The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1920-08-27


congress and the secretary of war to bring about
all changes necessary to fit the institution to its
high public purpose.
Representative Fred A. Brtten of Illinois In
troduced resolution requesting that certain In
formation be furnished the house by the
department Representative julius Kahn OF
California. chairman of the committee military
affairs, wrote to Secretary OF War Newton d.
Baker concerning this resolution. Secretary Baker
took this opportunity to write Representative
Kahn a long communication. which Is in purpose
and effect a formal defense of West Point and
an answer to DR.. Elots criticisms. In view Of
the supreme Importance of West Point as an
American institution, summary of Secretary
Bakers defense Is well worth printing.
Dr. Eliot's criticisms follows:
]. mo American school college intended for
youths between 1S and 20 years of age should
accepts.
2. mo school college should have com
pletely prescribed curriculum.
3. mo school or college should have its teach
ing done almost exclusively by recent graduates
of the same school or college who are not teach
and who short terms.
4. 'The graduates of West Point during the
World War. both in the field and in business
offices, did not escape, with few exceptions from
the methods which they had been taught and
drilled In during peace. The methods Of fighting
were. in the main, and the methods of sup
ply and account ought to have been new. The
red-tape methods prescribed to the American
Regular Army officers of passing the buck were
very mischievous all through the actual fighting
and remain serious impeachment to the efficiency
of the war department to this day.
In answering criticism No l. Secretary Baker
sets forth the methods Of admission 10 West
Point by congressional and presidential appoint
ment, competitive examinations, entrance exam
nations. etc. He then says. in part:
"From 1888 to 1915 the total number of candl-
aoxu bo Dfadt f,r
sion to West Point has been 1919. or these
1882 have been admitted. or the residue 4.22O
were rejected for admission by the academic
board; 2,746 failed to report 921 rejected by
the medical board; 573 were rejected by the joint
action of the academic board and the medical
board sos passed. for whom vacancies existed
1913 failed to complete the examinations; 1873 de-
clined appointments after completing the exam
nation. and SO appointments were cancelled
1T thus appears that the process of selection is
countrywide that the requirements from Il purely
academic standpoint adequately high, and
that the standards are rigidy enforced
Taking American secondary education as II ia
for rich and poor. In the city and in the country
east and west. / am persuaded that no college
drawing Its students from wide geograp hical
area compares with West Point in the quality of
the material which 1t receives, and If more uni
form excellence could be obtained by sectional or
class selection. surely the exchange would be a
bad one for the national constituency which the
academy has always had"
AS to criticism No. ?, Secretary Baker SAYS he
does not attach any value 10 any opinion he
might express as to the controversy between the
prescribed curriculum and the free elective sys-
tens of collegiate education. But. he SAYS il
cannot be conceded that West Point has a fixed
inelastic and unchanging curriculum. He men
tons the appointment of a board OF nvestiga-
ton In 1917 and says 1t Is only one In
timing series of Investigations with the view of
adapting the instruction to the demands which