t to make thorough soldiers, men
capable of creating effective armies in the shortest possible time,
and of commanding comparatively small bodies of men. If great
commanders are ever again required in this country, they will come
to the front in due time. They cannot be selected in advance of
the actual trial in war. Even West Point, though one of the best
schools in the world, can at the most only lay the foundation of
a military education. Each individual must build for himself upon
that foundation the superstructure which is to mark his place in
the world. If he does not build, his monument will hardly appear
above the surface of the ground, and will soon be covered out of
sight.

It is of vital importance that the necessity of providing for
calling into active service a very large army in the shortest
possible time be fully understood. It is assumed that every
important seaport will in time be so fortified as to be safe against
any _unsupported_ naval attack. Modern science has rendered this
easy and certain. Hence a naval attack must necessarily be supported
by the landing of a military force upon the open coast, to attack
the land defenses in reverse; and such defenses are now far more
vulnerable to attack in rear than those of former times.

MEASURES NECESSARY TO THE NATIONAL DEFENSE

The sea-coasts of the United States are many thousand miles in
extent, and an attack may be made at any one or several of the many
important seaports in these long lines of coast. No one can
anticipate where the blow or blows may fall. Hence it is necessary
to be prepared to resist an attempt to land at any one of those
many points which are of such importance as to tempt an enemy to
attack them. The railroad facilities of the country are such that
the necessary armies can be moved to all exposed points in time to
meet any emergency. But the armies must be ready to move almost
at a moment's notice. There will be no time to organize, much less
to drill, new troops. Before that could be done, any one or two
or three of our largest seaport cities could be captured and
destroyed, and the invading forces get back again on their transports,
and under the protection of the guns of their own fleet. And even
if we had a navy more powerful than that of our enemy, it alone
could give us no adequate protection; for the enemy would be sure
to select a point of attack where our navy was not at t