The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-13
AT WEST POINT

Continued from Page One,
tary academy When the naval yacht
Mayflower, carrying the president and
off the academy grounds national
salute of u guns was fired ana an
swered from the yacht. A troop OF
cavalrymen escorted Mr.. and Mrs.
Wilson to the parade ground.
The president with Mrs. Wilson and
Brig. Gen. Hugh L. Scott. chief of staff
of the army, were enthusiastically APP
plauded as they rode to their seats
past the corps of cadets. The weather
was perfect.
Speech to the Graduates.
The text of the presidents speech is
as follows:
It look upon this body of men who
who are graduating today with a pc
culiar interest. l feel like congratulate
ing them that they are living in a day
not only SO interesting because fraught
with change, but also because so re-
sponsible- Days of responsibility are
the only days that count in time. be-
cause they are the only days that give
test of quality. They are the only days
when manhood and purpose is tried
out as if by fire.
81 need not tell you young gentle
men, that you are not like ordinary
graduating class of one of our univer-
sites. The men in those classes look
forward to the life which they are to
lead after graduation with a great
many questions in their mind. Most
of them do not know exactly what
their lives are going to develop into.
Some of them are conjecturing what
| will be the line of duty and advance
ment and the ultimate goal of success
| for them.
| There is no conjecture for you.
You have enlisted in something that
does not stop when you leave the
academy for you then only begin to
realize it, which then only begins to
be filled with the full richness of its
Gaming, and you can look forward
with absolute certainty to the sort of
thing that you will be obliged to do.
This has always been true of grad
uating classes at West Point, but the
certainty that some of the older
/ classes used to look forward to was a
very dull certainty. Some of the old
days in the army I fancy were not
very interesting days.
Extraordinary Possibilities Ahead.
| But in your case there are many
extraordinary possibilities, because
gentlemen, no man can certainly tell
you what the immediate future is go
ing to be either in the history of this
| country or in the history of the world
II is not by accident that the present
great war came in Europe. Every Gle
ment was there and the contest had to
| come sooner or later and it is not go
ing to be by an accident that the re-
suits are worked out, but by purpose
by the purpose of the men VINO are
strong enough to have guiding minds
and indomitable wills when the time
for decision and settlement comes.
And the part that the United states
| is to play has this distinction in 1t
that it is to be in any event a olslnter-
ested part There is nothing that the
United States wants that it has to ge
| by war, but there are great many
things that the United States has to DO
It has to see that its life is not inter.
fered with by anybody else who wants
to do something.
.0These are the days when we are
making preparation when the thine
most commonly discussed arounc
every sort of table, in every sort o.
circle in the shops and in the streets
gentlemen, that is the present impera-
tive duty of America to be prepared
But we ought to know what we are
preparing for
America fortunately does know
| what she wants to do with her forces
Means What She Says.
Now what we are preparing to dc
| is to see that being safe itself aga1ns
interference from the outside. all OF
our force is going to be behind lts
moral idea and mankind is going tc
| know that when America speaks she
means what she says. We are not II
for anything selfish and we want the
whole mighty power of America
thrown into that scale and not into
any other.
is holding many people back iron
enthusiasm for what is called prepar
I edness is the fear of militarism.
want to say a word to you, young
gentlemen, about militarism. You're
not militarist because you are mill
tary. Militarisn does not consist II
the existence of an army, not ever
in the existence of a very great army
Militarism is a spirit 1t is a point OF
view. 1t is a system. 1t is pur'
pose. The purpose of militarism is tt
use armies for aggression. The spfri
of militarism is the opposite OF CT
william spirit-the citizen spirit. In &
country where militarism prevails
the military man looks down upon the
civilian, regards him as inferior
thinks of him as intended for his, the
military mans, support and use; anC
just so long as America is America
that spirit and point of view is i'm
possible with us. There is yet in thi:
country, so far as 1 can discover. nj
faint of the spirit of militarism.
You young gentlemen are picked
out from the citizens of the United
States to be that part of the force o.
the United States which makes it's pol
icy safe against interference.
You are the part of American citi
zens who say to those who would in
terfere:
You must not and You shall not,
But you are American citizens and the
idea 1 want to leave with you boys to
day is this:
| mo matter what comes. always re
member that first of all you are cit
liens of the United States before vol
are officers, and that you are officer.
because you represent in your profes
sion what the citizenship of the Unit
ed States stands for. There is no dan.
ger of militarism if you are genuine
Americans and 1 for one do not doubt
that you are
You know that one thing il