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

signed from this academy, where the student is
paid for being educated and furnished with a
comfortable position afterward.
But it is not the thought of the free educa-
ton, nor of the subsequent honorable position,
so much as it is pride that keeps them there
as long as they can stay. As a rule bright
young men are sent to West Point and great
things are expected of them at home, so that it
is very rare for one of them, of his own free
will, to return to his native town and face the
sarcastic comments and destroy the good opin-
ion of his townspeople.
As soon as q young man receives IN appoint
ment to West Point he becomes a small lion in
his own town. People point to him proudly as a
future general. perhaps President. The young
| ladies look shyly at him and wish they knew
| him. His bump of conceit assumes alarming
proportions. Everybody stares at him, at
least ne imagines so. and when he reaches West
Point he thinks himself a hero already.
KNOCKED OFF HIS PERCH.
Poor fellow. He is soon undeceived. The
reception given to the candidates. in accordance
with the regulations by the cadets placed
over them. is not calculated to in
crease young mans opinion Of him
self. He is abruptly knocked off the
high perch that he has been occupying wor-
SHIPPED hero, and falls into a position of utter
| insignificance. He has been fawned upon too
much. 1t is well known that it is difficult to
teach a man who thinks he knows it all already,
and therefore at West Point some of the cadets
with the authority of the regulations, and others
without such authority. make it their duty to
di-abuse the minds of the candidates of the idea
which they invariably have. tina. they are con-
slderably wiser than most Of their generation.
he medicine is unpalatable but quite necessary.
From the time they report Is candidates until
the conclu ion of .'plebe' camp a period of
about three months, the newcomers are sub
! Jected TO species of hazing. harmless in its
nature and most beneficial in results. At the
end of these three months the "plebe' is no
longer spoiled child. but an obedient. tracta-
/ bic fellow, without conceit. but with pride and
determination still. and with other qualities in
him that will make him man. These three
months are important ones in the education of
q West Pointer. Without the haZng. the lille
| climate as well the Legitimate. the course
! would be incomplete. 1t teaches the bows
/ at the outset of their careers that thev are not
/ to expect smooth sailing always. that they can
/ not have their Jwn way III everything. that they
must learn TO overcome difficulties. 1t is a
grand and necessary part of an officer s educa-
/ ton. Looking back not SO very far back. to
my West Point DAYS. | can say with perfect
/ truth that | benefited more by my treat
ment during the frs. three months of ''plebe''
| camp than for ike period during my other
/ part of the course, and l received my share OF
/ the hazing. too.
THE HOWL ABOUT BRUTAL TREATMENT.
| Occasionally there is a great howl about the
| brutal treatment of "plebes'' at West Point.
Certain newspapers delight in publishing mat
! ter of this kind simply because it gives Uncle
=: ." m u6 ~ .he iIpr. Ine lnos' aoeuru yarns
II 'Let reHect vi, a government n:ututoh' are
eagerly made public by these sensation mongers
| Pos ibly the reason is that the appropriation
iol cInuuc'ihs iipei sui's has Always oeeh
NM IN
n0 aouie1 Vi me- s'or,ee aoou' west rom.
. my 1e ti,:eI " uIsa PPoihteu
Pi.u VIZ nss p Zee, lseu ior oeiIcielcy
az o'u ne vi WIZ mas iesisheu W escaPe 'hat
Ia.e. ne returns 10 ms nome ana, unwiihnS 70
AUNT ~ ms FORMER aonilrers tnat ne mao not
VIC iediisi'e hieh'ai capacity W n,irn the
coui Sc ne in.ehts some yarn ABOUT ,he lnnu-
,oi '.le ~ Mien ne LAS peen su?Jec,eu' MS
iI'aoiiI.I 10 stAHu suen .reatnleht any iohgef,
&c f. ~ nc Is vi literary Turn Oh nilna ne .ells
LIS stoFE III wiring, combining Win MS own
experiences all the tales derogatory to West
roinl Una! ne mas learned from ehtirely COM
pe..; lt;,;.y' en- ens PeinaPs Upon LIS
ihHehu'e aolii'y W HI OUT one more coiumn:
oucn az eA"seela'eu s'or! ot Wes, ioin1
nHil,s' "-i''eh "! III mgr Piepe from
! onl''h' was recenu! Puol heu ~, Tue nuhoa!
/ i,sue Vi /" view ioih new spaPer' me eultor OF
'ne p"Pei, ilhPneii, oS.e.ins ,ne s'oI!' OF
PreohunS ~. s'a.es ~, us mn 10 tne
areicie 'liat :ne .oune IeLow' hunluly resent
ing me liiol2flueS 10 when ne was suDlected,
1ouhd ms position so inteieraoie tnat ne was
compeheo 10 resign
Inc "hoie arucie Is strongly suggestive OF
sour grapes. IL LOOKS very much as though
the young man were trying 70 recover the pres.
uSe that ne mao among ne Sooa people OF
Omaha Deiofe MS departure 1or west Point
| The misguided youth doubtless thought when
ne sh1"eu iiis ui-app,oNal VI Mes' tollt Gus
tbo. bra hand and NH tbe nrettv u;rjs ana
possibly the MAYOR, and very likely the whole
garrison from the fort near by, would be at the
depot ready to give him rousing reception.
HIS disappointment, poor Fellow, must have been
great 80 must the Oil appointment OF his erst-
while admirers They thought he was going to
be great honor to Omaha, general perhaps,
some time But what kind OF a general would
he maker He hasn't any fighting qualities in
him. lie has run away at the very first fire.
He is not the kind OF man for an officer. II 8
good thing he didn't stay there. The service
Is better of.
Grant was hnZed at West Point. Did he run
home? Did herman. or Sheridan? Was all the
manhood taken out of these great men by their
reception at West Point? Not at all The
foundation Of their fame was laid during those
three months. Soldiers are not made of men
who are afraid of hardsh!ps. and who throw
down their arms and stink off at the first sight
of the enemy. Such men are better off away
from West Point and ont of the army, and so are
West Point and the army much better off with
out them.
As matter of fact the haAing at West Point
is always of harmless nature: there is no ele-