CHAPTER X._Cadet Life at West Point

APPENDIX.

WAR DEPARTMENT.

INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE APPOINTMENT AND ADMISSION OF CADETS TO THE

UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY.

[Communications relating to matters connected with the Military-Academy

should be addressed to The Adjutant-General of the Army, Washington, D.

C.]

APPOINTMENTS.

HOW MADE.—Each Congressional District and Territory—the District of

Columbia and also Porto Rico—is entitled to have one cadet at the

Academy. Each State is also entitled to have two cadets from the State at

large, and forty are allowed from the United States at large. The law,

however, provides that for six years from July 1, 1910, whenever any

cadet shall have finished three years of his course at the Academy his

successor may be admitted. The appointment from a Congressional District

is 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 appointment from a Territory

is made upon the recommendation of the Delegate in Congress. The

appointment from the District of Columbia is made on 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 cadet from

Porto Rico, who must be a native of that island, is appointed by the

President on the recommendation of the Resident Commissioner.

The Secretary of War is authorized to permit not exceeding four

Filipinos, to be designated, one for each class, by the Philippine

Commission, 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 the 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.

ALTERNATES.—For each candidate appointed there should be nominated _two

alternates_. The principal and each alternate will receive from the War

Department a letter of appointment, and must appear for examination at

the time and place therein designated.[67] The fitness for admission

to the Academy of the principal and alternates will be determined as

prescribed in paragraphs 19 and 20, Regulations U. S. Military Academy.

If the principal fails to qualify, either mentally or physically, then

the qualifications of the alternates will be considered and if only one

has met the requirements he will be admitted; if both alternates have met

the requirements the better qualified will be admitted. The alternates,

like the principal, should be designated _one year in advance_ of the

date of admission.

EXAMINATION AND ADMISSION OF CANDIDATES.[68]

The following are extracts from the Regulations of the Military Academy

relating to the examination of candidates for admission and will be

strictly adhered to:

19. On the second Tuesday in January of each year candidates selected

for appointment (except the Filipino candidates) shall appear for

mental and physical examination before boards of Army officers to

be convened at such places as the War Department may designate. 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 October 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 Division may designate. Candidates

who pass will be admitted to the Academy without further examination upon

reporting in person to the Superintendent before 12 o’clock noon, on the

1st day of March following the examination.

20. Each candidate before admission to the academy must show by

examination as prescribed in paragraph 19, that he is well versed in

algebra, to include quadratic equations and progressions, plane geometry,

English grammar, composition and literature, descriptive and physical

geography, and general and United States history, as explained in the

circulars of notification. No rejected candidate shall be re-examined,

except upon recommendation of the Academic Board.

22. Immediately after reporting to the Superintendent for admission, and

before receiving his warrant of appointment, the candidate is required to

sign an engagement for service in the following form, and in the presence

of the Superintendent, or of some officer deputed by him:

“I, ________, of the State (or Territory) of ____, aged ____ years ____

months, do hereby engage (with the 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 ________.

The candidate is then required to 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 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.”

Sworn and subscribed, at ____, this ____ day of ____, nineteen hundred

and ____ before me. ________

QUALIFICATIONS.—No candidate shall be admitted who is under seventeen,

or over twenty-two years of age, or less than five feet four inches in

height at the age of seventeen, or five feet five inches in height at

the age of eighteen 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

seventeen until the day they become twenty-two years of age, on which

latter day they are not eligible.

It is suggested to all candidates for admission to the Military Academy

that, before leaving their places of residence for the place of

examination, they should cause themselves to be thoroughly examined by a

competent physician, and by a teacher or instructor in good standing. By

such examinations any _serious_ physical disqualification or deficiency

in mental preparation would be revealed.

It should be understood that the informal examination herein recommended

is solely for the convenience and benefit of the candidate himself,

and can in no manner affect the decision of the Academic and Medical

Examining Boards.

CHARACTER OF EXAMINATIONS.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION.

Upon the completion of the mental examination all candidates will be

thoroughly examined physically by the medical officers of the board,

under the following instructions prepared by the Surgeon General of the

Army:

Hearing must be normal in both ears.

Vision, as determined by the official test types, must not fall below

20/40 in either eye, and not below 20/20 unless the defect is a simple

refractive error not hyperopia, is not due to ocular disease, and is

entirely corrected 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 requiring any spherical correction, anisometropia, squint, or

muscular insufficiency, if marked, are causes for rejection.

Color blindness, red, green, or violet, is cause for rejection.

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, &c., &c.

5.—Deafness; copious discharge from the ears.

6.—loss of many teeth, or the teeth generally unsound.

7.—Impediment of speech.

8.—Want of due capacity of the chest, and any other indication

of a liability to a pulmonic disease.

9.—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, &c.

10.—An unusual excurvature or incurvature of the spine.

11.—Hernia.

12.—A varicose state of the veins of the scrotum or spermatic

cord (when large), hydrocele, hemorrhoids, fistulas.

13.—Impaired or inadequate efficiency of one or both of the

inferior extremities on account of varicose veins, fractures,

malformation (flat feet, &c.), lameness, contraction, unequal

length, bunions, overlying or supernumerary toes, &c., &c.

14.—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

fulfillment 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 ½ 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 of physical proportion for height, weight, and chest measurement._

Chest

measurement— Chest

Height, Weight, expiration, mobility,

Age. inches. pounds. inches. inches.

17 yrs. 64 110 29 2

65 112 29¼ 2

66 114 29½ 2

67 116 29¾ 2

68 119 30 2½

69 122 30¼ 2½

70 125 30½ 2½

71 128 30¾ 2½

18 yrs. 65 117 30¼ 2

66 119 30½ 2

67 121 30¾ 2

68 124 31 2½

69 127 31¼ 2½

70 130 31½ 2½

71 133 31¾ 2½

72 136 32 3

19 yrs. 65 121 30¾ 2

66 123 31 2

67 125 31¼ 2

68 129 31½ 2½

69 133 31¼ 2½

70 137 32 2½

71 141 32¼ 2½

72 145 32½ 3

73 149 32¾ 3

20 yrs. 65 122 31 2

66 124 31¼ 2

67 126 31½ 2

68 130 31¾ 2½

69 134 32 2½

70 138 32¼ 2½

71 142 32½ 2½

72 146 32¾ 3

73 150 33 3

74 154 33¼ 3½

21 yrs. 65 123 31½ 2

66 125 31½ 2

67 127 31¾ 2

68 132 32 2½

69 137 32¼ 2½

70 142 32½ 2½

71 147 32¾ 2½

72 152 33 3

73 157 33¼ 3

74 162 33½ 3½

75 167 33¾ 3½

22 yrs. 65 125 31½ 2

66 127 31¾ 2

67 129 32 2

68 134 32¼ 2½

69 139 32½ 2½

70 144 32¾ 2½

71 149 33 2½

72 154 33¼ 3

73 159 33½ 3

74 164 33¾ 3½

75 169 34 3½

76 174 34¼ 4

MENTAL EXAMINATION.

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; 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:

Substitute _y_ + 3 for _x_ in _x_⁴-_x_³ + 2x²-3 and arrange the result in

descending powers of _y_.

On the eve of a battle one army had 5 men to every 6 men in the other.

The first army lost 14,000 men and the second 6,000 men. The first army

then had 2 men to every 3 men in the other. How many men were there

originally in each army?

