CHAPTER XIII
THE SPIRIT OF WEST POINT
On a fine bright morning about the middle of June, every year, the Corps of Cadets wakes up to find that Battle Monument and vicinity have been completely transformed. The Quartermaster’s men have canopied a portion of the monument’s platform with beautiful brand-new flags, and placed under them comfortable wicker chairs for the President, the Secretary of War, the various generals, and other dignitaries who usually honor West Point with their presence on this graduation day. On the front edge of the platform is a rostrum, flag bedecked, for the speaker of the occasion, and spread over the green lawn are rows and rows of seats that await the coming of the cadets. Promptly at ten o’clock, the Corps swings across the parade ground to take its place for the final ceremonies that mark the separation of another class from its midst.
This is the day of days in the life of each man of the graduation class. His four years are at last completed and he is about to be given the great prize for which he has so ardently striven--a commission in the Army. As he takes his seat in front of the platform, he is a little nervous in spite of the joy at having achieved his ambition. He realizes that he is about to sever the ties that have held him fast for the last four years and to bid farewell to a portion of his life that is finished. A little tug comes at his heart-strings but it quickly vanishes as he listens to the eloquent words of the chief speaker, oftentimes the President, unfolding to his receptive imagination the duties and honors that await him in his new life as an officer. And when the President reminds him of West Point, of her traditions, of the advantages that he has been lovingly given, and of what is expected of him in the Army, there comes to his eyes a moisture from pride and gratitude. Into his mind rapidly crowd a thousand and one recollections of his associations at the Academy. He knows now that he must leave the Corps behind, that he must renounce the delightful camaraderie of its members, and give up the beautiful surroundings wherein he has grown in body, mind, and soul.
It is true that he can no longer wear the “gray,” or take away with him his friends, or the buildings, but he does take away with him something that is finer than all of these. One can see it in his face and in his bearing. He goes forth, his heart armed with the triple brass of Duty, Honor, Country, and his soul filled with the Spirit of West Point. All of his nature has been elevated and benefited by this indefinable essence. It forever connects him with hundreds of other men in all parts of our country and identifies him with an institution whose very name, WEST POINT, no matter where seen or heard, thrills him with pleasure. This name connotes the details of the most impressionable period of his life. Even the words themselves seem to have a distinction and personality that no other words possess. They are flavored with romance and make one think of something fresh and crisp and clean, something almost hallowed. They are themselves clothed with the spirit of the place under whose influence and power he will forever remain.
He leaves the Academy to join the great fraternity of West Pointers in the Service, animated by the same spirit. With them, he is this year (1917) called upon by the President to train for war a large army of his fellow citizens, and prepare them to meet an enemy schooled in the art of war by disciplined leaders. West Point sends him forth to this task, rich in knowledge. His Alma Mater is confident that he will train these men of the new Army in the fundamentals of their profession and that he will inspire them with his ideals of courage and of honor, and imbue them with the Spirit of West Point.
[Illustration:
_Photo White Studio_
Graduation--President Wilson Addressing the Graduating Class
“We’ll bid farewell to Cadet grey and don the Army blue”]
In the training of the National Army, he will have all sorts of men under his command, but the spirit of the Academy will make him patient and kind with the stupid, lend a hand to the weak, give a word of cheer to the down-hearted (there will be plenty of them), and instill into all the ideal of duty. The kind of discipline that he himself received at West Point will be theirs. He will teach them to bear uncomplainingly their burdens, to be loyal and obedient, to care for their health, and to march and to fight with a spirit that knows not weariness or depression. Then when these men shall be sufficiently trained, he will go with them to France, in the wake of the first division of Regulars led by a gallant West Pointer, Major-General John J. Pershing. Here he will appreciate as never before the value of a great moral force like the spirit of West Point. It will aid him in overcoming the obstacles in his path and in those of his men, especially when the heroics of war and the novelty of being abroad have ceased to interest them, and they find themselves in the trenches in No Man’s Land. They will be drenched by the rain and burnt by the sun; they will have to endure the vermin, the mud, and the dust. They will be driven nearly mad by the shrieking and bursting of the shells, they will see their comrades killed and wounded, and perhaps they too will suffer the same fate, but they will not flinch; because he who leads them will have given them something of his spirit--a part of himself that West Point made. He must be the prop upon which they may lean, if need be, and his spirit the reservoir upon which they may draw for refreshment. And should he be called upon to pay the supreme sacrifice, he will leave them the Spirit of West Point to carry them to victory, while he goes to join the ghostly assemblage of his fellow West Pointers, standing bareheaded to salute him, as he has stood many times in the presence of the living Corps.
The Corps! Bareheaded salute it, With eyes up, thanking our God That we of the Corps are treading, Where they of the Corps have trod-- They are here in ghostly assemblage, The men of the Corps long dead, And our hearts are standing attention, While we wait for their passing tread.
We, sons of today, we salute you, You sons of its earlier day, We follow, close order behind you Where you have pointed the way; The long gray line of us stretches Through the years of a century told, And the last man feels to his marrow The grip of your far-off hold.
Grip hands with us now, though we see not, Grip hands with us, strengthen our hearts, As the long line stiffens and straightens, With the thrill that your presence imparts. Grip hands, though it be from the shadows, While we swear, as you did of yore, Or living or dying to honor The Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.
APPENDIX
(From the Official Register of the United States Military Academy--1916)
WAR DEPARTMENT
Information Relative to the Appointment and Admission of Cadets to the United States Military Academy
(1916 Edition. Revised Annually.)
[Communications relating to matters connected with the Military Academy should be addressed to The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C.]
