Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-08-24

the World War has shown could be made upon
military men. He then says, in part:
AFTER adj, West Point is a special school, as is
the Naval academy at Annapolis, is any
school of mines, of chemistry, or Of languages.
This does not justify the turning out of soldiers.
or mining engineers, chemists, who know moth
ing else but it does justify course of instruction
which emphasizes the speciality, while it pro-
duces an educated man. The purpose of West
Point, therefore, is not to act as a glorified drill
sergeant, but to lay foundation upon which
career of growth in military knowledge can be
based and to accompany it with two indispensable
additions; first. such general training edu
Gated men find necessary for intelligent inter-
course with one another and second, the incu-
cation of set of virtues admirable always but
indispensable in the soldier Men may be inexact
even untruthful in ordinary matters and suf
fer consequence only the dseSteem of their
associates, or the Inconvenience of unfavorable
IigatiOn but the inexact untruthful soldier
trihes with the lives of his fellow men, and the
honor of his government, and it is, therefore no
matter of idle pride but rather of stern dis
cipllnary necessity that makes West Point re-
quire of her students character for trustwOrthi-
ness which knows evaSiOns.
81 ought to point out that West Point is but the
beginning of education in the army. In each of
the services there are continuation schools Of
growing breadth and usefulness, and the plan
toward which army education is tending will
more and more seek only the fundamentals both
of education and character, at West Point, and
look more and to the special schools for
the technical scientific completion.
"A test may be appealed to with confidence
During the first hundred years (SO2-19O2) of it's
existence 2,371 graduates of West Point left the
army to go into civil life. The occupations of
these graduates are shown in the following
table, President of the United States, presi-
dent of the Confederate States, 1 presidential
candidates, 3 vice-presidentfal candidates, 2;
members of the cabinet Of the United States. 4
ambassador. 1 !; ministers of the United States to
foreign countries. A. charge d'afaires of the
United States TO foreign countries, 2; United
States consul generals and cOnsuls II; members
of congress- "a United States civil officers of
various kinds, ILL., presidential electors, 8; gov
ernors of states and territories, 10; bishops 1
lieutenant governors, 2; judges, IA members Of
state legislatures, II presiding officers of state
senates and houses Of representatives 8; men,
bers of conventions for the formation of state
constitutions. 10; state officers of various grades
81 adjutants, inspectors and quartermaster gem
erals and chief engineers of states and territories
%; officers of state militia 1853: mayors Of cities
IT; city officers, 81; presidents OF universities
colleges etc. 46 principals of academies and
schools So regents and chancellOrs of educational
institutions IA: professors and teachers, 1876:
superintendent of survey, 1 : surveyors gem
eral of states and territories, II chief engineers
of states. IA; presidents of railroads and other
corporations 81 chief engineers of railroads and
of
roads and other public works. 62 treasurers and
receivers of railroads and other corporations p;
civil engineers 22S: electrical engineers 5: Mt.
torneys and counselors at law, 200 superior
general of clerical order. L: clergymen 20
physicians IA; merchants 122; manufacturers
IT: artists 81 architects. Z; farmers and planters
$50; bankers. 49, bank presidents, 8 bank off,
GERS %: editors. 80: authors 49,
"Not all of the foregoing occupations are sig
nificant of intellectual supremacy necessarily
superior training. but the list is one which could
not have been made by a college with an made
uuate or archaic system of education. These men
have stepped out OF West Point into civil life
and qualified In large numbers for positions from
the very highest within the gift of the people in
ali walks of life; list quite too large and i'm.
posing represent the triumph of talent over
obstruction"
Discussing criticism No. 8, Secretary Baker
says that the special character of the education
which West Point must give limits the field of
selection of ITS teachers He defends the practice