Solve 1.2_x_ - (.18_x_ - .05)/.5 = .4_w_ + 8.9

Find the lowest common multiple of 1-_x_, _x_²-1, _x_-2, and _x_²-4.

Solve √_x_ + 9 = 2 √_x_ - 3.

Solve (2_x_ - 3)² = 8_x_.

Expand (_m_-3/4-_m_(4/3))⁴ by the Binominal Theorem.

Find all the values of _a_ for which the roots of _ax_² + 2(_a_ + 3)_x_ +

16 = 0 are equal.

Solve

((_x_ + _y_)/2) - ((_x_ - _y_)/3) = 8

and

((_x_ + _y_)/3) + ((_x_ - _y_)/4) = 11.

Solve _x_² - 4_y_² = 9, _xy_ + 2_y_² = 3.

A certain article of consumption is subject to a duty of $1.50 per cwt.

In consequence of a reduction in duty the consumption increases one half,

but the revenue falls off one third. Find the duty per cwt. after the

reduction.

A and B run a mile. First A gives B a start of 44 yards and beats him

by 51 seconds; at the second heat A gives B a start of 1 minute and 15

seconds and is beaten by 88 yards. Find the time in which A and B can run

a mile separately.

Sum to infinity the progression 3 + 2 + 4/3....

A servant agrees for certain wages the first month, on the understanding

that they are to be raised a dollar every subsequent month until they

reach $60 a month. At the end of the first of the months for which he

receives $60 he finds that his wages during his time of service have

averaged $48 per month. How long has he served?

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:

Define the following:

1°. Rhombus. 2°. A mean proportional. 3°. Similar triangles. 4°. A

segment of a circle. 5°. The apothem of a regular polygon.

Theorem: The perpendicular is the shortest line between a point and a

straight line.

Theorem: In the same circle or equal circles, the less of two chords is

at the greater distance from the centre; conversely, the chord at the

greater distance from the centre is the less.

Construction: Divide a given straight line internally in extreme and mean

ratio.

Theorem: The areas of two triangles which have an angle of one equal to

the angle of the other are to each other as the products of the sides

including those angles.

Problem: Given a circle of unit diameter and the side of a regular

inscribed polygon, find the side of a regular inscribed polygon of double

the number of sides.

Theorem: The four bisectors of the four angles of a quadrilateral form a

second quadrilateral, the opposite angles of which are supplementary.

Theorem: If on the diameter of a circle two points be taken equally

distant from the centre, the sum of the squares of the distances of any

point of the circumference from these two points is constant.

Problem: Find the locus of the point of intersection of the three

altitudes of a triangle, given a fixed base, and constant angle at the

vertex.

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 word 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 text-book shall be followed: but

the definitions, parsing, and corrections must be in accordance with good

usage and common sense.

The examinations may include questions similar to the following:

1. Define and give examples of: _a._ infinitive; _b._ indirect

object; _c._ simple sentence.

2. Give the principal parts of: _a._ choose; _b._ crow; _c._

freeze; _d._ fly; _e._ burst.

3. (i). Give the plurals of: _a._ motto: _b._ fairy; _c._

money: _d._ belief; _e._ axis. (ii). Indicate which of the

following words are singular, which are plural, and which may

be either: _a._ cherubim; _b._ mathematic; _c._ species; _d._

basis; _e._ news.

4. (i). Give the feminine of: _a._ hero; _b._ gander; _c._

duke; _d._ priest; _e._ Englishman. (ii). Indicate the gender

of: _a._ songster; _b._ spinster; _c._ goose; _d._ mouse; _e._

book.

5. (i). Give the possessive case singular of: _a._ it; _b._

princes; _c._ Kings of Italy; _d._ Henry the Fourth; _e._

man-of-war. (ii). Give the possessive case plural of: _a._

brother-in-law; _b._ Jones; _c._ I; _d._ who; _e._ Musselman.

6. Give the comparison of: _a._ mournful; _b._ little; _c._

great; _d._ old; _e._ angry.

7. Parse the _italicized_ words in the following sentence:

Other _things being equal, it_ is _obvious that_ the writer who

has most words _to choose from_ is _most likely_ to find in

_his_ assortment _just_ the word _which_ he needs _at_ a given

moment.

8. Correct all words in the following sentences. Of words in

brackets {} draw a line through the incorrect word or words:

{your }

1. Have either of you brought {their} umbrellas?

{his }

2. The river had overflown its banks.

3. John thinks he will be able to come and that James shall come also.

shall will

4. Men are in the plural number because they mean more than one.

5. That is neither a squirrel or rabbit’s track.

6. I believe he dont know its here.

7. Him dying at this time led to the attempt being given up.

ENGLISH COMPOSITION AND ENGLISH LITERATURE.—Candidates 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 names of the most prominent English

and American authors, and of the names of their principal works.

The general character and scope of the examination are indicated by the

following specimen:

A. Write a composition of about two hundred and fifty words, on

each of four subjects selected from the following list. (Of two

or more subjects in brackets choose but one.)

1. The Story of the Three Caskets in _The Merchant of Venice_.

A Character-Sketch of Antonio.

2. The Influences that Caused Macbeth’s Moral Downfall.

The Story of Macduff.

3. { The English Army at Agincourt (in _Henry V._)

{ A Brief Narrative of the Historical Events of _Henry V._ Previous

to Agincourt.

4. { A Description of a Building.

{ A Character-Sketch of a Dog.

{ A Narrative of an Interesting Journey.

{ Reasons for Liking a Favorite Book.

{ How to Make a Squirrel-Trap (or a Kite, or an Ice-Boat, etc.)

B. 1. What author wrote _The Ancient Mariner_? _Comus_? _The

Marble Faun_? _Rasselas_? _Barbara Frietchie_?

2. Name two works of each of the following authors: Goldsmith,

Emerson, Burke, Macaulay.

3. Give the names of two principal works of a great American

novelist; a great English Puritan poet of the seventeenth

century; an English woman novelist of the last century; a

living American novelist.

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 locations 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 parts they

project and into what waters, the principal peninsulas, location, and by

what waters embraced; the parts connected by an isthmus; the principal

islands, location 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

location 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 were used at a recent examination:

1. Name the bodies of water surrounding Europe.

2. Where is 1. Cape St. Vincent, 2. Cape Corrientes, 3. Cape

Matapan, 4. Cape Lopez, 5. Cape Comorin, 6. Cape York.

3. Name in order the political divisions of South America which

border on the Pacific Ocean and the capital of each.

4. Locate definitely the following islands: 1. Mauritius, 2.

Tasmania, 3. Formosa, 4. New Zealand, 5. Madeira, 6. Falkland;

to what country does each belong?

5. Where are the gulfs of 1. Bothnia, 2. Guinea, 3. Paria, 4.

Salonica, 5. Pechili?

6. What lands are separated and what waters connected by 1.

Torres Strait, 2. Hudson Strait, 3. Strait of Malacca?

7. Bound Italy; name its capital, largest river and principal

mountain range.

8. Locate definitely the following cities: 1. Vienna, 2.

Nankin, 3. Cork, 4. Tunis, 5. Montevideo, 6. Batavia, 7. Suez,

8. Pretoria.

9. Name in order the waters traversed in sailing from

Liverpool, England, to Hong Kong, China.

10. A considerable portion of the boundary line of the United

States is along what parallel?