THE CORPS OF CADETS
The Act of Congress approved May 4, 1916, provides as follows:
“That the Corps of Cadets at the United States Military Academy shall hereafter consist of two for each Congressional district, two from each Territory, four from the District of Columbia, two from natives of Porto Rico, four from each State at large, and eighty from the United States at large, twenty of whom shall be selected from among the honor graduates of educational institutions having officers of the Regular Army detailed as professors of military science and tactics under existing law or any law hereafter enacted for the detail of officers of the Regular Army to such institutions, and which institutions are designated as ’honor schools’ upon the determination of their relative standing at the last preceding annual inspection regularly made by the War Department. They shall be appointed by the President and shall, with the exception of the eighty appointed from the United States at large, be actual residents of the Congressional or Territorial district, or of the District of Columbia, or of the island of Porto Rico, or of the States, respectively, from which they purport to be appointed: _Provided_, That so much of the Act of Congress approved March fourth, nineteen hundred and fifteen (Thirty-eighth Statutes at Large, page eleven hundred and twenty-eight), as provides for the admission of a successor to any cadet who shall have finished three years of his course at the academy be, and the same is hereby, repealed: _Provided further_: That the appointment of each member of the present Corps of Cadets is validated and confirmed.
“Sec. 2. That the President is hereby authorized to appoint cadets to the United States Military Academy from among enlisted men in number as nearly equal as practicable of the Regular Army and the National Guard between the ages of nineteen and twenty-two years who have served as enlisted men not less than one year, to be selected under such regulations as the President may prescribe: _Provided_, That the total number so selected shall not exceed one hundred and eighty at any one time.
“Sec. 3. That, under such regulations as the President shall prescribe, the increase in the number of cadets provided for by this Act shall be divided into four annual increments, which shall be as nearly equal as practicable and be equitably distributed among the sources from which appointments are authorized.”
=Annual Increments.=--States at large, 21; Congressional districts, 92; Alaska, District of Columbia, Hawaii and Porto Rico, combined, 1 each year to the source longest without an appointment, and, when the periods are equal, the choice to be by lot; Honor Schools, 5; Regular Army, 23 in 1916, 22 in 1917, 23 in 1918, and 22 in 1919; National Guard, 22 in 1916, 23 in 1917, 22 in 1918, and 23 in 1919.
APPOINTMENTS
=How Made.=--The appointments from a Congressional district are made upon the recommendation of the Representative in Congress from that district, and those from a State at large upon the recommendations of the Senators of the State. Similarly, the appointments from a Territory are made upon the recommendation of the Delegate in Congress. The appointments from the District of Columbia are made upon the recommendation of the Commissioners of the District. Each person appointed must be an actual resident of the State, District, or Territory from which the appointment is made.
The appointments from the United States at large are made by the President of the United States upon his own selection. The cadets from Porto Rico, who must be natives of that island, are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Resident Commissioner.
The appointments from among the honor graduates of educational institutions designated as “honor schools” will be made upon the recommendation of the heads of the respective schools.
The appointments from among the enlisted men of the National Guard will be made upon the recommendation of the Governors of the respective States and Territories.
The appointments from among the enlisted men of the regular army will be made upon the recommendation of the Commanding Generals of the Territorial Departments.
The Secretary of War is authorized to permit not exceeding four Filipinos, to be designated, one for each class, by the Governor General of the Philippine Islands, to receive instruction at the United States Military Academy at West Point: _Provided_, That the Filipinos undergoing instruction, shall receive the same pay, allowances, and emoluments as are authorized by law for cadets at the Military Academy appointed from the United States, to be paid out of the same appropriations: _And provided further_, That said Filipinos undergoing instruction on graduation shall be eligible only to commissions in the Philippine Scouts. And the provisions of section 1321, Revised Statutes, are modified in the case of Filipinos undergoing instruction, so as to require them to engage to serve for eight years, unless sooner discharged, in the Philippine Scouts.
=Date of Appointments.=--Appointments are required by law to be made _one year in advance_ of the date of admission, except in cases where, by reason of death or other cause, a vacancy occurs which cannot be provided for by such appointment in advance. These vacancies are filled in time for the next examination.
=Candidates.=--For each vacancy from a State at large, or Congressional or Territorial district, _three candidates_ should be nominated, one of the candidates to be named as _principal_, one as _first alternate_, and one as _second alternate_. The first alternate, if qualified, will be admitted in the event of failure of the principal; the second alternate, if qualified, will be admitted in the event of the failure of the principal and the first alternate.
For vacancies in the cadetships allotted to the honor graduates of the “honor schools,” _one candidate_ may be nominated each year before September 1st from each school. In case the total number of candidates so nominated is not equal to three times the number of vacancies, the War Department will assign additional appointments among the schools to complete this total.
For vacancies in the cadetships allotted to the enlisted men of the National Guard, the candidates will be apportioned as near as practicable among the States, Districts, and Territories according to their enlisted strength. With the exception of the candidates from the District of Columbia, they will be selected by the Governors from successful competitors in a _preliminary examination_ held between January 1st and January 15th of each year, such examination to be of a scope and nature similar to the regular examination for entrance to the United States Military Academy. The candidates from the National Guard of the District of Columbia will be similarly selected by the Commanding General of that organization.
