The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-02-16

Ahead Of him was Charles Mason. Of
New York. Young Mason served but two
years in the army and resigned 10 study
law, the practice OF which he began in
that State, and later went West locating
in Iowa, where he became chief justice
Of the State Supreme Court. he was q
| Democrat and a delegate 20 several ma
tiOnal conventions of the party. Judge
Mason died at Burlington. Iowa, in 1S55.
Other distinguished graduates Of the class
Of 1873 were Joseph L. Johnston. Of Yir-
ginia. and Ormsby Nick. Mitchell. Of
Kentucky
Two years later was graduated Henry
Clay. son Of the Kentucky statesman.
Young Clay was graduated high in his
class and promised brilliantly. he was
overwhelmed by Mexicans I'm the battle
Of Buena Vista and baSoneted 10 death.
It was the removal Of his remains 10
Kentucky soil which inspired the famous
poem Of Theodore O'Hara, "The Biyouac
Of the Dead"
Gen. Grant was graduated in the class
Of lS43 OF which there were thirty-nine
members His rank was twenty-one. in
this class was Fred r. Dent, Of Missouri,
later Grants brother-in-law and chief Of
staff Cen. Albert Sidney Johnston was
graduated in the class OF 1926 and in
Gen. Sherman's class Of 1870 were George
H, Thomas, Richard S. EweH, and Thorn
as Jordan. of Virginia, and Bushrod John
son, Of Ohio. In the class Of 1886, with
StOnewall Jackson, who, as Thomas jon
athan Jackson ranked seventeen out OF
ffty-nine were: George B. Mcclellan,
To- ra N.
Couch, Truman Seymour, Sam D. Stur-
gis, and George Stoneman, Union gen
erals; and the following Confederate gem
erals; John Adams, Dabney H. Maury,
Cadmus X. Wilcox, Sam 3. MaXey, and
George Z. Pickett Pickett ranked last
In his class and won fame at Gettysburg,
where Pender and Gamott, also West
Point graduates. aSsailing the Federal
lines with him. gave up their lives.
Many brilliant spirits have matricUlated
az West Point whose natures were set
against the discipline of character which
d complete training there involved
Among them was Edgar Allen Poe. The
meteoric poet entered the academy in
1880, after having served creditably as an
enlisted man ia the army, but the eXac-
tons as 10 course Of study he looked
upon as depressing his noble ardors, and
he so purposely rebelled against author
ity that he was dismissed after six
months
Another matriCulate who was refrac-
tory and was dismissed and afterward
became known all over the world as a
famous artist, was James Abbott Nc
Nell Whistler. He was the son Of a dis
tinguished West Point graduate. George
Washington Whistler, who became q
great civil engineer. and in the service
Of the Russian government constructed
the railway between St. Petersburg and
Moscow. Like his son. ne had genius for
art as well as constructive engineering.
a short while after he was dismissed
from the Academy. the younger Whistler
was in the United States Coast Survey,
but he spent too much of his time draw
ing caricatures. and had to be discharged.
He then went abroad and lived and died
In England. leaving wonderful evidences
Of his genius and originality, both as an
artist and a writer
The building of the Panama Canal, the
most stupendOus engineering task Of mod
eTn times. has been committed to West
Point graduates, headed By Col. George
W Goethals, Of New York, and Maj.
William /. Sibert, Of Alabama They
have surpassed expectations In the prog
ress they have made, and they. more
than any other agencies. have convinced
the country that the success Of the great
undertaking is assured.
To-mOrFOw-The Growth of PubIi-
city.