Evening star., 1909-06-11
OUR FUTURE GENERALS
West Point Diplomas Present.
ed by the Secretary of War.
sun DISPELS THE CLOUDS
Pleasant Weather Attends Military
Academy Commencement.
EMINENT ALUMNI ON HAND
Judge Dickinson Reviews the Cadets
and Urges Graduating Glass to
Preserve Traditions.
EMINENT ALUMNI ON HAND

WEST POINT. N. Y, June 11-Com-
mencement day exercises were held at
the United States Military Academy to-
day. In bright sunshine. which broke
through the clouds just before the final
| exercises of the week were to begin.
| the cadets. their instructors and the
throng of visitors present gathered in
Memorial Hall for the graduation exer-
cises proper.
| Secretary of War Dickinson, who. act
ing in his official capacity, presented
the members of the graduating class
with their diplomas and addressed them.
was the chief guest of the day. and was
| accorded the honors due his rank on his
arrival this morning. Met by a cavalry
| detachment acting as an escort of honor,
| he was given a salute Of seventeen guns
upon reaching the superintendent's
| quarters and then witnessed a review
| of the entire cadet corps under the COM
mand of Lieut.. Col. F. w. Sibley.
The exercises at Memorial Hail. which
| followed quickly upon the preliminary
events of the day, were attended by
| numerous throng, which included many
distinguished West Point alumni. men,
bers of the association of graduates. Gen.
4
address, and other we'll known war vet
| Grams and military officials were present
| as interested spectators.
| Secretary Dickinson, in presenting the
diplomas to the members of the class of
| 1909. reviewed the achievements of the
| Military Academy and commended its
| traditions to preservation by the gradu-
| ateS.
| Address by Secretary Dickinson.
To-day the eyes of all our people are
| turned to you with profound interest,
hope and confidence the Secretary of
War said. for they are investing you
with a sacred truSt-that of maintaining
the glory of an institution which has
greatly enriched the civil life of the ma
ton and has always been its chief bur
wark in time of war.
Whatever distrust, on account of mill
tary establishments, may have existed,
or yet exists in the minds of some of our
citizens, West Point is secure in the over
whelming general confidence of our people
and will have their continued support for
the fulfllment of it's great purposes as
designed by Washington. who advocated
its establishment, as an object of primary
Importance and that it should be 'perma-
nent.' The lessons learned at so much
cost In actual warfare by him and Ham,
ilton Of the inadequacy of an unframed
soldiery, however brave and patriotic, led
to its establishment as essential for the
Life OF the nation.
Fixed Fame Of Academy.
'It was the training school Of most
| Of those who rose to great fame as COM
manders in the civil war. Lee, Grant,
| Bragg, Jackson, Davis, Johnston, Hardee
| and Early won their spurs on Mexican
| soil These achievements fixed forever
| the fame of this academy, and so estab
lished it in the confidence of the people
as to secure that support which manifest
ed such brilliant results In the war be-
tween the states. All of the great battles
of that war We're commanded by West
Pointers on both sides.
President Madison, in his annual mes
sage in 1872. said of the academy: Good
order is preserved in it. and the youth
are well instructed in every science con-
nected with the great objects Of the in
stitution.'
This characterization. passed upon it's
discipline and training eighty seven
years ago, has remained true down to
this very day. Prof. Larned in his esti-
mate of the finished product says: TINS
machinery produces type of man of
| quality and temper altogether dstince,
with habits of thought and action and
views of personal responsibility free from
| the bias of either political or commercial
| interests: a subaltern officer well ground
| ed In the elements of all branches of the
military profession, possessing charac-
| ter trained to think straight, body phys
| ically sound disciplined to live straight,
with high ideals of personal integrity and
truth, with respect for law and authority,
and habits of life that are clean, simple
and regular
Success in Civil Life.
"The academy, established in 1902. has
graduated 4,742 cadets. We are all ia
mliar with the names of its military he
roes. Over half it's graduates entered
civil life. 1t has given to our country
one President of the United States, one
president of the Confederate States. three
presidential candidates. two vice presiden
tial candidates. one ambassador, four
teen ministers plenipotentiary, twenty
seven members of the United States Sen
ate and House. eight presidential electors,
sixteen governors OF states and territories.
one bishop. fourteen judges. seventeen
mayors of cities. forty-six presidents and
fourteen regents and chancellorS of col
| leges and universities, fourteen chief en-
gineers of states, eighty-seven presidents
of railroads and corporations, sixty-three
chief engineers of railroads and public
works, eight bank presidents, two hun
dred attorneys and counselors at law.
twenty cersymen, fourteen physicians,
one hundred and twenty-five merchants.
seventy-seven manufacturers. thirty ed
itorS, one hundred and seventy-nine au-
thors. besides artists, architects. farmers.
planters and many others belonging to
useful trades and professions.
"In addition it claims one among the
few American delegates to the first Hague
conference; one upon the arbitration con-
ference that settled the promising little
misunderstanding between England and
Russia: two out of seven to the recent
Hague conference. Three of its alumni
are in charge of the greatest engineering
work of history-the Panama canal-and
one is reorganizing the police force of the
second city in the world.
Thus, all of you. those who continue in
the service and those who may enter upon
civil careers, have great prestige to sus-
tain.
Graduates Are Gentlemen.
West Pointers have SO generally MAIN
| tanned the standard of honor, obedience to
law, love of liberty and fidelity to duty
that the name is always accepted as
prima facie evidence that its bearer is all
| that is implied in its highest sense in the
| fine old term, gentleman.
You have passed through the rigorous
discipline and high curriculum that entf-
| tie you to admission into that fine COM
pany. Believing that you will prove your
self worthy OF such noble fellowship and
I 4, hat nd