The candidates nominated for the cadetships allotted to the enlisted men of the regular army shall not exceed three times the number of existing vacancies and shall be equitably distributed among the Territorial Departments by the War Department. If the number of applications in any Department exceed the share allotted to it by the War Department, the candidates in such Department will be chosen from the successful competitors in a _preliminary examination_ held between January 1st and January 15th, such examination to be of a scope and nature similar to the regular examination for entrance to the United States Military Academy.[6]
Each candidate designated to take the regular examination for admission to the United States Military Academy will receive from the War Department a letter of appointment, and he must appear for examination at the time and place designated therein.[7]
Fitness for admission will be determined as prescribed in the Regulations, United States Military Academy.
REGULAR EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES
Examinations of candidates will be competitive in the following classes, and will be the regular examination for entrance to the United States Military Academy:
(1) Candidates from the United States at Large, other than honor graduates of honor schools.
(2) Candidates from the United States at Large, who are honor graduates of honor schools.
(3) Candidates from the enlisted men of the National Guard.
(4) Candidates from the enlisted men of the Regular Army.
The Filipino candidates selected for appointment, unless otherwise notified by the War Department, shall appear for mental and physical examination on the second Tuesday in January of each year before a board of Army officers to be convened at such place in the Philippine Islands as the commanding general of the Philippine Department may designate.
=Admission by Examinations.=--On the third Tuesday in March of each year candidates selected for appointment shall appear for mental and physical examination before boards of Army officers to be convened at such places as the War Department may designate.
Each candidate must show by examination that he is well versed in algebra, to include quadratic equations and progressions, and in plane geometry, English grammar, composition and literature, descriptive and physical geography, and general and United States history, as explained in the circular of notification.
=Admission by Certificate.=--The Academic Board will consider and _may accept_ in lieu of the regular mental examination:
(1) A properly attested certificate (Form I) that the candidate is a regularly enrolled student in good standing without condition in a university, college, or technical school accredited by the United States Military Academy, provided that the entrance requirements of the course he is pursuing require proficiency in subjects amounting to not less than 14 units of the list given below.
If attendance at college extends over a semester, a full record of academic work at the college, giving subjects taken and grades attained in each, must accompany the certificate; if attendance at college extends over less than a semester and the candidate was admitted to college by certificate, a certificate (Form II) from the preparatory school giving a full record of studies taken and grades attained must accompany the college certificate. If a scrutiny of the certificate submitted shows low grades, the certificate will be rejected.
A certificate indicating enrollment in or admission to an institution at any other time than that specified in the college register for regular admission or enrollment will be not accepted.
(2) A properly attested certificate (Form II) that the candidate has graduated from a preparatory school or public high school accredited by the United States Military Academy, provided that he has in his school work shown proficiency in subjects amounting to not less than 14 units of the list given below.
If a scrutiny of the certificate submitted shows evidence of low grades or of graduation at an irregular date, the certificate will be rejected.
(3) A properly attested certificate (Form III) from the College Entrance Examination Board that the candidate has shown proficiency in the examinations set by the board in subjects amounting to 14 units from the list given below. If a scrutiny of the certificate submitted shows low grades, the certificate will be rejected.
* * * * *
The list of subjects and the corresponding weights in units is as follows:
(_a_) REQUIRED.
_Every certificate must show evidence of proficiency in the following subjects._
Units.
Mathematics, A1 1 Mathematics, A2 ½ Mathematics, C 1 English, A 2 English, B 1 Units. History, A } History, B } History, C } any two 2 History, D } ----- 7½
(_b_) OPTIONAL.
_The remaining 6½ units may be supplied from among the following subjects, and no others._
Units.
Mathematics, B ½ Mathematics, D ½ Mathematics, E ½ Mathematics, F ½ History, A } Any not submitted 1 History, B } among 1 History, C } required subjects 1 History, D } 1 Latin, 1 1 Latin, 2 1 Latin, 3 2 Latin, 4 1 Latin, 5 1 Greek, A1 ½ Greek, A2 ½ Greek, B 1 Greek, C 1 Greek, F 1 French, A 2 French, B Either one 1 French, BC but not both 2 German, A 2 German, B Either one 1 German, BC but not both 2 Spanish 2 Physics 1 Chemistry 1 Biology 1 Botany 1 Physiology 1 Physical geography 1 Drawing 1 ----- 35
The definition of unit and of the ground covered by the designated subjects is that of the College Entrance Examination Board. Credits must correspond to the unit values of the respective subjects. Greater credit than indicated will not be allowed; less credit will be understood as evidence that the entire subject has not been completed.
Certificates should be submitted not later than February 15th. A certificate received between February 15th and the examination will receive consideration, but in view of the short time left to the Academic Board to investigate its value, no assurance will be given that such certificate can be acted on in time to exempt the candidate from the mental examination.
Candidates who submit certificates on a date which does not allow the Academic Board sufficient time to investigate its value and notify them regarding the final action thereon prior to the day set for the examination, should proceed with the regular examination.
Candidates who are informed that their certificates have been accepted must present themselves at the regular time and place as herein prescribed, for physical examination.
A certificate which is accepted as satisfactory for one examination will be regarded as satisfactory for any other examination which may be set for entrance with the same class.
Any certificate accepted for one class, and presented for a succeeding class, should be accompanied with a full statement of the candidate’s educational work in the interim, and both certificate and statement will be subject to careful scrutiny by the Academic Board. (Par. 65, Regs., U. S. M. A.)
All necessary papers, =including a set of blank certificate forms=, are furnished to each duly nominated candidate by The Adjutant General of the Army.
_Note._--Certificates will be accepted only from candidates appointed from States at large, Congressional districts, Territories, and the District of Columbia.
