The record-union., 1899-11-27
BRUTAL AND BARBAR0US.
Continued from First Page.3

(Continued from First PageJ
receives from his Corporal, in the ma
iority of cases, the additional admonl-
ton that 1.the less you see the easier
it will be for you to avoid trouple'
and that the ground is the place need-
ing the most careful watching. In
otner words. the sentry understands
that he issto see nothing. of course,
if he does see anything by mistake OF
accident he is In honor bound TO re.
port it. So the plebe has way III
walking a guard tour, OF sauntefihs
by a tent in which he suspects some
thing Illegal is going on ana remark
ing that he will glance In on MS re-
!. turn The warning is sufficient, ana III
case anything is out of the way, py
the time he returns all is Strengthened
out and there is nothing to report IL
is a case of .official orders being car"
ried out to the letter and broken in
the spirit.
1t has been through this placing OF
the sentinels in the street and WITH
drawing them from the regular posts
that the recent pranks in the artillery
park have been possible. The 1uSlllaue
fired by plebes in camp was not done
through desire on their part, because
detection was certain, and detectlon
meant many demerits and severe pun
ishment, but because they were Or
dered to fire the blanks which the year
lings furnished them. 1t was not
case of persuasion as correspondents
of New York papers allege. 1t was
NJ har OF aNOlQlIS
trouble
These facts make one think that
there is some fable in 'cadet honor,
much lauded and emphasized though II
is 1t is as bad to act lie as 1t is 10
tell one And the sentry acts one IN
such conscientious avoidance OF ms
whole duty. He certainly does not play
the part of the true soldier in that ne
does not carry out faithfully his second
general order, which reads: ITO walk
my post in a military manner, Keeping
constantly on the alert, observing
everything that takes place wlth'n
Sight or hearing" This is one of the
general orders by which every sentry
knows himself bound when on post.
Along the line of outwitted official Or
ders the cadets are enjoying yet the
TecOllGcIlOIl OIL Tie Udl eiNhS 'oA-0
of recent date. When scarlet fever
broke out in camp the fever cases were
taken to the hospitals and the tent
mates of the unfortunates were quar-
antined in barracks The vigilance OF
the officers did not extend thither ana
the quarantined plebe soon envied the
lot of his unfortunate fevered brothers.
All new cadets are subject to sucn
treatment. Some get more than others'
once in awhile there is one who gets
none at all. But this is never the case
with an 'army boy whose father Is oi
high standing. 1t matters not whether
the cadets parent daily risks his nie
among the Filipinos and writes page
of history with his sword or whether
the family claims generations OF Gen
erals, with silent Captain at the mead
1t makes no difference save that IL
makes the plebe's lot harder 1t like
wise makes no difference to the upper
classmen if the plebe be a foreigner
barely able to speak and understand
English. acquiring education according
to Act of Congress by courtesy of the
United States Government. He IS
braced bullied and bothered quite as
much as any other
Such in brief is a summary of the
hazing practices carried on in our ma
tional military academy. Such is the
hazing which is conducive to good
feeling, and which, if practiced else
where, would allay the hue and cry on
the subject. This in detail is what IS
referred to when the newspapers speak
of taking new measures to suppress
hazing at West Point.
The authorities have made, and are
making, earnest efforts to stamp out
hazing, and it is with a view of render
ing aid to them in their work that this
leaf of cadet life is turned to view.
Inquiries made after the receipt of
the communication have brought out
additional details and statements the
identity of the authors of which are
withheld for the same reason that the
name of the writer of the communica-
tion is withheld.
The Sun has the names of twenty
five young men, cadets, from as many
different States, who have been the
victims at "soirees'' which included
"eagling," stretching box holding"
wooden willying' and "chirring," and
in some of their cases the sweat baths
We're added. The "Sun" is informed
that lone could hardly go amiss in
naming any one of the fourth class as
having been subjected to nearly all the
forms of hazing' Therefore the publ-
cation of the names the Sun" has
would only tend to alarm and cause
pain. Further, under the code of
honor" in vogue at the academy, each
cadet would be bound to deny that he
had been hazed. and the mere rubli-
cation of his name would subject him to
the suspicion of having told tales" and
would add to his suffering as plebe.
A single instance will illustrate how
the 'code of honor holds the cadets.
Through some hook or crook the name
of a cadet who had been hazed until
he had commissions came to the authori-
ties. A court of inquiry was at once
ordered. The cadet was brought up.
He denied that he had been hazed His
attention was then called to the rules
of the academy, the first being abso-
lutte and instant obedience to orders.
The question was tnen put to him
again. He was asked if he /? as ordered
to answer. He was informed that the
commandant ordered him to answer
and then he answered that he had teen
hazed. Other questions were asked.
Each time he asked If the questions
We're an order and he was informed
that it was. and he obeyed by answer
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