Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-08-19
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the World War has shown could be made upon
military men, He then says, in part:
After all, West Point is a special school, as is
the Naval academy at Annapolis, as is any
school of mines, or OF chemistry or Of languages.
This does not justify the turning out of soldiers,
or mining engineers, or chemists who know moth
ing else; but it does justify course of instruction
which emphasizes the speciality while it pro-
duces educated man. The purpose of West
Point, therefore, is not to act u glOrifed drill
sergeant but to lay foundation upon which a
career of growth in military knowledge can be
based, and to accompany it with two Indispensable
additions; first, such a general training as edu-
Gated men find necessary for intelligent inter-
course with one another and second, the incul-
cation of a set of virtues admirable always, but
Indispensable in the soldier Men may be inexact,
or even untruthful, in ordinary matters and suf-
fer as a consequence only the dsesteem of their
associates, or the Inconvenience of unfavorable
litigation: but the inexact or untruthful soldier
trifes with the lives of his fellow men, and the
honor of his government, and it is, therefore,
matter of idle pride, but rather of stern dis
ciplinary necessity that makes West Point re-
quire of her students character for trustwOrthi-
ness which knows no evasiOns.
II 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 WAlcn army education is tending Will
more and more seek only the fundamentals both
Of education and character, at West Point, and
look more and more to the special schools for
the technical, scientific completion.
"a test may be appealed to with confidence.
During the first hundred years (1902-19O2) of its
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, l presi-
1nOf Of tha inf 10 do, tioI
candidates, 8 vice-presidential candidates. 9;
members of the cabinet of the United States, 4
ambassador, l. ministers of the United States to
foreign countries, IA; charge d'affaires of the
United States to foreign countries, q United
States consul generals and cOnsuls, II; members
of congress, "a; United States civil officers of
various kinds, III; presidential electors, s; gov
errors Of states and territories, 16; bishops l
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 13 state officers of various grades
81 adjutants, inspectors and Quartermaster gen.
erals and chief engineers Of states and territories
o. officers Of state militia 15S; mayors of cities
IL city officers, 81; presidents of universities
colleges, etc. 46; principals of academies and
schools 80; regents and chancellors Of educational
institutions IA; professors and teachers, 1856;
superintendent Of coast survey, l ; surveyors gen.
era of states and territories, II chief engineers
of states ID; presidents of railroads and other
corporations, 81; chief engineers of railroads and
other public works Sc; superintendent Of rail-
roads and other public works, CO. treasurers and
receivers of railroads and other corporations "a:
civil engineers, 228; electrical engineers, s; at
torneys and COunselors at law, 200; superior
general Of clerical order, /; clergymen, 20;
physicians, IA; merchants, 122; manufacturers,
~ artists 3; architects 7; farmers and planters
$50; bankers 10; bank presidents, s; bank Off
GERS, %; editors so; authors, 100
"Not all of the foregoing occupations are sig
nlfcant Of intellectual supremacy or necessarily
superior training but the list is one which could
not have been made by college with made
quate 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
all walks Of life; list quite too large and i'm
posing to represent the triumph Of talent over
obstruction"
Discussing criticism No 3, 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