Past Ever Present

The theory of how this should be accomplished has been evolved from the experience of the past, and, according to many of West Point's critics, the past is still the dominant factor in the standards striven for. Certainly tradition is present everywhere, and a conscious attempt is made to impress the incoming Plebe with its importance. Not only the collection of battle flags in the Chapel or the many statues and monuments to the dead are there to remind him of "the long, grey line" of Cadets that have preceded him, but such customs as the "Plebe system" itself contribute to the total effect of being one with the past.

It can be argued that four years of such influence virtually unalloyed by any contact with the outside world can only distort the Cadet's outlook to the point of uselessness, as far as dealing with ordinary mortals is concerned. Many men who served in the last war came away with the feeling that West Pointer's were little more than a modern-day version of the Prussian military caste, unadaptable to circumstances and unable to deal with personnel.

Regular Army men, the argument continues, become so hide-bound by their stultified training that they are only useful within the context of their own environment.

Liberal Arts Gain Place

But the Academy has not entirely disregarded its contact with civilians through the last war. Within the last few years, the curriculum has been altered drastically from its old scientific emphasis to the point where now almost one half of its courses are in the fields of social science and humanities. True, courses in military history and the psychology of military leadership come under these headings, and another course in the department teaches relations with the National Guard and Reserves, but there is at least a realization of the old maxim that there are two ways to lead a donkey.

Another recent change has been the formation of a partially civilian Board of Consultants, headed by Karl Compton, ex-president of M.I.T. After a study of the institution in 1945, this board submitted a report which concluded; "...the four years of college can best be devoted to education in the general fundamentals, enlargement of social vision, and development of cultural appreciation. Because of the variety of duties and of leadership which fall to the lot of the Army officer, to provide a foundation of this type of liberal education becomes increasingly the mission of the Academy."

But despite any humanizing trends in the West Point mode of life, the ultimate justification of the Academy rests in its goal: "to instill a permanent desire for the military service in its future officers." To achieve this end, it is impossible to deny any link with traditions of the past and ideals of the service.

Specialized Training Needed

The business of being a soldier is perhaps the most specialized in the world, one which demands a mode of life more exacting and methodical than a civilian profession could hope to be. To expect a thoroughly liberal college to produce a body of men espable of maintaining the standards of duty and leadership which every Army must have at its base would be as absurd as expecting an Army camp to produce scholars and artists.

The ramrod-stiff line of men that will march to their places in Michie Stadium tomorrow afternoon are worlds apart from their Harvard counterparts. The life each group is trained for, the standards set for each, the philosophy each holds, all are probably as diametrically opposed as two groups of people could get. Whether or not militarism is undemocratic and vicious, or the Regular Army officer is blind and reactionary, the West Point Cadet has the faith of a tradition and a pride born of integrity behind that swagger in his walk.