United States Military Academy West Point - Howitzer Yearbook (West Point, NY)

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THE- 1900-HOWITZER HE trouble of course begun when the first old skiu-dud sage squatted on his haunches and by experiment made the monumental discovery that by adding two sticks to two sticks he would have four sticks. Since I hat time all mankind has seemed linked in a conspiracy to dig up mathematical knowledge that would roughen up the smooth places in the lives of I Tide Sam's Pampered Pets. As a result of their untiring labors, the plebe is confronted on the threshold of his military career with a truly appalling array of weird fancies and vain imaginings. With Algebra and Geometry, his troubles begin, and a faltering, stumbling progress leads through “'Prig., ' Plane and Solid Conics, “Descrip., and finally “( ’alcule.” the completion of which is celebrated by a “never-again, perhaps the most heartfelt one of cadet days. 'The last few years have marked the passing of one of West Point's most time-honored institutions the late lamented text book on Algebra by one C. Smith. One who could ga .e with any degree of comprehension upon the idiosyncrasies of that immortal tome need have no fear for the future-knowledge is, to him, an open book. All that remained for him was a mastery of the Fourth Dimension—and subsequent, merciful, insanity. Hut to the common herd who plod and plod, other methods were necessary and the usual expedient adopted was to assume the truthfulness of the respected (’. Smith as a “scholar and a gentleman and to swallow, whole, his mathematical conclusions. Not that the latter process was an easy one the alternative of premature graduation had something to do with the choice. It has been, from time immemorial, the custom of the Corps to exaggerate the ridiculous aspect of things and no subject, however awe-inspiring, can escape. Hut in the case of this Department, jest often masks a real and poignant anxiety, for the prospect of being “found in Math.’ hangs like the sword of Damocles over the devoted heads of the two lower classes. That this fear is not unfounded may be proved bv the fact that the number of deficiencies reported in Mathematics form a large majority of the total. The requirements of the course are stern and rigorous, of mercy there is little, and the doctrine of the survival of the fittest holds undisputed sway. Hut those who do survive, come through the ordeal with a fair certainty of attaining the Mecca of all our strivings— Graduation which begins to loom as a remote but possible consummation of the four year-long task. — 31 —

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 ikfiiiiVJ .jl wY ASSOCI ATE PROFESSOR (’aitain George B. 1 11.1 111 hv, Corps of Fngim ers; class ’00; graduated I. A SS 1ST A NT PROF F,SS() R First I.ieitenant James F. Bell, Corps of Engineers; class 02; graduated I. INSTRUCTORS First I.ieitenant Sami t:i. Fran keniikkc.kh. 3d Field Artillery: class ' ». ; graduated II. First I.ieitenant Frederick II. Smith. Coast Artillery Corps; class 03; graduated 15. First I.ieitenant Charles It. Alley, Const Artillery Corps; class 04; graduated 12. First 1.11:1 tenant Ciiai’ncky I.. Fenton. Const Artillery Corps; class 04; graduated 15. First I.ieitenant William Biiyden, 5tl Field rtil-lery; class 04; graduated 19. First I.ieitenant Francis W. Honkycitt, 5th Field Artillery; class 0t; graduated 23. Second I.ieitenant ('iiaki.es Tkikord, 12th Cavalry; class K4; graduated 5. Second I.ieitenant Vacoiin W. Cooper, 19th Cavalry; class 04; graduated 14. Second I.ieitenant Roi.i.axd W. Cask, 10th Infantry; class 05; graduated 10. Second I.ieitenant Ciiaki.es S. Donavin, 27th Infantry; class 05; graduated 18. yf urt 15 ONE. DEMttED HORfcIO Department of Mathematics PROFESSOR I.iki TKN ANT-O01.0.NK1. Ciiaki.es P. Echols, Cadet. L’. S. .M. .. 1887-1891; appointed from Mahama; graduated 3; Instructor of .Mathematics, U. S. .M. A.. 1891; Assistant Professor of Mathematics, lT. S. M. A., 1897; Vssocilitc Professor of .Mathematic-. I . S. M. A., 1898; Professor of Mathematics, L.S.M.A.. 1904. — 30 —

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 P010MW5; WHAT DO yOV READ,A y LORD? ] mIET WORDS, WORDS, WORDS.' PROFESSOR Oou.NK,. Edward K. Wood, Cadet. U.S. M.A.. 1 66-IS70; appointed from Pennsylvania; graduated »; Second Lieutenant, Hth Cavalry. 1870; Hrst Lieutenant, 1873; Captain. 1880: Professor of Modern I.augungcs, U.S. M.A.. 1893. SS( C I ATE PRO K ESS( 1t Captain Peter K. Track, 13tli Cavalry; class ’86; graduated 31. A SSI ST A N T PRO P ESSO R S Caitain Ora K. 11 i.'st. I8tii Infantry: class 91: grnd-uatcd 39; Assistant Professor of the Spanish IjinguAgr. I' i 1st Lieutenant George M. Russei.i.. 15th Cavalry; class ’01 ; graduated 33; Assistant Professor of the French Language. INSTRUCTORS I'ihst Lieit»:nant Lewis S. Morey, 13th Cavalry; class ’00; graduated 41. Knurr Lieutenant Owen (I. Com.ins. Coast Artillery Corps; class 03; graduated II. Kim st Lieutenant Thomas M. Sp.xui.dixg, Coast Artillery Corps; class 05; graduated II. I’irst Lieutenant Edward J. Mohan. 33d Infantry; class '03; graduated 30. Second Lieutenant George A. Lynch, 17th Infantry; class 03; graduated 31. Second Lieutenant Edward M. Zei.i, 7th Cavalry; class 03; graduated 47. Second Lieutenant Robert C. Richardson, .Ik., 11th Cavalry; class 04; graduated 33. Second Lieutenant Joseph W. Stilwem., 13th Infantry; class 04; graduated 33. Second Lieutenant Martin C. Wise. 30th Infantry; class 04; graduated 67. PROCESSOR OF PROVISIONAL DEPARTMENT OK ENGLISH AND HISTORY John Chester Adams. Yale. II. A. ( 9i ), M. A. ( 98), Ph. I). (’04); Recently Assistant Professor of English (Yale). CIVILIAN INSTRUCTORS Jose M Asensio. J s lish N. T. Qcevedo, S 1 Justin M. Chenal, J Frcnch Georges Castegxier. ) — 32 —