Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-07

dated in what the cadet calls the Skin
list," and the skins are not only read 10
the corps by the adjutant but are posted
In the guard house, SO that each cadet may
secure an exact copy of the report against
him. He has until the second morning TO
submit written explanation, and If this
is satisfactory the report is removed. If il
Is unsatisfactory or If ne lets the matter
so by default he Is awarded one or more
dement's, which count against his standing
and in cases of "a serious or very careless
nature he is awarded punishment besides.
This punishment usually consists in the
cadet receiving c certain number of ''con-
finements," which restrict him to his room
when not on duty, for few days, and de-
prive him of privileges. sach as leaving his
room during Saturday afternoon or after
church on Sunday. For smoking and other
serious offenses the cadet walks extra
tours; that is, he spends Saturday after
noon with a gun over his shoulder and
trarps up and down the yard along with
a score or more of fellow transgressors.
he speaks of this exercise as going snipe
ahootinS.' For fragrant breaches of disci-
pine the cadet is locked up in light prison.
Hard to BE Good.
Because a particular cadet receives quite
| a number of dement's or is "in con-" as he
calls confinement, it does not follow that
any moral turpitude is Involved. Besides
| the general regulations OF the army AMI
/ the drill regulations, there are over q thou
/ Sand special regulations which apply to
| cadets. These cover several thousand
! known offensas, for which cadets have been
reported during the last ninety years.
Then there IS one general regulation which
VIII be made to cover any new and orig inal
orrenses which may be brought to light
! during the next ninety years AS new Of
! lenses come t. light special regulations are
I franei to hit them, So that the number Of
: regulations is constantly increasing. \
: cadet may have the best intentions in the
world an /, nevertheless. have { great many
/ dS:neritS. He may be unfortunate in haV-
ms his shoes come united ur one button OF
! his coat Sst unbuttcned list when some
I body Is looking; III gees n report which
/ costs him cac demerit. ne may carefully
clean his gun for insDec tiCa, but, il the in
! spccting officer f:;1s any rust which has
/ been overlooked the cadet not only re-
! ceives dernerit, but spends the next SAT
. urday serving confinement In his room,
50 that 1t may be impressed upon his IN n
! 10 LOOK more carefully next time 4 cf,ies
/ attends frcm eight to twelve formations
! with roll calls during a day. He may have
I been on time at every roll call for q year.
but tha. does not save him q demerit I:
! he happens to be even On" second too late
In short. at West Point q nan Is not
judged by what he has done or BY what he
/ Intends 10 do. but by what he does. Day
by day there Is hammered into him that
most important lesson of life, ma nely that
every act, however trivial involves a re-
SponSibillty from whose results. whether
good or eva, 10 one should escape. He who
! is to command others. whJ Is, perhaps, to
take their Very lives in his hands, must
first be master OF himself.
Cou.d We glance over the adJutant s