During the one hundred and fifteen years of its existence West Point has had but twenty-six Superintendents, each of whom has left a permanent influence for good at the Academy. The present incumbent, appointed in June, 1916, is Colonel John Biddle, Corps of Engineers, a graduate of West Point, Class of 1881. The military staff of the Superintendent consists of the Adjutant, the Quartermaster, the Treasurer, and the Surgeon, all officers of the Army detailed to perform the duties of their respective offices. The Adjutant is the Superintendent’s right-hand man. He is in fact his chief spokesman and representative in all official and social matters. He is, moreover, charged with all of the records and papers of the Academy except those relating to disbursements. Ordinarily, this officer is the personal choice of the Superintendent, for it is essential that perfect trust and harmony exist between these officers. It may be of interest to the layman to know that an Army Post is very much like a large family, or perhaps a patriarchal tribe would better describe the relations of the residents. The Superintendent is the head, and the Adjutant his executive officer. In the olden days when troops were stationed on isolated frontier posts, the officers’ families were entirely thrown upon one another for society. Although the necessity for these posts has long since disappeared, Congress has never authorized their abandonment, because their presence near some city or small town means a financial benefit to the towns people. The influence of the Representative of that district is sufficient to retain it, and consequently, as of yore, officers’ families must live together as one tribe. This condition does not exist to the same extent at West Point as at other posts. The Adjutant is the peacemaker, diplomat, aide, buffer for the Superintendent in his administration of military and social duties. As may be imagined, he must be a man of great tact, good judgment, and possessed of Machiavelian diplomacy. He is always being called upon to make decisions, and since every decision affects somebody adversely, he has great need of a feeling for humanity. His official decision is tantamount to that of the Superintendent in whose name he is always supposed to act. [Illustration: The Superintendent’s Quarters Built in 1820] All official letters to the Superintendent, or between officers, must pass over the Adjutant’s desk, so that in a sense he is the central operator, making connections of the invisible ties for the time being, between the various departments and persons on the Post. He also acts as a shield to the Superintendent, saving him from the annoyance of the minor routine details.