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in　its　success　the　falsity　of　certain　reports；　can　not　have　been　otherwise　than　overjoyed　at　it；　at　the；　though　tardy；　vindication　of　truth。　I　refer　especially　to　certain　erroneous　ideas　which　are　or　were　extant　concerning　the　treatment　of　colored　cadets；　in　which　it　is　claimed　that　color　decides　their　fate。　（See　chapter　on　〃Treatment。〃）

I　hope　my　success　has　proved　that　not　color　of　face；　but　color　of　character　alone　can　decide　such　a　question。　It　is　character　and　nothing　else　that　will　merit　a　harsh　treatment　from　gentlemen；　and　of　course　it　must　be　a　bad　character。　If　a　man　is　a　man；　un　homme　comme　il　faut；　he　need　fear　no　ill…treatment　from　others　of　like　calibre。　Gentlemen　avoid　persons　not　gentlemen。　Resentment　is　not　a　characteristic　of　gentlemen。　A　gentlemanly　nature　must　shrink　from　it。　There　may　be　in　it　a　certain　amount　of　what　is　vulgarly　termed　pluck；　and　perhaps　courage。　But　what　of　that？　Everybody　more　or　less　admires　pluck。　Everybody　worships　courage；　if　it　be　of　a　high　order；　but　who　allows　that　pluck　or　even　courage　is　an　excuse　for　passion　or　its　consequences？　The　whites　may　admire　pluck　in　the　negro；　as　in　other　races；　but　they　will　never　admit　unwarrantable　obtrusiveness；　or　rudeness；　or　grossness；　or　any　other　ungentlemanly　trait；　and　no　more　in　the　negro　than　in　others。　This　is　quite　just。　A　negro　would　not　allow　it　even　in　another。

I　did　not　intend　to　discuss　social　equality　here；　but　as　it　is　not　entirely　foreign　to　my　subject　I　may　be　pardoned　a　word　or　so　upon　it。

Social　equality；　as　I　comprehend　it；　must　be　the　natural；　and　perhaps　gradual；　outgrowth　of　a　similarity　of　instincts　and　qualities　in　those　between　whom　it　exists。　That　is　to　say；　there　can　be　no　social　equality　between　persons　who　have　nothing　in　common。　A　civilized　being　would　not　accept　a　savage　as　his　equal；　his　socius　；　his　friend。　It　would　be　repugnant　to　nature。　A　savage　is　a　man；　the　image　of　his　Maker　as　much　so　as　any　being。　He　has　all　the　same　rights　of　equality　which　any　other　has；　but　they　are　political　rights　only。　He　who　buried　his　one　talent　to　preserve　it　was　not　deemed　worthy　to　associate　with　him　who　increased　his　five　to　ten。　So　also　in　our　particular　case。　There　are　different　orders　or　classes　of　men　in　every　civilized　community。　　The　classes　are　politically　equal；　equal　in　that　they　are　free　men　and　citizens　and　have　all　the　rights　belonging　to　such　station。　　Among　the　several　classes　there　can　be　no　social　equality；　for　they　have　nothing　socially　in　common；　although　the　members　of　each　class　in　itself　may　have。

Now　in　these　recent　years　there　has　been　a　great　clamor　for　rights。　The　clamor　has　reached　West　Point；　and；　if　no　bad　results　have　come　from　it　materially；　West　Point　has　nevertheless　received　a　bad　reputation；　and　I　think　an　undeserved　one；　as　respects　her　treatment　of　colored　cadets。

A　right　must　depend　on　the　capacity　and　end　or　aim　of　the　man。　This　capacity　and　end　may；　and　ought　to　be；　moral；　and　not　political　only。　Equal　capacities　and　a　like　end　must　give　equal　rights；　and　unequal　capacities　and　unlike　ends　unequal　rights；　morally；　of　course；　for　the　political　end　of　all　men　is　the　same。　And　therefore；　since　a　proper　society　is　a　moral　institution　where　a　certain　uniformity　of　views；　aims；　purposes；　properties；　etc。；　is　the　object；　there　must　be　also　a　uniformity　or　equality　of　rights；　for　otherwise　there　would　be　no　society；　no　social　equality。

This；　I　apprehend；　is　precisely　the　state　of　affairs　in　our　own　country。　Among　those　who；　claiming　social　equality；　claim　it　as　a　right；　there　exists　the　greatest　possible　diversity　of　creeds；　instincts；　and　of　moral　and　mental　conditions；　in　which　they　are　widely　different　from　those　with　whom　they　claim　this　equality。　They　can　therefore　have　no　rights　socially　in　common；　or；　in　other　words；　the　social　equality　they　claim　is　not　a　right；　and　ought　not　to　and　cannot　exist　under　present　circumstances；　and　any　law　that　overreaches　the　moral　reason　to　the　contrary　must　be　admitted　as　unjust　if　not　impolitic。

But　it　is　color；　they　say；　color　only；　which　determines　how　the　negro　must　be　treated。　Color　is　his　misfortune；　and　his　treatment　must　be　his　misfortune　also。　Mistaken　idea！　and　one　of　which　we　should　speedily　rid　ourselves。　It　may　be　color　in　some　cases；　but　in　the　great　majority　of　instances　it　is　mental　and　moral　condition。　Little　or　no　education；　little　moral　refinement；　and　all　their　repulsive　consequences　will　never　be　accepted　as　equals　of　education；　intellectual　or　moral。　Color　is　absolutely　nothing　in　the　consideration　of　the　question；　unless　we　mean　by　it　not　color　of　skin；　but　color　of　character；　and　I　fancy　we　can　find　considerable　color　there。

