I dare say that at no other institution of learning is there such serious preparation of the lessons. The cadet’s academic day contains but half an hour of leisure from 6:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. except during the extreme cold weather when drills are suspended the cadets have two hours in the afternoon. All during the day therefore when not at recitations, riding, or gymnasium, the cadets are studying, and the long study period is from 7:00 to 9:30 P.M. Although prohibited by Regulations, many men study after taps, especially those low in the class. To conceal the light they hang a leg of their trousers over the electric light, lowering the cord until it almost touches the table. Just a little circle of light shines upon the book, and not enough to be detected from without. West Point is not indifferent to the performance of its students. It cannot afford to be less exacting, but it has a powerful leverage over other institutions for it dangles before the cadet’s view the prize of a commission in the Regular Army, a career in an honorable profession. The course of instruction at the Military Academy develops in the cadet certain traits of character that are invaluable to him in a profession where, as an officer, he is constantly being called upon to meet all sorts of contingencies, to exercise his judgment, and to make decisions. His studies and duties broaden his mind, make him self-reliant, and teach him self-control. It is astounding to see the results obtained by the system. As a proof of the intellectual product of the Academy, I shall quote the following table, giving the occupations of the graduates who have gone into civil life where they have measured their strength with the graduates of other institutions of learning: