第15章

The article， however， as I present it， is taken from another paper， having been by it taken from the Era and Citizen：

"COLORED CADETS AT WEST POINT.

"The New National Era and Citizen， which is the national organ of the colored people， contains a sensible article this week on the status of colored cadets at West Point. After referring to the colored young men， 'Plebes' Flipper of Georgia， and Williams of Virginia， who have passed the examination requisite for entering the Academy， the Era and Citizen says： 'Now that they are in， the stiff and starched protègès of the Government make haste to tell the reporters that "none of the fellows would hurt them， but every fellow would let them alone." Our reporter seems to think that "to be let alone" a terrible doom. So it is， if one is sent to Coventry by gentlemen. So it is， if one is neglected by those who， in point of education， thrift， and morality are our equals or superiors. So it is not， if done by the low-minded， the ignorant， and the snobbish.

If it be possible， among the four hundred young charity students of the Government， that Cadet Smith， for instance， finds no warm friends， and has won no respect after the gallant fight he has made for four years--a harder contest than he will ever have in the sterner field--then we despair of the material which West Point is turning out. If this be true， it is training selfish， snobbish martinets--not knightly soldiers， not Havelocks， Hardinges， and Kearneys--but the lowest type of disciplined and educated force and brutality--the Bluchers and Marlboroughs. We scarcely believe this， however， and we know that any young man， whether he be poor or black， or both， may enter any first-class college in America and find warm sympathetic friends， both among students and faculty， if he but prove himself to be possessed of some good qualities . . . . If the Smiths， Flippers， and Williamses in their honorable school -boy careers can not meet social as well as intellectual recognition while at West Point， let them study on and acquit themselves like men， for they will meet， out in the world， a worthy reception among men of worth， who have put by the prejudices of race and the shackles of ignorance. Emerson says somewhere that "Solitude， the nurse of Genius， is the foe of mediocrity." If our young men of ability have the stuff in them to make men out of， they need not fear "to be let alone" for a while； they will ultimately come to the surface and attain worthy recognition.'

"That is plain， practical talk. We like it. It has the ring of the true metal. It shows that the writer has faith in the ultimate triumph of manhood. It is another form for expressing a firm belief that real worth will find a reward. Never has any bond people emerged from slavery into a condition full of such grand opportunities and splendid possibilities as those which are within the reach of the colored people of the United States； but if those opportunities are to be made available， if those possibilities are to be realized， the colored people must move into the fore-front of action and study and work in their own behalf. The colored cadets at West Point， the colored students in the public schools， the colored men in the professions， the trades， and on the plantations， can not be idlers if they are to compete with the white race in the acquisition of knowledge and property. But they have examples of notable achievements in their own ranks which should convince them that they have not the slightest reason to despair of success. The doors stand wide open， from the plantation to the National Capitol， and every American citizen can， if he will， attain worthy recognition."And thus， ere we had entered upon our new duties， were we forewarned of the kind of treatment we should expect. To be "sent to Coventry，" "to be let severely alone，" are indeed terrible dooms， but we cared naught for them. "To be let alone"was what we wished. To be left to our own resources for study and improvement， for enjoyment in whatever way we chose to seek it， was what we desired. We cared not for social recognition. We did not expect it， nor were we disappointed in not getting it. We would not seek it. We would not obtrude ourselves upon them. We would not accept recognition unless it was made willingly. We would be of them at least independent. We would mark out for ourselves a uniform course of conduct and follow it rigidly. These were our resolutions. So long as we were in the right we knew we should be recognized by those whose views were not limited or bound by such narrow confines as prejudice and caste， whether they were at West Point or elsewhere. Confident that right on our own part would secure us just treatment from others， that "if we but prove ourselves possessed of some good qualities" we could find friends among both faculty and students.

I came to West Point， notwithstanding I had heard so much about the Academy well fit to dishearten and keep one away. And then， too， at the time Ihad no object in seeking the appointment other than to gratify an ordinary ambition. Several friends were opposed to my accepting it， and even persuaded me， or rather attempted to persuade me， to give up the idea altogether. I was inexorable.

I had set my mind upon West Point， and no amount of persuasion， and no number of harrowing narratives of bad treatment， could have induced me to relinquish the object I had in view. But I was right. The work Ichose， and from which I could not flinch without dishonor， proved far more important than either my friends or myself at first thought it would be.

Let me not， however， anticipate. Of this importance more anon.