, 1884-09-24
CADETS AS CHARAERS.
observations on the Ways rhsy Have
IN West Point
Each Girl Ha. Her Cadet for "A Ger
tain -Limited Psrtod-Soth-
ing at West Point
Changes


gir.s ought To have military dolls to play
VITA, Just rs they have hobby-horses TO ride,
TO inure them 20 the sight OF tie live article
without becoming demonllz,d But the ap
petite for the military grows by what ii
feeds on and a girl who has once taken o
turn at a filtration with a West Point cadet
Is like a tiger who has got a taste Of blood.
They are past help then. The Infection Is
deadly and inerndicable; thoy seldom stop
short OF marrying q second lieutenant ard
going out to Puget sound to live OH love and
a second l~eutenants pay for fifteen or
twenty years But. meanwhile, the girls
swarm around West Point like fiS
AFRO nd a keg OF m~olasos-the cadets couldn't
ght them of with a stick II they were 20
~minded-they are all pretty. al gay. and all
Happy In the Possession OF just as much
cadet rs they can capture. That Isn't worry
much, as at tie last hop at the
post there were forty cadets and pre-
cisely l2O girls
Tley observe tho rule hat prevailed at
old-feshioned Dutch tea parties when a lump
Of sugar hung from n string In the ceiling
nd the guests dip Oh it Into their ours turn
nbout Each girl has her cadot for a certain
limited Period. when shs is expec ed to hand
him over To tho next one, who is always wait
ing for him on time. 1t 50 happens that only
wv "a - A0NA - ~ ~ ~ Nv nAAA-
lie at me time, ono class being away each
year on ~Iurlough, and the fourth class, the
plebes. being forbidden on The rain OF death
10 show themselve3 on any occasion what
ever. except at parade Thus a girl can
iavo hut two really successful scasons here.
at the end OF that time tho two classes that
he knows being superseded by newcomers
She may pick up occasional ~stragglers from
the main tody after her second year, but she
has no regular and authorized 5 anding as o
telle. The girls who TcrSit In coming here
after their second season aro calld turn
baclA
Those who nns In good and regular standing
as In their art or second season ara called
rata Therc Is no ouen war between the rats
and tho ~turnbaeks, hostllities being mostly car.
ried on in guerilla fashion. The fact Is, they
are remarkably affectiorate In their man
ner, and entwine their arms ar und ono an
other and kiss violently. ut there Is as much
bushwhacking ns kissing among them. An
old cynic who hangs around bore summer
says that when won n kiss tho d VII laughs
The cadets aro as trim, as well behaved,
and as clean as ever. lncecd, ono OF their
chief charms Is their Gle anliDess. A cadet
goes through with such a series Of scrub
bings that several skis are peeled OIL and
grow out again during | Is four years course.
Tbs frst thing they are plunged
Au naturel into q tub Of boiling wntrr;
thcre they are parboiled. Then taken
out they ARE sapdpapered and hung out
to dry. Then they are polished W, especially
their faces, which on hop nights shine like
Mo es' In the turning bush. Once every day
they aio washed within an inch OF their lives,
after which they are strapped up in their uni.
forms, which bind the upper art OF their
bodies Ike the ancient Egyptian mummy
cloths.
The young hdies can never sos tho cadets
unless they 10 TO zee them, except those who
are at the West Point hotel, the only hotel
allowed on the reservation, and which do-s
not accommodate a are crowd. The
omnibuses and carriages which run firm
~neighboring points CORY tho young ladies
from the surrounding hotels. 1t Is 0 timated
hat 4 girl travels several thousands miles
going to and IRON West Point during the
sea on.
Sunday Afternoon parade Is always at
tended by a great crowd. Promptly at hall
asst o thu TaIale Is formed The ndtutant
a young gentleman wearing a tall shhko and
a dazzling pair OF whits trousers Is th,
cynosuro OF all eyes The long line OF cndet
20 through the dh.l as one man. The word
OF command ounds something like this:
-C-a.rr-y--hunksf"
ISboulder-hunksin
-Pr-sent - hun'tsi" etc. Carry
hun 8 means carry arms; SHOULDER hunis e
shoulder a~rms-hinks being the pronunciA-
ton Of arms commonly used by adiutanta In
tho army OF paraie.
The hors 20 un with The same regularity,
the sans waltzes are played. the sams cOrpo-
raj stands at the door with his drum sticks
firmly grtsped ready to beat the tattoo at 10
O'Clock for the young ladies to go home and
leave the caiets in peace. The same grim
sentry marches up and down To keep the
girls from g c ng the boys home and hanging
on the gnte afterHHrd- The band continues
10 play ~Taks Back the Heart that Thou
Gavest" as the innocent young tadpoles Of
both sexes disperse. Nothing at We t Point
changes-even the faces OF tho cadets TO
main always young Apparently they ars
tho samo fellows that drilled and danced and
hirtsd along about ls3i.