11. Locate definitely the following: 1. Flathead Lake, 2.

Sabine Pass, 3. Black Hills, 4. Sebago Lake, 5. Cape Lookout,

6. Montauk Point, 7. Wichita Mountains, 8. Lingayen Bay.

12. The meridian of Minneapolis passes through what states?

13. Name the principal rivers that drain Pennsylvania; where do

they rise, at what points do they leave the state and at what

points, if any, do they break through highlands?

14. Name all the waters traversed in going by the two

commercial water routes from Duluth to the Atlantic Ocean.

15. Name the principal ranges of mountains crossed in going

by rail from New York to San Francisco; state the rail route

assumed to be traveled.

16. Bound precisely the following states and territories:

1. Montana, 2. Arizona, 3. Arkansas, 4. Wisconsin, 5.

Pennsylvania, 6. Georgia. (In bounding, all contiguous states

must be mentioned as well as rivers, mountain ranges, etc.)

17. Name the states west of the Mississippi River, drained

wholly or in part by it or its tributaries, and give the

capital of each.

18. Locate accurately the following cities: 1. Austin, 2.

Pensacola, 3. Ashville, 4. Winchester, 5. Allegheny, 6. Iloilo,

7. Oswego, 8. Pasadena, 9. Guthrie, 10. Detroit.

19. Going by water from New Orleans, La., to Pittsburgh, Pa.,

what states would you pass on the left?

20. How many large islands are there in the Hawaiian group?

Which is the largest? Which is the most important?

21. Going westward on the 35th parallel of north latitude, from

near Newberne, N. C., what states and large rivers would be

crossed?

22. Describe the chief mountain system of the eastern

hemisphere, and state what island chains of Asia abound in

volcanoes.

23. What are the great river systems of South America? Where

are the principal coastal plains?

24. What are the qualifications of a good harbor? Name three

of the best harbors on the Atlantic coast; one on the Pacific

coast.

25. What has made the Middle Atlantic states the principal

commercial section of the United States?

HISTORY.—Candidates must be thoroughly familiar with so much of the

History of the United States, and of Ancient Greece and Rome as is

contained in good high school text-books on these subjects, and must have

a good knowledge of the important facts in General Ancient History and in

the History of Medieval Europe to the end of the fifteenth century.

In History of the United States, the examination will include questions

concerning early discoveries and settlements; the forms of government in

the colonies; the causes, leading events, and results of wars; important

events in the political and economic history of the nation since its

foundation; and the elementary principles of civil government, with

special reference to the federal congress, executive and judiciary.

In Ancient History, the examination will include questions on important

persons and events in the legendary and authentic history of Greece and

Rome, and on general important facts in the history of other ancient

peoples, taking some account also of Greek art, of Greek and Roman

literature, and especially of Roman government.

In History of Medieval Europe, the greater emphasis will be laid on the

period from Charlemagne to the end of the Middle Ages, particularly on

events connected with the political and social development of England.

Questions similar to the following in character and scope are likely to

be asked:

1. What explorations or discoveries did each of the following

named persons make? Give the date in each case. _a._ Narvaez.

_b._ Coronado. _c._ Marquette. _d._ La Salle.

2. Name three colonies that were founded for religious reasons

and give the sect or denomination by which each was colonized.

3. Who were the Pilgrims? Explain the difference between

“Pilgrim” and “Puritan.”

4. When, and under what circumstances was Delaware separated

from Pennsylvania?

5. Give an account of Bacon’s Rebellion?

6. When and where did each of the following events occur?

_a._ Meeting of the first Colonial Congress. _b._ Burgoyne’s

surrender. _c._ Arnold’s treason.

7. Name some important results of each of the following battles

of the Revolutionary War: _a._ Long Island. _b._ Trenton. _c._

Brandywine.

8. Name four additions to the territory of the United States

since the Revolutionary War, and give the way each has been

acquired.

9. Bound the territory of the United States at the close of the

Revolutionary War.

10. What was the “Massacre of Wyoming”?

11. When, where, and for what purpose, did the Constitutional

Convention meet? What resulted from its deliberations?

12. What was the “Whiskey Insurrection”?

13. What were the “Alien and Sedition” laws? What was their

effect?

14. When and where was the last battle of the War of 1812

fought? Name the commanders on each side.

15. What were the two principal political parties in 1860?

Their candidates for the Presidency? Their leading doctrines

on the slavery question? Parties. Candidates, Principles.

16. With what foreign nations had the United States unfriendly

relations during and at the close of the Civil War? Give the

cause in each case.

17. Name, with date, three important military events of 1865.

18. What Vice-Presidents have become President? Name the

predecessor in each case.

19. Give an account of the “Virginius affair.”

20. In what war were the following battles fought? What were

the opposing forces? Which side won? _a._ Ticonderoga. _b._

Monterey. _c._ Saratoga. _d._ Stony Point. _e._ Spottsylvania.

_f_. Lundy’s Lane.

21. By what authority could Lincoln proclaim the emancipation

of the slaves? What states were immediately affected by the

Emancipation Proclamation? How was emancipation legally

completed later?

22. How may the Constitution of the United States be amended?

Name two important constitutional amendments.

23. Name three offices in the cabinet of the President of the

United States, and state the chief duties that belong to each.

24. Explain as briefly as possible how a minority of actual

votes might defeat a majority at a presidential election.

25. Define Electoral College; Spoils System; Primary; Supreme

Court.

* * * * *

1. Into what general periods is the history of Egypt divided?

What did Egypt contribute to Greek civilization?

2. Name one of the great kings of Assyria. Mention two

important facts concerning the city of Nineveh.

3. Mention the principal events of the reign of Darius I., and

the most noteworthy feature of his government. Of what nation

was he ruler?

4. Mention three important facts in connection with the

Phœnicians as traders and colonizers in the West.

5. Who were: Agamemnon? Achilles? Hercules? Homer?

6. Mention two ways in which the physical geography of Greece

influenced the national life and character.

7. What was the nature of the government of Athens after the

expulsion of the Tyrants?

8. Name four great battles of the Græco-Persian War, and give

the date of any two of them.

9. What states were leaders in the great war between the states

of Greece? What caused the war? What were its chief results?

10. Outline the career of conquest of Alexander the Great.

About when did he die? How would his undertaking have been more

difficult if he had turned west instead of east?

11. In Greek History what is the significance of the following

names and phrases: Aristides? The Olympian Games? Solon? The

Confederacy of Delos? Delphi? Sophocles? Praxiteles?

12. Give the main points in the Greek colonial system. How did

the Roman colonial system differ most conspicuously from the

Greek?

13. Give the titles of the principal officers of the Roman

Republic and describe their functions.

14. What were the Punic Wars? How many in number? Name two

great generals on each side.

15. Mention four causes that led to the fall of the Roman

Republic. Discuss briefly the operation of two of them toward

this result.

16. Why did the Emperors persecute the Christians? State the

attitude of Diocletian and Constantine respectively toward the

Christians.

17. For what is each of the following emperors most famous:

Marcus Aurelius? Justinian? Nero?

18. In Roman History what is the significance of: The Gracchi?

Horace? The Comitia Curiata? Verres? The Battle of Chalons? A

Pyrrhian Victory? Æneas? Alaric?

19. What do the following dates mean to you: 800? 1066? 1215?

1453?

20. What do you know of Joan of Arc?

21. How did the Feudal System originate? Define Suzerain,

Vassal, Serf.

