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Show Bmmk Privates IsjfS ' . " : - . V.. J f ' - . 1 M . Xx, x x -J "x V S C x" x I . , i w .., x. x-xj, tPPORTUNITT still beckons Cadets of the class of 1927, United . V M ' - A the ambitious American States Military academy, who were f 'ffi N ""A youth. appointed to the academy from the g-vf 1 1 ' I True, farm boys don't regular army: (Left to right): J - -A. become bank presidents John R. Lovell, Ottumwa, Iowa; -'..'' f- x-4 V.:---,-;'! j, with the same frequency John A. Schwab, New York city; irJ f J W nowadays as when Hora- Cyril E. Williams, Ontario, Canada; SX- tT W " y tio Alger's fictional char- Harold A. Kurstedt, Weehawken, N. - S"a' fi acters typified the struggling Ameri- J., formerly of Mt Vernon, N. Y. ; q ' 'J can youth. Yet the come-on hand of Hans W. Holmer, Medford, Ore.; grjy i'm the lady known as Luck but whose Charlie Wesner, Green Lake, Wis.; "SStfffij j s t'j LZ-' real name is pluck still gestures for John T. Hoist, New Haven, Conn. ' :rV 'tfj all who are alert to see. v 5' Four years ago, seven clear-eyed, i i , V --7 f upstanding, straight-thinking young Williams of St. Catherines, Ontario; ' vx- je. PPORTCNITT still beckons ff A the ambitious American ij5 True, farm boys don't JnjlL become bank presidents with the same frequency " nowadays as when Hora tio Alger's fictional characters char-acters typified the struggling American Ameri-can youth. Yet the come-on hand of the lady known as Luck but whose real name is pluck still gestures 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 are embarked em-barked on the honorable career of army officers, duly commissioned by the President of the tnited States, after a four-year stretch of mental and moral upbuild designed to turn them out equipped to occupy, with credit, any 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, and the starry vest, not Dame Fortune, who sponsored the ambitious seven. All of which means just this that the seven formed this year's contingent contin-gent of former 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 military academy through annual examinations which are now open to all enlisted men of Cnele Sam's forces. Real Democracy Once a year the historic and unexcelled un-excelled institution on the Hudson throws wide its doors and from out of the rank and 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 in Iowa and the pampered pride of the richest hanker in Wall street are "buddies" under the skin. Such, at least, is the principle and practice at West Point. Democracy not "Who are you?" but "What can you do?" The list of voting men who by reason rea-son of their pprseverence and their "Ifterniination to achieve now wear rhe Sam Browne belt and shining shoulder bars of an oflicer show that the ambition of Young America Is as brond as her boundaries. Observe that none of them are former service men nor had they distinguished themselves In purely military events. All are men "f a year's service or more who apparently ap-parently enlisted In the army with the Idea of competing for a West Point s'"ho!arxljjn Cail'- Lieut. Hans W. Holmer. twenty-six. of Medford. Ore., one of the seven, upset West point tradition n-hen he won the much-prized title "f "Honor Man." making a total of 2.7"T.o."i points out of a possible 2,fi"5. first regular army appointee ever to gain ytich distinction, he stood 'o. 1 in thf class of 1027. consisting of 2f3 f d'-ts. Cadet Harold A. Kurstedt of 'Veehawlrcn. N. J.. another of the fven. took second MglK-st honors with m total of 2.7lt.c,0. The remaining five ex-snliliers graduated grad-uated also In relatively high posillons. T'.oy were: Cadet John T. Hoist of N"U- Haven. Conn.; Cadet Cyril V.. Cadets of the class of 1927, United States Military academy, who were appointed to the academy from the regular army: (Left to right): John R. Lovell, Ottumwa, Iowa; John A. Schwab, New York city; Cyril E. Williams, Ontario, Canada; Harold A. Kurstedt, Weehawken, N. J., formerly of Mt. Vernon, N. Y.; Hans W. Holmer, Medford, Ore.; Charlie Wesner, Green Lake, Wis.; John T. Hoist, New Haven, Conn. Williams of St. Catherines, Ontario ; Cadet John R. Lovell of Ottumwa, Iowa ; Cadet John A. Schwab of New York City, and Cadet Charlie Wesner of Green Lake, Wis. In the rigorous training courses which give West Point rank with the finest military academies in the world, all seven of the regular army appointees ap-pointees acquitted themselves above average. 