The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-04-16

left your home in the backwoods?
When do you expect to get married."
Many other questions were fired at
me in rapid succession, and, after
maintaining the position of soldier
until I was about ready to drop, | was
sent to room and turned loose therein
with lot of youngsters who had just
previously passed through the ordeal
of taking the position of soldier. No
from different parts of the country;
and the only thought in common to us
was one of disgust at our reception and
a determination to resign and go home
just as soon as we could get the con-
sent of our parents or guardians.
That evening we were turned out for
squad drill. 1 was placed in squad
under the instruction of Cadet II. b.
Ayers, then just emerging from his
plebeship, and the prospect of his pro-
motion to the rank of corporal seemed
''to initiate him with pride and vanity
and puff him up with pomposity.' |
was awkward, and while the other
members of the squad were permitted
to stand at ease, he gave me some extra
lessons in the position of the soldier
and his facings. | felt very much dis
posed to give him lesson or so in
actual war, but l did not know his
rank, and feared that if / attempted it
| might terminate my military career:
so | controlled my temper. This same
Ayers was the brave, gallant and highly
J, distinguished General Ayers in the
Civil War.
When the new cadets had all report
, ed, they were organized into sections
=, for instruction in arithmetic, etc., pend
ing their examination by the Academ
, ic Board. These sections were placed
, under cadets who had been at the acad
envy one year, and they had their OWL
fun with the poor, disheartened plebes
, l was in Beltzhoover's class, and he sent
me to the black board to work out this
problem:
eff the brim of mans hat be nine
inches broad, how long should the skir
' of his coat be-"
! Another profound question was asked
of the one who sat next to me:
, "In case of a black squall on canal
, would the captain be justified in taking
2 a reef in the stovepipe without con
: sulting the cook?'
+ Another plebe was sent to the boart
! to add two and two. His reply wa
: prompt: -Four"
b "How do you know" asked Beltz
Y hoover.
!. After some argument on the subject
S the plebe replied:
4 s'I do not know the mOdus Operandi.
n "Modus who?" asked BeltZhoOveI
l. ''there is no such professor at tn
t, academy
j. In this way the hour was consumed
the section dismissed, and we returne
s to our quarters. Day after day thi
/, farce was continued until we wer
called up for examination by the Acs
e demic Board. OF course, there wa
not time to examine an applicant yer
a minutely in arithmetic, so an exampl
was given to each and number c
n questions asked to ascertain the fami
,r iarity of the victim with the genera
e subject. A single mistake caused tn
le rejection of the one making it. Th
example given to me was this:
ID eff one bushel of wheat costs fiv'
s: sevenths of a dollar, what will thre'
g. eighths of bushel cost?"
rs I placed the work on the blackboal
u promptly and faced the examinin
board, ready to recite. Not being calle
10 on at once, and becoming abashed
7e the sight of the professors and the
I epauletted assistants, faced the blacl
a. board again and went over my wor
It. Finding a mistake, l corrected it ar
Ie thus prevented my rejection. One
to the candidates in my class was ia
handsome young fellow from Tenne
id see. He failed to pass the examin
as tion, and 1 saw him weeping. Suppo
$ ? ing that his tears were called forth
ou his failure, attempted to console hi