil-
lery as his arm, he proceeds to Fort
Riley.
There is no military school in Europe
which is conducted on the same princi-
Piles as West Point. The Ecole Mill
taire of France at st. Cyr is altogether
different. The young man who wishes
to enter must have passed his examina-
tion as bachelor es lettres or cs sciences
that is to say, he must have college
degree before he can apply for admls-
sion to the military school. There he
receives a two years military training,
for which he has to pay $500 per year.
Individually he is much freer, and leave
of absence is frequently given for a few
days. He also has to nav for his cloth.