Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-03


must not submit to hazing or ill-treatment Of
any kind, or to the use Of insulting, profare or
abusive language toward them.
IF any such abusive treatment or hazing be
must defend themselves and not submit to it
for moment.
The sooner new cadets learn that IL is more
manly to resent conduct on the part Of others
forbidden by the regulations than to submit to
degrading treatment Of any kind the sooner
will they be prepared to fill the conditions Of a
cadet and gentleman"
These paragraphs, and others in a similar
strain, are carefully pointed out to each candi-
date, and he is thus given a very clear idea Of
what his rights are. The Omaha boy states that
candidates are kept in ignorance Of the rules.
Such, 1t will be seen, is not the fact.
A SAMPLE INSTANCE.
As a sample of brutality the young man cites
truly pathetic incident. A "plebe," with his
vaccination wound not yet healed, is subjected
to the most inhuman torture. But let's read
about 1t in his own words. 1t sounds like Bill
Nye
GAS an instance Of their injustice may be
cited the case of one of our own class 1t is the
more striking as occurring late in the fourth
class year, long after the worst of plebedom is
supposed to be over. This classmate Of ours, a
very well drilled and soldierly fellow, had a
great sore on one of his arms from a recent
vaccination. so that he could not keep his arm
Strengthened out, as is required in ranks. A
| flecloser ordered him to straighten it out. He
told the filecloser he could not, and stated the
reason. Thereupon the flecloser and half the
other sergeants and corporals of the company
| began abusing him, &C.
Now, isn't that horrible state Of things?
| Imagine that poor, wounded soldier While
| he was suffering terrible agony he was ordered
| to straighten out his arm. He should have
obeyed. If he had had fresh bullet holes in
| him it would have been no excuse for his not
obeying orders. He should have Strengthened
out that arm or died in the attempt. No Won
der he was Jumped on" That fellow had not
vet learned the lesson of unquestioned obe-
dience and his replying to filecloser was al
most as serious breach of discipline as his
refusal to obey the order An upper class man
would have been treated the same way.
In my own class. within week Of gradua-
ton. man was ordered by filecloser. a SER
geant in the class below him. to correct the po-
sition of his piece. He was not CARRYING it at
| the proper angle. but he would not change the
position in obedience to the order. and n re-
suit he was kept at West Point a cadet for
two months and half after his class graduated
and was then assigned position in the army at
the foot of the lieutenants of the lire. His
standing in studies well up in the class, too.
But prompt obedience must be insisted upon.
and this example shows that upper class men,
az well as .'plebes." must submit to the require
rnents of discipline.
CASE OF INSOMNIA.
This injured youth from Omaha speaks tragic
ally Of one man who was forced into insomnia
by the treatment he received at the hands of
upper classmen after his return from camp.
As a matter of facilitating is discontinued en-
trely when studies begin, on the LIST Of Septem-
Der, and this mans insomnia was undoubtedly
due to his inability to master the somewhat
lengthy lessons in the time allowed for study.
There are numerous cases of insomnia like this
every year. 1t was an unsolved problem when
graduated from West Point how to- run a
light after taps without being caught. NJ
merous expedients had been tried. some of them
very ingenious. The most common one was to
pin blanket up to the window and turn the
gas full blast. But this was risky as the
light frequently shone through the window at
the edges of the blanket in spite of careful pin
ming. and also because it was difficult to get the
blanket down in time upon the approach of an
inspecting officer. have known cadets to crawl
up he chimney and study by candle light wav
into the small hours. Others study under the
table. concealing the candle light by means of
blankets. Boys of less than average brillancy,
especially BOYS who are weak in mathematics
find it impossible to learn their lessons without
resorting to some such plan. This man with
insomnia. above referred to. has probably been
caught running light several times. and rem
dered desperate by his inability to master the
lessons and realizing fully that ne would be
found deficient at the approaching January
examination. took the bull by the horns. and to
escape the disgrace of dismissal for deficiency
resigned Ion account of insomnia
Our young Omaha friend is filled with alarm
lest our army officers degenerate into set OF
brutes. He says that the effect of being hazed
at West Point would be shown Ion the plains
of the Dakotas along the Rio Grande per-
haps. when tina: 'plebe' had come himself to
command men and to be able to give selfshress
full swing
ONE CADETS CAREER.
have in mind young man who was in the
class ahead of me at West Point He was a
straight. tall. handsome fellow. and he had
wonderful faculty Of getting in and out of
scrapes. As ''plebe" he was hazed unmerci-
fully and he took his turn at hazing the next
year. As a result he had more fights during his
stay at West Point than fall to the lot of most
men in a lifetime. He was sometimes
thrashed and sometimes victorious. He stood
SO low in discipline and in studies that at every
examination it was thought that he would
surely be deficient but he always managed to
have n few dement's to spare and would pass
such good examinations that his average for
the six months would be raised to the re-
quired standard He finally graduated with
his class with lower percentage than
a graduate had ever received As said. he was
hazed and he was o hazer. but he was neverthe-
less brave and manly fellow and is conceded
to be most valuable officer. He was assigned
to one of the colored cavalry regiments. sta
toned in Arizona, and the next year he distin-
guished himself in the Geronimo campaign.
A medal Of honor was awarded to him ''for
gallantry in action against hostile Apache In
dams in the Penito mountains. Mexico. Nav 8,
1886. rushing forward to the rescue of a soldier
Ga negro) who severely wounded and lay
disabled exposed to the enemy's fire and carry
ing him to place of safety"
1t is such men that are ornaments to their
profession. This man. a hazer and q fighter at
West Point, proved himself TO be a soldier and
hero not a bully nor brute.
general order in force at West Point, pre-
viously quoted in this article, encourages new
| cadets TO defend themselves and not to submit
to ill-treatment for moment. II they don't
like the harmless hazing they must fight it out.
prove themselves to be men and then they will
be treated with respect.
THE FIGHTS AT THE POINT.
The fights that take place at West Point are
always conducted in the fairest kind of way,
the "plebe" being given every advantage. As
fair sample Of o cadet fight, one may be cited
| in which the writer took prominent part
| The most expert boxer in the yearling class, a
| strong. athletic chap. had occasion once to
order '.plebe' somewhat smaller than himself
| to draw buckle. of water for him. The ''plebe"
was southern aristocrat and absolutely re-
| fused to perform the mental service In accord
auce with the time honored custom fight was
necessary. 1t would have been manifestly unfair
TO pit the ''plebe" against his powerful oppressor
and accordingly the yearling class (for it imme-
diately became a class affair." selected a man
g., t1x,v