The sun., 1901-01-20
Wet Point iiAEers.

Tns w~aith Of adjectives whioh Nn.
p1Ioos Of Brooklyn has spent In character
lang certain conduct or uisconduc, OF
the West Point ha,srs might better have
been allowed TO accumulate In tie dictlon-
ary Such intempersts and excessive Ian
gnAge u not becoming In . member OF an
investigating committee Even II dessrvei.
ID was premst turs II does not tend TO
Qtve q good opinion Of his sobrtety Of judy
ment and Il weakens the effect Of the report
and reoo In which he s 10
have q hand We have frankly sIpre~s~i
our condemnation OF the system OF organ
lied annoyance and persecution that has
been revealed BY the csdsu who have
testified: but We do not believe that any
thing viii be gained for a more humane
and manly treatment Of the plebe or
tenderfoot at the Military Academy by
denouncans the young men there as bullIes
and rufians. as many Of our contsmro-
raries call them. or by rebukina them In tho
Ancient Pistol vein affected by the Hon
HERS ASpo De soro MONEY aud tho Hon
WIND ALLEN. Thee violenCs will beget
reaction; and brutality u not 10 be enectu-
ally put down by brutality.
just at present the country seems In
clined 70 hare the cadets. To Jump upon
these future -satraps Is harmless eNer-
Else for y Congressman. and no nathena-
tioian can calculate how many tous Of
rhetoric will lie turned out In scorn Of Vest
Point. The abuses TO be stUlr,d viii not
he stopped by the circulation OF gems from
the CororssponnI Record. however; and
heated chortllnR IA not an acceptable sub
stitute for common scso. Pray. keep
ono or two thirgs In mind durlnS and after
the investigation;
I. West Point Is a mighty good military
school. The beet In uie world. And We
are all proud Of II except few permanent
victims Of Brysnity and BrysnsIchy.
2 1heso srrlng upper clhssnlsn are,
after all. only boys, necessarily not % sage
and les.oned as tho uihane Mr nNoos.
for example. They mean to do night
They mean 20 be brave. truthful and decent
Ifthey have done cruel and cowarGly things,
they have been nlsltd by = isl.e code and
standard. a yrsnnIcal custom In every
school. In every college. something Of
Injustice and norsrnse IL done. something
OF socai ostrarsm or persecution. In
all such Institutions there u an ,npcriur IN
,mpsr,o an indatinsble. unlawful more or
less mysterious Compulsicn Nnsty tudg
Iuents aud prsJudlces are acted upon. Tho
poy who becomes obnoxious. justly or un-
justly. has hard row to hoe io In u
stranger perhaps too humptously insist
ent Of what he deems h.S rights Against
him IA the combination q! Older bays. In
vetcrate con>'rvauv guardians IN their
own opinion Of the sacred spirit OF the place.
They look upon him a. a cIh 10 be- licked
into shuIc AMI then ~ h,ip liyk su,cSoCluS
cuba into shapy. la" lusAsA system ui
fagcing. the American sv.tSm ot hagny
ar instances OF the unauthorized cNcrrVe
OF discipline by IN" icr student over the
younger, They lead lo bad results. They
are bang ou'guNu. They cannot be tul-
Grated. hc,au-' Il back of hos is t'r.y TO
ho unconsDlu.siF hIl yllI,H,y cruel In
enforcing It's uur'r 60 ir Hl' the bad
springs from rrt good. ~" intense 10y
atty 10 the institution. the Cc .rv o MAIN
tain It's traditions tuI he rEli cuuserva-
tisni Of a body of students IN not TO be
eQuallcd anywhere else IN liunkNdom.
In a school. what has been must be: and