The Princeton union., 1911-11-09
Ignorance Shown by
West Point Candidates
General Barry Explains Fail
ure to Keep the School
Filled.
NHE failure to keep at maximum
strength the corps of West

strength the corps of West
Point cadets is the subject of
complaint in the annual re-
port OF Major General Thomas II. Bar
ry, U. S. A., superintendent of the
Military academy, to the adjutant gen.
eral Of the army.
Three examinations in an effort to
fill 300 vacancies were held by the
war department this year, in January,
May and August. At the first ex-
animation ITO candidates qualified out
Of 553 who stood the examination. In
May there were seventy y-eight success
ful candidates in 242. Fifteen quail
fed of the eighty-threc who tried in
June. There remained after the last
examination fifty-seven vacancies un-
filled.
The chief reason for this difficulty
of obtaining material to officer the fu-
ture armies Of the United States is
the mental deficiencies Of candidates.
In these three examinations 352 can
ddates failed mentally, while nearly
third Of that number, 101 candidates,
were physically disqualified.
The mental deficiencies Of candidates
are exhibited in copies Of answers to ex-
animation questions incorporated into
the report. These examination papers,
says General Barry, seem to establish
that proper care is not exercised in the
selection of candidates and that the
methods Of instruction now in vogue
in the schools are not satisfactory.
Examples Of Some Answers.
The following examples are taken
from candidates examination papers:
Robert Burns was and English he
was born in England and his parents
were very poor. All during Roberts
early child hood he showed that he
was very bright. He is considered one
of the greatest English His poems
sound different from that Of the other
poets. The sound much more smooth
er.
Robert Burns was an English writ
er of poems. Burns was born Of poor
parents. his father being a common
day labor. Burns when young showed
a taste for good book. Often while
eating a meal he would take his book
to the table and read as he ate. Burns
was large mans, but the hard labor
which he did while young weaken
him. When about seventeen Burns at
tended dancing school which his par
antc 0hiocfod to vorv r,uob
Burns early educations was obtain
thro his mother and a poor school, To
which he could attend only a few
months year.
LAS Burns grew in man hood he feel
in with companions. The results were
he became a drunken.
"Robert Burns came from the Pes
ent class of Scotland: His father took
it upon himself to instruct his son as
he should be. When Robert was q
boy, his father would talk to him as if
he were man with intelligence and
maturer knowledge instead of a mere
boy Nature greatly Influenced him,
as is shown by his literary works
later; many of his poems were about
birds, and the animals he came in con-
tact in his daily work on the farm.
Burns was Of Scotch decent. His
people were poor and ignorent His
opportunities we're not good but he
was determine. The poetical blood
seemed to have run through his veins.
He knew the peasant life well, and it
Influenced his works Of later years.
No poet has ever been able to surpass
him in describing the peasant life"
'Nepoliean" and Lord Wellingford.
The battle of Waterloo. where Ma
poliean, the most noted and powerful
ruler also general that Europe has
ever produced. is what some authora-
ties say as to his greatness, met his
defeat was merely an oversight on his
part.
1.-The Battle of Waterloo was fought
between the French and English. The
French were led by Nepoliean and the
English by Lord Wellingford.
"Nepoliean had captured most of
Europe and had been carrying on a
war against England. The English
were the better on seas but French
beat them on land"
AS examples Of failure to exhibit a
fair knowledge of English literary his
tory the following answers to the
question asked-"In a few paragraphs
altogether about 200 words mention
the chief characteristics and the mos
important writer's Of the nineteenth
century in English literal ature"-art
submitted:
1.-The important writer's of the 19tl
Century were nearly all raised as poo
boys from poor families. The one W.
should class first among them is Long
fellow. After his death. The peopl
of England thought so much about him
they ask for his bust for the Poets Cor
ner in West Minister Abbey. It stand
In prominate place today.
There were a number Of good writ
crs such as Johnson, Jonson. Tenny
son. and etc.
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