The Tucson citizen., 1902-05-03
ORIGIN OF The WRITER CURE"

When something more than year
ago. hazing at West Point MAS GndeE
discussion and investigation. on nc
count of the death of cadet who haG
been forced to swallow tahasco sauce
and undergo various other b. utallues,
it was forcibly urged by public sent'~
ment that hazing at West Point or An
napolis If permitted, woull sadly per
vert the character OF the future officers
OF the army and navy, and render them
brutal
If young men at the formative pc
riod of their lives spend much of their
time in inventing cruel forms OF haG-
ing, and accustom themselves to en-
forcing and witnessing for hours to-
gether the application of various tor
lures, finding amusement, or positive
pleasure in the sufferings of fellow
students, Of their own :Uuntry and
their own race. they will almost in
evitably in after life be wanting in hL-
manity, especially when they have to
deal with alien and inferior races,
which but lightly touch their syrlpa-
thies. The sight of suffering gleefully
inflicted can not but dull the senti-
ments of sympathy and respect for the
rights of others which eonst, ute hui
manity. and, in fact, constitute civiliza-
ton itself. Callousness In yo1't will
be followed by callousness IN age,
when the ex-hazer of We3t Point, as
an officer. has in his power the lives of
his men and the lives of prisoners or
hostile populations
Major Glenn. who was or lere for
trial before a couItmartial a few lays
ago, for infiicting the water care on
Filipinos. Is graduate of West Point.
1t is quite easy to believe that the
water cure is an evolution from the
tabaseo sauce ordeal that no doubt
Glenn passed through in '.is cadet
days. But it should be kept in mind
that West Point is not responsible for
the grossest outrages committed in the
Philippines. General Smith who gave
orders to make Samar a "howling will
dernss." and kill all above ten years
OF age" is not graduate of the mill
tary academy. Neither is the ioqua-
cious Funston. nor General Wheaton
who suffered pains because Senator
Hoar and President Schurman Of Con.
nell University could not he brought
within jurisdiction of his command. so
that he could gag them.
But, returning to the state of mind
developed by cruel hazing at West
Point, it must be admitted tnat IL 1t
was honorable for the larger and old
er Cadets to inflct the tabasco sauce
ordeal on their juniors i; would be
honorable and perhaps even patriotic
togo a step further with an enemy.
It was argued. even by some people
of sober minds. that 1t did the cadets
good to be hazed made them INA NY"
to.sbe bullied, insulted gagged and
otherwise maltreated. With like rta-
son 1t may be maintained that it does
thF Filipino good to have all his ele-
mentary personal righs ignored and
trampled upon. The hazers' con-
science, in fact is demoralized and
hisejudgment is SO perverted that one
can not be surprised II his early train
ing ~ barbarity produces shocking re-
suits under the temptations of pro-
tracted and vexatious war with an in
ferfor race.
The conduct of the officers of the
array In the Philippines, We fear, will
long haunt this country as reproach
and we have not doabt that much Of
the cruelty and small meanness was
instilled In the officers by tie hazing
process in their cadet days at West
Point.