Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-02-07
NO MORE HAZlNG.

The outcome OF the trouble at West
Point, whereby 'ha2lng' has been abol-
ished at that military school, Is salts
factory to the general public. Much In
dgnatlon was aroused by the revela-
lions made during the investigation of
the Booz case, and II Is evident that
the only safe course for the officers and
students at the academy TO pursue, was
the one they have chosen--to submit
to the popular demand and abandon an
obnoxious practice.
Army officers explain how ''hazlng'
became in vogue at the academy. They
say, in the earlier days It was the
school TO which chiefly sons of the So
called upper classes We're sent In time
these formed a class by themselves, and
the less arlstocratic cadets were treated
with contempt The latter, then, were
gradually driven to adopt some measure
of self-protectlon, and thus hazing was
born. II Ia believed, by the defenders
Of the brutal custom, that II has had
It's beneficial effects, and that now West
Point and Annapolis are the only Amer
lean educational institutions where
birth, wealth and family rank do not
form basis of class distinction among
the students.
To illustrate the situation, 1t Is point
ed out that while in civil colleges sons
of millonares occupy apartments the
furnishing OF which costs thousands OF
dollars, at West Point the cadet, no
matter what his social antecedents may
be. has the most simple quarters. His
furniture IL a battered table that may
have done service at Lees time; a
chair with the initials Of members OF
twenty classes cut into 1t, an iron bed
stead, pine washstand n wooden
bucket. and wash bowl. He must not
hang any pictures on the walls, nor put
any carpets on the floor. Social dis
tinctlons are thus obliterated, and "haz-
ing" has been resorted to- to do the
rest. Generally this treatment Is given
TO cadets who come to the academy
with the idea that they are Alexanders,
prepared to take command Of their fell
low students, and they are, as a rule,
not done with until they are content to
hold place as priyates In the rear
ranks.
But even when this other side OF the
story is heard, 1t must be admitted that
the practice complained OF Is unworthy
OF an American institution, the object
OF which is to develop the gentlemanly
qualities Of those who attend IT, Il Is
not denied that refined cruelty has been
practlced. II has been shown that stu
dents have been injured for life, and
that deaths have been traced TO the
treatment received there. What posi-
BILE defense there can be for such con-
duet anywhere in the civilized world is
hard to perceive,
There are plenty Of young men In
this country, manly, strong and willing
to commence military career II some
OF the West Point cadets are weddings,
towards, thieves and sneaks and proper
subjects for discipline by the students
who have 20 authority over them, they
would better be sent home, in order
that their places may be filled by others
more worthy Of place In such an in
stltu,ion. There are, 1t seems, enough
ou,rages committed on the scenes Of
actual warfare, though barbarous con-
duct is certainly not necessary element
OF training for the art OF warfare
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