The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-02-11
HAzING is CONDEMNED.
REPORT OF THE HOUSE INQUIRY
COMMITTEE.

/ Washington, Feb. 9.-The report o
the congress committee appointed II
| investigate hazing at the United State
| military academy was laid before thu
House of Representatives to-day b.
Chairman Dick AT the same time HI
introduced a BILL which, in the opinion
/ of the members of the committee, will
greatly improve the situation at Yves
Point. After citing the authority un
der which tn, committee acted the re-
port says:
The upper classman at the academy
are all substantially on social equal;
ity, but a great gulf divides them from
the fourth class. The upper classmen
have gradually evolved an entire code
of unwritten laws governing their re-
lations with fourth classmen, as well
as the whole icourse of conduct which
should be pursued by the latter. Under
this code no friendships are formed be-
tween the upper classmen and the
lower classmen; they have no social in
tercourse or relations. Except where
the parties have been acquainted before
! entering the academy, the upper class
man treats the fourth classman as I'M
known, a stranger, and an inferior. The
fourth c1assman has no right to speak
socially to the upper classman, and
! when he speaks to him on business, he
addresses him as Mister or Sir" No
! fourth classman should gaze, stare, or
| even look squarely at an upper class
man, but drop the eyes when in ones
presence, and failure to do so is a pun
| ishable offence.
| 1t is the duty of a fourth classnian
| when in the presence of an upper class
| man to stand at attention, as if in the
| presence of superior officer A fourth
| classman should be sober and dignif1ed
| as becomes one in training for the
grave duties of an army officer, and he
must at all times abstrain from laugh
ing or smiling, Upon the one hand, or
looking sullen, upon the other. The
record shows that where a cadet has
looked sullen upon being hazed he has
been called out, and if he smiled he
has been punished.
The fourth classman munst obey all
orders Of an upper classman and pay
him the same respect due from an up
per classman to the officers of the acad-
envy. After the fourth classmen go in.
to camp each Is assigned, by lot or
otherwise, to some upper classman as
special man, and as such must dis
charge the duties Of a body and tent
servant. He must sweep his superior's
tent, put up and make down his bed,
adjust the flaps to his tent, carry wa
ter, clean braces, brasses, breastplate,
al ~, no. huunnntc
and swords clean and care for his
clothes taking out dirty collars, cuffs.
and putting in clean ones; take dirty
clothes to the laundry and bring clean
ones back, make out hop cards, copy
reports and discharge other similar
duties
1t lis but justice to say that while un-
der the cadet code a special duty man
is bound to do all these things. many
of the upper classmen fail to require
that they all be performed; but ALL SO
far as your committee have discovered,
have required the performance of some
of them.
The committee divides the forms of
l1azlng into three general classes.
First, things dore professedly for the
good of fourth classmen or of the ser
vice.
Second, things done to punish fourth
classmen 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,
MANY of the things done by the up
per- classmen are boyish pranks," the
committee admits, land are known as {
funny formations but even these are
frequently conducted in such way as
to outrage the noblest feelings of the
heart. Philip III. Sheridan, jr., was
compelled to ride a broomstick up and
down the company street, saying, Turn,
bows, turn. we are going back In
of his illustrious fathers
achievement at Winchester" The COM
mittee continues:
AS this system grew and became more
and more oppressive 1t became neces-
sary to have some effective means to
coerce obedience to these unlawful be-
hests of upper classmen, and to meet
this demand system of fighting has
grown up which is shocking
in it's character Each Of the upper
classes mas d ii5HtiilS SoiHiAhe7
tee. and whenever it is reported, for ex-
ample. to the president of the third
lass that some fourth classman has
refused to obey any of the unlawful '
md illegal orders of an upper classman,
,r has in some other important respect
,iolated the upper-class code, all OF '
which. it must be borne in mind, is in
lirect conflict with the regulations and t
avs Of the academy, the president calls I
lis fighting committee together, and, if I
t thinks the charge true, 1T orders the
ourth- classman called out and names /
he man who is to whip him.
While there has been q plausible at t
empt made to prove that fairness gov p
rms these contests, there Is really no I
airness about them. The under class s
nan is at a natural disadvantage, as a
ule, even if their is an effort to select | t
pponents of about equal weight. The f
ghting contests are governed by rules n
n which fairness is merely word
f hypocrisy and pretence used by the Ii
pper-classmen. The real object is to a
unish the under classman, and these
! no idea of failure when the fights are
ranged.
The hazing of Cadets Booz and Breth
re deliberately treated, but the commit
&c does not attribute their deaths di-
ectly to hazing. The report says:
But while we cannot fix upon hazing p
90, two n |