Certificates may be accepted for admission of candidates from the Regular Army and National Guard in the same manner as they are accepted for candidates nominated by Congressmen, except that acceptable certificates entitle the candidate to appointment only in case the authorized number of vacancies for that year are not filled by the regular examination.
=Date of Admission.=--Candidates who fully conform to the requirements set forth in the preceding paragraphs, and who report in person to the Superintendent before 10:30 A.M. the second day, Sunday excepted, following the date of regular graduation, shall be admitted as cadets of the United States Military Academy, and shall receive their warrants as soon as practicable.
_Engagement to Serve._--Immediately after reporting to the Superintendent for admission and before receiving their warrants of appointment candidates are required to sign in the presence of the Superintendent, or of some officer deputed by him, engagements for service in the following form:
I, ---- ----, of the State (or Territory) of ----, aged ---- years, ---- months, do hereby engage (with consent of my parent or guardian) that from the date of my admission as a cadet of the United States Military Academy I will serve in the Army of the United States for eight years unless sooner discharged by competent authority.
In the presence of ---- ----.
In the case of the Filipino cadets the engagement shall be made to serve in the Philippine Scouts. (See Sec. 1321, R. S.)
_Oath of Allegiance._--Each cadet shall, previous to his admission to the academy, take and subscribe an oath or affirmation in the following form:
I, ---- ----, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and bear true allegiance to the National Government; that I will maintain and defend the sovereignty of the United States paramount to any and all allegiance, sovereignty, or fealty I may owe to any State, county, or country whatsoever, and that I will at all times obey the legal orders of my superior officers and the rules and articles governing the Armies of the United States. (Sec. 1320, R. S.)
Sworn to and subscribed at ---- this -- day of ----, nineteen hundred and --, before me.
=Qualifications.=--No candidate shall be admitted who is under 17 or over 22 years of age or less than 5 feet 4 inches in height at the age of 17, or 5 feet 5 inches in height at the age of 18 and upward, or who is deformed or afflicted with any disease or infirmity which would render him unfit for the military service or who has, at the time of presenting himself, any disorder of an infectious or immoral character. Candidates must be unmarried.
Each candidate must on reporting at West Point present a certificate showing successful vaccination within one year; or a certificate of two vaccinations made at least a month apart, within three months.
_Note._--Candidates are eligible for admission from the day they are 17 until the day they become 22 years of age, on which latter day they are not eligible.
Each candidate designated as principal or alternate for appointment as cadet at the Military Academy should ascertain as soon as practicable whether or not he has any physical defect that would disqualify him for admission to the academy or any that should be corrected by treatment previous to presenting himself for examination. For this purpose he should immediately cause himself to be examined by his family physician, and, if he desires, also by an Army surgeon at the nearest military post. Such an examination should enable the candidate to decide whether to devote the time and possible expense which may be necessary for preparation for the entrance examination or to relinquish his appointment.
The presentation by a candidate of his letter of conditional appointment, or the presentation by a _prospective_ candidate of a letter signed by a Member of Congress stating that the bearer is to be a candidate for cadet appointment and requesting that he be physically examined, will be sufficient authority for an Army surgeon at any military post to make the desired physical examination. Upon completion of this examination, the Army surgeon will inform the candidate of the result, and, in case a disability be found, whether such disability is believed to be permanent and disqualifying for military service or whether it is believed to be of a temporary or curable nature. The examination is to be regarded as preliminary only, and in no manner to affect the decision of the regular medical examining board.
CHARACTER OF EXAMINATIONS
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
The physical examination is conducted under the following instructions prepared by the Surgeon General of the Army: Candidates who, upon reporting, present evidence that they have been excused from the mental examination under the provisions of the certificate privilege, or as the result of having qualified mentally at a previous examination, are usually examined physically as soon as possible after reporting and are not required to wait until the schedule of mental examinations has been completed. The physical examination of all candidates taking the mental examination begins on the fourth day and is continued daily until completed.
Hearing must be normal in both ears.
Vision as determined by the official test types must not fall below 20/40 in either eye. If below 20/20, it must be correctable to 20/20 by proper glasses.
In the record of all examinations the acuity of vision without glasses, and also with glasses when the acuity is less than 20/20, will be given for each eye separately; in the latter case the correction will also be noted.
Hyperopia with vision less than 20/20 and myopia or astigmatism, either hyperopic or myopic, with vision less than 20/40, are causes for rejection.
Squint uncorrectable by glasses (not prisms) is a cause for rejection.
Color blindness, red, green, or violet, is cause for rejection.
The foregoing requirements apply to eyes from disease, either acute or chronic. All lesions of the fundus, except those due to simple myopia, lesions not progressive in character, whether old or of recent origin, are causes for rejection.
A certificate from a competent oculist may be accepted at the option of the examining board, as evidence of freedom from lesions of the fundus.
_Teeth._--A candidate must have at least 12 of the 20 double teeth in serviceable condition, so placed that 6 of them are “opposed” by 6 others. Where not all of the third molars have erupted and there are none opposed, 8 serviceable double teeth must be present, so placed that 4 are opposed by 4 others. Where there are two opposed third molars, the requirements will be at least 6 double teeth opposed by 6 others. Well crowned teeth are considered as good teeth. Teeth containing large cavities or exposed nerves are considered as cause for rejection, but a candidate with unsound teeth may be accepted subject to the condition of having cavities filled and teeth put in satisfactory shape before the date set for his entrance to West Point.
The following are causes of disqualification if found to exist to such a degree as would immediately or at no very distant period impair the efficiency of the candidate:
1. Feeble constitution; unsound health from whatever cause; indications of former disease, glandular swellings, or other symptoms of scrofula.