22. What was The Renaissance? By what inventions and

discoveries was it quickened? Through what channel was ancient

science transmitted to modern times?

23. Who was Simon de Montfort?

24. What changes took place in the condition of the English

peasantry in the fourteenth century? Due to what causes?

25. Toward the close of the fifteenth century in England was

the power of Parliament becoming greater or less than it had

been previously? By what right was Henry IV. King of England?

What was the earliest form of parliamentary assembly in English

history?

ACADEMIC DUTIES.

The academic duties of new cadets commence on the 11th day of March. The

academic duties and exercises of the other cadets commence on the 1st

day of September and continue until about the 5th of June. Examinations

of the several classes are held in December and June. At the December

examination cadets, who are found to be proficient in their studies, are

arranged according to merit in each subject. At the June examination they

are similarly arranged and they are also assigned general standing in

the class as determined by their standings in the various subjects. When

a subject of study is completed during a term an examination concluding

the work in that subject is sometimes held. Cadets deficient in studies

at any examination are discharged from the Academy unless for special

reasons the Academic Board recommends otherwise. Cadets exceeding at

any time the maximum number of demerits allowed for six months are

immediately reported to the Academic Board as deficient in conduct and

are discharged.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION.

All cadets are examined physically in June of each year, and those found

physically disqualified to continue with the course or, in case of the

first class, for commission in the Army, are discharged.

VACATIONS AND LEAVES OF ABSENCE.

Academic duties are suspended from the completion of the June

examinations until the end of August. During this period cadets live in

camp and are engaged in military duties and exercises and in receiving

practical instruction in military and other subjects. Academic duties

are also suspended from the close of the semi-annual examinations,

about December 23rd, until January 2nd, and on the Friday and Saturday

preceding the last Sunday in March. All duties and exercises, as far as

practicable, are suspended on New Year’s Day, February 22nd, May 30th,

July 4th, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Cadets of the first, second and third classes are allowed short leaves of

from four to six days at Christmas, if their conduct during the preceding

six months has been satisfactory. Cadets of the first class, having

satisfactory conduct records, are allowed leaves, not to exceed 75 hours,

at the beginning of the summer encampment and leaves not to exceed 27

hours at Thanksgiving. Excepting these short leaves for good conduct,

cadets are allowed but one leave of absence during the four years’

course. As a rule this leave is granted at the end of the first two years

and extends from the middle of June to the 28th of August.

PAY OF CADETS.

The pay of a cadet is $600 per year and one ration per day, or

commutation therefor, at thirty cents per day. The total is $709.50, to

commence with his admission to the Academy. The actual and necessary

traveling expenses of candidates from their homes to the Military Academy

are credited to their accounts _after_ their admission as cadets.

No cadet is permitted to receive money, or any other supplies, from

his parents, or from any person whomsoever, without the sanction of the

Superintendent. A _most rigid_ observance of this regulation is urged

upon all parents and guardians, as its violations would make distinctions

between cadets which it is the especial desire to avoid; the pay of a

cadet is sufficient, with proper economy, for his support.

Each cadet must keep himself supplied with the following mentioned

articles, viz.:

Eight white shirts; two gray shirts; *eight summer undershirts; *six

winter undershirts; *four night shirts; twelve white linen collars;

twelve pairs of white linen cuffs; *eight pairs of summer drawers;

*six pairs of winter drawers; *eight pairs of socks; *twelve pocket

handkerchiefs; one black tie; *twelve towels; two clothes bags, made of

ticking; two pairs of uniform shoes; six pairs of uniform white gloves;

two sets of white belts; *one clothes brush; *one hair-brush; *one

tooth-brush; *one comb; one mattress; one pillow; four pillowcases; six

sheets; two blankets; one quilted bed cover; one chair; one tumbler; *one

trunk; one account book; one wash basin.

Candidates are authorized to bring with them the articles marked *.

Cadets are required to wear the prescribed uniform. All articles of their

uniform are of a designated pattern, and are sold to cadets at West Point

at regulated prices.

DEPOSIT PRIOR TO ADMISSION.

Immediately after admission candidates must be provided with an outfit

of uniform, etc., the cost of which is about $160. This sum, or at least

$100 thereof, _must be deposited with the treasurer of the Academy

before the candidate is admitted_. It is best for the candidate to take

with him no more money than he needs for traveling expenses and for his

parents to send the required deposit by draft, payable to the Treasurer,

U. S. Military Academy. The deposit is credited at once to the cadet’s

account. Upon graduation a cadet who has exercised proper economy will

have sufficient money to his credit with the Treasurer of the Academy to

purchase his uniform and equipment as an officer.

PROMOTION AFTER GRADUATION.

The attention of applicants and candidates is called to the provisions of

an Act of Congress approved May 17, 1886, given in the chapter entitled

United States Military Academy.

RECITATION SCHEDULE.

On another page is shown the recitation schedule adopted by the Academic

Board, June 23, 1907, and approved by the War Department, August 10, 1907.

This schedule was put in effect with the class entering March 1, 1908.

The other classes in the academy on that date continue the old schedule,

with some modifications adopted to facilitate administration of the

departments during the period of transition from the old course of

studies to the new.

The preliminary term is March 11 to June 10. New cadets are advanced to

the 4th class after passing the June examinations.

The first term of the regular academic year is September 1 to December

18, inclusive.

The second term of the regular academic year is January 2 to June 4,

inclusive.

DEPARTMENT OF TACTICS.

ALL CLASSES.

New cadets, upon reporting for duty, are given infantry recruit

instruction, with gymnastic and calisthenic exercises, until they join

the battalion.

Practical instruction is given during the summer encampment, and from

September 1st to November 1st, and from March 15th to June 1st, in

cavalry, artillery and infantry drill regulations, in target practice

with the rifle, revolver, mountain gun and field gun, and in Military

Engineering.

During the summer encampment, cadets of the third and fourth classes

are also taught swimming and dancing, and those of the first class, the

service of sea-coast artillery and submarine defense at Fort Wright,

N. Y.; all classes participate in exercises in minor tactics, practice

marches, problems and practical field work, in which the employment of

all arms is exemplified.

Practical instruction in fencing and gymnastic exercises and in boxing

and wrestling is given to the fourth class from October 1st to June 1st,

and to the other classes from November 1st to March 15th.

Instruction in riding is given to the first class during the encampment

and from September 1st to June 1st, excepting the month of February;

to the second class, from November 1st to March 31st, and to the third

class from November 1st to March 15th and during the summer encampment.

Instruction with English pad saddles is given to the first class, and in

polo to the first and second classes.

During the winter months map problems for the purpose of instruction

in writing orders, selecting positions from the map, both offensive

and defensive, making dispositions of small forces, selecting best

route for advance and retreat, and for practice of map reading in

general; also lectures upon the methods pursued in company, post and

staff administration as required by Army Regulations, upon uniforms and

equipments, and upon etiquette and customs of the service are given

cadets of the first class.

TEXT BOOKS.

Light Artillery Drill Regulations. U. S.

Cavalry Drill Regulations. U. S.

Infantry Drill Regulations. U. S.

Coast Artillery Drill Regulations. U. S.

A Military Primer of the Service of Security and Information.

Marshall and Simonds.

Elements of Hippology. Marshall.

Coast Artillery Drill Regulations: Position-finding service.

