The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-31
CADET LIFE.
DAILY ROUTINE .AT THE WEST
POINT MILITARY ACADEMY.
Preparing Young Men for Com
missions in the Army at
Government Expense
Severe Discipline.

sional district is entitled to have cadet
in the institution, and appointments are
made by the Secretary of War on the
nomination Of the Representative of the
distr.c ct in which a vacancy occurs. The
candidate is recommended to the Sccrc.
tary of War, who appoints him, aad
orders him to appear at West FONT on
June 1st for examination by the Academ c
Board
Until the examination takes place, the
newcomers sre lodged apart from the
cadets, and the boy N uniform, although
he may not have been in the academy Il
year, speaks of the candidates as "the
animals"
The examination is held before June
25th, and while it is not comprehensive,
it is severe as far as it goes, including
writing prose and verse from dictation,
grammar, American history, geography
and arithmetic, practical and theoretlc,
up to proportion. In addition to a
knowledge of things, the candidate
must also have perfect health; and if he
is successful, he is enrolled as cadet in
the United States Army. His enrolment
lasts four years, and at the end of it he is
promoted to the rank of second lieuten-
ant.
The paw of cadet is five hundred and
forty dollars a year, and this amount is
sufficient to cover all his necessary ex-
penses. The discipline and studies are
exacting, and ones personal freedom is
very much curtaled. All cadets wear
the same kind of clothing, eat the same
kind of meals and occupy the same kind
of rooms. No one is allowed to receive
parcels form home or to visit the village
shops without permission, and thus the
boy who has no pocket money is as we'll
off as the boy whose parents are inclined
to give him Thousands.
A siuggard is utterly out Of place. At
six o'clock in the morning all the Sleep
ers in the barracks are awakened by a
gun and the roll of drum The sum-
mons is imperative, and the three hun
dred cadets quickly get out of bed and
dress. They are not allowed to lie down
again until ten o'clock at night. They
fold and roll up their bedding, and if it
is found unrolied at any time during the
day a demerit is marked against the
offender. Half an hour later the rooms
are inspected by an officer with the eye
of Dame Prim, and unless they are in
the neatest order, another demerit to the
offender How close the inspection is,
and what degree of tidiness is demanded,
may be judged by the list of offences
recorded against the cadets each day
and publicly exhibited.
If at any time cadet feels that he is
being unfairly treated by his officers or
companions, he may address the super
intendent in written protest, and all
cadets are urged to make their com.
munication as brief as possible. Some
time ago a cadet was bulletined for
'.laughing in ranks" and in accord with
this demand for brevity in explanations,
wrote to the commanding o.licer:
'Sr-gun went off-girl jumped-I
laughed Yours very respectfully,
TIMOTHY TOWNSEND"
From half-past six until seven the
cadets are expected to occupy themselves
with study, and at seven o'clock they
are marched to breakfast in the mess
hall. Loud talking during meals is pro-
hibited; nothing is allowed to be taken
away from the tables; and the cadets
can only call on the walters through
petty officer. The food is plain, but
good in quality and ample in quantity,
and twenty-five minutes are allowed for
eating it. When breakfast is over. all
arise at given signal, march out of the
mess.ha!l, and disperse for recreation.
Novel-readng, gossip, music, or what
ever form the recreation takes, is ended
at eight o'clock, when bugle sounds
the call to quarters; and the live hours
following are spent in the class-roolus,
where the cadets appear in the full uni
form of the Academy. 1t IS a pretty
dress of gray. The coat Is single
breasted, with three rows of eight gilt
buttons in front, a ''stand-up" collar
trimmed with black silk lace and black
silk cordipg. The trousers are also
of gray, with black stripe
one inch wide down the outer seam.
All the clothing. except underclothing,
is provided py the authorities, and the
cost of it deducted from the salaries.
In the academy building there is
large library, especially rich in scientific
works; an observatory; museum we'll
filed with ingenious models of wonder
full achievements in military engineering;
an art gallery; large gymnasium; a
chapel and riding-room, besides the
class-rooms administrative buildings,
barracks, mess-hall and houses of
officers.
The pluck and endurance of a green
horn are put to a hard test in the
riding lessons He is frequently
thrown, and his head and body
become familiar with the degree of re-
sistance offered by the floor and skirt
ing boards. Some of the commands are
given by bugle calls, with which the
veteran horses arc better acquainted
than the fresh cadets, and when party
is galloping at full speed toward one end
Of the hall, and the command to ''turn
about is suddenly sounded, the horses
recognize it before their riders, and un-
seat them in wheeling around. But
unless bone is broken or dislccated,
the discounted cadets spring lightly
into their saddles again, and never show,
by grimace or word, how much they
have been hurt.
The exercises embrace all the manuu-
vres of cavalry. Galloping along the
hall, q cadet leaps low barr.cade with
his sword drawn, and finds the enemy
intrenched behind. He selects con-
venient head, and slashes at it with his
weapon as he rides away or with revolver
drawn, he aims and fires from the sad
die at another head as ne breaks through
a battalion of infantry. The wars that
may be fought in the years to come are