It　has　been　said　that　my　success　at　West　Point　would　be　a　grand　victory　in　the　way　of　equal　rights；　meaning；　I　apprehend；　social　rights；　social　equality；　inasmuch　as　all　have；　under　existing　laws；　equal　political　rights。　Doubtless　there　is　much　truth　in　the　idea。　If；　however；　we　consider　the　two　races　generally；　we　shall　see　there　is　no　such　right；　no　such　social　right；　for　the　very　basis　of　such　a　right；　viz。；　a　similarity　of　tastes；　instincts；　and　of　mental　and　moral　conditions；　is　wanting。　The　mental　similarity　especially　is　wanting；　and　as　that　shapes　and　refines　the　moral　one；　that　too　is　wanting。

To　illustrate　by　myself；　without　any　pretensions　to　selfishness。　I　have　this　right　to　social　equality；　for　I　and　those　to　whom　I　claim　to　be　equal　are　similarly　educated。　We　have　much　in　common；　and　this　fact　alone　creates　my　right　to　social　and　equal　recognition。

〃But　the　young　gentlemen　who　boast　of　holding　only　official　intercourse　with　their　comrade；　should　remember　that　no　one　of　them　stands　before　the　country　in　any　different　light　from　him。　。　。　。　Amalgamated　by　the　uniform　course　of　studies　and　the　similarity　of　discipline；　the　separating　fragments　at　the　end　of　the　student　life　carry　similar　qualities　into　the　life　before　them；　and　step　with　almost　remarkable　social　equality　into　the　world　where　they　must　find　their　level。〃Philadelphia　North　American；　July　7th；　1876。

If　we　apply　this　to　the　people　as　a　unit；　the　similarity　no　longer　exists。　The　right；　therefore；　also　ceases　to　exist。

The　step　claimed　to　have　been　made　by　my　success　is　one　due　to　education；　and　not　to　my　position　or　education　at　West　Point；　rather　than　at　some　other　place；　so　that　it　follows　if　there　be　education；　if　the　mental　and　moral　condition　of　the　claimants　to　that　right　be　a　proper　one；　there　will　necessarily　be　social　equality；　and　under　other　circumstances　there　can　be　no　such　equality。

〃Remember；　dear　friend；〃　says　a　correspondent；　〃that　you　carry　an　unusual　responsibility。　The　nation　is　interested　in　what　you　do。　If　you　win　your　diploma；　your　enemies　lose　and　your　friends　gain　one　very　important　point　in　the　great　argument　for　equal　rights。　When　you　shall　have　demonstrated　that　you　have　equal　powers；　then　equal　rights　will　come　in　due　time。　The　work　which　you　have　chosen；　and　from　which　you　cannot　now　flinch　without　dishonor；　proves　far　more　important　than　either　you　or　me　（Faculty　at　A。　U。）　at　first　conceived。　Like　all　great　things　its　achievement　will　involve　much　of　trial　and　hardship。〃

Alas！　how　true！　What　a　trial　it　is　to　be　socially　ostracized；　to　live　in　the　very　midst　of　life　and　yet　be　lonely；　to　pass　day　after　day　without　saying　perhaps　a　single　word　other　than　those　used　in　the　section…room　during　a　recitation。　How　hard　it　is　to　live　month　after　month　without　even　speaking　to　woman；　without　feeling　or　knowing　the　refining　influence　of　her　presence！　What　a　miserable　existence！

　　　Oh！　'tis　hard；　this　lonely　living；　to　be　　　　In　the　midst　of　life　so　solitary；　　　　To　sit　all　the　long；　long　day　through　and　gaze　　　　In　the　dimness　of　gloom；　all　but　amazed　　　　At　the　emptiness　of　life；　and　wonder　　　　What　keeps　sorrow　and　death　asunder。　　　　'Tis　the　forced　seclusion　most　galls　the　mind；　　　　And　sours　all　other　joy　which　it　may　find。　　　　'Tis　the　sneer；　tho'　half　hid；　is　bitter　still；　　　　And　wakes　dormant　anger　to　passion's　will。　　　　But　oh！　'tis　harder　yet　to　bear　them　all　　　　Unangered　and　unheedful　of　the　thrall；　　　　To　list　the　jeer；　the　snarl；　and　epithet　　　　All　too　base　for　knaves；　and　e'en　still　forget　　　　Such　words　were　spoken；　too　manly　to　let　　　　Such　baseness　move　a　nobler　intellect。　　　　But　not　the　words　nor　even　the　dreader　disdain　　　　Move　me　to　anger　or　resenting　pain。　　　　'Tis　the　thought；　the　thought　most　disturbs　my　mind；　　　　That　I'm　ostracized　for　no　fault　of　mine；　　　　'Tis　that　ever…recurring　thought　awakes　　　　Mine　anger

Such　a　life　was　mine；　not　indeed　for　four　years；　but　for　the　earlier　part　of　my　stay　at　the　Academy。

But　to　return　to　our　subject。　There　are　two　questions　involved　in　my　case。　One　of　them　is；　Can　a　negro　graduate　at　West　Point；　or　will　one　ever　graduate　there？　And　the　second；　If　one　never　graduate　there；　will　it　be　because　of　his　color　or　prejudice？

My　own　success　answers　most　conclusively　the　first　question；　and　changes　the　nature　of　the　other。　Was　it；　then；　color　or　actual　deficiency　that　caused　the　dismissal　of　all　former　colored　cadets？　I　shall　not　venture　to　reply　more　than　to　say　my　opinion　is　deducible　from　what　I　have　said　elsewhere　in　my　narrative。