St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-05-03
DAILY LIFE OF THE CADET.
Strict Rules Which Govern the Young
Man he Tor the
Army ut West Point.

In describing the daily life OF a
cadet it is. unfortunately necessary,
at the outset, to refute the idea
that this life is made up largely OF
leisure and frolic. Nothing could be
further from the truth. No college
in the country manages to crowd into
a course of four years so extensive
a curriculum. Yet, in addition to all
the long hours spent in study and
recitation, every cadet is obliged to
master thoroughly all the intrlcacles
of drill, minor TASTES, the
application of academic studies, and,
in general, the essentials of a sound
technical and military training. A
young man there is obliged to rise at
six o'clock every morning, except
Sunday, when he may stay abed until
seven. Just enough time is allowed
him in which to dress properly, and
to police che room which he shares
with other cadets. Policing IONS
| sists in what would be called cham
Der work in civil life, but in no hotel
in the country is this work SO sys-
tematically and tidily performed as
by cadets, for in the army neat
ness is insisted on as one OF
the first duties of soldier:
BY the time the police work is
over, the battalion forms and
marches to breakfast in the cadet
mess hall. After the meal, 40 min
utes are allowed for rest and recrea-
ton, says Capt. w. C. Rivers, u. S. A.,
in Success.
Punctually at eight o'clock, the Sec
tions file to the various recitation
DON for the first Rotations, an
hour and a half in length. Sections
alternate in hours. After IL o'clock,
Rotations are an hour long. Fol
2H hours in the morning cadets are
subjected to a long series of mental
ordeals, the intervening hours being
used for study. There is no chance
for a cadet, even if he is SO disposed,
to shirk his Rotations. He cannot
offer the excuse of mot prepared"
He must be ready. There is no hope
for him to escape unnoticed in the
recitation room, for each class is di-
vided into sections, these sections
consisting usually of eight men, and
never of more than IL. The professors
and instructors have abundant time
to draw out of each man just what
he knows on the subject under dis
cussion. Nor is there any hope of
hiding ignorance by asking the in
structor what he means by a ques-
ton. All the professors and instruc-
tors are conversant with these little
articles of the class room, and such
an attempt on the part Of cadet
would be sure to rebound upon the
offenders head. The motto for ac-
ademic work is: Every cadet every
and the standard: Every cadet
proficient in everything"
From this strain of five hours men.
tai work in the morning, the only "a
cadet who can expect to escape is tho Z
one who answers the 'sick coll" at
7:1O a. m. and is excused from duty.
II he is ill, the young man is taken
into the cadet hospital; but, if his ILL
ness is slight, he is ordered to keep
to his quarters, and is excused from
all work until his name is stricken
from the "sick report" Each cadet
is supposed to make up the time lost
when he becomes i'll. If he cannot do
this, he is either turned back to the
class next below, or else is summar-
dismissed from the academy for
deficiency.