Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-06-12

in doing your duty so that you can be
called to account for failure to perform
it, but doing it in such way that will
make each man under you able to per-
form his.
Now / want you to weigh what / say
for if you take only half of II you Will
invert what l say. / found i'm my regi-
ment that the best man was the man who
had been in the regular army In actual
service out in Western campaigning on
the plains. i don't intend to preach upon
the performance of your duties here, for
! it is your special business to learn them.
do ask you to remember the difference
in the military profession from what II
has been in the past and to remember
continually that soldiership does not
consist of excellence on parade grounds
but efficiency in actual service in the
! field and that the usefulness and really
great usefulness of the parade ground an |
barracks work comes in its being used
not as an end but as one of the elements
| to the end | ask you to remember that
| the lesson of loyalty, of courage, Of
| steadfast adherence, to the highest stan
! dards of honor which all men draw in
when they breathe the atmosphere of this
great institution 't"' tft--
| The Grafton of the day was delivered
by Gen. Horace Porter, ambassador
| to France.
The secretary Of war was the last
speaker He said:
! THE centennial year Of the military
academy fittingly comedies with the COM
mencement OF an era of great opportunI-
ty and greater obligation. One hundred
years ago armies were small. The oppor-
tunities for supply were correspondence
great. But now with the increase Of our
population the volunteer armies upon
which the republic must in the main de-
pend to fight its wars are made up of
men who for the most part have never
fired a gun.
And now, at the very time that this
great institution of military instruction
iS f.
ence, the attention of our people has been
sharply concentrated upon this increase
necessary for military learning and mil
| tary science by the events of the pas.
few years, and the conclusion which has
been reached finds expressions in the ac-
ton of the national legislature.
The laws of Congress have enlarged
the number of your corps and have just
devoted to the enlargement of the condi-
tons of the academy munificent sum OF
81. 100000 to be Immediately expended
with authorized expenditure of six mil
lions and a half"
The secretary then spoke of the recent
work of the army: telling how it gave to
the island of Cuba what it had won.
Its clear sighted courage made straight
the way from the sea to Pekin. In the
Philippines ii has put down an insurrec-
ton of 100000 of people
'"rhey have been criticised, and some
of them have been accused but whatever
the severeness of calumny, however
ready men at ease here may be to be
lieve, to repeat, to rejoice in accusations
lagainSt our brethren who are fighting I'm.
der the American flag in support OF
American sovereignty away on the Other
side of the world. let me tell you that In,
the officers the public officers of our gov
eminent at Washington. have followed
private letters and in Geographic dis
patches and by the oral word of thos'
who have returned. who during thei
whole course of conflict have seen then
one by one dropping off murdered bi
treacherouS foes; and nave seen then
falling from disease, have seen them fal
by shot and by sword; have seen then
courageous, patient, enduring, magnani
nous, faithful, loyal always to the high
est standard of American citizenship, an
we give them our word that these me!
shall not, by the public officers of tn,
| United States charged to do justice I,
them, be condemned unheard' don:
continued applause and cheering).
The afternoon exercises wer,
brought to close with the dress pa.
rade.
The event of the evening was Tho
banquet given by the officers of Yves
Point to their distinguished guests. II
point of numbers and brilliancy it wa:
the greatest ever given here. Cover:
We're laid for 500. The banquetinl
room was lavishly decorated TIL,
POSTMASTER was Gen. G. b. Davis o
the judge advocate generals Cepart
ment. The toasts were:
Our Guests responded to by tn,
Italian ambassador, Signor De:
Planches; American Universities anC
Colleges" by President VIM. r. Har,
per of the University of Chicago
Congress and Its Relation to the Mil.
itary Academy by Speaker David b
Henderson of the House of Represen-
tatives; The Army" Lieut.. Gen. Mel
son Miles; The Navy" Capt. French
f. Chadwick: The Staff and the Army
Schools" Major Gen. Henry A. Corbn;
The Volunteers" Maj. Gen. d. +
Sickles; The National Guard" by
Major Gen. Charles Dick, Ohio Ma
tional Guard