UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT. 
591 
the Professor taking the 1st section. The cadets are marked daily for 
their work, and by these marks they are frequently moved np to a 
higher, or down to a lower section, so that the cleverest and most 
industrious are always rising to the top, while those who are the reverse 
gravitate towards the bottom. Thus they cease to get in one another's 
way, and eventually cadets of similar capacity are in the same section. 
All cadets joining the Academy have to go through the same curriculum 
irrespective of what branch of the Army they are intended for, and 
all cadets in the same class must study the same subjects, keeping step 
or marking time together, advancing simultaneously, and going through 
a book in line abreast, as it were. There is no dashing ahead, nor falling 
out to linger over interesting problems. The cadets are kept up to the 
mark by a process of weeding out at the bottom of the class, which 
prevents the pace being set “to suit the slowest horse.” This is demon¬ 
strated by the number of cadets who have to leave the Academy. In 
1890, 22 cadets were” discharged and 10 resigned, ail of whom were in 
the 4th Class save three. On an average 50 per cent, of the cadets 
joining fail, and nearly all in their first year! A notable characteristic 
of the teaching at West Point is that it is chiefly done by what is 
called “ Recitation ”—a system of verbal instruction in which the 
cadets figure as instructors of themselves. Imagine a section of cadets 
assembled in their class-room for two hours’ study—the Instructor 
divides the task for that study into a certain number of parts, allots 
them at once to certain cadets, and, after they have had an hour or so 
to get them up, he calls upon these cadets, one by one, to stand out by 
the blackboard and, without the book, to explain what they have just 
learnt in, an audible voice to the other cadets, the Instructor following 
attentively, and correcting mistakes as they occur. This is called 
“ Recitation,” and is the system employed all through the Academy ; 
it gives the cadets confidence and self-reliance, and prevents them 
idling in study, nevertheless it is not intended to enable the cadet to 
learn his lesson therein, but rather to clear up possible misconceptions 
respecting the lesson itself. 
Course op Studies. 
The West Point course is severe and of a high standard. There are 
no voluntary subjects, and the obligatory ones must be mastered by 
every cadet. The following syllabus will speak for itself :— 
4th Class, 1st Year. 
Mathematics—Elementary Algebra and Trigonometry, Geometry, Analy¬ 
tical Geometry, and Surveying. 
English Grammar, Rhetoric, and Composition. 
Ethics and Universal History. 
Erencli. 
3rd Class, 2nd Year. 
Mathematics—Analytical Geometry, Descriptive Geometry, Differential 
and Integral Calculus, and Method of Least Squares. 
Drawing—Topography, Practical Surveying, Geometry, Shades, Shadows 
and Perspective, and Isometric Projections. 
French. 
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