The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-12

TAUGHT TO DO WELL.
Your business here at West Point has
been to teach men 70 do well in war, but
it is noteworthy fact that you have also
taught them TO DO well in peace. The high
est political positions in the land have been
held. not exceptionally, but again and again
by West Pointers. Col. Mills, 1 make the
answer that any man who is asked the
question must make when / say that,
while we would have the right TO expect
that West Point would do well, we could
not have expected that she would have
done so very well as she has done.
And now. in closing, | want 70 say one
word TO those who are graduates and the
younger graduates well. l was greatly
struck the other day by an article by one
of your instructor here himself a gradu-
ate OF West Point, which he dwelt upon
the changed cOnd Ons OF warfare ana or
the absolute neeo that man who was
20 be good oheer should meet THESE
changed conditions. think il is going 10
be a great deal harder 10 be a first class
officer In the future than IL has been In the
past. i think that in addition TO the cour-
age and steadfastness that have always
been the prime requisites in soldier you
have got TO show a far greater power or
individuality than has been necessary De
fore II you are going 10 get up the highest
level of Offcer-like performance or duty
As has been we'll said, the developments
Of warfare during the last few years nave
be the regiment, nor yet the company, but
the unit will be the individual man. If he
does not know how TO shoot, how to shirt
Tor himself, how both to obey orders ana
TO accept responsibility when an emer-
gency comes, when he won't have any
orders 10 obey if he is not able TO do all
of that, you had better have him out OF the
army. In a battle hereafter each man is
going TO be TO a considerable extent alone.
II will be so that the youngest officers will
have 10 take much of the responsibility
that in former wars fell on their seniors
and many Of the enlisted men will have 10
do most OF their work without any super
vision Of any officer The man Will have 70
act largely alone and If he shows ten
dency to. huddle up to some one else his
usefulness Is pretty near at an end. II he
Is nervous so that he wants 10 feel the
touch of elbows, he had better be out OF
the battle, and you officers if you going
y do well have got TO learn TO perform
the duty which is so essential. The task
Is harder one and you want TO face that
task. You want to realize that. more than
ever before the honor or the shame of the
country depends upon the high average or
the character and capacity of the officers
and enlisted men. and that high average
or character and capacity In the enlisted
men can TO a large degree only be OBJ
tanned through you, the officers and that
you have got TO devote your time in bring
ing up TO the standard the fighting eff
cheney or the men under you, not merely
in doing your duty so that you can't be
called to account for the failure to per-
form it, but in doing it in a way that will
his.
ACTUAL SERVICE NECESSARY
Now, want you to weigh what 1 say,
for il you take only half Of il you will in
vert what I say. 1 found in NY regiment
that the best man was the man who had
been in the regular army in actual service
in Western campaigning on the plains;
that if he had been good man in the reg
ular army out on the plains ha was the
best man that could get hold of, and. on
the other hand. if he had served in time of
peace a couple of years in an Eastern gar
rison. where he practically had next TO
nothing outside of the parade grounds and
barracks to do, or if he mad been in an or
binary National Guard regiment, that one
of two things was true: If ne had under
stood that he had only learned per cent.
of he was that per cent. better than
any one else and was a big advancement,
and If he had thought he had learned the
other 50 per cent he was worse than any
one else. Laughter and applause.l
recOllect perfectly one man who had been
a corporal in the regular army, young
fellow who had joined US, and he was APP
parently convinced that war in nicely was
q parade ground for manuevering. and it
was almost impossible to make him turn
his attention to teaching his men so that
they could do the best fighting when occa-
sion arose.
Now, gentlemen. I do not intend to
preach upon the performance of your du-
ties here, but II is your special business 10
learn them l do ask you TO remember
the difference in the military profession
from what it has been in the past and 10
remember continually that soldership
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 and barracks work comes in its
being used not as an end, but as one of the
clements to the end L ask you to remem-
Der that 1 don't ask you TO remember what
you can't forget, the lesson of loyalty, of
courage, of steadfast adherence TO the
highest standards of honor which all men
draw in when they breathe the atmosphere
of this great institution"
GEN. PORTER'S ADDRESS.
The orator of the day was General Hor
ace Porter. ambassador to France, who
reviewed the history of West Point from
the beginning. showing that Washington's
last thoughts were of the school which
he had vainly tried to establish; recount
ing the prejudice which early manifested
itself against the school and outlining the
work of Colonel Sylvanus Taylor, who first
put it on a high plane. He alluded to the
honorable parts sustained by West Point
graduates in all the wars of the Republic.
and after speaking of the academy's record
I'm the civil war said: I'm subsequent years
an attack was made again upon the acade-
my. A representative in Congress proposed
10 abandon il and sell the property. The
answer made TO him was in substance:
There never was but one American who
tried TO sell West Point, and God in His
Providence did not permit him 10 succeed.
His name was Benedict Arnold.
He spoke of the dedication OF the new
hospital as one of the most important
events i'm the history of the school, and,
passing 10 the West Point system OF study
and discipline said: in talking with Of
ficers of the military schools in Europe,
when l have told them the requirements
of cadet life here, the long term of serv-
ice the exacting course of study, the num-
Der of drills, the few hours of recreation,
the one Through only in the four long
wears those officers have been free TO
confess that the youth of their lands could
never be brought TO undergo it,"
An extended recOuntal OF the glorious
traditions of the academy brought the
speaker 10 his conclusion, which was;
Men Of West Point in the honorable
career which you have chosen, whatever
laurels you may win, always be ready TO
which you owe your birth and your educa-
tion.'
MR.. ROOTS SPEECH.
The secretary OF war was the last speak
er. He said in part: AT the very time that
this great institution of military instruc-
ton is rounding out its first century of
existence the attention of our people has
been sharply concentrated upon this in
crease necessary for military learning and
military science by the events of the past