The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-11-23
LIFE AT WEST POINT.
Csdets Learn to Obey Before They
Command.
Hard Work In Abundance for the student
of West Point-Infantry Drill,
Artillery Practice.

Every one who travels for the first
time along the beautiful Hudson be-
tween Kew York and Albany asks for
West Point, and is disappointed to find
how little interest can be seen from the
boat to the train. The United States
Mjlit3ry academy is on broad pla-
teau several hundred feet above the
river and the railroads. It is well
worth ones while. however, to stop off
at West Point and proceed up the
plain says the Washington STAR
which on a large scale corresponds on
the usual college campus. Here the Wis
itor finds a little world peculiar to it.
self. Nature and man have co-opera-
ted to make one of earth's most beau
tiful spots one of the must useful as
well. Shut in by the Highlands of the
Hudson, which rise in the rear of the
grounds like small mountains, the mill
tary cadet learns the rudiments of the
art Of war amid the most peaceful
surroundings. So quiet is the place
that the casual visitor fancies the ca
ADt 1AAuDL AADclb 0O 1dAi1y ilAOdoA Lie
academy as does the flag in the breeze
Could the visitor follow the cadet
from reveille until taps he would con-
cluoe that the latter has d great deal
to do besides wearing fine clothes and
dancing the german. The writer has
labored sixteen hours a day on the
farm, but never in the busiest agricul-
turaI season did he work as he did
while a cadet ct West Point. To I'M
derstand fully how this is true one
must follow out in detail the compre-
hensive system requiring the great
amount of work that the cadet is call
ed upon to perform
West Point, in view of its unique
position in the educational world. has
a system peculiarly its own The line
at which il divides from other great
institutions is that it pays its students
a small salary to cover all their e1-
penses, while in the usual case it is
the student who does the paying.
This fact enables West Point to do
about as it pleases and to withdraw
from the individual cadet that much
coveted privilege. The result is an iron
discipline, which, with salutary restric-
tons, is wisely administered for the
best interests of all concerned. It
must be remembered that TINS is
national school, maintained by the peo-
pie, and that the object in view is the
education of an officer fitted to rep
resent those people in the army, all
the more important on account or Its
small size, which forms the nucleus
of their defenders.
By this time the visitor is inQuir1ng
about the trim cadet, whom he has
seen disappearing around the corner
of the barracks in response to the sol
emn call Of a bugle. First Of all how
did he become a cadet? He was ap-
pointed by the war department on
the recommendation of his congress
man. Each member of the lower
House is entitled to have one cadet at
the academy all the time. If each can
didate that he nominated were admit
ted and graduated the congressman
would have selection every four
years. Many candidates fail on the
entrance examinations, and only about
80 per cent. of those who are admitted
are successful in graduating, so that
every year or two the congressman is
apt to find himself with cadet ap-
pointment to bestow on some boy re-
siding in his district and between the
age of II and p.
The president has the appointment
of one cadet from the District OF CO.
lunbia and ten from the United States
at large The ''at large appointments
are usually given TO the sons Of army
and navy officers. who, from the ma
ture of their positions, do not, as
rule. remain long enough in one place
to acquire the necessary legal resi-
denCe There are usually 400 or 500
applications for each of the cadet ap-
pointments at the presidents disposal
Those candidates who pass the en-
trance examinations are admitted in
June, and Immediately upon reporting
at West Point, are put under military
discipline, which, as long as they re-
main at the academy, never relaXeS-
These new arrivals are known IN cadet
parlance as beasts and the separate
part of cadet barracks to which the
so-called animals are assigned rejoices
in the name of ''beast barracks"
Here for a few weeks the new cadet
lives under supervision Of an army
officer and in the immediate charge
of cadet officers detailed for their in
strucdon. Drills, marching and forma-
tons keep them busy from morning
until night. The old cadets go into
camp on q corner Of the grounds about
the middle of June. In July the new
cadets follow, and camp is maintained
until the end of August. Meanwhile
the new cadets have become full
f1edged fourth-claSs men, and are now
known as "'plebes" a name which
Aclings to them until the following
June, or a whole year. A sharp line
separates the plebe from his colleagues
Of the other three classes. Among his
own classmates he is called by his last
name, or, if popular. by his first, but
to an upper classmate he is always
Mister" So-and-so. When addressing
an older cadet he must always prefix
a Mister and end up with a sir and
in return he receives the same courte-
sizes with scrupulous exactness. The
following dialogue between an old ca
dpT and 2 rlQhQ qffar> h =,
camp is Of hourly occurrences:
What is your name, sir?''
MIR. Smith. SIR
Where are you from, Mr. Smith,"
From California, SIR
Who was your pred, predecessor
'.Mr. Jones. sir,
What was your previous condition
of seryitude. Mr.. Smith? ''
II was student, sir
Camp dragS YEARLY by for the moor
plebe, and it is a source of wonder to
him that he has ever seen any attrac-
ton in the profession of arms. He goes
to roll call, to squad drill, to company
drill, to artillery drill He marches
TO all Of his meals at the mess. hall a
quarter OF a mile away. with a cadet
officer at his heels directing him to
keep back his shoulders, to draw in his
chin, to straighten out his knees, to
hold up his head, or to correct any or
all of the thousand and one bad tend
encies of the fral mortal in walking.
In addition to the above duties he has
to be in immaculate condition for dress
parade, both morning and evening He
marches to instruction in SWIMMING.
and 10 his dancing lesson. An cadets
are taught TO dance, but the plebes
not being recognized as having much
more than right to exist, do not at