Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-28
CEN. MERRITT
WAS HAzE0
BUT CADETS WERE GENTLEMEN
IN THOSE DAYS.
NO BRUTAL CLASS FIGHTING
DRASTIC MEASURES NEEDED
TOO MANY ARMY OFFICERS
BELIEVE IN PRACTICE.

New York Jam 2S.-Hazine al West
Point is discussed by Major General
Wesley Merritt, l.. S. A., in Leslie's
weekly. General Merritt was formerly
supf r!ntenden, of the United States mil
itary academy. He says in part:
" hen l was cadet at West Point.
from 1888 to 1860. | was opposed to haz-
ing. hc;h as 'plebe' and as an upper
lass man, though / had to endure a
GOOD deal of what was termed 'yanxing.
Ihat consisted Of pulling q Sleeping
cadet out of bed and dropping him on
NE floor. This. as a rule. did no harm,
though remember one fellow cadet who
was rather seriously hurt. 'Yanking'
amounted only 20 pleasantly. hut it
vas annoying when added to ali the
aard work that the 'plebes' We're re
QUirei to perform through the day.
Il recoleot that three Of us occupied
tent together ana thai We took turn,
in Sleeping in the mc,t exposed position.
TAat was in the bed at the front or the
;ent. one II. shl. When ! was awarded
what WAS considered the safest place
the bed at the rear-l sank to sleep with
blSsfu sense of security. The next
thing tlat | knew | was flying through
ne air. and landed iarlngly on my
back. Another form of hazing in those
Gays con sisted of the unmerciful chatting
of new men. but | always enaeaNored
- give back as much as | received,
"Fishting. in the sense of today. had
rot been Instituted then. There was no
'scrapp.ng committee ana combals be-
tween representatives of classes We're
unhslrd of. During my whole time at
West Point | had but one fight and that
was with a fellow classmau over a per-
l.. ind titrl,t ihtN
is TO be unsparingly condemned, as the
man who has been at West Point y year,
and has been training all that time. is
sure to be better qualified for personal
encounter than man of the same
height and weight who IL fresh from
nome. For his reason IL fight be,W ael4
4 'plebe ana second year man amounts
70 a Piece of brutality.
"There are n great many army officer,
there We're more formerly than at
p"tsent--who heartily favor haZng. on
he principle that it is in the interest
Of discipline, and teaches the future
officer to obey without hesitation. one
Of the chief difficulties that | encoun-
tered whe4n superintendent of the acad-
envy from lSS2 to 1887. was that quite
a number of the younger officers were
3iametriraly opposed to my views on
not obtain their cheerful acquiescence
IN what | VAS trying to do TO stop the
practice.
Il found. to put the matter plainly.
that | had to deal with old 'cranls'
and Young 'crankS' The older ones We're
some, of the members of the academic
hoard and ,he younger ones We're cadets
VINO thought they knew 1t all For the
.irst three years ! VAS very much in-
t.rested in my work. During The last
Two years there was so little co-opera"
;.on win me in my efforts 10 ahoiish
haZing chat | became very tired OF the
pcst and was glad when my appoft-
nent as a general officer relieved me
Of the superintenuency
"WiIl haziuS ever be stopped at West
POINT? Not until drastic measures are
employed. The superintendent must be
4 man who is bitterly opposed 10 hazins.
ana | believe Colonel Mills thoroughly
meets the reuuii euent. When n" lnakes
a recommendation to the war depaft-
!nent 20 dismiss a cadet tron 'he ser
Vice. that recommendation should be
rrnnlntly and faVoIabiy acted upon.
when "A young man goes To West
Point and develops what Is termed
'sreshneYs' h. is certain 10 be haZed.
Distinctions in social standing are never
,naa,. on account of the family. position
or wealth. | rrmem mber that the MOST
yo,,lglfr man in my class oi IL years aSo
was one who, upon his ARRIVAL AT West
Point Reported his family as being IN
;,,dioant circumstances. He was very
Kindly treated by all. tcorg" NahdeI-
Iilt. son of Commodore Nanderhiit. VAS
nnt Through The PAGES with great rlSor.
INHALED GAS.