The Green Forest tribune., 1910-08-05
SUPPLEMENT

LadaSs%' as"*Gss& Naturally enough the war
 officials feel that the commits cers should be men educated to the pro
 fesson of C soldier. There seems to be
 pretty general feeling one hard for
 inc authorities to account for by the
 way that every man is born soldier
 and that tie military profession is the
 only one fer which special training >% is required Gen. Winfield Scott, at the close of the Mexican war, said that if it S had not been for the officers of his army Ns who were graduates of the military academy the war would have been pro- longed for years. This praise of the in stitution and the men whom it turns
 out was given by a man not graduate
 and who, therefore, could not be said to
 be prejudiced in favor of the institution.
 The course at West Point is a par
 ticuarly hard one and good many ca
 dets are found deficient every year, gen
 erally in only study. West Point
 however differs from all other schools
 of the world. There they do not strike
 an average of studies, taking all the
 lessons taught in lump. For instance
 if man stands at the head of his class
 in four studies, but is little bit below
 the proficient average in study, the authorities throw him out whereas in other schools they would strike an aver / age and give such man high stand 4 ing.
 The result of such a system as this
 is that men who qualified for the
 service in practically every way, but
 who may be little lame in French or
 triie off in geology or chemistry, are
 separated from the army to which they might possibly be a credit if an average of excellence struck by the authorities
 It is quite often the case that men who do not graduate but who have had several years training at the academy succeed in getting commissions in the service. There are no records to show that any man who spent two years at West Point failed to pass his eXami- nation for a commission after he had been successful in getting an appointment to the army from civil life.
 Some of the boys who have been at West Point, but have not graduated enlisted in the United States army in order to get their com mission from the ranks When man does so enlist he may be sent as private soldier to company in which some cIassmate is lieutenant. Now it must be remembered that there is deep gulf between officers and en- listed men in the regular army, a gulf which it is necessary to have remain fixed because familiarity of intercourse between officers and enlisted men would lead to lax discipline. It IS not the case, as some people seem to think, of an officer being too proud to associate with enlisted men, The officers of the army hold the enlisted men in high esteem. They know that they are the backbone of the army and they know that on their loyalty obedience and courage hangs success in war and the credit of the army in peace. Every army in the world has learned the lesson that there must be lack of familiar intercourse in a social way between the commissioned officers and the enlisted men.
 When a young fellow who has been at West Point enlists he is likely as has been said, to get into command in which one of his classmates may be an officer Then it is that a curious relation results The enlisted man meets his former classmate, whom he once called Bill or Jim and with whom he possibly roomed as a cadet, and he must sim ply salute him any other enlisted man would and pass without sign of familiar recoSnltlon. Now this does not mean at all that Jim or Bill does not want to speak to his former classmate It means simply that the enlisted man wants to preserve his own stand Ing with his fellow soldiers and does not want 10 put his former classmate by and chance in an embarrassing position. If the enlisted men should learn that their newly enlisted fellow was former classmate and friend of one ol the officers they might think that it was gong to be a case of currying favor on the one side or of showing favor on the other The man who is once cadet and who enlists IS more careful If he is built right, and he oN4iSioiiy lS, tO Hdluldln a proper attitude toward the men who rank him.
 They tell story in Washington of young Fellow who came of rich parentage, but who never had been at West Point, by the way who enlisted in the army to get his commis- slon' He attempted to presume the fact of HIS wealth and he not only got the officers do"n on him, but the as we'll His lot was not altogether a happy one It can be sald however, that like that of this young man are few and far between The | man who is willing to enlist in order to get HIS commission, generally speaking, is of good sun enough to make him willing to take .hings as they come and to take rather more 'nah his share of the duties and the hardships oi the enlisted men with whom he is thrown mere was once upon time a cadet who having spent time enough at the United states Military academy to cover consider apie part of the course, was compelled by the government to sever his connection with the school he had hoped would prove to him a ios'erlng mother until the end.
 rms cadet, who shall be nameless because oi modest desire to avoid the use of the pro- nouh Ill the first person, had yearning for m m.iii"tary life, and a few years after leaving ie academy he walked into Boston recruit 1tr.@.a