The Brookhaven leader., 1885-07-23
LIFE AT WEST POINT.
THE DISCIPLINE THROUGH WHICH a
CADET MUST PASS.
Anything but Life of EaSe and I'loas
ure-Examinatlons Strictly Impair
tIaI Truth Telling AN Inherent
QuaIity-~A J.Ist Of Faults

ICor Ha-tfprl Times
Very few rcorle who have never visited
the nited tatcs military academy ha G
Il correct idea Of the actual life OF
West oint cadet 1t is anything but
lfc Of ease and pleasure. but four years
of hard. earnest work such as a few ads
have the physical endurance to undergo
In the first place q boy must ass an eX
animation to get in fully as hard rs the
examinati ms for admission to the Hart,
ford b gh schGOi. and once in he is ruled
with an iron rod Of disci. line The
greater lart of the wiIter
his barracks are little less con.
fiuing than prison. and his sole recrca.
tons are the daily drills In the
summer time books are thrown aside for
two months and the cadets go in camp
ou the plain; but they are confined to pre-.
Scribed limits. Always under the eyes OF
watchful oil GERS Midway in the course.
at the end OF the first two years the cadet
is permitted TO leave the post ou al eight
weeks fur ough
There has always been more or less
carpinr criticism at the manner of con
duCt,ng entrance eXamina'io. ;, some pco.
lle aiming that boys from the Countr
towns did not have Il fair cha &c. and
tuat army officers sons were shown
favoritism There certainly arc a great
many boys re ected in proportion
to the number admitted but the
academic board rassc, on an applicants
PAPERS as designated by certain mum
Der his name and personality are
known only TO the al utant, wIo has
40 casting V%c. \ rofcssor might re.
iect his own nephew and not know it
Most applicants fail thr ugh not knowing
what special studies to perfect them
selves in. The law on The iect is sim
pie enough. but It is elastic, and its {
verify greatly increased by the regulations
Of the academy. 1t is sheer waste of
time for boy TO come here who has
not thoroughly mastered the elements OF
the three ;. and who knows something
about the history AMI geography o. hS
own country.
Apropo> 0i the number Of failures the
critical cc ItIcHen who sit in Judgment
here ii. d that boys are not so well pre-
pa ed under the comm n school system of
TO day ~ they were In the private schoo =
of twenty nvC years ago ne of the
oldcSt and most experienced members Of
the academic board NOW retired admit.
ted in cOnv2r alton the other day thai he
had found this 10 he the fact and hc
added, "the much boaStcd schools in a
large part of New England form no g.
ccpt.on TO the rule. but even if an arp'i.
cant posses CS al the mental accomplish
mcnts he must Dc strong physl.
ally. An cxi erenced surgical board
will find the unsound spots III him, if he
has any and send him home by the rrst
boat 1t is rCa IL painful to see the diSap-
u intmeut and despair on the faces IF
nt he l.IIG 20 q
dar only TO have their dearest hopes ruth.
lcssy broken and the gates barred at the
entrance of u long road but the Ouly one
lcadiug to their highest ambition. Bcs de
those who fail NJ the outset. there are
many VIII" start with fair pros Get Of
success. and at the nrSt or second semi
annual examinations are found. rs the
cadets sa, meaning found del Gent, and
are com elctl TO pack MP their trunks
AID leave onIc ]ads don't mind it. but
others never get over the disappOnl mcnt
roUably no school or college in the
country is SO fair an example of demo
cratic representation as the West Ioiut
military academy. cut Of nearly 800
cadets the ma Orlty are the sons OF com
parativey poor parents; but whether rich
Or poor, educated or uncullurcd. inuuen-
tia or obscure the bows get precisely the
have passed the necessary examination
and don the cadet uniform, Ills ante,
cedent> are lost sight of. All share the
same privileges, the same hardships the
same restrictions. ride and conCcit. in
lcnsiHcd by the Codding of fond parents.
are knocked out of a lad in a ling.
i'rompt Obed.euc is orc of the first things
required Ommauds are given in quick,
sharp tones. which the cadets soon grow
accustomed to. but which would sound
harsh eaough TO bring tears to the eyes Of
la tford high school boy.
The moral training that the boys get
can not be too highly estimated Truth
telling is an Inherent ,uaity in cadet.
at least So far as his SO dierly duties arc
concerned SO much confidence is placed
in the word OF cadet by the command
ant tina a mere denial Of an alleged of
fense is sulncient The hoy must and
does speak the t nth. making frank CON
fession of a lault if he is guilty # he
does not do So he knows that his COM
rades are in duty bound to tell on him if
ucstoncd, and Will surely do 50. no mat.
ter how disagreeable to the ties of com
paniOnship A lie is al almost unDardon.
able otlense The duties of the interior
orga aiZatiOn of the battalion and the regu
latiUn of the barracks are so subdivided
that habits of self control self command,
CLEANLINESS and fau tess order ONE by i'll,
tuition. iOlation of rules means loss OF
liberty. and perhaps expulsion pick
these samples of punishable complaints
from IA long list dai Y posted in the guard
house, where each cadet faults are biS
Zoncd to his fellows:
Waist belt too loose.
Not properly shaved &-..-
Late at Chur, b roll call.
Shoes not properly cleaned.
irty gun at inspection.
Very diity collar at guard-mountiug
Wash, bowl not clean.
No white shirt on.
This is su tcient to show how closely
the bows are watched. Tan not give
detailed account OF the long and arduous
course of study that is necessary to sue,
cess. The first year the cadets are drilled
thoroughly in mathematics. to train the
mind to exact reason. The second year
their time is taken up principally b. the
modern languages The third year they
plunge into physics and philosophy. TO
give them habits of close and accurate OBJ
servation. The fourth and last year they
must dive deep iuto law, ordnance and
gunnery and The ar! Of war. In the diff
fcrent studies the marks indicate close
range from perfect, through fair. indiffer-
cnt poor. to complete failure. The regu.
lati0ns Of the academy appOr ion the time
of the cadet in such "A way that each task
must be performed in specified hours.
during which be is wholly free from iu,
terruption. Except on saturday after.
moons cadet sees very little of anybody
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