2. Chronic cutaneous affections, especially of the scalp.
3. Severe injuries of the bones of the head; convulsions.
4. Impaired vision, from whatever cause; inflammatory affections of the eyelids; immobility or irregularity of the iris; fistula lachrymalis, etc.
5. Deafness; copious discharge from the ears.
6. Impediment of speech.
7. Want of due capacity of the chest, and any other indication of a liability to a pulmonic disease.
8. Impaired or inadequate efficiency of one or both of the superior extremities on account of fractures, especially of the clavicle, contraction of a joint, deformity, etc.
9. An unusual excurvature or incurvature of the spine.
10. Hernia.
11. A varicose state of the veins of the scrotum or spermatic cord (when large), hydrocele, hemorrhoids, fistulas.
12. Impaired or inadequate efficiency of one or both of the inferior extremities on account of varicose veins, fractures, malformation (flat feet, etc.), lameness, contraction, unequal length, bunions, overlying or supernumerary toes, etc.
13. Ulcers or unsound cicatrices of ulcers likely to break out afresh.
The requirements of the following tables of physical proportions are _minimum for growing youths_ and are for the guidance of medical officers in connection with the other data of the examination, a consideration of all of which should determine the candidate’s physical eligibility. Mere fulfilment of the requirements of the standard tables does not determine eligibility, while on the other hand no departure below the standard should be allowed unless upon the unanimous recommendation of the medical examining board for excellent reasons clearly stated in each case.
The physical requirements should be those of the age at the birthday nearest the time of the examination. Fractions greater than one-half inch will be considered as an additional inch of height, but candidates 17 years old must be at least 64 inches, and those 18 years and upward at least 65 inches in height.
TABLE FOR PHYSICAL PROPORTION FOR HEIGHT, WEIGHT, AND CHEST MEASUREMENT
=========+===========+===========+===============+============ _Age._ | _Height_, | _Weight_, |_Chest_ | _Chest_ | _inches_. | _pounds_. |_measurement_--| _mobility_, | | |_expiration_, | _inches_. | | |_inches_. | ---------+-----------+-----------+---------------+------------ {| 64 | 110 | 29 | 2 {| 65 | 112 | 29¼ | 2 {| 66 | 114 | 29½ | 2 {| 67 | 116 | 29¾ | 2 17 yrs. {| 68 | 119 | 30 | 2½ {| 69 | 122 | 30¼ | 2½ {| 70 | 125 | 30½ | 2½ {| 71 | 128 | 30¾ | 2½ ---------+-----------+-----------+---------------+------------ {| 65 | 117 | 30¼ | 2 {| 66 | 119 | 30½ | 2 {| 67 | 121 | 30¾ | 2 {| 68 | 124 | 31 | 2½ 18 yrs. {| 69 | 127 | 31¼ | 2½ {| 70 | 130 | 31½ | 2½ {| 71 | 133 | 31¾ | 2½ {| 72 | 136 | 32 | 3 ---------+-----------+-----------+---------------+------------ {| 65 | 121 | 30¾ | 2 {| 66 | 123 | 31 | 2 {| 67 | 125 | 31¼ | 2 {| 68 | 129 | 31½ | 2½ 19 yrs. {| 69 | 133 | 31¾ | 2½ {| 70 | 137 | 32 | 2½ {| 71 | 141 | 32¼ | 2½ {| 72 | 145 | 32½ | 3 {| 73 | 149 | 32¾ | 3 ---------+-----------+-----------+---------------+------------ {| 65 | 122 | 31 | 2 {| 66 | 124 | 31¼ | 2 {| 67 | 126 | 31½ | 2 {| 68 | 130 | 31¾ | 2½ {| 69 | 134 | 32 | 2½ 20 yrs. {| 70 | 138 | 32¼ | 2½ {| 71 | 142 | 32½ | 2½ {| 72 | 146 | 32¾ | 3 {| 73 | 150 | 33 | 3 {| 74 | 154 | 33¼ | 3½ ---------+-----------+-----------+---------------+------------ {| 65 | 123 | 31¼ | 2 {| 66 | 125 | 31½ | 2 {| 67 | 127 | 31¾ | 2 {| 68 | 132 | 32 | 2½ {| 69 | 137 | 32¾ | 2½ 21 yrs. {| 70 | 142 | 32½ | 2½ {| 71 | 147 | 32¾ | 2½ {| 72 | 152 | 33 | 3 {| 73 | 157 | 33¼ | 3 {| 74 | 162 | 33½ | 3½ {| 75 | 167 | 33¾ | 3½ ---------+-----------+-----------+---------------+------------ {| 65 | 125 | 31½ | 2 {| 66 | 127 | 31¾ | 2 {| 67 | 129 | 32 | 2 {| 68 | 134 | 32¼ | 2½ {| 69 | 139 | 32½ | 2½ {| 70 | 144 | 32¾ | 2½ 22 yrs. {| 71 | 149 | 33 | 2½ {| 72 | 154 | 33¼ | 3 {| 73 | 159 | 33½ | 3 {| 74 | 164 | 33¾ | 3½ {| 75 | 169 | 34 | 3½ {| 76 | 174 | 34¼ | 4 ---------+-----------+-----------+---------------+------------
The following is a list of the Army posts at which the examination is usually held:
Fort Banks, Mass. Fort Slocum, N. Y. Washington Barracks, D. C. Jackson Barracks, New Orleans, La. Fort Shafter, Honolulu, Hawaii. Columbus Barracks, Ohio. Fort Williams, Maine. Fort St. Michaels, Alaska. Fort Sill, Okla. Fort Leavenworth, Kans. Jefferson Barracks, Mo. Fort Ethan Allen, Vt. Fort Dade, Fla. Fort Logan H. Roots, Ark. Fort Logan, Colo. Fort Sam Houston, Tex. Presidio of San Francisco, Cal. Corozal, Canal Zone. Fort McPherson, Ga. Fort Snelling, Minn. Fort Sheridan, Ill. Vancouver Barracks, Wash. Fort Bliss, Texas. Fort Wm. H. Seward, Alaska. Fort Rosecrans, Cal.
