The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-02-15
TI:E FINDING OF THE FEDERAL
house INQUIRY COMMITTEE.

The report Of the congressional
house committee on hazing at West
Point condemned it unsparingly. 1t
d-enounces the pugilism there as unfair
as well as brutal. 1t points to other
buses that prevail. Here is the way
a noble, aspiring, ingenious youth,
fresh from a home of comfort and re-
Ifgious life, is treated upon becoming
a cadet at that civil school of this
country:
THE record shows that where a
cadet has looked sullen upon being
hazed be has been called out and If he
smiled he has been p~unlShed. Inc
fourth-class man must oDey all orderS
of an upper-class man and a him
the same respect due from an upper
class man to the officers of the acade-
my. After the ~fourth-class men go into
camp each is assigned, by lot or other
wise, to some upper-class man as spe-
cial man, and as such must
the duties of a body and tent servant.
He must sweep his superior's tent, put
ND and make down his bed, ADJUST the
flaps of his tent, carry water. clean
braces, braSseS, breaStplate, and other
trimmings, guns, bayoneIS and swords;
clear and care for his clothes, taking
out dirty collars, cuffs, n putting in
clean ones; take dirty clothes to the
laundry and bring clean ones back,
make out hop cards, copy reports. n
discharge other similar duties
A country must be sadly fallen, de-
graded. that can allow or tolerate such
a course of prosecutions and outrages
after being made acquainted with
them. 1t would be better, perhaps,
to close up the center of barbarism
and iniquity. 1t is a positive disgrace
to the country, a stencn hole of in
furious torture, brutality and cowar-
dice.
The committee divides the forms of
hazing into three general classes:
First, things lone professedly for the
good of fourth-class men or of the ser
vice.
Second, things lone to punish fourth
class men for violations of the upper
class code.
Third. things done apparently with
out purpose, except to annoy, or for the
mere amusement of upper-class men.
The committee turns on the much
needed light and of the brutal fights
says:
THE under-class man is at a natural
disadvantage, as a rule, even if there
as an effort to select opponents of
about equal weight. The fighting
contests are governed by rules in
which fairness is merely a word of
hypocrisy and pretence used by the
.upper-claSS men. The real object is
TO punish the under-class man, and
there is 10 idea of failure when the
lights are arranged"
The committee does not fix the
deaths of two cadets upon hazing.
but it thinks it probable that it hasten
ed their deaths. We are grateful to
note that the report contains eleven
sections against the barbarism and
provides for its detection and punish
ment. 1t is to be hoped that the re-
suit will be a perfect, thorough purg-
ing and /zeansing of the national
school q barbarities. The bill pro-
vides for dismissal for taking part in
a fight or a challenge, directly or in
directly, or for any form of annoying,
harassing or bracing of cadets. Cadets
dismissed are made ineligible to APP
pointment to the army, navy or marine
corps. Provision is made for courts of
inquiry, courts martial, closer associ-
alton between officers and cadets, and
other means for effectually stopping
the practice of hazing.