Forty-Six Years in the Army | Page 7

Scriptures

expounded by the learned doctor of divinity of the Military Academy. I
had never doubted for a moment that every word of the Bible was
divinely inspired, for my father himself had told me it was. But I
always had a curious desire to know the reason of things; and, more
than that, some of my fellows were inclined to be a little skeptical, and
I wanted the reasons with which I could overwhelm their unworthy
doubts. So I ventured to ask the professor one Sunday what was the
evidence of divine inspiration. He answered only what my father had
before told me, that it was "internal evidence"; but my youthful mind
had not yet perceived that very clearly. Hence I ventured very modestly
and timidly to indicate my need of some light that would enable me to
see. The learned doctor did not vouchsafe a word in reply, but the look
of amazement and scorn he gave me for my display of ignorance sealed
my lips on that subject forever. I have never since ventured to ask
anybody any questions on that subject, but have studied it out for
myself as well as I could. Soon after that the doctor preached a sermon
in which he denounced skepticism in his own vigorous terms, and
consigned to perdition all the great teachers of heresy, of whom he
mentioned the names--before unheard, I am sure, by the great majority
of cadets, thought their works were to be found in the West Point and
all other public libraries. I never looked into any of those books, though
other cadets told me that they, at his suggestion, had sought there for
the information the good doctor had refused to give us. I have never,
even to this day, been willing to read or listen to what seemed to me
irreverent words, even though they might be intended to convey ideas
not very different from my own. It has seemed to me that a man ought
to speak with reverence of the religion taught him in his childhood and
believed by his fellow-men, or else keep his philosophical thoughts,
however profound, to himself.
Another sermon of the good doctor of divinity, which I did not happen
to hear, on the Mosaic history of creation, contained, as stated to me, a
denunciation of the "God-hating geologists." That offended me, for I
had, in common with all the other cadets, learned greatly to admire and
respect our professor of geology. So I did not go to the Bible-class any
more. But the professor of ethics continued to drive his fine fast horse,
much the best one on the Point, and I believe the best I had ever seen.

Hence he continued to enjoy my esteem, though perhaps he did not
know it.
Near the beginning of the last year of my cadet life an event occurred
which very nearly proved fatal to my prospects, and I have often
wondered that it did not have some effect on my hopes. But, singularly
enough, I never had a moment's doubt or anxiety as to the final result. It
was then the custom for candidates to report on June 1, or within the
next few days. They were organized into sections, and placed under the
instruction of cadets selected from the second class to prepare them, as
far as possible, for examination about the middle of the month. I was
given charge of a section in arithmetic, and have never in all my life
discharged my duty with more conscientious fidelity than I drilled
those boys in the subject with which I was familiar, and in teaching
which I had had some experience. We had gone over the entire course
upon which they were to be examined, and all were well prepared
except two who seemed hopelessly deficient upon a few subjects which
they had been unable to comprehend. Not willing to omit the last
possible effort in behalf of those two boys, I took them to the
blackboard and devoted the last fifteen or twenty minutes before the
bugle-call to a final effort to prepare them for the ordeal they must face
the next morning. While I was thus employed several of my classmates
came into the room, and began talking to the other candidates. Though
their presence annoyed me, it did not interfere with my work; so I kept
on intently with the two young boys until the bugle sounded.
DISMISSED FROM THE ACADEMY WITHOUT TRIAL
I then went to my quarters without paying any attention to the
interruption, or knowing anything of the character of what had occurred.
But one of the candidates, perhaps by way of excuse for his failure,
wrote to his parents some account of the "deviltry" in which my
classmates had indulged that