Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-10

infinite capacity for taking pains. could
have perfected the organization that IS
now always at work. such a mind is
that possessed BY Gen. Wotherspoon.
a slim straight active figure. he looks
no older than first lieutenant of the
army in the days before the spanish
American war, when promotion was slow
And yet the record says that November
16 next he will be sixty-four years old,
and then he will have to go to the re-
tired list. In the meantime he has gone
from the War College to the most re
sponsible post in the army, and there is
terment of the service-plans that are
wholly in harmony with those of his
predecessor. Mai. Gen. Leonard Wood.
More than forty years has Gen. Wother-
spoon been an officer of the army. During
that time he has won two regulations
one as singularIy efficient commander
in the field. another as a profound stu
dent and teacher of military subjects.
Few officers, In fact. have had as much
service with troops as he: none has made
Il. more brilliant record In staff work.
Almost hopelessly blocked from advance
ment in the days before the Spanish
American war. BY reason of few .vacan-
cies. Gen. Wotherspoon spent more than
nfnteeen years as lieutenant, almost all
the time serving at frontier posts. This
was followed by eight years captain
before he reached field rank. He knows
the line Of the army as well as the
staff
These were the reasons that combined
with the knowledge of his qualifications,
stilled possible iealousies when, in 1907,
he was jumped from the rank of 1euten-
ant colonel over the heads of many other
lieutenant colonies and over the heads of
all of the colonels and made brisadier
general ''Wotherspoon had it coming to
him. was the army's comment.
Time was, Gen. Wotherspoon recently
pointed out in discussion of the land
defenseS Of the United States. that mlch
time was spent in the army in close order
drill. The perfection Of pretty move
ments like stage spectacles. was much
admired. But the army has been getting
away from that for some time. In
Uarfare-and the purpose of an army IN
time of peace Is to prepare for war
minor attention Is paid to the small de-
tails of the manner of holding rlhe on
the march or to insuring perfect parade
alignment of company. Today the
army is trying to teach officers and men
the things that they would actually have
to do in campaign.
Accordingly" said Gen. Wotherspoon
there has been built up in the army an
educational system directed to that end
that exceeds in completeness any other
educational system in the country. Pro-
fessonal training in the army, unlike IN
some professions, does not cease when
an officer has won his commission; II
goes on through all his career.
Here. we will say. we have an Officer
who has completed the four-year course
at West Point and has been commissioned
in a regiment. Immediately he starts OF
supplemental three-year course in the
garrison schools. If he proves to be
successful in a competitive examination
, he goes thence to the service school OF
.. his arm-infantry, cavalry, field artiller,
, or coast artillery. A year there, and, Il
. he again wins In competitive examina
ton he goes to the staff college for an
, other year. Graduates of the staff col
iege constitute a preferred class for ad
mission to the War College for its one
year course. Ten solid years OF study
YOU will observe. But that is not all
2 there is a postgraduate course to b'
taken every year.
E DO not imagine that all this study i