The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-06-25
WEST POINTS GREAT DAY
The President Attends the Centennial
Of the Military Academy.
A CADET UNUSUALLY H0N0RED

Ye1ng Titus, Who was the First to Scale
the Pskin Wall. Receives . Medal
From President Roosevelt's na,ds-
cscreisyy Root. General Miles and the
italian Ambassador Mako Speeches.
West Point. N. Y.-Wednesday. the
great day Of West Points centennial
celebration, was marked by the arrival
Of President Roosevelt. He was met
at the station by Colonel Mills. Super.
tntendent Of the West Point Military
Academy. and his stat. and the Acad.
envy band. A salute Of twenty-one
guns was fred as the President ap-
peared on the top Of the hill. on the
way to Colone. Mills quarters. The
cadets were paraded IN front Of the
barracks and stood in attention as the
President and party passed on the
way to the superintendent house. A
review CT the corps Of cadets followed
Immediately.
The scene at the review was uu.
usually brilliant. The post had been
decorated on q lavish scale with the
national colors. With the President
as be passed IN front and back Of the
long lire Of cadets. all In dress uni
form, were French officers. ministers
from oriental countries Ii their dis
tinctive garb Of Office. and many others
representing the home Government
and the foreign embassies.
Some Of the representatives OF the
Army, Navy and militia were Lieuten-
anti General Nelson A. Miles. Major
General Brooke. Major. General Cor
bin, Major-General Samuel B. NJ.
Young, Brlgadier-General John c.
Bates. Brigadier- General Joseph C.
Breekinridge. Brigadier-General Lud-
dington. Brigadier-Genernl Leonard
Wood. Captain F. E. Chatwick and
Major General Charles F. Roe.
A feature Of the review was the
presentation to Cadet Calvin Titus OF
Q medal provided by Congress for his
bravery In scaling the wall at Pekin.
China. The order was read by Cap
tain Rivers, and President Roosevelt
pinned the medal to the coat Of the
young man. and as he did so extended
his congratulations.
After the review a reception was
held at Superintendent Mills quarters.
Following the reception luncheon was
served for the invited guests and the
alumni In Memorial Hall. The guests
and the alumni assembled at the quar-
ters OF Colonel Mills at 2i5 o'clock.
and escorted the President to the CEN
tenniai exercises In Memorial Hall
The order Of march was. the cadet
corps. the President. the invited guests,
alumni, staff and former officers and
cadets Of the Academy. 7
Z Throughout the program the Acad-
emy band played martial melodies and
the audience applauded marital
speeches wildly. Saluting the colors
was the first thing on the program,
and then q prayer by the chaplain.
followed by an address of welcome by
Colonel Mills. The latter then intro
duced President Roosevelt. who made
Lieutenant-General Schoield. the on
" survivor Of the United States Army
commanders in the Civil War. followed
the President. With q brief speech he
unveiled a beautiful bronze tablet do.
mated By the Association Of Graduates
to commemorate the Academy's sue
cessful hundred years. The orator Of
the day. Horace Porter. Ambassador
to France. was then introduced. Gen.
eral Porter talked nearly an hour. tell.
Ing OF West Points history. her famous
sons. and her great place among the
country's institutions. When he said
that the Academy's graduates played
o great part In recent events that had
made the United States world power,
the President and others In the audi.
ence applauded enthusia stIcally.
Secretary Root followed with an ex.
temporaneous speech. Adjutant.G Gen.
eral CorbIn and Signor Mayor des
Planches, the Italian Ambassador, also
pade addresses.
Two congratulatory cablegrams were
received BY Superintendent Mills dur
ing the exercises. One was from the
Academy's alumni in Manila. where
ITO Of then held centennial banquet.
The other came from the Imperial
Russian Military College in st. Peters.
burg.
When the exercises We're over and
the. Presidential procession started
back over the plain to the tune Of THE
Sear-Spangled Banner" the cadets
went to camp to prepare for the last
parade Of this years graduating class.
The grand banquet was In the
Mess" Hall. and was attended by all
OF the guests Of honor and old grad
yates. During the banquet there were
fireworks and illumination of the post.