The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-13
HAZING AT ANNAPOLIS.

After being deprived of all of their
privileges for several days, the third
classlnen of the Naval Academy at An
napolis agreed to accede to the de-
mand of Commandant Brownson that
the cowardly and shameful practice
of hazing be abolished The COM
mandant had merely asked the high
minded young gentlemen of the third
class to pledge themselves to let the
smaller boys alone. His reason for
doing this was that a couple of weeks
ago a fourth classman of the name
of Pearson. while undergoing hazing,
had suffered the breaking of his jaw
in fight with third classman. Be-
cause of an infraetion of some foolish
rule in the cadets so-called code of
honor, Pearson had called down upon
| himself the condemnation of the third
class, and it was determined that he
should fight. seasoned and trained
member of the third class was pitted
against him. and Pearson was sound
ly thrashed, as it was inevitable that
he would be. and in the course of the
trashing his jaw was fractured. Thus
was the students idea of "class honor
indicated.
When the incident became known
Commandant Brownson required that
the third classmen should pledge them
selves to let the smaller fellows alone.
This the third classmen refused to do.
They replied to the confmandant that
their ideas of class honor would
not permit them to take any such
| pledge, Notwithstanding it was asked
of them merely that they conduct
themselves as gentlemen and not as
overbearing DULLES. Commandant
Brownson, therefore. withdrew all of
their privileges and gave them time
to think the matter over. 1t seems
strange that any time should have
been required for a determination on
the part of the young men whether
OF not they would hold themselves
amendable to discipline. The very
nature of their profession makes obedi-
ence to discipline one of their first
duties. Yet such is the pernicious in
| fiuence of hazing on the academy mo-
rale that a whole class went into re-
volt against a very correct and con-
sentative order on the part of the COM
mandant for the good of the institu-
ton, in order to preserve to them
serves, if possible. the privilege of be-
| ing brutal and overbearing toward
boys smaller and weaker than them
|
nection with the matter is that the
recalcitrant third class had the moral
support of the fourth class, whose
members were the sufferers. The
fourth classmen did not want hazing
abolished. They looked forward to the
time when they would be revenged for
the indignities heaped upon them by
taking it out of the youngsters who
would be fourth classmen after them.
As one fourth classman is credited
with having said, Wen catch it
hard, and Wen have to stand it: but
Wen even up on the fellows who come
after us!''
But the third classmen have given
the pledge required of them by Com
inandaut Brownson and their privileges
have been restored. That means haz-
ing is at ane end at Annapolis, in so
far as the third class is concerned. The
evil has been stamped out at West
Point, and there is no good reason why
it should not be at Annapolis. Haz-
ing is a survival of the old English
custom instituted by the sons of COM
moners to make the sons of the aris-
tocracy aware of the fact that there
was no social line in school. Scions
of noble families were more than ant
to strut and put on airs, because of
the accident of their birth into a high
social circle. and the boys of the peo-
pie felt it necessary to bump some of
the conceit out of them. But no such
necessity or excuse exists in this
country.