Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1909-02-03
Spirit of Democracy Greatest
Asset of V. NJ. /.

Asset of V. NJ. L.
The following excsrps are fror
an article published in Sunday
Richmond Times-Dispatch fror
the pen OF Capt. n. B. Corse O
Lexington, who Is graduate man
ager of athletics at the Virgini,
Military Institute:
eff l should be asked to name
V. NJ. LIS greatest asset l shoulC
pass by the wonderful advantages
of its physical training, which
transforms weak, un6eveloped
youths into strong, well-propor-
toned men; l should pass by the
; almost inestimabe advantages of
it's military training, which year
after year, is converting spoiled,
self indulgent boys into Fable,
self-reliant men; l should pass
by V. NJ. I.'s unneasured advan-
tages az a character BUILDER, pro.
viding its graduates with code
of ethics sufficiently broad ard
inclusive to cover any situation in
lite; should even be tempted to
pass by its collegiate advantage, ,
though ite graduates are making
good in every department of life
the country over, with no other
educational equipment. Aad these
are all features of the institution
which have challenged the admira
tier Of the public these sixty years
back.
"What then is V. NJ. LIS great
eat asset? l should say it's pure
and uncompromising democracy.
While a military organization
cannet we'll be democratic in form.
there does not exist anywhere in
this country of ours a more perfect
democracy In spirit.
"Now, when a cadet enters the |
V. M. l. he leaves behind every |
advantage or disadvantage which
may accrue from social alignment
and thie is true whether he cones
from China, as d!d "Sport" Wen,
of class 1905, or whether he comes
from just without the V. MI
gate, as oid four oadete OF 49,
"A!l artificls barriers are lev,led.
not supes6c;aily or partially, br
absolutely ana for all time. Hence
forth he is to stand or fall solely
on his own n crit. Tts V. NJ. l.
cadet who speaks aloud of the
rristOctacy of bis fo:ebears usual
hears scTe plain, uEvnrnishec
truths whlcA lie never farg.ts;
any rate he never makes the samt /
mistake twice.
Gin friendships new alignments
are made which ignore all precon
eeived ideas of social caste. And
these alignments are of such deep {
seated type that they hold with
quite the Same force on the return
to sny environmert. In every room
in barracks this condition prevails.
This one feature in the life of TIE
V, N. l., il is believed, works the
greatest good to the greatest mum.
Der. AID it is doubtful who
profits the most--hs who has en-
ioyed social prestige or he who
has not: probably the former-for 7
10 be shorn entirely of all leaning
coward snsbbishness is greet
hing for any man.
ITO revert to the fo1r boys OF -
,lass l9-, who entered from Lex. "
ngton: one was the son of a saddleri
md harness maker, a most worthy "
md estimsble gentleman; the sec. -.
md was the son of a railroad u
'ngineer, and an orphan, his p
ather's engine having plunged d
ntO North River one night; the 'e
bird was the son of distin- y.
pushed graduate in the com. 4
nunity, and possessed every ad- At
antage of social prestige, as was IL
lso the fourth, who was the sor 'r
f professor. Each Of these OF
oys had lived out his life in the +
resesce Of tie corps, and in the tr
ass Of the engineers sOn, every f.
etail of his life, for be had Deen I'll
be mail boy, trudging back anG III
orth from town with his mai, in
ags, and between times serving ha
8 the superintendent's office boy. &c
"After naturalization, the four Ia
oys, beng of the wholesome ca
.merican type, associated together tic
r NOT, solely as they happened To he
. more or less congeaial. At the III
nd Of the first session, when al
Auld LaSg Syne' had beer 8
aged and the promotions were al
lad out, the two with social pres mi
re were not on the list. The TT,
her two were-they had attended lee
business more Faithfully, and riv
leir promotions followed as ne
after of course"