Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-05-05

preceded by press notices of his ex-
traordinary accomplishments has the
deuce Of a time of it. Someone is
sure to send the press announcements
to the yearling class in the academy,
and the members at once prepare q
proper reception for the youngster
whose home papers prophesy that he
will graduate at the head of his class
and be lieutenant general before he
is twenty-five years old.
Many and many hapless "plebe
at the academy has been obliged to
stand in company street of the camp
and there to an assembled multitude
of admiring yearlings read with prop
er emphasis and infection the print
ed accounts of his own accomplish
ments and the prophesy of his future
soldier greatness.
Hint to Aspiring Boys.
There may be hint in the follow
ing incident which will be of value to
boys who are going to enter the com
petitive lists for appointments as ca.
dets at Uncle Sans school When
several boys, sometimes there are
great many of them, appear be-
fore an examining board in CON-
petition for cadetship appointments,
each one is asked separately why
he wants to go to West Point.
Nine out of ten of the unthinking
youngsters answer that they want to
go to the academy for the chance to
get an education. Now Uncle Sam
educates cadets, but he does not want
them to desert by the resignation route
as soon as the academy course is com
pleted.
In one competitive examination held
in the congressional district once rep
resented by Serene e. Payne of tariff
fame, there were nine candidates. Eight
of them in answering the regulation
question said they wanted the educa-
tion the academy afforded The ninth
boy said that he wanted to become o
soldier and to stay soldier. He is in
the army today. and is getting little
gray-haired after a score of years of
hard and efficient service.
West Point cadets will meet in the
army a good many men appointed to
the service from civil life and also
men who have been promoted from the
| ranks There is a deep-rooted belief
in the minds of civilians that the army
officer who has risen from the ranks
or who has been appointed from civil
life is Systematically snubbed by his
| West Point colleagues. That the be
lief has nothing in fact upon which to
base itself seems to be no bar whatso-
ever to it's growth.
AeropIane's Military Value.
American army officers say that al
| through the operations have been
conducted ON comparatively small
scale in Mexico, the military value
of the aeroplane has been proved
beyond all question. A few years
ago the flying machine as an i'm
| plement of warfare was a dubious
quantity: today it has demonstrated
it's worth beyond all question.
American army officers who serve
! as operators in flying machines re
ceive larger pay than those who serve
on foot or on horseback Cavalrymen
infantrymen and field artillerymen il
battle run terrible risks, but it is only
while they are in battle that the grea
| dangers are encountered. The aero
plane man takes his life in his hands
every time he sails above the eartl
and it matters not whether it be thu
most peaceful of Sabbath days or th'
time of the raging of conflict. Con
gress has just voted an emergency ap
preparation to improve the aeroplan'
service of the country. Within
short time additional officers will b.
detailed as operators of these ma
chimes, and the wonder is whethe
they will look upon their new dutie
altogether with pleasure.
The army officer never asks ques
ton, of course, where duty is cor
cerned. If he must fly he must fl
and if he must fight he must fight, bu
it seems that in human nature mos
men naturally would prefer the les
dangerous duty. However. the ret
ords show that the aviators go to thei
work just as calmly as the infantr
officer goes to the parade ground t
line IN his command and to listen t
the strains of the Star Spangled Bar
ner when the flag is lowered at SUI
set.
Hard to Hit an AeropIane.
> When | was in Europe recently an
: at the front with the French armies
saw several engagements between bal
; teries of antiaircraft guns and aerC
+ planes which were flying over, a
tempting to locate the positions of tn
French batteries.
r At one time saw twenty-nine shell
: break in succession about Germa
, Taube There were twenty-nin
J wreaths of smoke in the air all 6
; once. for the firing was so quick ths
| the first wreath had not disappeare
: when the last wreath was formed. tn
: aviator was untouched. He was drive
t | back with his machine, but he receive
Y absolutely no injury.
8 1t is one of the marvelS OF the SO
+ dier today that it is so difficult tC n
i an aeroplane and it is another marv'
4 that it is so difficult for an operator
o an aeroplane to hit any specific o.
ject with a dropping bomb. Thes
problems of craftsmanship, both {
;. batteries firing at aeroplanes and aer
: planes dropping bombs, are the su
l jects of deep study by army Officer
l. the world over. They hope to Tin
l. means to improve the marksmanshi
Getting To Busy dan.
o It's mistake to call on a busy ms