The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-07-04


but Congressional wisdom, and fully
convinced that Richardson is a fnan-
cial fool. "Such is life.'
One of the good bills passed late
was the act to prevent hazing at An
napolis, for which the Secretary of the
Navy deserves great credit.
I spent few days at Annapolis
during the late examination of can
didates for the Naval Academy and
was surprised to find this pernicious
practice had extended to the candi-
dates as well as to cadets after admis-
sion. The boarding houses and hotels
where the young gentlemen were
stopping, were visited by these young
aspirants for naval fame, and their
rooms torn up and left in the greatest
disorder whenever the candidates
were.out. If so unfortunate as to. be
caught in, they were made to sing
and dance, to eat soap, and do other
disgusting things, which the brutal
rule of " Might Makes Right" prac-
tieed by these young naval heroes,
gives them the power to enforce.
They go in squads of from fifteen to
twenty in number, and catch their
unwary victim and have it all their
own way. And the worst part of it is
there seems to be no power strong
enough to break it up. If a cadet
resists this infamous brutality, he is
marked object thereafter, for the
combined malevolence Of the higher
classes; and as discipline is maintain
ed by officers belonging to the higher
classes, by members of which the
hazing is done, they have them COM
pletely in their power to report well
or i'll of, in the matter of :demerits.
1t is therefore a matter Of necessity
that they bear hazing quietly and
secretly and under the inspiration
that pervades and controls this prac-
tice they look forward to the time
when they in turn shall enjoy the
same privilege.
Hazing falls with double severity
upon the candidate as, after all, he is
quite likely not to pass the examina-
ton for admission, when he loses
the anticipated revenge. tits matter
of surprise how many failsin the ex-
animation for admission. / met with
so many, who had unexpectedly been
disappointed in this particular, and
among them some who had passed
competitive examinations for their
appointments in their Congressional
Districts, that l was led to inquire
into the causes operating to produce
this result, and found them to be not
so much in the lack of the amount of
learning. necessary nor the severity of
the examinations, but rather in the
character of the examinations, which
differs essentially from that of any
other educational system in the
| country. The proof of this rests in
the fact that of Prof. Thompson's
scholars, who enjoy three months
training at Annapolis witll..a special
view to that examination, very few
fail to pass; while the majority of
those who attempt to enter with only
the ordinary educational training fail
| in the examination. 1t is well worth
the expense and time which this
training involves and felt as if it
would be doing all parents kindness
who desire their sons to enter the
Naval Academy, to tell them what
would secure the coveted prize.
OTHER THINGS.
The effort of Gen. iiGrant to stock
the Treasury with Bass, failed, but
this does not argue that there is to be
in the State Department any change
that will reduce the predominance of
Fish for the present.
The nomination of Eugene Hale
for P. NJ. G, meets with great favor.
He is young, active, judicious, and
has strong support both East and
West. Few young men in the country
have met with the success achieved
by Mr.. Hale in Congress.
Our Boss, that we are SO proud.of,
couldn't pass the Senate as one of
the Commissioners. He got only six
votes, and three of them were given
by Clayton, Spencer and Flanagan.