BOOKS OF REFERENCE.

Army Regulations. U.S.

Small Arms Firing Regulations. U. S.

Manual of Instruction in Mountain Guns, etc. U. S. M. A.

Manual of Guard Duty. U. S.

Manual of Pack Transportation. U. S. M. A.

Regulations. U. S. M. A.

Blue Book. U. S.M. A.

Manual of Gymnastic Exercises. Koehler.

Field Service Regulations. U. S.

Horses, Saddles and Bridles. Carter.

ISSUED TO FIRST CLASS BEFORE GRADUATION.

Army Regulations. U. S.

Manual of the Subsistence Department. U. S.

Manual of Quartermaster’s Department. U. S.

Paymaster’s Manual. U. S.

Regulations for the Post Exchange.

Manual of Medical Department. U. S.

Drill Regulations of the Hospital Corps. U. S.

Manual of Courts-Martial. U. S.

Army Register. U. S.

General Orders, No. 169, War Department, series of 1907.

(Uniform Order) with all amendments.

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND MILITARY ENGINEERING.

FIRST CLASS.

The course in civil and military engineering and the art of war is

confined to the first class year.

The course in civil engineering begins September 1st and is completed

during the first term, which closes with the Christmas holidays. It

comprises brief treatises on the mechanics of civil engineering, framed

and masonry structures, the materials of engineering, water supply and

sewerage.

RECITATION SCHEDULE

======+=======+====================+====================+================

Class.| Term. |Periods of Recitat’n| Department. | Subjects and

| | | | Remarks.

------+-------+--------+-------+---+--------------------+----------------

New |Prelim-| | | | |

Cadets| inary |A.M. *80|†3 to 6|‡39|Mathematics |Algebra.

| |A.M. 80| 3 to 6| 37|English and History |Geometry.

| |P.M. 60| 3 | 38| ” ” ” |English.

| | | | | | A. M.)

| |P.M. 60| 3 | 38| ” ” ” |History.

| | | | | | A. M.)

Fourth| First |A.M. 80| 3 to 6| 45|Mathematics |Algebra.

| ” |A.M. 80| 3 to 6| 31| ” |Trigonometry.

| ” |A.M. 80| 3 to 6| 17| ” |Conic Sections.

| ” |P.M. 60| 2 to 3| 38|English and History |English.

| ” |P.M. 60| 2 to 3| 38| ” ” ” |History.

| ” |A.M. 60| 1 | 13|Tactics |Infantry and

| Second|A.M. 80| 3 to 6| 39|Mathematics |Conic Sections.

| ” |A.M. 80| 3 to 6| 22| ” |Solid Analytical

| ” |A.M. 80| 3 to 6| 62| ” |Descriptive

| ” |P.M. 60| 2 to 3| 11|English and History |English.

| ” |P.M. 60| 2 to 3| 11| ” ” ” |History.

| ” |P.M. 60| 5 | 20|Practical Military |Surveying.

| | | | | Eng. | —(February

| ” |P.M. 60| 5 | 76|Modern Languages |French.—(March

| ” |A.M. 60| 1 | 15|Tactics |Security and

| | | | | | -May 15.

Third | First |A.M. 80| 3 to 6| 71|Mathematics |Calculus.—(Has 6

| ” |P.M. 120| 2 to 3| 21|Philosophy |Mechanics.—(The

| ” |A.M. 80| 3 | 20| ” |Mechanics.

| ” |A.M. 60| 6 | 91|Modern Languages |French.

| ” |P.M. 120| 2 to 3| 38|Drawing |Freehand; Plane

| Second|A.M. 80| 3 | 24|Mathematics |Calculus.

| ” |A.M. 80| 3 | 63|Philosophy |Mechanics.

| ” |A.M. 60| 6 | 49|Modern Languages |French.—(January

| ” |A.M. 80| 1 to 2| 20| ” ” |French.—(March 1

| ” |A.M. 70| 6 | 76|Chemistry |Chemistry;

| ” |P.M. 120|2, 3, 5| 81|Drawing |Descriptive

| | | | | | 15.)

| ” |A.M. 80| 1 to 2| 20| ” |Descriptive

| | | | | | 15.)

Second| First |A.M. 80| 3 | 45|Philosophy |Sound; Light.

| ” |A.M. 70| 6 | 91|Chemistry |Heat;

| ” |A.M. 60| 2 to 3| 45|Ordnance and Gunnery|Ordnance and

| ” |P.M. 120| 2 to 3| 38|Drawing |Field Sketching;

| Second|A.M. 80| 3 | 63|Philosophy |Light;

| ” |A.M. 70| 6 | 49|Chemistry |Electricity.

| ” |A.M. 60| 3 | 49|Ordnance and Gunnery|Ordnance and

| | | | | | May 4.)

| ” |A.M. 60| 3 | 38|Modern Languages |Spanish.—(March

| ” |P.M. 60| 3 | 13|Hygiene |Principles of

| | | | | | P. M.)

| ” |A.M. 60| 3 | 38|Tactics |Cavalry,

| ” |P.M. 120| 2 to 3| 50|Drawing |Building

First | First |A.M. 80| 6 | 91|Engineering |Civil and

| ” | 60| 2 to 3| 45|Law |Elementary;

| | | | | | & 2 P. M.’S

| ” |P.M. 60| 5 | 70|Modern Languages |Spanish.—(5 per

| Second|A.M. 80| 6 |126|Engineering |Military

| ” | 60| 2 to 3| 73|Law |International;

| ” |P.M. 60| 3 to 4| 75|Modern Languages |Spanish.

| ” |A.M. 60| 3 | 12|Tactics |Hippology.

| ” |P.M. 120| 1 | 15|Tactics |Lectures and

------+-------+--------+-------+---+--------------------+----------------

* Length in minutes.

† Number per week.

‡ Total number.

The course in military engineering and the art of war begins on January

2nd and closes on the 3rd of June. Military engineering embraces the

study of field and permanent fortifications and siege works. The art of

war embraces the study of the organization of armies, employment of the

different arms in combination, logistics and strategy. To familiarize the

students with its principles, lectures are delivered on military subjects

and the principal operations of about twenty selected campaigns are

studied. During this course the students are taken to the battle-field

of Gettysburg to familiarize them with the effects of topography on the

employment of troops in the field.

TEXT BOOKS.

Civil Engineering. Fiebeger.

Field Fortifications. Fiebeger.

Permanent Fortifications. Fiebeger.

Elements of Strategy. Fiebeger.

Siege Works. Mercur.

Organization and Tactics. Wagner.

Field Service Regulations. U. S.

Campaign of Gettysburg. Fiebeger.

BOOKS OF REFERENCE.

Campaigns and Battles. Department.

Story of Civil War. Ropes. Cambria Steel.

The department has a well-selected reference library on civil

engineering, military engineering and the art of war.

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHILOSOPHY.

THIRD AND SECOND CLASSES.

The course in natural and experimental philosophy begins with the

third academic year. Mechanics is studied during this year, the class

alternating daily by halves. The text used is Gordon’s “Mechanics.”

Many of the principles are illustrated by apparatus in the lecture and

section rooms, and the students are required to repeat and explain these

experiments. The course aims to be as complete as possible with the

limitation that it can be properly covered in a term of about 100 days by

students having a proficient knowledge of the calculus; the treatment is

sufficiently mathematical to furnish a confident basis for advanced work

in the technical staff corps after graduation.

