It Can Go But A
Little Way To Supply Officers For 500,000 Men; But Would Do Much
Toward Supplying Them For 40,000.
At the time of my visit to West
Point the regular army of the Northern States had not even then
swelled itself to the latter number.
I found that there were 220 students at West Point; that about
forty graduate every year, each of whom receives a commission in
the army; that about 120 pupils are admitted every year; and that
in the course of every year about eighty either resign, or are
called upon to leave on account of some deficiency, or fail in
their final examination. The result is simply this, that one-third
of those who enter succeeds, and that two-thirds fail. The number
of failures seemed to me to be terribly large - so large as to give
great ground of hesitation to a parent in accepting a nomination
for the college. I especially inquired into the particulars of
these dismissals and resignations, and was assured that the
majority of them take place in the first year of the pupilage. It
is soon seen whether or no a lad has the mental and physical
capacities necessary for the education and future life required of
him, and care is taken that those shall be removed early as to whom
it may be determined that the necessary capacity is clearly
wanting. If this is done - and I do not doubt it - the evil is much
mitigated.
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