MENTAL EXAMINATION
The examination takes place as follows, viz.:
1st Day.--Blank for personal and school history to be filled out by all who report for examination, 11 a.m. to 12, noon, 1 hour. History, 1 to 5 p.m., 4 hours.
2d Day.--Algebra, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 4 hours. Geography, 2 to 5 p.m., 3 hours.
3d Day.--Geometry, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 4 hours. English Grammar, Composition, and Literature, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., 4 hours.
Every candidate who reports is required to fill out, in the most careful manner, the personal and school history sheet and the autograph and official notification address blanks. The fact that a candidate may be reporting for the physical examination only, does not by any means exempt him from accomplishing these blanks, as the information they contain is vitally necessary for the permanent and statistical records of the Military Academy.
The candidate is given all assistance needed to insure the proper filling out of these papers.
* * * * *
=Algebra.=--Candidates will be required to pass a satisfactory examination in that portion of _algebra_ which includes the following range of subjects: Definitions and notation; the fundamental laws; the fundamental operations, viz.: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; factoring; highest common factor; lowest common multiple; fractions, simple and complex; simple or linear equations with one unknown quantity; simultaneous simple or linear equations with two or more unknown quantities; graphical representation and solution of linear equations with two unknowns; involution, including the formation of the squares and cubes of polynomials; binomial theorem with positive integral exponents; evolution, including the extraction of the square and cube roots of polynomials and of numbers; theory of exponents, radicals, including reduction and fundamental operations, rationalization, equations involving radicals; operations with imaginary numbers; quadratic equations; equations of quadratic form; simultaneous quadratic equations; ratio and proportion; arithmetical and geometrical progressions. Candidates will be required to solve problems involving any of the principles or methods contained in the foregoing subjects.
The following questions were used at a recent examination:
1. (_a_) Simplify [(_x_ - _y_)^2 + 6_xy_] - [(_x_^2 + 2_xy_) - {_x_^2 - [2_xy_ - (4_xy_ - _y_^2)]} - (-_x_^2 - 2_xy_)].
(_b_) Factor (1) _a_^9_b_^9 + 64_c_^6 (2) _x_^2 - _y_^2 - 2_y_ - 1 (3) _x_^3 - 3_x_^2 + 4.
2. Solve [sqrt]((4/_x_^2) + 5) - [sqrt]((4/_x_^2) - 5) = 2. Prove that your answers are correct.
3. How many terms will there be in the expansion of (_a_^{⅒} + _b_^{⅕}×15) by the binomial formula?
Write the 6th term in the simplest form. What other term will have the same coefficient?
Write down this term and simplify it.
4. A number of workmen, who receive the same wages, earn together a certain sum. Had there been 7 more workmen, and had each one received 25 cents more, their joint earnings would have increased by $18.65. Had there been 4 fewer workmen, and had each one received 15 cents less, their joint earnings would have decreased by $9.20. How many workmen are there, and how much does each one receive?
5. (_a_) Find the value of 5_x_^3 + 2_x_^2 - 3_x_ - 1 when _x_ = 1 - [sqrt](-4)
(_b_) Simplify (5×[sqrt](_x_^{4/3})^{-3/2}
6. Two trains run toward each other from A and B, respectively, and meet at a point which is 15 miles farther from A than it is from B. After the trains meet, it takes the first train 2⅔ hours to run to B, and the second 3⅜ hours to run to A. How far is it from A to B?
{ (1/_a_ + 1/_b_)_x_ + (1/_a_ - 1/_b_)_y_ = 4 7. Solve { { _x_/(_a_ + _b_) + _y_/(_a_ - _b_) = 2
8. (_a_) Deduce a test for finding when the roots of the equation _ax_^2 + _bx_ + _c_ = 0 are: 1º real and unequal; 2º real and equal; 3º imaginary; 4º numerically equal with contrary signs.
(_b_) Apply the tests to find the nature of the roots of the equations
1º 3_x_^2 + 4_x_ - 10 = 0
2º 5_x_^2 + 6 = 0
9. Given a square whose side is 2. The middle points of its adjacent sides are joined by straight lines forming a second square inscribed in the first. In the same manner, a third square is inscribed in the second, a fourth in the third, and so on indefinitely. Find the sum of the perimeters of all the squares.
Substitute for any of the above.--A person has $6,500, which he divides into two portions and lends at different rates of interest, so that the two portions produce equal returns. If the first portion had been lent at the second rate of interest, it would have produced $180; and if the second portion had been lent at the first rate of interest, it would have produced $245. Find the rates of interest.
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=Plane Geometry.=--Candidates will be required to give accurate definitions of the terms used in _plane geometry_, to demonstrate any proposition of plane geometry as given in the ordinary text-books and to solve simple geometrical problems either by a construction or by an application of algebra.
The following questions were used at a recent examination:
1. Theorem: The three medians of any triangle intersect in a common point which is at two-thirds of the distance from each vertex to the middle of the opposite side.
