The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20
UAzING AT WEST POINT.
pBUT1L "KNERCIsES OF WHICH
PLEBES ARE VICTIMS


r.v,ed and Subjected to Sweat Baths
Until They Have Commissions and
u,.torics-Forcod to Fight tho Head
p,,ux if They Objected the Hazing.
aud ~ They whip Thor Man Must
right Aeain-Enorts Honestly Made By
m. Authorities to Suppress tho Tortures.
r,,o, since tho encampment OF the cadets beg an
=, west Point this year there have been repeated
stories of Lazins Of tho most brutal kind inflicted
NV uppcr classmcn on the plebcs As often as re-
100 ,h,sc .,ot ave bcon denied, and strenu-
a,,. ,-o,ts have been made by the authorities and
dina friends of the institution 10 prevent their circu-
,.tinn for fear Of the damage II might do 10 the
,b.racter OF tho men In tho institution, tho pain IL
would catp.c " tho parents and relatives OF the
bovs who have suffered and tho possible effect IL
might have on the minds Of the young mon who are
.,Yi,,s Il, yet appointment 10 tho institution In
orjor that they may follow military career.
lis "A foolish for tho authorities 70 deny that
,h,ro has been a great deal OF hazing going on at
West Point this year II Is for an outsider 10 say
that tho authorities have not bent all their energies
10 tho task OF supprcssing II They have done
their bos, but certain things have gono In spite
of them and In defiance of tho stringent regulations
that they have formulated and have honestly tried
10 enforce
Tho subjolncd communication was written by
cadet whose nane Is not printed for the that
IN, knowledge that he had exposed the doings In
III, institution would subject him to untold annoy
Ance and probably " social ostracism as well Itwas
written by him as IL In printed In THE SUN. with
the hope that It may aid the authorities in their
work of suppressing tho brutaliucs that arc proc
tsed or. further thai II may call forth proper In
yestig cation by higher authorities that will put an
and TO them absolutely The things that arc told
Of in this communication, THE Sun Is informed,
arc all things that tho writer himself saw In the
institution There Is nothing second hand
nothing told that somebody else said happened
ornE EDITOR OF THE SuN.-Sir: In Wow Of
tho efforts making by tho West Point authorities
70 put down hazing in the Military Academy, an
unynrnished story OF Just what these abuses arc,
whence tho difficulties met by tho officials In their
efforts and glance behind tho scene at the inside
working Of this famous Government Rchool will
prove not embarrassing reading 70 theAmerican
public
The subject is not entirely a new one. except In
It's truo Light Frequently articles on West Point
hazdng appear In newspapera. magazines and
veoklies and almost invariably tho matter Ia
treated lightly. Tho conclusion Of ono Of these
surface observers Is hat -were all college hazng
harmless and conducive TO general good feeling Q
thnt earned on at West Point tho hue and cry con-
ununlly raised on this subject would speedily be
dropped" Appended as body matter 10 this as a
rule have followed accounts Of humorous situations
In which tho new cadet figures with painful promi-
nenoe This TO these writer's forms tho sum total
Of West Point hazng. Tho ono making such
statements maIely declares plainly as words can
that he has not invesdg ated tho subject on which
he writes
There is a slight parallel between West Point
And college hazing II obtains only to tho OK
ent that in either case the victim Is the stu
sSnt-in the one case the "plebe In tho other tho
freshman In West Point the three upper classes
Indulge In il at will; In the colleges the sophomore
sApnc Stops toit
1t Is the purpose OF this letter 70 treat only OF
haLing abuses which may and do result in pcr-
manent injury " the plebe. The really amusing
things which arc often exacted from the new cadet
do not enter into this at all They are harmless
and legitimate. Personal pride may be shattered
In their practice, but that Is an injury which not
infrequenty proves beneficial 1t is the infiiction
OF forms Of abuse which carefully concealed
from the public eye yet which religiously
adhered to and practced II they part OF tho
government plan OF instruction, that We have TO
deal with here.
These abuses, or tortures-for they are nothing
else all fall under the general name of'exercisng
They are known in the corps as "eagling. Sweat
baths, hanging on suetcher,- "plebe rest "box
holding" wooden willying.' Ginning foot
balls Qualifying" These arc tho severer forms
OF hazing at West Point They afford no amuse-
ment to the inquistor They simply torture, er-
quisitely torture, tho plebe The inficting Of the
entire category. part OF it. constitutes "soiree"
and according to the amount OF exercise eSacted
Is called light or heavy soiree as the case may
be- Tho term Itself Is local In its use. and has
no significance outside of its application here
The rules and regulations Of the Academy pro
vide that the cadet shall hold himself In an erect
and military position The new cadet Is required
to keep his shoulders back and his head erect and
to bend forward slightly at the hips. tits the one
ruIo which tho upper classman insists on seeing
kept And of course he carries II to the extremo
Talking In ranks Is forbidden yet. when the fourth
classman falls in with his company in the battal-
ion there is h continual yoley OF extra orders dl
Iecod at him by those not authorized 10 give them,
TO get those shoulders back" get that chin In,
TIL the cadet is in such position that he walks with
difficulty and his carriage is most painful and awk-
ward Coupled with each order is always threat
OF trouble" This will be presently explained.
Now. in tho event OF the fourth classman's In
ability to satisfy his tormentor II he smiles or
makes oral protest. he Is told TO report around 90
some fellow plebos tent or II may be his own
usually one Just opposite the yearling's Tho
plcbe is told to report at another pebes tent be-
eanse'hy order Of tho commandment no upper class
man Is permitted 10 go into under classman's
Tent and vice versa Any cadet detected dis
ooeying this order is subject to speedy and severe
punishment So the yearling gets around X by
sitting IN his own tentor 1t may be that OF class
mate-and calmly experimenting the hAzng from
across tho company street The plSbe reports--ii
he docs not he knows that trouble will be In
store Tor him-and is ordered to eagle" This ex-
orcse Is executed by bending the knees far as
posslh" toward tho ground and at the same time
extending the arms out from the sides 10 the height
OF the shoulder, perpendicular With the body. and
gently moving the hands up and down. The orig
inal position is then resumed and one eagle
mas been done The movement, simple in itself.
soon demonstrates that a number Of muscles Is
called into play rut the object OF tho yearlinG
Is not To give beneficial exercise but TO torture.
The pl"hc soon becomes weary. Fifty eagles pro.
duce fatigue; one hundred aching muscles. But
10" nr-- Ia tha Ind Ant