Show uck 11 1 ff 41 bill 0 M ak mp ae fr T i W ar opportunity still beckons the ambitious american youth true farm boys dont become bank presidents CS with the same frequency w w nowadays as when horatio algers fictional characters ackers typified the struggling amerian v youth yet the come on hand of the lady known as luck but whose red real name dame la 13 pluck still gestures tor for all who are alert to see four years ago seven clear eyed upstanding straight thinking young americans caught her gesture result today the seven beven are embarked on the honorable career of army officers duly commissioned by the president of the united states after a four year stretch of mental and moral designed to turn tam thim them out equipped to occupy with ered credit tiny position in life to which they may aspire your uncle sam was the godfather it was the beloved gentleman with the plug hat the striped trousers sal and the starry vest not dame fortune who sponsored the ambitious seven all of which means just this that the seven formed this years contingent of former littek buck privates among the graduating class at west point recently coming up from the ranks of the regular army they qualified for admission to the tolli military academy through annual examinations which are now open to nil all enlisted men of ancle sams forces real democracy once a year the historic had and unexcelled institution on the hudson throws wide its doors and from out of the rank and fili file of soldiers enter such as have demonstrated their right to wear on their shoulders the insignia of leadership the son from the lean farm faran in iowa and the pampered pride of the richest banker in wall street are buddles buddies under the skin such at least Is the principle and practice at west point democracy not who are you but what can you yon do the list of young men who by reason of their per perseverance and their determination to achieve now wear the sam browne belt and shining shoulder bars of an officer show that the ambition of young america la is as broad as her boundaries observe that none of them are former service men nor had they distinguished themselves vea in purely military events all are men of a years service or more who apparently ly enlisted in the army with the idea adea of competing for a west point scholarship cadet cade hans W holmer twenty six of medford ore one of the seven upset west point tradition when he won the much prized title of honor man making a total of points out of a possible 2975 the first regular army appointee ever to gain such distinction he stood no I 1 to the class of 1027 1927 consisting of cadets cabets cadet harold A kurstedt Kurst of weehawken Wee hawken N J another of the seven took second highest honors with a total of 2744 CO the remaining five ex cx soldiers graduated ant ea alto also in relatively high positions they were cadet john T hoist of new haven conn cadet cyril FL cadets cabets of the claw class of 1927 united states state military academy who were wen appointed to the th academy from the regular army left to right john R lovell ottumwa iowa john A Sch schwab waly now new york city cyril E williams Wll llama ontario canada harold A karstadt Kure Kur stadt weehawken Wee hawken N J formerly of mt vernon vemon N Y hang hane W holmer medford ore or charlie wenner green lake WIZ wib john T hoa now new haven conn williams of st SL catherines catherine ontario cadet john B R lovell of ottumwa iowa cadet john A schwab otnel kofl new york city and cadet charlie charile wesner of green lake wib in the rigorous training courses courm which give west point rank with the finest military academies in the world all seved aeten of the regular army appointees pol poin tees acquitted themselves above average cabets cadets kurstedt and schwab were cadet captains and cadet holmer a cadet lieutenant cadet schwab was one of the best polo players in the point an AU all round man cadet holmer was rated as expert with both the automatic pistol and service rifle As st a member of the cadet wrestling team cadet Kura kurstedt won his A while cadet lovell established an enviable record in athletics playing on od the football eleven tor for three seasons and on the boxing team four last year he was captain of the boxing boring team besides these seven graduates there the re are other cadets cabets now at the academy who were appointed from the ranks of other either the regular army or national guard this high percentage of the membership of the corpt corps of cadets cabets has been attained by the regular army largely through the training extended to aspirants at west point preparatory schools conducted throughout all departments part ments of the army by their aid this year 03 95 soldiers were coached to take the final examinations for entrance to west point this summer the men mem wae were entered in the preparatory schools after having satisfied certain elementary requirements at the camps and stations they were serving in to attend youths must most be between the ages of nineteen and awen ty two have at least one y years e rl service in the army and possess t the equivalent of a ugh high school education get another chance to fall to quality qualify for the pre preparatory parn school at first need not mean the bursting of the young sold soldiers lees bubble of hope on the contrary failure has seemed merely to spur many of them on to further study and greater determination mi nation to make goods good these men who rise from the ranks are moved by determination persistency and intelligence the classes at the various west point coln tp preparatory reparatory schools include men who have felted failed a second time before finally binning admission the sold soldier ler students are quartered in regulation army barracks racks when attending preparatory school and under tinder the usual soldier discipline with the exception that lights are allowed to burn as long as there Is home work to be done the curriculum includes all the necessary academic subjects and 7 C Is if drawn up for the sole cole purpose of preparing the students sta denta to meet the fairly rigid west point entrance tests the preparatory schools run ran from the fth fall mon months throughout tho the winter tai to april when wheat the e fine final exam examination 5 are held but it Is one thing to gain entrance to the united states military academy and another to graduate some of the most promising youths from fine homes are am found although carefully prepared prior to entering the academy at the leading educational institutions partly because of the high notch of physical perfection and partly because of the strict drill and discipline ci those without previous will mill tary training experience difficulty ill keeping up with their classes the ex ranker however has in the few short years since his entrance to the academy sea demy was authorized by congress congre 0 shown a distinct ability to excel 1 in cadet activities an afternoon at the point the cadets cabets are under canvass on the parade banide ground squads of of fleer beer material are swinging into stepa the formations that make of the army a vast efficient machine hitting on all 12 cylinders commands ring out make it snappy Is the big idea squads squads squads squads with guns squads without guns squads at target practice the pride of doing a thing with zest and doing it right to Is in the carriage of each high held head of each palt pair of straight shoulders an interval again the parade ground Is alive with youth mass man athletics the tennis courts show flying leaping figures out there they are practicing lacrosse this group Is trying at making a winning getaway tor for future track use another group concentrates on the great national game baseball at the far side eager forms destined to win glory on the football field are tryl trying ng out one group Is building up its biceps by raising and lowering itself op on the green velvet carpet of outdoors over on the hotel veranda a fortunate chap in the immaculate whites 01 0 the season twirls his cap ano chats consciously with one who Is ob a girt girl from home bomi there a few st rollers through the shady paths which lead toward the shimmering waters of the river romance and health and education 1 thus does opportunity offer the allure of her smile to any american youth who has the courage to fo claim her |