The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-11-16
WEST POINT CADETS.
FRANKS WHICH THE UPPER CLASS
MEN PLAY ON THE PLEBES.


Traditions and Precedents Which
Must he Faithfully Observed by All
Newcomers ut Uncle Sans Military
Academy.
There is probably no place in the Unit
cd States where traditions and prece-
dents have so much weight as they 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 any
thing that is contrary to them. If he
does violate an important one, the cadet
in question is made to feel the displeas-
ure of the corps in an unmistakable man
/ ner.
! Such tradition is that "plebe," rs
! members of the fourth class are called,
| is never regarded on an equal footing
| with an upper class man until he has
| completed his first year at the academy.
| He is invariably addressed as Mr.. So
| and-so or just plain Mr.. and must always
address upper class men in the same
| formal manner, and, in addition, he must
be prolific in his use of the word "sir,"
atlixing it to the end of every sentence.
If 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
tnin to be told to put sir on that,
Mr." in way that will usually cause
him to remember it. OF course, n p!ebe
| soon learns this, and there is no longer
any trouble with him on that score.
An amusing anecd0tc is told of raw
country lad who reported at West Point
| a inu oP
the word Sir" When the new cadets
report at the academy, they first visit
the adjutant's office, where they deposit
their credentials and give information
concerning their parents or guardians
and their former careers. Next they visit
the trcasurcr's Office and deposit what
money they may have with them, and
then they 90 to the barracks, where they
report to the cadet officer in charge of
their instruction. 1t is here that they re-
ccive their first taste of military disci-
pine. Well, this young man passed
through the prrlminaries, finally reach
ing the barracks, and after several at
tcmpts to enter the Office in n military
manner and to the satisfaction OF the
austcre lieutenant in charge he was ask
ed by that functionary what his name
was.
JOnn Snlltn, answered the lau.
Suppose you put sir on that" cried
the cadet officer, forgetting for the mo-
mcnt In his assumed wrath the equally
hcinous omission of the "AIr."
"Sir John Smith," innoccntly replied
the plebe, and supposed he had obeycd to
the letter his supcrior's injunction. For
the next few minutes that poor plcbe's
life was a burden to him, for all the ca
diets about the room ut once began
"crawling" him for his supposed at
tempt at righteousness. The name "Sir
John" stuck to him throughout his entire
career Mt the academy and even followed
him into the army.
1t has been the custom in the corps
from time immcmorial to devil p!ebes
during their first encampment. A great
many of the practices INDUCED in are
perfectly innocent, and so long as the up
per class men coniine themselves to them
there is little or no opposition from the
authorities.
An incident illustrative of this is told
by an officer who was walking in the
rear of Company DIS tents one afternoon
in one Of the encampments of the cadets
Mt West Point. He heard voice from
the body of the encampment shouting in
stentorian tones: "Pm mad! Pm mad!
l know I'm mndr' Wondering what the
trouble was, he walked short distance
farther and looked between the tents.
There he saw i'll tent across the COM
pany street great, strapping plcbe,
over six feet tall and weighing more than
POO 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
q moment to take in the situation fully,
the officer heard n mild and persuasive
voice from n nearby tent say: Put
more feeling in it, mister. Say it rs if
you meant it."
The officer, perceiving that the whole
thing was only ain innocent form of devil
ment contrivcd by some ingenious year
ling, made no report of it. but went on
his way.
Another amusing incident of this kind
occurred one quiet Sunday afternoon,
when most of the cadets were asleep in
their tents and the visitors seats in
front of the camp parade were nearly
deserted. A tall, slender cadet, wearing
a shake and plume, armed with a saber
and riding between his legs a little tin
horse scarcely six inches high, came
charging down the company street, BRAN
dishing his saber and shouting: Turn,
boys, turn. We're going back" Back
and forth through the different company
streets he ran, dragging his horse with
him, until finany he ran into the officer
In charge, who promptly confined him in
the guard tent. But all the camp had
been awakened, and the cadets and few
visitors had n good laugh. The plebe
was released the next morning none the
worse for his night in confinement.
a plebe's first night on guard is gener-
ally an unpleasant experience for him,
for, besides the official visits of the vari-
GUS officers and nencommissioned officers
charged with his instruction, to see that
he understands all the fine points of his
duties as n sentinel, he is sure TO be Wis.,
tied by legion of spooks, hobgoblins and
various other unauthorized individuals.
An incident of this kind is related
where n ycnrling, wrapped in n sheet,
appeared on the post of plebe sentinel
ut night. "Halt!" shouted the plebe.
"Who is there"
"Moses and the Ten Commandments"
came the response.
The poor plcbc thought there was some
thing 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 for
generations past has been to capture a
land tortoise and after taps at night to
start him across the parade with light
ed candle on his back. AS a consequence
many plcbr has been severely Jump
ed" for permitting Il light to approach Or
cross his post.--New York Tribune.
Women BARRIERS.
A quotation shows that in the eight