第43章

And those who make it scarcely deserve my notice. I would say to them， however， that true dignity， selon nous， consists in being above the rabble and their insults， and particularly in remaining there. To stoop to retaliation is not compatible with true dignity， nor is vindictiveness manly. Again， the experiment suggested by my accusers has been abundantly tried， and proved a most ridiculous failure， while my own led to a glorious success.

I do not mean to boast or do any thing of the kind， but I would suggest to all future colored cadets to base their conduct on the aristonmetpon， the golden mean. It is by far the safer， and surely the most Christian course.

Before closing this chapter I would add with just pride that I have ever been treated by all other persons connected with the Academy not officially， as becomes one gentleman to treat another. I refer to servants， soldiers， other enlisted men， and employés. They have done for me whatever I wished， whenever I wished， and as I wished， and always kindly and willingly. They have even done things for me to the exclusion of others. This is important when it is remembered that the employés， with one exception， are white.

"NATIONAL SCHOOLS AND SNOBOCRACY.

"'Cadet Smith has arrived in Columbia. He did not "pass."' --Phoenix"'Alexander Bouchet， a young man of color， graduates from Yale College， holding the fifth place in the largest class graduated from that ancient institution.'

--Exchange.

"These simple announcements from different papers tersely sum up the distinction between the military and civil education of this country. One is exclusive， snobbish， and narrow， the other is liberal and democratic.

"No one who has watched the course of Cadet Smith and the undemocratic， selfish， and snobbish treatment he has experienced from the martinets of West Point， men educated at the expense of the government， supported by negro taxes， as well as white， who attempt to dictate who shall receive the benefits of an education in our national charity schools--no one who has read of his court-martialings， the degradations and the petty insults inflicted upon him can help feeling that he returns home to-day， in spite of the Phoenix's sneers， a young hero who has 'passed' in grit， pluck， perseverance， and all the better qualities which go to make up true manhood， and only has been 'found' because rebel sympathizers at West Point， the fledglings of caste， and the Secretary of War， do not intend to allow， if they can prevent it， a negro to graduate at West Point or Annapolis， if he is known to be a negro.

"Any one conversant with educational matters who has examined the examinations for entrance， or the curriculum of the naval and military academies， will not for a moment believe that their requirements， not as high as those demanded for an ordinary New England high school， and by no means equal in thoroughness， quantity， or quality to that demanded for entrance at Yale， Amherst， Dartmouth， or Brown， are too high or abstruse to be compassed by negroes， some of whom have successfully stood all these， and are now pursuing their studies in the best institutions of the North.

"No fair-minded man believes that Smith， Napier and Williams， Conyers and McClellan， have had impartial treatment. The government itself has been remiss in not throwing about them the protection of its authority.

Had these colored boys been students at St. Cyr， in Paris， or Woolwich， in England， under despotic France and aristocratic England， they would have been treated with that courtesy and justice of which the average white American has no idea. The South once ruled West Point， much to its detriment in loyalty， however much， by reason of sending boys more than prepared. It dominated in scholarship. It seeks to recover the lost ground， and rightly fears to meet on terms of equality in the camp the sons of fathers to whom it refused quarter in the war and butchered in cold blood at Fort Pillow. We cannot expect the sons to forget the lessons of the sires； but we have a right to demand from the general government the rooting out of all snobbery at West Point， whether it is of that kind which sends poor white boys to Coventry， because they haven't a family name or wealth， or whether it be that smallest， meanest， and shallowest of all aristocracies--the one founded upon color.

"If the government is not able to root out these unrepublican seeds in these hot-beds of disloyalty and snobbery， then let Congress shut up the useless and expensive appendages and educate its officers at the colleges of the country， where they may learn lessons in true republican equality and nationality.

The remedy lies with Congress. A remonstrance at least should be heard from the colored members of Congress， who are insulted whenever a colored boy is ill-treated by the students or the officers of these institutions.