The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-09-26
WEST POINT RANKS ARE NEARLY FILLED

BAAAG tSEME1HUA b6&@0
 For the first time in a great many years the Corps of Cadets at the Unit ed States Military Academy at West Point approaches it's maximum author ized strength. There are now 661 ca dets in the corps, with every prospect that next year the number will pass the seven hundred mark. If Congress passes the necessary law there is no reason why this maximum strength may not be maintained for years to come. This is one of the many in teresting statements included in the annual report of Col. c. P. Townsley, superintendent of the academy.
 .tIn the interests of the country, the army and economy to the government, says Col. Townsley, the maximum n1odated at the academy should be kept under instruction. This is the first time in many years that the Corps of Cadets at the academy has closely approached the capacity of its buildings. Only A per cent. of the active officers of the army are grad uaGes of West Point, and this can be doubled in time if the academy is kept up to it's capacity of TOO cadets
 In March and May. of this year 766 boys were eligible for the examin- ation for admission and only 203 quali- lied. Sixty-hve cadets qualified ment- ally but were rejected on the physical examination, while 1S4 qualified on the physical but were rejected on the men tai ex animation Seventy-one were dds- qualified on both physical and mental tests
 sThe physical requirements adds Col. Townsley, ''are none too rigid for those who are to lead a somewhat requirements of field and war ser ice when called upon to do so. With the law of 1910 kept in force ,and the present standards for entrance main tained, believe that the Academy can secure enough cadets to keep up to it's capacity of 700 very closely The de- sire of the Academy being to secure the best and most promising material for officers in the regular army, there should be no lowering of its standards for entrance Or of it's requirements as to discipline or academic work.
 ssW1th the regular army limited in number as it now is and the Corps of Cadets up to the capacity of the Academy more than all the vacancies for officers can be supplied from grad uates of West Point. If there are TOO cadets Of the corps there should be an aerage graduation of about 130 per year and the present prospect for a. cancfes in the army for some years tc come is below that number
 1 To carry out the needed improve
 
 West Point will necessdtate an expen- allure of about g, ,496, GOO according to the estimates included in Col Towns Iley's report. Some of the buildings needed and the estimated cost of them are a. new hotel to cost S5O,000; cadet store and headquarters, S400 GOO; army service barracks, SIPS. .e0o; quarter
 master and comnnissary storehouse and shops, $500, GOO: roads. walks, grading, tetc. on the reservation, $35o, 900; cfil- <5,~ e{e-t,4 sets of officers quarters, $S5.O00.
 Is The eight sets of officers quarters '' adds Col. Towns1ey, ttare urgently needed and at once. During the last year six married officers were com pel1ed to live in bachelor quarters de- for the coming academic year will be i even worse, because of the increase 1 in the size of the Corps of Cadets which necessitates an increase in the number of officers as instructors
 t@The new hotel should be placed practically on the site of the pres ent hotel instead of against the high hills south of the old hospital, as l shown the approved plans, Tn this view am in accord with all the members of the Academic Board, my predecessor as superintendent, (Gen. l Barry1, and all alumni with whom I have conversed and whose tudg- ment and views on such matters are of value. The present hotel site is a l beautiful and commanding one, and the architecture of the new build ing should be such as to harrnonize with the other large buildings and the character of the landscape I Or physical training and athletics, | Col Townsley refers to Capt. Herman J. Koeh1er. U. S. A., master of the
 sword Instructor of gymnastics and | physical culture as one of the great i authorities on practical physical train ing in this country. Of Capt. Koch
 ler's methods he says that they have I produced such excellent and lasting
 results that there can be no ques-
 tion as to the propHetty of maintain
 ing such physical training In it's pres
 ent important place as part of cadet
 instruction. A sound mind in a sound
 body is what this academy Is endeav- boring to produce in its graduates, and
 Shfs can best be attained by a thor
 crlgh systematic and weTIbalanced
 training of both mind and bodyS'
 At the present time the Board o1
 Visitors to West Point is composed
 entirely of senators and representa-,
 tives in Congress.
 Col. TownsIey suggests that better
 results might be obtained if these T boards were composed in part of prom
 inent men in educational work. Owing to other pressing duties, the present
 board finds it impossible to make but
 brief visits to West Point, whereas
 Col Towns1ey says he believes better
 results would foHoy if the visitors
 came in October or November and re-
 mained several days while the entire
 corps is under instruction.
 Sir J P. Whitney. premier of On
 tarto, died in Toronto.
 s The Belgian commission w1aicI came tf1 inc TTuifed SfafoS fo 1au 1a