The morning call., 1890-07-06
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The stern realities of military life are be-
fore him as soon as he enters the barracks.
He will have no Injuries and no tender at
tentlOns. His room is uncarpeted and he
shares it with q comrade. 1t contains two
wooden chairs, a wooden washstand, a
common wooden table. plain clothes
press, two iron bedsteads and two tin water
buckets. He gets no ice-water and is COM
PEELED TO drink from gourd with wooden
handle. No pictures nor adOrnmentS are
allowed upon the walls. An iron bedstead
and hard mattress without springs serve as
his couch. Only the bare necessaries of
life are furnished him. But Rip Van
Wrinkle never slept sounder than a West
Point Cadet Frederick the Great seldom
worked harder, and this will appear from a
days work of a cadet in the senior class.
Take what is known among the cadets as
a scratch day." The cadet rises at reveille.
He washes, dresses and goes to his COM
pany parade ground, where he must appear
al As o'clock in the morning. he Is hardly
in line before he hears the rOll-call. 1t
last only a minute. He answers to his
name, is dismissed and returns to his room.
Immediately afterward he makes up his
bed. sweeps the bare floor and dusts the
maRtelpiece, clothes press, table, chairs
and washstand. At o'clock he hears the
sick call. If ill he goes to the hospi-
tai. where the surgeon attends to his
wants If we'll, after cleaning his room he
breakfast in study. If subdivision in
spector he inspects the seven rooms in his
bailiwick at police call at five minutes after
6. 1t is his duty TO note all visible viola
tons OF police regulations and record them
in his police certificate. He fills 1t out
on his return to his room. be must then
place the certificate in the box allotted to
his company IN the cadet guard-house.
At Clio he again hears the beat of the
drum. 1t is the first call for breakfast.
Between this and the last call, at 6:15, he
completes his toilet. The corps forms in
front Of the barracks and marches to Grant
Hall for breakfast after the last cali.
Thirty minutes are allowed for the meal.
Upon the return of the cadets to the bar
racks he is released from quarters. This
release lasts until o'clock Ii he has any
business with the cadet c0mmissary now is
the time to transact it. cadet in the
senior class rarely ayails himself of the re-
lease. He repairs at once to his room and
cons his Spanish The lesson comprises
about four pages OF grammar, two OIL read
ing and three of verb-conJugation. At 10
he drops Spanish and takes up his engi-
neering lesson. The task given him uSu-
ally comprises about twenty pages in the
Art of War; or some kindred subject.
At $50 the cadet marches with the other
nine men in his section to the engineer
classroom. The recitation lasts until 10 80.
BE then has five minutes intermlssiOn.
W IlnlU lulS Illlb Ht ictuIuo ~ tHO JUL
racks, exchanges his books on engineering
for his Spanish, and marches to the Span
ish section-room. Here he remains until
noon. The next hour is spent in the prep
aration of his lesson in law.
At o'clock sharp the corps forms at the
tap of the drum in front OF the barracks and
marches to the hall for dinner. Each table
accommodates ten persons. AS the cadets
march in they arrange themselves behind
their chairs and await orders. Company
A, be seated" shouts the orderly sergeant
of that company. Each cadet hangs his
hat upon "A hook in the back Of his chair
and takes his seat at the table. The other
companies are seated in like manner. There
are three courses. The best of soup Is
served, and plenty Of it. Then come roast
meats, and they are roasted TO turn.
After that dessert is placed upon the table.
Sometimes it is pudding and at others It is
Strawberries, pineapples or other delica-
cies in their seasons.