2. Theorem: If two triangles have their three sides respectively equal, the triangles are equal in all respects.
3. (_a_) How many circles can be drawn tangent to three given straight lines? (_b_) Problem: To draw a circle through a given point and tangent to two given straight lines.
4. Theorem: If two parallel right lines be divided into corresponding parts, proportional each to each, and straight lines be drawn through the corresponding points of division, these straight lines will pass through a common point.
5. Exercise: Find the locus of all points, the sum of the squares of the distances of any one of which from two fixed points is equal to a given square.
6. Problem: Given two circles, to construct a third circle equivalent to their difference.
7. Exercise: If the radius of a circle is 5, find the area of the segment subtended by the side of a regular hexagon.
8. Theorem: The areas of two triangles which have an angle of the one equal to an angle of the other, are to each other as the products of the sides including those angles.
9. Problem: Through a given point on one side of a triangle to draw a right line which shall divide the triangle into two equivalent areas.
Substitute for any one of the above.--(_a_) Define _commensurable quantities_; _incommensurable quantities_. Give example of each. (_b_) Theorem: In the same circle or equal circles, two angles at the centre have the same ratio as their intercepted arcs (whether commensurable or incommensurable).
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=English Grammar.=--Candidates must have a good knowledge of _English grammar_; they must be able to define the terms used therein; to define the parts of speech; to give inflections, including declension, conjugation, and comparison; to give the corresponding masculine and feminine gender nouns; to give and apply the ordinary rules of syntax.
They must be able to parse correctly any ordinary sentence; giving the subject of each verb, the governing of each objective case, the word for which each pronoun stands or to which it refers, the words between which each preposition shows the relation, precisely what each conjunction and each relative pronoun connects, what each adjective and adverb qualifies or limits, the construction of each infinitive, and generally to show a good knowledge of the function of each word in the sentence.
They must be able to correct in sentences or extracts any ordinary grammatical errors.
It is not required that any particular textbook shall be followed; but the definitions, parsing, and corrections must be in accordance with good usage and common sense.
The following questions indicate the character of the examination:
1. (_a_) He comes, the herald of a noisy world. (_b_) Next anger rushed, his eyes on fire. (_c_) Get on your nightgown, lest occasion call us and show us to be watchers. (_d_) Hark! Hark! the lark at heaven’s gate sings. (_e_) Why do you stay so long, my lords of France? (_f_) Go you before to Gloucester with these letters. (_g_) Society has been called the happiness of life. (_h_) The guardsman defended himself bravely. (_i_) They that reverence too much old times are but a scorn to the new. (_j_) I will bring you certain news from Shrewsbury.
In the above sentences pick out the following grammatical constructions. (Indicate the number of the sentence and write the word or words which answer the question.)
Imperative mood. Abstract noun. Transitive verb. Two relative pronouns. Noun in apposition. Verb in subjunctive mood. Adverb of manner. Relative pronoun. Indirect object. Interjection.
2. Write a simple sentence containing a compound subject. Write a simple sentence containing a compound predicate. Write a complex sentence containing an adjective clause. Write a complex sentence containing an adverbial clause of manner. Write a sentence containing a preposition with a compound object. Write a sentence containing an adverb clause of time. Write a sentence containing a noun (or substitute) clause used as the subject of the sentence. Write a complex sentence containing an adverb clause of place. Write a sentence containing an adjective phrase, and an adverb phrase. Write a sentence containing a verb in the passive voice.
3. Write sentences containing the following: The preterite (or past) tense (active voice) of the verb “choose.” The perfect tense (active voice) of the verb “swim.” The pluperfect (or past perfect) tense (active voice) of the verb “burst.” The future perfect tense (active voice) of the verb “eat.” The perfect tense (active voice) of the verb “know.” The present participle of the verb “lie.” The perfect infinite of the verb “study.” The perfect participle of the verb “knock.” The future tense, passive voice, of the verb “defeat.” The future perfect tense, passive voice, of the verb “pay.”
4. In the passage below, indicate the gender of all the nouns and pronouns by the following device: Underscore once those that are masculine; twice those that are feminine; thrice all those that are neither.
“The bride kissed the goblet, the knight took it up. He quaffed off the wine, and he threw down the cup, She looked down to blush, and she looked up to sigh, With a smile on her lips and a tear in her eye. He took her soft hand ere her mother could bar,-- ‘Now tread we a measure!’ said young Lochinvar. So stately her form and so lovely her face, That never a hall such a galliard did grace; While her mother did fret, and her father did fume, And the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and plume; And the bride-maidens whispered, ‘‘Twere better by far, To have matched our fair cousin with young Lochinvar.’”
5. Write sentences containing the following: An auxiliary verb. The comparative of “recent.” The superlative of “bad.” The plural of “lily.” The masculine of “witch.” An intransitive verb. A collective noun. The comparative of “lazy.” The plural of “shelf.” The plural of “ruby.”
6. Parse the words in italics in the following sentences: “Some soils, _like_ the rocky tract _called_ the Estabrooke Country in _my_ neighbourhood, is so suited to the apple, that it will grow _faster_ in _them without any_ care, _than_ it _will_ in many places with any amount of _care_.”--Henry D. Thoreau.
7. Correct all errors in the following: The man who committed the murder was hung. Who can this letter be from? It is me that he fears. The red rose smells sweetly, but the yellow one does not smell so good. He asked if either of the men could identify their own clothing.
