What, you ask, is this leveling influence at the Academy? It comes from discipline, the discipline of the body, the discipline of the mind, and the discipline of the soul. It is the one governing factor in the success of West Point. All three kinds of it begin on the day that the cadet reports for duty, and continues without interruption during his entire course. The discipline of the body and the mind is a comparatively simple affair, especially when there is a willingness on the part of the subject, but the discipline of the soul is the influence that is hardest to make cadets appreciate. Some people shy when the word discipline is mentioned; they think that it means to break a man’s will and to destroy his individuality, but that is not so. The discipline that I speak of is a process of education whereby a man’s mental attitude is trained to a certain viewpoint; whereby his actions unconsciously respond to the correct ethical view of his duty. It is aimed to teach respect for law and order, to teach truthfulness and honesty, loyalty and obedience. It inculcates respect for superiors, if not for the man, then for the office that he holds. It teaches a soldier the sacredness of orders; it is the quality without which no army is successful. Under this strong influence of discipline come men from all sections of our great country and from all classes of society. Viewed exteriorly they are, upon reporting, as motley a looking lot as could be imagined. An examination of their interiors would reveal natures and characters of equal variety. Some come from homes where they have received the most careful moral nurture; others from environments of vague and lax standards. Side by side with youths who are models of truth are lads with uncertain ideas of right and wrong. Among the throng are brilliant boys and stupid ones; well-educated lads and those whose advantages have been of the most limited sort; sons of rich men and boys who have known the meaning of want. From everywhere they come: from the city and from the farm; from the mountain and from the plain. It is interesting to dwell for a moment on the following table showing the sources of the personnel of the cadet body. Herein are listed the occupations of the parents of the cadets and the number engaged in each, covering a period of fifty years.