During the second class year about 100 lessons are allotted to this

department. The first half of this time is devoted to the subjects of

sound and light. The authorized text-book is Gordon’s “Sound and Light.”

Astronomy is studied in the remainder of the second class year. The texts

used are Young’s “General Astronomy” and Michie and Harlow’s “Practical

Astronomy.” The principal aim of this course, in addition to its

important value in educational development, is to furnish an ample basis

for the establishment of stations in explorations and surveys.

The class alternates daily by halves throughout the year.

TEXT-BOOKS.

Sound and Light. Gordon.

Mechanics. Gordon.

General Astronomy. Young.

Practical Astronomy. Michie and Harlow.

Numerous standard works on the general subjects covered by the course are

available for reference.

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS.

NEW CADETS, FOURTH AND THIRD CLASSES.

The course in mathematics begins with the new cadet class upon entrance

in March, and extends through two years.

In the new cadet class year algebra and geometry are taken on alternate

days for three months. In both these subjects the matter covered by

the entrance examination is reviewed rapidly and, in the case of plane

geometry, very briefly before proceeding with the regular course. An

examination is held in June upon which the class is graded according to

mathematical capacity.

In the fourth-class year algebra is completed in alternation with

trigonometry. Plane and solid analytical geometry and descriptive

geometry follow.

In the third-class year a course in the differential and integral

calculus is taken, alternating during the latter portion with the subject

of mechanics in the department of philosophy. The most advanced students

take also a brief course in the theory of errors and method of least

squares.

The course in algebra covers the entire subject as generally taught in

colleges, but the student is expected to have already mastered elementary

algebra to include the progressions and the solution of the quadratic

equation. The course in elementary geometry includes the books that

relate to the plane and those that relate to space, but the student is

expected to have mastered the former. Plane and spherical trigonometry

includes the complete solution of the plane and spherical triangles. The

course in analytical geometry includes the discussion of the general

equation of the second degree in the plane and in space.

Descriptive geometry includes, in orthographic projections, the right

line, the plane, ruled surfaces and surfaces of revolution, tangent

planes and intersections of surfaces. It also covers shades and shadows,

perspective, isometric projections and, for the upper part of the class,

spherical projections.

The course in differential and integral calculus covers the ground of

the usual college text-book, including briefly the subject of ordinary

differential equations.

TEXT BOOKS.

NEW CADET CLASS.

Advanced Course in Algebra. Wells.

Elements of Geometry. Phillips and Fisher.

FOURTH CLASS.

Advanced Course in Algebra. Wells.

Quadratics and Beyond. Fisher and Schwatt.

Elements of Plane and Spherical Trigonometry. Crockett.

Logarithmic Tables. Newcomb.

Conic Sections. C. Smith.

Elements of Analytical Geometry (Solid). Smith and Gale.

Descriptive Geometry. Church.

THIRD CLASS.

Differential and Integral Calculus. Granville.

Integral Calculus. D. A. Murray.

Method of Least Squares. Johnson.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY, MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY.

THIRD AND SECOND CLASSES.

This department embraces two branches of physics not included in its

title, namely, heat and electricity.

The course begins March 1 of the second academic year and extends to

March 1 of the third academic year; exercises, recitations, laboratory

work or lectures take place on all week-days.

Commencing March 1, the subjects of heat and general chemistry alternate

daily until the completion of the first six chapters of heat, about March

20, after which the chemistry exercises are held daily until the close of

the term, June 1.

During this term all members of the class whose progress, as shown

by their recitations, warrants it, are given laboratory practice in

chemistry. This practice begins with chemical manipulations and proceeds

in the usual general order of elementary laboratory work. The laboratory

exercises are one hour and fifty minutes long. It is generally possible

to give all parts of the class some laboratory experience: the amount of

this work, however, varies with the aptitude of the student from a few

hours to fifty-five or sixty hours.

This term closes with an examination upon the essential parts of

the entire course, which all cadets who have not shown a prescribed

proficiency in daily work must take.

In chemistry the course is a descriptive general one, based upon a

concise statement of the more essential principles of chemistry,

and includes that class of information deemed most important to

nonspecialists, together with an accurate and logical treatment of many

useful applications of chemistry.

Beginning September 1, the daily exercises alternate between heat and

mineralogy until these subjects are completed, then the daily exercises

alternate between geology and electricity, the geology being completed

by the close of the term, December 23. This term also closes with an

examination, covering the essential parts of the subjects studied during

the term, which all cadets who have not shown a prescribed proficiency in

daily work are required to take.

Beginning January 1, the remainder of the course in electricity is

completed by the end of February. This mid-winter term involves an

examination, if necessary, as prescribed for the terms ending June 1 and

December 23.

The course in heat is short, but it is a comprehensive elementary course

intended to embrace what is most applicable to subsequent work at the

Academy and what is most useful in general education.

The course in geology is a brief but scientific presentation of the

essential elements of this branch of science.

The mineralogy is an eminently practical course consisting of the

descriptive study and the practical determination of the important

minerals. The lithological and palæontological part of geology is

accompanied in study by the continued practical examination of the

objects described.

The course in electricity is a brief exposition of the leading electrical

phenomena and their relations to each other. It includes a study of

the general principles of the subject and of the typical machines,

generators, motors and transformers, together with the more important

uses of electricity. The laboratory exercises give experience with a

number of the machines and in the use of a great variety of apparatus

employed in the numerous forms of electric measurements. In this term the

laboratory work is a part of the electrical course and all cadets enter

the laboratory. All laboratory work is performed under the immediate

supervision of an instructor.

TEXT BOOKS.

Elementary Lessons in Heat. Tillman.

Descriptive General Chemistry. Tillman.

Practical Chemistry. (Laboratory Guide.) Clowes.

Elements of Geology. Le Conte.

Important Minerals and Rocks. Tillman.

Elementary Lessons in Electricity and Magnetism. S. P. Thompson.

During all terms standard works on the respective subjects are available

for reference both to cadets and instructors.

DEPARTMENT OF DRAWING.

THIRD AND SECOND CLASSES.

The course in drawing is carried on through the third class and second

class years.

It begins in the first year course with elementary freehand work from

blocks and objects for the training of the eye and hand, and is followed

by instruction in the nature and use of drawing instruments, papers and

material, construction of practical problems in plane geometry used in

constructive and mechanical drawing. This is followed by the construction

of problems in descriptive geometry covering the theoretical course in

mathematics; the lower part of the class being confined to the practical

problems most useful in mechanical and building construction drawing.

A short course of lettering and handling of flat washes precedes

the general study of topography and map making in which theoretical

instruction is coupled with the execution of conventional signs,

platting, the construction and lettering of a finished map, and practice

in the field in the various elements of military topographical field

sketching. This completes the first year’s course.

Text-book pamphlets:

Drawing Instruments and Papers.

The Use of Drawing Instruments, and Geometrical Problems.

Elementary Exercises in Water-color Washes.

Military Topography—Map Reading and Map Making.

Book of Letters and Lettering.

Descriptive Geometry Problems.

The work of the second year begins with freehand military landscape

sketching in the field; and is followed by memory drawing for the

training of the formal memory, and freehand mechanical and projective

drawing. Practical projective geometry, including axonometric projection,

is then resumed preparatory of the plan, section, and elevation drawing

of a building construction project. In this the student learns the

structural elements of a house and of building construction methods

and design, and the ability to read working drawings. Following this a

mechanical drawing of the plan, section, and elevation of a portion of

a steam engine is constructed, in connection with instruction in the

structure and function of the parts of a steam engine. Finally the class

is separated into groups corresponding to the corps in the Army in which

the standing of cadets indicates that they will graduate, and subjects

of engineering, ordnance, and service building construction drawing are

assigned in accordance therewith. The course concludes with a short

series of lectures on the art and architecture of the world, and a trip

to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, upon which a thesis

is written by each member of the class.

Text-book pamphlets:

Framing.

The Steam Engine.

Notes on Building Construction.

DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES.

FOURTH, THIRD, SECOND, AND FIRST CLASSES.

The course in modern languages comprises instruction in the French and

Spanish languages.

THE FRENCH LANGUAGE.

FOURTH AND THIRD CLASSES.

The requirements of this course are as follows:

Construction of the language; reading and writing French; dictation:

military terms; translation (written and oral) of English into French and

French into English; conversation; themes.

Instruction in the French language begins March 1 of the fourth-class

year and is completed June 4 of the third-class year. Examinations

thereon will be held at the June examination, fourth-class year, and at

the December and June examinations of the third-class year. The course

comprises about two hundred and twenty-one lessons.

THE SPANISH LANGUAGE.

SECOND AND FIRST CLASSES.

The requirements of this course are as follows:

Construction of the language; reading and writing Spanish; dictation;

translation (written and oral) of English into Spanish and Spanish into

English; oral recitations and conversation; themes.

Instruction in the Spanish language begins March 1 of the second-class

year and is completed June 4 of the first-class year. Examinations

thereon will be held at the June examination, second-class year, and at

the December and June examinations of the first-class year. The course

comprises about one hundred and eighty-three lessons.

The present text-books are:

FOURTH CLASS.

French:

French Pronunciation. De Peiffer.

Treatise on the Conjugation of French Verbs. Castarède.

Elementary French. Aldrich and Foster.

La Langue Française. Première Partie. Bercy.

Le Petit Parisien. Kron.

THIRD CLASS.

French:

Martin’s French Verbs.

Elementary French. Aldrich and Foster.

Introductory French Composition, Francois. Guerlac’s Standard French

Authors.

Advanced French Prose Composition, Francois. Potter’s Dix Contes

Modernes.

French Verbs and Prepositions, Idioms, Letters. Cameron’s Tales of

France.

Marchand’s French Idioms. Revue Militaire des Armées Étrangères.

Labiche and Martin’s Voyage de M. Perrichon. Courrier des Etats-Unis

(Sunday edition).

Le Petit Parisien. Kron.

SECOND AND FIRST CLASSES.

Spanish:

Spanish Verb and Spanish Pronunciation. Traub.

Spanish Grammar. Monsanto and Languellier.

Spanish Grammar. Garner.

El Castellano Actual. Román y Salamero.

Las Novedades.

First Spanish Book. Worman.

Elementary Spanish Reader. Ramsey.

BOOKS OF REFERENCE.

French:

French Pronouncing Dictionary. Spiers and Surenne.

Military Technical Dictionary. Willcox.

Spanish:

New Spanish-English and English-Spanish Dictionary, by Cuyás. Appleton.

DEPARTMENT OF LAW.

FIRST CLASS.

The course in law covers the following subjects:

1. The elements of law.

2. Constitutional law.

3. International law.

4. Military law.

To illustrate principles in the text-books cadets are required to recite

on numerous cases from reports. Lectures are also given upon the subjects

taught, so far as the limits of time allotted to this course permit.

TEXT BOOKS.

The Elements of Law. Davis, G. B.

Constitutional Law. Davis, E. G.

International Law. Davis, G. B.

Military Law. Dudley.

BOOKS OF REFERENCE.

There is a reference library in the department of about 2,500 volumes,

accessible to the cadets.

DEPARTMENT OF PRACTICAL MILITARY ENGINEERING.

FOURTH, THIRD, SECOND AND FIRST CLASSES.

Cadets of the fourth class receive an elementary course in theoretical

surveying during the month of February.

During the summer encampment, cadets of the third class receive practical

instruction in the use and adjustment of surveying instruments and in

surveying methods. In this course they apply in the field what has

been taught them in their theoretical course of the preceding spring.

The course includes tie line surveys, made by use of the tape or chain

alone, surveys made with the compass and with the transit, and running

differential level circuits.

Cadets of the second class receive, during the fall drill season,

instruction in visual signaling, using the flag and the heliograph for

sending and receiving messages. They are also taught to set up and adjust

the heliograph and the acetylene lantern. During the spring period, this

class is instructed in the field methods of electrical communication, and

is given practice in establishing and using buzzer lines under, as nearly

as possible, service conditions. The course also comprises setting up and

operating field wireless telegraph outfits.

During the summer encampment, cadets of the first class are instructed in

building pile, trestle, and pontoon bridges, in improvising methods of

crossing streams, in making road sketches, both mounted and dismounted,

and in combined position sketching. During the fall course, this class

is given instruction in the construction and operation of appliances

used in field engineering, in the erection of spar and trestle bridges,

and in the use of explosives in military demolitions. The spring course

is devoted to field fortification work, including the construction of

trenches, revetments, obstacles, bomb proofs, and gun pits; posting and

distribution of working parties in the construction of saps, trenches,

parallels, and approaches; and tracing and profiling siege works.

TEXT BOOK.

Theory and Practice of Surveying. Johnson.

BOOKS OF REFERENCE.

The Engineer Field Manual.

Survey Manual. Pence and Ketchum.

DEPARTMENT OF ORDNANCE AND GUNNERY.

FIRST CLASS.

The subject of ordnance and gunnery is studied by the cadets of the first

class throughout the academic year.

The course of instruction covers the principles involved in the

construction and use of war material. It is broadly divided into

three parts: the theoretical, the descriptive, and the practical. The

theoretical part includes the study of the action of explosives, the

study of interior and exterior ballistics, the theories of gun and

carriage construction, and the principles of gunnery. The theoretical

part of the course is not the same for all cadets, those showing the

necessary proficiency taking a special course of 21 lessons in the time

devoted by the remainder of the class to review work.

The descriptive part of the course covers the processes of manufacture

of powders, guns, projectiles and armor; and describes the small arms,

cannon, machine and rapid-fire guns in use in the United States service,

with the carriages, ammunition and accessory appliances required for

their service. The department is well supplied with models, which are

used in conjunction with the text.

The practical part of the course covers work with ballistic instruments,

and the operation of machines and appliances used in the fabrication of

modern ordnance, the latter work being in effect a short but valuable

course in manual training.

In connection with the course, visits are made to Watervliet Arsenal,

where the processes of gun construction are observed, and to the Ordnance

Proving Ground at Sandy Hook, where actual firings from the several

classes of guns are observed, including usually one or more shots against

armor, and where the latest developments in war material are seen.

TEXT BOOKS.

Ordnance and Gunnery. Lissak.

Exterior Ballistics. O’Hern.

Stresses in Wire-Wrapped Guns and in Gun Carriages. Ruggles.

BOOKS OF REFERENCE.

Ballistic Tables. Ingalls.

Mathematical Tables. Newcomb.

Publications of Ordnance Department. U. S. Army.

DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY HYGIENE.

SECOND CLASS.

