Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-09-15

 the effect that the United States Milf tary Academy is school for the practical and theoretical training of cadets for the military service. Up- on completing their course satisfac- torily cadets are eligible for promo ton and commission as second lieuten ants ;n any corps of the army, the duties of which they have been judged competent to perform.
 The supervision and charge of the academy are in the War Department under such officer or officers as the secretary of war may assign to that duty.
 military post took place on January 26, ITS and has been continuous since that date. The earliest pro-. posal for military school for the United States was that of Brig. Gen. Henry Knox, lchief of artillery in 1776. His plans were seconded by Col. Alexander Hamilton and approv- ed by General Washington, though they were not adopted until 1902.
 On October 1, 1776, Congress pass ed a resolution appointing a commit 1 tee to prepare a plan for a Military Academy. The result was resolu- tion of June 20, 1777, providing for a "corps of invalids to serve as a mili tary school for young gentlemen" previous to their being appointed to marching Regiments. The '"invalid corps" was organized in July 177T and in 17S1, at the request of Wash ington, was marched from Philadel- phia to form part of the garrison at West Point, where an engineer school and a laboratory and a library were established.
 On March 30, 1779, the Board of War apoted regulationsfor the corps of en- gineers of tre sappers and miners. The plan contemplated included lectures by engineer officers on forti- ficators, mining, reconnaissance, en- campments and the like. Practical experiments in gunnery were conduct ed at West Point as early as 17S0. In 1883 Washington referred the matter of establishing an academy before his officers at Newburg, and in 1794 a school for artillerists and engineers was established at West Point. Fire in 1796 caused it's suspension.
 In 1901 the then secretary of war directed that all the cadets of the corps of artillerists should report to West Point for instruction and in September of that year the school was opened. An act of Congress in 1892 authorized the president to organize school for engineers to consist of five officers and ten cadets and pro vided that it should be stationed at 1 West Point and should constitute the Military Academy.
 The school with ten cadets was opened formally on July that year. 
 Acts of Congress in 1902 and 1908 authorized 46 cadets from the artil- lery, 100 from the infantry, 16 from the dragons and 20 from the rifle men. Few of them were appointed and no provision was made for them at acamedy. During year 1S11 and part of 1872, instruction at the academy was practically abandoned due to the war with Great Britain Up to this time SS cadets had been graduated. In the latter part of 1872 the academy was reorganized and in 1917 under the superintendency of Maj. Sylvanus Thayer, the present era of the Academy's history opened.
 Until 1S43 a prescribed residence was not a legal qualification for ap- pointment, but the selection of one cadet from each congressional dis trict had grown to be the custom.
 By acts of Congress of 1900, 1902 and 1908 the corps of cadets was made to consist of one from each congress sional district, one from each terri tory, one from the District of Colum- bia one from Porto Rico, two at large from each State and forty from the United States at large, all to be ap- pointed by the president of the United l States.
 Those cadets appointed from the states or territories must be actual residents of the congressional districts or territorial districts, or of the Dis trict of Columbia or of the states, re- spectively from which they are ap- Y,Oiv,tod