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 All 'Round Man Cadet Holmer was rated as expert with both the automatic pistol and service rifle. As a member of the cadet wrestling team Cadet Kurstedt won his "A," while Cadet Lovell established es-tablished an enviable record in athletics, ath-letics, playing on the football eleven for three seasons and on the boxing team four. Last year-he was captain of the boxing team. Resides these seven graduates there are 134 other cadets now at the academy acad-emy who were appointed from the ranks of either the regular army or National Guard. This high percentage of the membership member-ship of the corps of cadets has been attained by the regular army largely through the training extended to aspirants aspi-rants at West Point preparatory schools conducted throughout all departments de-partments of the army. P.y their aid this year. !o soldiers were coached to take the final examinations for entrance en-trance to West Point this summer. The men were entered In the preparatory pre-paratory schools after having satisfied certain elementary requirements at the enrnps anil stations they were serving serv-ing in. To attend youths must be between be-tween the ages of nineteen and twenty-two, have at least one year's service in the army, and possess the equivalent equiva-lent of a hit-'h school education. Get Another Chance To fail to qualify for the preparatory prepara-tory school at first need not mean the bursting of the young soldier's bubble of hope. On the contrary, failure has seemed merely to spur many of them on to further study and greater determination deter-mination to make good. These men who rise from the ranks are moved by determination, persistency ami Intelligence. Intelli-gence. Of! times the classes at the various West Point preparatory schools Include met, who have failed a s"cnnd time before finally .inning admission. The M-Mior-xtu'lenta are quartered In regulation army barracks when attending at-tending ropar:torv school and under the usual soldier discipline wild Hie exception that lights are allowed to burn as ding as there Is dome work to he done. The curriculum includes all the neci t-ary academic subjects and is drawn up for the sole purpose of preparing the students to meet the fairly rigid West Toint entrance tests. The preparatory schools run from the fall months, throughout the winter, to April, when the final examinations 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 "found," although carefully prepared prior to entering the academy acade-my at the leading educational Institutions. Institu-tions. Partly because of the high-notch high-notch of physical perfection and partly part-ly because of the strict drill and discipline, dis-cipline, those without previous military mili-tary training experience difficulty 1v keeping up with their classes. The ex-ranker, however, has In the few short years since bis entrance to the academy was authorized by congress shown a distinct ability to excel In cadet activities. An afternoon at the "Point." The cadets are under canvass. On the parade ground, squads of officer of-ficer material are swinging into step, the formations that make of the army n vast, ellicient machine hitting on nil 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 Is In the carriage of each high-held head, of each pair of straight shoulders. An interval. Again the parade ground Is alive with youth. Mass athletics. The tennis ten-nis courts show flying, looping figures. Out there tdey are practicing lacrosse. This group Is trying at making a winning win-ning getaway for future track use. Another group concentrates on the great national game, baseball. At the ! far side, eager forms destined to win j glory on the football field are trying out. One group Is building up its hi- ( reps by raising end lowering Itself on the green velvet carpet of outdoors. liver on the hotel veranda, a form- rate chap In the Immneul.Ho whiles of I the season twirls his vlsored cap and J chats-, consciously, with one who is obviously ob-viously a girl from home. There a few strollers through the shady paths which lead toward the shimmering waters wa-ters of do river. Romance nnd health and education I Thus does Opportunity offer the allure al-lure of her smile to any American youth who has the courage to claim I her. j |