The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-06-10
WEST POINTS 100 YEARS
, EXERCISES YESTERDAY
Generals schofeld and McClernand
speak-GeneraI Miles Arrives
and IL Saluted.

establishment OF the United States mill
tary academy began yesterday and will
continue until Thursday, when the pres
emit first class Of cadets, fifty-four mem
bers, will be graduated.
Lieutenant General Nelson A. Miles ar
rived at / o'clock and was honored with
a salute.
At the exercises at stp. m General John
M. Schofeld Of the class OF '43, spoke In
part as follows:
Of the government under the present consti-
tuition, Washington Instituted measures look
ing to the establishment of military acade-
my. This resulted in the act Of congress of
May 8, 1904 s
but the development and growth Of the
institution were slow indeed. Nearly every
thing necessary to it's healthy existence was
wanting, and many years were spent in nu.
1nerous efforts, through inadequate legislA-
ton and other expedients, to supply manifest
deficiencies. At length, In 1872, congress
passed an act providing a. full corps of pro
lessons and instructors and establishing the
institution on broad and solid basis.
Major Thayer has been not unjustly called
the father Of the military academy. He was
even more than that. He took the academy
after its youth had been we'll nigh wasted,
and, by appropriate discipline, training and
culture, developed one Of the foremost insti-
tutions of learning IN the world.
Time will not permit description here Of
the circumstances as they existed at West
Point before Major Thayer assumed COM
nland in 1877. The condition has been justly
characterize at chaotic. The measures insti-
tuted by him were SO numerous so drastic,
so minute in detail and SO comprehensive
as to justify the idea of new creation
1t has been said sometimes that cadets and
graduates show signs of everwork: 1t would
be strange, indeed, IT, under such incentives,
ambitious MT on ia fho-
of their strength and endurance. But how
oan this be avoided? Would you take away
the incentive and leave to chance or infu-
ence the selection Of officers for the highest
places in the army? Or even, if a young
man with less brains than ambition Injuries
his health in the long continued effort to
graduate at the head of his class, who can
prevent him or deny; him the right to make
the effort? The law of survival Of the fittest
seems to be the only rule applicable to such.
a case. I have known some such in nv own
experience, but I havesnever known or heard
Of one in which the injury appeared to be
lasting. = -..@:'. - .~.:,. Pc
will mention only two more Of the pc.
culiar West Points methods. One is the
blackboard method OF recitation It's advau-
tages are very great and I believe are now
we'll understood. II am informed that this
| method has of late years become very gen
eral in tho schools of the country The sec.
ond Is the subdivision of classes into small
sections of from eight to ten cadets, under
an Instructor for each section .... ..,
"a note Of warning. here is believed to be
called for. The high character always sus-
tanned by the corps of cadets and by the
| graduates of the academy. has been due in
great measure to the character of the young
| men appointed cadets. That this has been
far above the. average follows as matter
of course from the fact that the selection
has been made by the congressman himself
| from his own personal acquaintance with
| the candidate and hts family The corps of
CADETS has always been a real American
aristocracy-an aristocracy2 Of character. II
the time ever comes when competitive exam
nations, or school certificates are permitted
to take the place :?of established character
serious injury willEbe done to- the corps of
cadets and to the army. - 49, 30
Then sfo1lowed,s addresses BY General T.
H. Ruger, class of "a 'Uniony, and Cen
eral E., Porter Alexander, Glass of '57
| (Confederate). After the address of Gen.
| eral Kruger, the band played "Rally Round
the Flag and .tDixie' after that of Gen
eral Alexander. The next speaker was
Major E.. J. 'McClernand, class of 10, a
veteran of the Spanish-America war. He
said in part: .sa,l
The end of the civil war found the people
| tired of war, and in the mad race for wealth
that followed, the military profession and
preparation no longer interested them Ap-
preparations for the army were grudgingly
given. But the Years Immediately preceding
| the SDanish-American war were replete with
| study and as far as circumstances would per-
NIT, with practice. assimilated to the condi-
tons OF war. It was because of these prepa-
rations, insistently pursued in the face Of
obstacles well-nigh insurmountable and often
disheartening, that'the little army we sent to
Santiago de Cuba was able to render SO good
| an account of itself. !. ~ 4 =
To permit country to drift into war is s
crime. What are the facts as regards needed
supplies? Even the most important-r1f1es,
ammunition and ocean transportation--were
lacking. On March 8 congress appropriated
$50, 000.oto "for national defense Observe
this was for defense. It was decided the war
| department could not purchase or even con-
tract for any material outside Of that for
| national defense."i Thus no accumulation
of material was permissible for that army of
volunteers upon which congress and the peo-
pie have repeatedly said this country must
l.rely in the event Of war. Here is food for
serious reflection. Are we likely to have a
| longer notice of the outbreak Of hostilties
Fon another occasion, and will the sentiment OF
| tbs country ever be more united ii demand
| ing war? TO. ..,....
The speaker gave a glimpse of the bat
tie on San Juan hill as follows:
| hSunlneE as OTQ6reQ, TO LQe right o.
the Santiago road and struck the enemy near
the stream on what was afterward called
Kettle hill Here a fierce conflict took place
and the enemy was only driven back after
the utmost gallantry on the part of our Off
GERS and men. While Wheeler's division found
the Spaniards close BY at Kettle hill, Kent
had wide bottom in his front. which led
directly to the foot OF the San Juan hill
along the crest of which the enemy was
strongly entrenched. Nothing daunted, the
gallant men Of both divisions pushed on
under heavy loss to drive the dons from their
chosen position Officers whose names we
honor and will ever hold dear laid down their
lives in cheering their men on to close with
| the foe, and to the living nothing but words
Of praise are due We will not particularize
but will content ourselves with saying that
words fail to do justice to the gallant regi-
mental officers and their heroic men. for
while the generals had placed them in posi-
ton, it was, after all, the intrepid bravery
Of the subordinate officers and men that car.
ried our colors to the crest OF San Juan, and
thus sealed the fate of Santiago AS The
long line struggled UP the steep hill, part
halting here and there to fire, and then agaiI
rushing on, the general effect was that OF 6
uniform advance. It resendbled a. blue ribbon
one end flung out from the hand and f1utter.
ing in a gentle freeze: one moment some
points of this blue line were a. little in ad-
vance, only to be overtaken and passed BY
portions a moment before in the rear Al
attache OF one OF the great powers, speaking
more to himself than to me. said: "The
world never saw better troops. ;" And! he was