El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-12-03

OF its establishment. up to the opening
of the Diaz administration the career
Of the military academy was broken,
due to internal strife, the war with the
United States, European Intervention
and the Macmillan empire Under the
Diaz administration the closest atten-
ton has been paid to military education,
with the result that the affairs of the
academy have been reorganiZed and
modernized. The curriculum now in
cludes the English, French and German
languages.
Chapultepec Graduates.
Many of the Chapultepec students
are members of prominent families of
Mexico. On an average, 40 officers are
graduated annually, every graduate
leaving the academy with the rank of
lieutenant. Students who fail to make
the grades required by the technical
branches of the army are graduated,
at the end of three years, as tactical
officers, and are obliged to serve four
years in the regular army. Students
who make the technical grades con-
tinue their studies for seven years. and
during the following seven years serve
in the army. At the end of their
obligatory term of service the officers
have the option of continuing in the
army or retiring to private life.
Because of the large percentage of
technical officers graduated from the
Chapultepec academy, the Mexican
government several years ago decided
to establish a supplementary school for
the education of tacticians exclusively,
and the new institution was inaugural
ed in February, 1905. It is known az
the Escuela Militar de Aspirantes, and
is situated in Tlalpam, a suburb Of
OIL 1fe-c ff0v1 N
officers are graduated, but after year
of service in the regular army the
graduates are eligible for commissions.
The president of Mexico is the head
Of the army and navy. The Mexican
minister of war is also minister of ma
rfne In the administration of army
affairs the minister Of war is assisted
by a general staff, composed of the gen
erals of division and brigade in active
service "a superior war board of five
generals, and corps of technical off
GERS. Tie present minister of war IS
Gen. Manuel Gonzalez Cosio, veteran
of the war of reform and the French
intervention. To Gen. Bernardo Reyes
much credit is due for the present con-
dftion of the Mexican army. He was
minister of war from early in 1900
to the end of 1902, and during that
time introduced many important re-
forms.
In building up Mexico's fighting ma
chine it has been the idea of president
Diaz to render the country eventually
Independent of other nations in the mat
ter Of military supplies. To this end
the national arms <,ctory, the national
foundry and the national powder works
have been established in the federal
district. For a number of years the
government has been engaged in the
manufacture of sabers, cartridges, pro-
jectiles and. black powder, and n the
repair of cannon and portable arms.
and of late years the manufacture of
rifles, carbines and smokeless powder
has been undertaken.
Mexico now possesses practically no
means of defending its coasts, having
neither Notifications nor a navy. The
only modern coast defence guns are
at VeracruZ and Salina Cruz, and four
gunboats, constitute the only modern
war vessels. Two of the four gunboats.
the Tampico and Veracruz, were built