The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-17

subjects passing by transfer 20 the i'm
mortals"
And now a word for moral science. an
amusing incident OF the course. Cadet
Dimick having entered tho recitation
room with his section and before the
arrival OF the Instructor. proceeded forth
with 10 use las textbook as a football,
shouting as he did so, The virtues are
what we are. the duties are what We do;
what we are Is more important than
what we do. Therefore the virtues are
more important than the duties All
this with resultant smashing OF a win
dow pane at the moment when the in
structor entered. mfr. Dimick," this on
Ger said. make IL your duty TO pick UP
that glass" and when this feat had been
successfully performed. Now. SIR he
said. go TO the blackboard and discuss
the subject Of virtue" UnmindfuI OF the
distinction between tactical and moral
instructors. the order. Go 10 your quar-
tiers in arrest. Mr. Dimick.' was an
tieipated. the usual reproof for pranks OF
this kind
Long and HOnOred List.
In the course OF this writing reference
has been made to O'Rorke and Custer,
but the names Of others who We're grad
uated from the Academy in the early
months OF that eventful year in which
began our civil strife dignity the pages
of history. Cross. at Franklin; Kings
bury. at Antietam; Kirby. at Chancel-
louisville; HaZlett, at Gettysburg; Nc
Question. at 0peQuan; Dutton, at Ber-
muda Hundred; Cushing, al Gettysburg;
Woodruff. at Gettysburg; Dimick, at
Charlottesville; Brightly, m the VIII
derness. Dead (alD on the field Of
honor"
The four of the thirty-fve members
Of my class which graduated June "a, 1851.
are as yet living, all having attained the
grade Of brigadier general We had en-
tered the Military Academy los strong
after passing the entrance examination
in which some twenty Of the original
appointees failed. II is believed that a
large proportion Of the class entered the
Confederate service ard many Of these
were killed In action.
To the few now remaining who heard
IL. the faint and far off boom OF the gun
fired against Sumter has yet It's reverber-
atoms. They are heard along the High
land passes of the Hudson; they echo
around 'Redoubt Hill," against the sides
of "Old Fort Put" and thence roll on
ward and upward to zero Nests rock
ribbed height
Happiest Days of HIS Life.
Yes. the four years of my oadetshfp
were drawing TO a close-the happiest
days OF my life. But an hour arrived. the
darkest in the history Of our country
To those of US who were close observ-
ers Gas cadets ever are) OF our officer
instructors at the Aeademy-men who in
earlier years had led the columns of as
sault up the heights of Chapultepec, and
drawn sword on the fields Of Buena WIS.,
Ia, Molino del Rey. and Palo Alto-eyi-
dence of their distress was not wanting
in this hour of our country's peril.
Prepare to resigni Resign! A commits
sion awaits you IN the Confederate army.
First come, first served These were the
words from every Southern home Of ev-
cry Southern boy. My class was peeuli-
srly Southern IN its makeup. the vacan-
cies filed In 1851 having an unusual pro-
portion from the Southern and Southwest
sections.
BY May. 1861, Of IT'S ffty-six remain
ing members. after the January exami-
nation. some twenty or more resigned
their cadetships and left for their homes,
to cast in their lot with their States and
against the Union.
The war. II there was to be a war, and
now 1t seemed inevitable, promised TO be
one of friend against friend. olassmate
against classmate.
Graduated in May.
What was there then to tell OF the
great volunteer auxiliary yet to be? Did
not all experience teach that the regular
army. in Mexico, in Florida. or as the
vanguard of civilization in the far West,
was the. and seemingly the only fighting
element In our land? The class 10 grad
uate IN June was hastily graduated early