Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-07-15

This was too much even for the disciplined selt-con-
troll of four culprit cadets. They chuckled.
The officer rose, swept the light of his lantern under
the hunks, and then pulled two blankets from the boys
in bed. In an instant four cadets were standing at atten-
ton. Two marched to their quarters In arrest Inc
others were left in arrest where they were.
Four cadets expiated the crime of eating by walking
post during the ordinary glad hours OF release from quar-
tiers for four long weeks.
One of these boys went to his death on San Juan nil
and another to his death in the jungles OF the Phllp'
pines. One is literally charging through life as a MAJOR
of cavalry, and the other, who never saw the DAY OIL
graduation, writes these lines with a pen much less
mighty than any sword. A
Not long ago it was written that there is no spirit
of sectionalism alive at the United States Military acao-
envy. In Grant hall, the great stone building given over
to the purposes of the cadets mess and named for Gen.
Ulysses s. Grant, hangs a portrait of the northern SOL
dier's great southern opponent, Gen. Robert E. Lee.
To every graduate in the army, north and south, the
appearance of the face Of the great confederate soldier
on the walls of his alma mater, side by side with that
of his great antagonist, means the end of controversy,
the end Of bitterness. the end Of all things sectional.
Lee, as he appears in his place of honor, is not in
the gray garb of the leader of the lost cause, with the
stars of a general shining in the field OF his shouloer
knots. He is shown in the blue uniform of the old army
with an eagle on his shoulder, backed with yellow, de-
noting the rank of a colonel of cavalry, the position the
southron held when he resigned from the federal army
to cast his lot with the confederacy.
The portrait of Lee was placed in position five years
ago. Col. Mills, who was then superintendent OF the
military academy, secured readily the permission OF the
war department for the placing Of the picture where,
with that Of Grant, 1t would fall daily under the eyes OF
the cadets. The thought Is held by army officers that
nothing but good to the coming generations of cadets can
come from the honoring of the memory of one of the
greatest soldiers ever graduated from West Point.
This story of Lees picture forces "reminiscences.
Since the war of secession the portrait of one other con-
federate leader has hung on historic academic walls
that Of Albert Sidney Johnston Of the class Of 1926, and
who gave his life for the south at Shiloh.
There was a touch Of sectionaism at West Point
Just after the war, and a portrait of Johnston has to do
with the story. The picture was put in place long years
before the north and the south met on the field Of battle,
and 1t hung on the wall Of the army officers messroom
at West Point. The portrait showed Johnston as a SUBJ
altern officer of cavalry In the United States forces.
Johnston at one time was stationed at West Point, and
the officers assembled there as instructors voted to have
him manage. their mess.
The quality of the food and cooking improved so
under Johnston's management that his comrades induced