Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-10-01
LET THE BOYS FIGHT.
GEN. MCDONALD APPROVES THIS
METHOD OF SETTLING DISPUTES.
Other Means Being Exhausted IIe Thinks
tho Students ShouId Meet In tho
Presence of Friends.

| Adjutant-General James Mcdonald Is
perhaps one of the best-posted men in the
State on questions of school discipline,
especially in institutions where special at-
tention is paid to military training. Be
sides being wcll-read man and close OBJ
server he has for several years been one OF
the visitors of the Virginia Military Insti-
tute and has become pretty well acquainted
with its inside workings. The General has.
| like all other Nrginians. read with pain
| and sorrow the accounts OF the recent difii-
| cult. e the Institute that resulted IN the
| death OF young 1allaferro. A representa-
/ tive OF the Bispdfch called at General NC
| Donald's Office yesterday afternoon and bad
an interesting talk with him about the Ia
mentable affair. During the conversation
the reporter asked:
You were represented in n city paper
day or two ago a. saying that you approved
| the mode of settling their difficulties prac-
| tlced by the cadets Of the Virginia Military
Institute. Were you cOrrect1 reported? "
do not remember TO have spohen 20
! any reporter on the subject" replied the
| General, but | have no objection to say
| ing that with an explanation such state
ment Of my opinion would do me no IN
justice"
THEY WILL FIGHT.
What would be the explanation?" was
asked
"Why, this: Till the millennium comes
| BOYS, and men, too. as for that, will fight
over their personal disagTeemcnts. When
! occasion for a fight is supposed TO exist
the best thing that can be done is 10 call
IN disinterested parties, whose first and
highest duty is to consider the facts and,
if possible, adjust the trouble and prevent
the fight. Their next duty, if the fight
must go on. is to see that no weapons arc
used: that the fight is fair and equal one,
and that it is managed a. privately as pos
sible, 30 that outsiders DO not become in
volved, and the public peace IS not broken.
Their final duty Is TO see that the hight does
not 90 10 the extent of doing dangerous or
permanent hurt TO either cOmbatant. This
is what understand 10 be the system at the
Institute; and know of none better NOR
as good. Hundreds of such fights have
taken place there without any Ill effect
until the unhappy affair of last week. the
fatal termination of which, j must think,
was due to the accident of young 1alia-
ferro's head striking against the edge of
bench as owas falling. i happen TO know
most of the cadets whose names are men,
toned IN connection with the affair. They
are the sons Of honorable and high-mind-
ed gentlemen, and are themselves as fine
young fellows as any in the%State. The
possibility Of such q result az occurred
could never for moment have entered
their minds"
TRUST TO FRIENDS.
"You think then deliberately
fight better than if they were TO go at it
ha1nmer-and-tongs Immediately on the oc-
casion arising!"
~ certainly do. for in the latter case
there Is no opportunity to oprevent 1t by In
voking the calm judgment of friends as TO
whether or not it can be honorably
avoided; nor is there any assurance that II
Will be fair and equal: nor any security
against the use of weapons or some deadly
implement. Carried away 10y the fury OF
the fight a boy would be apt TO seize any
deadly instrument IN reach and might in
fiict fatal blow when scarcely conscious
of what he was doing. ! could name one
Of our best-governed colleges IN which two
fatal fights of this character have occurred
within my recollection"
FAIR AND EoUAL.
You seem to dwell on the fact that
fichts at the Institute are far and equal
How can that be when cadets differ as
much as students at other colleges in size,
age, and strength
Il have been told by former cadets, for
/ was never q cadet myself. that when the
fallinC-out il between two cadets OF
markedly unequal physical capacity 1t =
no unusual thing for the weaker 20 call
upon some stouter friend to serve as his
substitute. In this way it sometimes
comes about that cadets VINO are them
selves perfectly good friends are pummel-
ling each other might and main. There IS
n feature of chivalry about this that l
think is very captivating"
THE FIGHT ENDS THE QUARREL.
"There is another incident of these In
stitute fights that distinguishes them ia
Il. Il. Of al
conflicts.n continued General Mcdonald.
ut Is the unwritten law of the place that
the fight ends the quarrel and eXtinguish-
es i'll feeling At the close of the fight the
bows shake hands, and are expected
thencefOrward TO be friends. | am sure
this is better than not TO fight, but 70
cherish hatred. malice, and oil uncharita-
bleness, one towards another. perhaps
for life
My observation is that the intercourse
of the cadets with each other Is upon a
higher plane than IS usual with collegians,
and the point of honor is held paramount.
This is, have no doubt. the result in part
of the personal responsibility for conduct
that is exacted."
HAZING ABOLISHED.
"Does the practice of hazing' still pre-
vail?"
1.-THE Board Of Visitors and the Superin-
tendent have made persistent ana strehu-
Gus efforts of late years TO break up :he
practice, and cases now are of such rare
occurrence and so modified and moderated
IN character that the practice may be said,
in effect, no longer to exist"
"What IS your official relation to the In
stltute?"
- am er-o6icio a member of the Board of
Visitors"
NO INVESTIGATION.
"what, as you understand it,. is the
attitude of the Institute authorities
towards the participants in these fights "
the reporter asked when about to bid the
General adeu.
MY understanding" he said "is that
these pugilistic affairs are generally allowed
to take their course. do not mean that
they are countenanced by the authorities
OF the Institute. OF course if they knew
in advance that fight was TO come of they
wonld use every means IN their power TO
stop it. But after one Is over they do not,
/ believe, feel called upon to investigate
it. That is. if Il cadet comes to recitation
NTH "a blocled eva or swollen nose no one