The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-04
SCHOLARSHIP AND SOLDIERS.
Many Noted Fighters Were Deficient
in Their Studies.

| (From the Chlcago llmes-heiaio-J
Something more than passing attention
has just been attracted to the United
States Military Academy at West Point by
| the fact that The institution is 100 years
| old and that the Government doubtless will
I increase by 100 the number Of cadets in
+, attendance OF the things which have
| been published about the soldier school
| nothing, perhaps, Is OF more interest than
| the table which a man OF an Investigating
cast of mind turned out to show that great
Soldiers in their boyhood days were not
| necessarily the best students. The table
shows that Grant stood number Il in a
class Of thirty-nine members; that Sher-
man was by no means a star, and that
Sheridan, Thomas, Schofeld, and some
others of note had either hard time to
pull through the academy's semi-annual
examinations or were obliged to be con-
tent with standing which gave them
more leaders than followers in their re-
spective classes. Lee, 1t is true, stood
high at graduation his position In the
class being number 2. Stonewall Jackson.
who by many military critics is declared
to have been a greater soldier even than
Lee, was considered while at the Military
Academy but little better than a dullard
at his books. Pickett, with his pictur-
esquely soldierly name, II he had been one
file lower in class standing at graduation,
never would have had the chance. prob
ably to lead the heroic Gettysburg charge.
Picketts class numbered fifty-nine mem
beers. and ffty-eight of them stood ahead
of George E. wher the graduating roll was
read.
Take up haphaZard any number of gen.
eral biographical works, and on turning
to his name 1t will be found that the s.ate-
ment is made that James A. Men. Whist
Ter received his education at West Point.
Turn then to General Cullums book, which
gives an accurate list of the academy's
graduates. and the search for Whistler's
name will be vain. AS matter of fact,
whistler who certainly has shown brill
liancy of mind during his career. was
found deficient at West Point, both In
discipline and in studies, and was some
what ANONYMOUSLY discharged before he
had completed his course. Whistler's
first work of art was produced when he
was a cadet. 1t was declared to be "a
curiosity. but in no sense creditable.
This wasn't the only snub that Whistler
received while he was trying to get
through the academy course without much
toiling or spinning When the year
lings" receive their first lessons in draw
ing. typographical work mostly, they are
shown how to make grass. Grass is moth
ing but some wavy left to right lines.
With the other yearlinss the future Royal
Academician made grass. The grass
reused the wrath Of the drawing in
struetor. who told Whistler that man who
couldn't do better than that would fail
to draw a straight line with ruler or
a circle with pair of compasses.
1t is doubtless we'll known to everybody
that Edgar Allan Poe was one of the ca
diets who failed 20 graduate. 1t is per-
haps, however, not generally known that
when Poe was court-martialed and dis
missed from Uncle Sans school the ca
diets "chipped in to enable him to get out
a new edition of a book of poems which
he had published just before entering the
Government school. For this literary pro-
duction Poe received the same sort Of
praise that fell to Whistler's lot for his
grass The few critics who would notice
it damned it, and Poe was told that he
had as much chance of becoming a poet
as he had of becoming a soldier, which
was none at all.
Maj Gen. George A. Custer. whose rec
ord of rapid promotions for gallantry on
the battlefield reads like romance, had
troubles Of his own when he was cadet.