The course in military hygiene for the second class begins on or about

the 15th of April and continues into June. It consists of 6 lectures and

13 recitations for each half of the class, given on alternate days and

ending by a written examination on the subjects treated.

The course covers the essential points in military hygiene, particular

attention being paid to the following:

Personal hygiene with special reference to the soldier and his

environment: the hygiene and sanitation of military commands in garrison

and in the field; and the causes and prevention of infectious diseases

and control of epidemics. Also the nature of alcoholic drinks and

narcotics, and special instruction as to their effects upon the human

system.

During the summer camp, 5 lectures with exercises are given to the first

class on the use of the first aid packet and the treatment of medical and

surgical emergencies. While on the practice march, at the end of each

day, the medical officer on duty with the corps discusses the advantages

and disadvantages of the camp site from the view point of the military

sanitarian and also camp cooking, the water supply, and various other

matters pertaining to camp hygiene and sanitation.

TEXT BOOKS.

The Elements of Military Hygiene. Ashburn.

Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene. Tracy.

REFERENCE BOOKS.

Military Hygiene. Harvard.

Theory and Practice of Military Hygiene. Munson.

Notes on Military Hygiene. Woodhull.

Practical Hygiene. Harrington.

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND HISTORY.

NEW CADETS AND FOURTH CLASS.

English: Essential principles of rhetoric; frequent practice in

various forms of written and oral composition, including personal and

official correspondence and official forms; study of selected literary

masterpieces, and of essentials in the history of English literature and

language.

History: Political, social and economic history from the end of the

Middle Ages to the present day; study of typical forms of modern national

and municipal governments; fundamental principles of civil government,

historically considered, with special reference to the United States.

TEXT BOOKS—ENGLISH.

English Composition. Henry S. Canby and others.

Golden Treasury, Everyman’s Library Edition. Palgrave.

Shakespeare’s Works.

Tennyson’s Idylls of the King.

Selections from Addison, selections from Macaulay, selections from

Stevenson, and Carlyle’s Heroes and Hero-Worship.

TEXT-BOOKS—HISTORY.

A Political History of Modern Europe. F. Schwill.

The Development of Modern Europe. J. H. Robinson and C. A. Beard.

Readings in Modern European History, Vol. II. Robinson and Beard.

The Development of the State. Dealey.

THE LIBRARY.

Cadets and officers have free access to the library, which comprises some

80,000 books, maps and manuscripts. The collection contains substantially

all standard books on the subjects taught in the Academy and is

especially complete in military subjects. Its card catalogues (about

272,000 cards) are arranged with the special object of saving the time of

the cadets. The library is open on week-days from 8 A. M. to 9:30 P. M.;

on Sundays and holidays from 2 to 6 P. M.

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF NEW RIDING HALL]

FOOTNOTES

[1] See Appendix.

[2] This is to be presented to the Adjutant of the Military Academy on

arrival of the appointee, i. e., the candidate, at West Point.

[3] See Appendix for the circular now used.

[4] This is to be filled out and mailed to the Secretary of War soon

after its receipt by the candidate.

[5] See Appendix for the kind used now.

[6] Then the west end of the present Library Building. A fine stone

Administration Building was later built just south of the old Chapel,

but it is to be torn down and a very fine and large new Administration

Building has been put up still further south.

[7] See page 62, Note 1.

[8] Now there is water on the first floor of each division.

[9] See page 62, Note 2.

[10] The sink was a low building east of the old guard house, now there

are water closets and bath tubs in the basement of each division.

[11] Now there is a trunk room in the basement of each division.

[12] The plebe instructors, or drill masters, are now first-class men.

[13] See page 62, Note 3.

[14] In full uniform.

[15] Then some distance west of Siege Battery and north of the turn in

Professors’ Row.

[16] See Appendix.

[17] Now the east end of the grassed plain. The new artillery and cavalry

plain adjoins the village of Highland Falls.

[18] See page 62, Note 4.

[19] Cadets are court-martialed for serious offenses only.

[20] See Appendix.

[21] Filled up long ago.

[22] See page 70, Note 1.

[23] See page 81, Note 1.

[24] The cadets now have a fine rifle range.

[25] Rushing into camp was prohibited long ago.

[26] See page 70, Note 1.

[27] Now mounted after dress parade.

[28] See Appendix.

[29] See Appendix.

[30] Then taught in the north ground floor room of the old Academic

Building. This room was also used to practice dancing in and for band

concerts on winter evenings.

[31] See page 122, Note 1.

[32] See page 122, Note 2.

[33] See page 122, Note 3.

[34] See page 122, Note 4.

[35] They now say “Cadet” instead of “Mister.”

[36] See page 122, Note 5.

[37] Now in the new Administration Building.

[38] Kinsley’s farm is now a part of the post.

[39] See Appendix and also page 122, Note 1.

[40] Curtains are now allowed.

[41] They now come at any time of the year.

[42] See page 122, Note 1, and for candidates see Appendix.

[43] Now part of the post—a gift from Mrs. Russell Sage and Mrs. Anna B.

Warner.

[44] Then just east of Seacoast Battery.

[45] See Appendix.

[46] Soon to be torn down to give way to a giant new one now partly built.

[47] Then a part of the ground floor room of the old Academic Building.

[48] Then in the south end of the Mess Hall. Mr. Bratt, then caterer of

the Cadet Mess, lived in the north end.

[49] From songs by the Class of 1897.

[50] Now called Drill Regulations.

[51] See Appendix.

[52] Chevrons are made of gold lace ⅜ inch wide; sewed on dark blue cloth

with ⅜ inch intervals between the bars.

[53] Worn above the elbows, points up.

[54] Worn above the elbow, points up.

[55] Worn below the elbows, points up.

[56] A life membership costs only ten dollars. Address Secretary of the

Association of Graduates, West Point, N. Y.

[57] The new Chapel and Chaplain’s quarters on the hill near old Fort

Putnam are now in one large beautiful building that was dedicated in

June, 1910. Graduates have contributed for a handsome memorial window and

Professor Weir’s grand painting, now in the old Chapel, will be put over

this window in the new Chapel.

[58] Cullum Memorial Hall is now used for hops.

[59] In the old Academic Building.

[60] See page 202, Note 1.

[61] In conformity with the provisions of this section, the Chief of

Staff is now, by direction of the Secretary, charged with the supervision

of matters in the War Department pertaining to the Academy.

[62] Four of the class of 1880 accepted this offer, and, as there were

not then vacancies enough for the balance, some were first appointed

brevet second lieutenants, and as vacancies occurred they were

commissioned second lieutenants.

[63] The army is supplied with second lieutenants from four sources,

viz.: First, the Military Academy; second, graduates from other military

schools; third, from meritorious enlisted men, and fourth, from civil

life.

[64] The Act of 1910 increased this number 25% for six years. The total

number of graduates from 1802 to August 31, 1910, is 4,935.

[65] Alternates have been appointed since 1877.

[66] See Appendix.

[67] The Board before which a candidate is directed to appear will be,

without exception, the one convened at the nearest or most convenient to

his home, or to the school at which he is in regular attendance at the

time of appointment.

[68] On December 8, 1910, the Adjutant General of the Army wrote to the

author saying “that while it has been decided to admit the next class of

cadets into the Military Academy on the 14th day of June instead of on

the 1st day of March, no change has been made in the date and places of

examination of cadet candidates.”