The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-20
URGE YOUNG MEN ID WEST POINT War Department Making
 Increased Efforts NEW SKETCH ISSUED Is Hoped to Fill Up Dormitories Of Military Training School With
 Able American Young
 Men

Washington, September 2o.-(Special)- The desire of Young America" to follow the flag by becoming students the West Point Military academy has become a matter of official attention at the War Department. During the past spring, a greater effort has been made by these officials to interest young men in the mill itary affairs of the nation with the view of becoming officers in the regular army. This has caused larger number of ap- plcation than ever for admission to the military school
 Congressmen and senators, as well as the President of the United States, will have the right to designate a greater number of applicants. Formerly each senator and each congressman were given the opportunity of naming one cadet and one alternate to the military academy and the President the right to nominate two. Now the aportionment is regulated according to the census.
 In this connection the war department has authorized the issuance of an his torical sketch of the Military academy for circulation throughout each congress sional district. The hope is that from the number of applications received the next West Point class will be the largest in the history of that institution and will fill the big dormitories that have for the past two years been vacant.
 The sketch that has been written by the war department historians is to the effect that the United States Military academy Is school for the practical and theoret- ical training of cadets for the military service. Upon completing their course satisfactorily cadets are eligible for pro. motion and comm sion as second lieuten. ants in any arm or corps of the army the duties of which they have beer judged competent to perform.
 The supervision and charge of the acad emy are in the war department under such officer or officers as the Secretary of War may assign to that duty.
 The occupation of West Point as mil itary post took place on January 26, ITS and has been continuous since that date The earliest proposal for a military school for the United States was that oi Brig Gen. Henry Knox, chief of artillery in 1776 His plans were seconded by Col
 Alexander Hamilton and approved by General Washington, though they were not adopted until 1892
 On October 1, IT'S. Congress passed 2 resolution appointing committee to pre-
 pare a plan for a military academy Int result was a resolution of June 20. TIT providing for a "corps of invalids tt serve as military school for young
 gentlemen previous to their being ap
 pointed to marching regiments. The fin
 valid corps' was organized in July, 17T7
 and in 17S1. at the request of Washing ton. was marched from Philadelphia tt form part of the garrison at West Point where an engineer school and a labora tory and library were established. On March 30, 1779. the board of wa adopted regulations for the corps of en gineers and for the sappers and miners The plan contemplated lectures by en gineer officers on Notifications. mining reconnaissance. encampments and th like Practical experiments in gunner, were conducted at West Point as earl. as 17s0 In 17S3 Washington referred thu matter of establishing an academy be | fore his officers at Neburg. and In 1794 school for artillerists and engineers wa esta blished at West Point. Fire in 179 caused it's suspension.
 | In 1901 the then Secretary of War di rected that all the cadets, of the corps O artillerists should report to West Poin | for instructions and in September of tha | year the school was opened. An act O | Congress in 1892 authorized the Presden | to organize school for engineers to con l sist of five officers and 10 cadets an, 1 provided that it should be stationed a
 West Point and should constitute th' Military academy.
 l The school. with 10 cadets was opene, formally on July that year.
 1 Acts or Congress in 1902 and 1898 all thorized 46 cadets from the artillery 10 | from the infantry. 16 from the dragoon and 20 from the rifemen. Few of then were appointed and no provision wa
 made for them at the academy Durin, 1911 and part of 1872 instruction at tn, academy were practically abandoned, du
 to the war with Great Britain. Up to thi time Ss cadets had been graduated. I,
 the latter part Of 1872 the academy wa
 reorganized and in 1877, under the su
 perintendency of Maj. sylvanus Thayer | the present era of the academys histor, l opened.
 | Until 1si3 a prescribed residence wa
 not a legal qualification for appointment
 but the selection of one cadet from eac
 congressional district had grown to b | the custom.
 By acts of Congress of 1s0o 1902 an l190S the corps of cadets was made to con sist of one from each congressional dis trict. one from each territory. one fror the District of Columbia, one from Port Rico. two at large from each state and 1 from the United States at large. all to b appointed by the President of the Unite | States.
 Those cadets appointed from the state or territories must he actual resident of the congressonal districts or territc rial districts. or of the District of Coluu bia or of the states respectively froI which they are appointed.
 | Four Filipinos, one for each class, ar
 authorized to receive instruction as ca