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
dev