Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-06

NNN>AN
have at West Point. These traditions
are carefully preserved and handed down
from one class to another, and it is of
the rarest occurrence for a cadet to do
anything that is contrary to them. II
he does violate an importcnt one, the
cadet in question is made to feel the dis
pleasure of the corps in an unmistakable
n
Such a tradition is that a "plebe.' as
members of the fourth class are called,
is never regarded on an equal footlns
with an upper class man until he has
cmpleted his first year at the Academy.
He is invariably addressed as Mr.. So
and-So, or just plain Mister. and must
always address upper class men IN the
anne formal manner and, in addition, ne
must be prolific in his use of the word
tence.
If a plebe is asked by an upper class
man what his name is, he must reply
''Mr. Brown, SIR or whatever his name
may be, and if he fails to do so he IS GER
tain to be told to put a sir on that,
Mister in a way that will usually cause
him to remember it. OF course, a plebe
soon learns this, and there is no longer
any trouble with him on that score.
An amusing anecdote is told OF a raw
country lad who reported at West Point
a few years ago concerning this use OF
the word sir When the new cadets
report at the Academy they first visit
the a%djutant's office, where they deposit
their credentials and give
concerning their parents or guardians
and their former careers. Next they visit
the treaSurer'S office and depoSi what
money they may have with them. and
then they go to the barracks, where they
report to the cadet officer in charge OF
their instruction. 1t is here that they
receive their first taste of military dis
cipline. Well, this young man passed
through the preliminaries, finally reach
ing the barracks, and, after several at
tempts to enter the office in a military
manner and to the satisfaction of the
austere lieutenant in charge he was ask
ed by that functionary his name
was.
John Smith, answered the lad.
suppose you put a sir on that!' cried
the cadet officer, forgetting for the mo-
ment in his assumed wrath the equally
he1nous omission of the Mr.
Sir John Smith" innocently replied
the plebe, and supposed he had obeyed
to the letter his superior's Injunction.
For the next few minutes that poor
plebe's life was a burden to him, for all
the cadets about the room at once be-
gan crawling him for his supposed at
tempt at Righteousness. The name Sir
John stuck to him throughout his entire
career at the Academy, and even follow
ed him into the army.
1t has been the custom in the corps
from time i~mmemorial to 'devil' plebes
during their first encatmpment. A great
many of the practices INDUCED in are
perfectly innocent, and SO long as the
upper class men confine themselves to
them there is little or no opposition from
the authorities.
An incident illustrative of this is told
by an officer who vas walking in the
rear of Company DIS tents one afternoon
in one of the recent enc~anpmentS of the
cadets at West Point. He heard a voice
from the body of the encampment shout
ing in stentorian tones, I'm mad! I'm
mad! 1 know I'm mad!' Wondering
what the trouble was, he walked a short
distance further and looked the
tents. There he saw in a tent across the
company street a great, pleDe,
over six feet tall and weighing more
than two hundred pounds, creeping on
his hands and knees about the tent, like
a Gagged lion. and every minute or two
giving vent to the cry that he was mad.
Stopping for a moment to take in the
situation fully, the officer heard a mild
and persuasive voice from a nearby tent
say, Put more feeling in 1t, mister; say
1t as if you meant it,
The officer, perceiving the whole thing
was only an innocent form of deVilment
contrived by some ingenious yearling,
made nc. report of 1T, but went on his
way.
Another amusing incident of this kind
occurred one quiet Sunday afternoon,
when most of the cadets We're asleep
in their tents and the visitors seats in
front of the camp parade We're nearly
deserted. A tall, slender cadet, wearing
a shake and plume, armed with a sabre,
and riding between his legs a little tin
horse scarcely six inches high, came
charging down the company street,
branaishing his sabre and shouting,
Turn, boys, turn; we're going back!'
Mt --1 c~-sl- l,o,,~l, tle fN~@
company streets he ran, dragging his
horse with him, until finally he ran into
the officer in charge, who promptly con-
fined him in the guard tent. But all the
camp had been awakened, and the cadets
and the few visitors had a good laugh.
TIL plebe was released the next morn
ing, none the worse for his night in con-
finement.
TRIALS OF A PLEBE SENTINEL.
A plebe's first night on guard is gener-
hlly AN UNPLEASANT experience for him;
for. besides the official visits of the
officers charged with his instruction. to
see that he understands all the fine
points of his duties as a sentinel, he is
sure to be visited by a legion of spooks,
hGbgOblinS and various other unauthor-
lied individuals.
An incident of this kind is related
where a yearling, wrapped in a sheet, APP
peared on the post of a plebe sentinel
at night. Halt" shouted the plebe,
"'N7ho is there?"
Moses and the Ten Commandments"
came the response. .,,
The poor plebe thought there was
something irregular, but he remembered
his Instructions about never allowing
more than one to advance at a time at
night, SO he promptly shouted:
advance, one commandment, to be
recognized"
A %favorite pastime among cadets fol
generations past has been to capture a
land tortoise, and after taps at night to
start him across the parade with a light
ed candle on his back. AS a CONSEQUENCE
many a plebe has been severely Jump
ed" for permitting a light to approach on
cross his post.
ANECDOTE OF GENERAL SHEER.
MAN.
An amusing anecdote is related OF
General Sherman, who, as commanding