8. Punctuate and capitalize the following: it was old dr parr who said or sighed in his last illness oh if i can only live till strawberries come the old scholar imagined that if he could weather it till then the berries would carry him through no doubt he had turned from the drugs and the nostrums or from the hateful food to the memory of the pungent penetrating and unspeakably fresh quality of the strawberry with the deepest longing the strawberry is always the hope of the invalid and sometimes no doubt his salvation it is the first and finest relish among the fruits and well merits dr botelers memorable saying that doubtless god could have made a better berry but doubtless god never did john burroughs.
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=English Composition and English Literature.=--Candidate will be required:
1. By the writing of short themes on subjects chosen by themselves within limits set by the examination paper, to prove (_a_) their ability to spell, capitalize, and punctuate, and (_b_) their mastery of the elementary principles of composition, including paragraphing and sentence structure.
2. To give evidence of intelligent acquaintance with three plays of Shakespeare--one comedy, one history, and one tragedy--_The Merchant of Venice_, _Henry V_, and _Macbeth_ being especially recommended.
3. To exhibit a fair knowledge of the history of English literature and of the names of the most prominent authors, and of the names of their principal works.
The general character and scope of the examination are indicated by the following:
1. In a few paragraphs (about 250 words) tell the most important facts about the life and works of any _one_ of the following authors: Robert Burns, John Milton, John Keats, Edgar Allan Poe, Alfred Tennyson, Charles Dickens.
2. In a paragraph (about 250 words) discuss the Victorian period in English literature, paying attention to the following points: (_a_) the characteristics of the literature, (_b_) the chief writers, both in prose and poetry.
3. In a few paragraphs (about 250 words) discuss the Puritan period in English literature, telling what is meant by the term, the object and results of the Puritan movement, the chief writers with their works, and the main characteristics of the literature.
4. Elective question (may be chosen in place of either 2 or 3). Write a few paragraphs (250 words) on the characteristics and importance of the works of the Concord writers, Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau, mentioning the chief works of each.
5. Write two compositions of about 200 words each selecting your subjects from the following list: (_a_) The story of the chase. (Lady of the Lake--Scott.) (_b_) Silas Marner’s Early Life. (Silas Marner--George Eliot.) (_c_) The Story of Jessica. (Merchant of Venice--Shakespeare.) (_d_) The Character of Brutus. (Julius Caesar--Shakespeare.) (_e_) The Story of Ida and the Prince. (The Princess--Tennyson.) (_f_) The Trial of Rebecca. (Ivanhoe--Scott.) (_g_) The Murder of Duncan. (Macbeth--Shakespeare.) (_h_) Character Sketch of the Ancient Mariner. (The Ancient Mariner--Coleridge.) (_i_) Threshing Day on a Western Farm. (_j_) The Village Drug Store. (_k_) Along the Wharves in a Seaport Town. (_l_) An Irrigated Farm. (_m_) A Cotton Mill. (_n_) An Accident.
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=Geography.=--Candidates will be required to pass a satisfactory examination in _descriptive geography_ and the elements of _physical geography_. A preponderance of weight is attached to a knowledge of the geography of the United States.
In descriptive geography of the United States, candidates should be thoroughly informed as to its general features and boundaries; adjacent oceans, seas, bays, gulfs, sounds, straits, and islands; lakes, the location and extent of mountain ranges; the sources, directions, and terminations of the important rivers, the names of their principal tributaries, and at what points, if any, these rivers break through highlands on their way to the ocean; the water routes of communication from one part of the country to another; the location and termination of important railroad lines; the boundaries of the several States and Territories and their order along the coasts, frontiers, and principal rivers; the location and boundaries of the island possessions; and the names and locations of the capitals and other important cities of the several States, Territories, and island possessions.
In short, the knowledge should be so complete that a clear mental picture of the whole of the United States is impressed on the mind of the candidate.
In descriptive geography of other countries, candidates should be familiar with the continental areas and grand divisions of water; the earth’s surface; the large bodies of water which in part or wholly surround the grand divisions of the land; the capes, from what part they project and into what waters; the principal peninsulas, location, and by what waters embraced; the parts connected by an isthmus; the principal islands, locations, and surrounding waters; the seas, gulfs, and bays, the coasts they indent, and the waters to which they are subordinate; the straits, the lands they separate, and the waters they connect; the locations of the principal lakes, the locations, boundaries, capitals and principal cities of the political divisions of the world.
In physical geography, candidates should be familiar with the relief of the earth’s surface; the principal mountain systems, the river systems and watersheds; the coastal and lake plains; and the influence of climate, soil, mineral deposits, and other physical features on the resources, industries, commercial relations, and development of a country and its people, especially of the United States.
The following questions indicate the character of the examination:
1. Define. (_a_) Geography, (_b_) Physical Geography, (_c_) strait, (_d_) isthmus, (_e_) isotherm.
2. In respect of climate, into what zones is the earth’s surface divided? Name the circles separating these zones from one another. In what zone are the Philippines?
3. (_a_) What and where is the International Date Line? (_b_) In going from San Francisco to Manila is a day lost or gained? Give reasons for answer.
4. How many “times” has the United States! What are they?
5. What waters surround the United States?
6. Is it possible to go from Duluth to Detroit by water? If so, what bodies of water would be passed through?
7. Name the larger islands of the Philippines, and of the Hawaiian Group, respectively. On what island is Manila? Honolulu? Iloilo?
8. Name two great coal regions of the United States.
9. What is (_a_) the most northern State of the United States? (_b_) the most southern? (_c_) the most eastern? (_d_) the most western?
10. Which of the United States has the longest coast line?
11. Where is the Mohawk Valley?
12. Bound--Michigan, Kentucky, Connecticut.
13. Locate accurately the followi