The Cairo bulletin., 1904-07-23
TESTS OF THE INCAS.
STRICT MILITARY TRAINING or THE
ANCIENT PERuviANs.
Fents OF strength ard Endurance
That the Cadets Were Called Upon
10 Perform During Graduation
Exercises which Lasted Month.

4
| western continent many interesting
/ peoples lived here, having their pec,ll
| lar customs ana training their children
| carefully ia the way they considered
| best calculated to make them brave
and wise men.
| Not only the red Indians Of the north
but the people Of Mexico and Peru
| who had d certain sort Of civilization
of their own, trained their children
carefully and made them pass through
4 series Of trials which the American
boy OF today may be thankful he does
not have 10 undergo.
Men Of today in digging In the ruins
Of the splendid cities Of the Pernyians
have found almost complete record OF
some of, their educational systems
Ia Peru the king Of the country was
called the inca, and his eldest son, " llo
was always brought up to succeed him.
received d training especially elaborate
and trying The prince was sent to
one OF the big boarding schools where
young nobieimen were educated almost
rs soon as he could talk. There he
was treated In all respects as If he
were not the heir to the throne, but
just 4 common, ordinary hoy, who
would some day have 10 work for a
living.
The school at which the prince was
educated was military school. which,
according TO records, was the PERU
Wan West Point. There, although
many other things We're taught, the
chief stress was laid upon the art of
war.
All the princes relatives, boys Of
about his own age and called the Inca
mobiles, were at the school With him
and had their final examinations nj
the same time
The literary part of their education
was inquired into in private by the
wise men" which corresponded to
the academic board of West Point,
but these examinations were followed
by public exercises,
The public exercises Were conducted
by a board consisting of the most
prominent of the old Inca mobiles, and
it correspondent to the board OF Wis
itors appointed by the president each
year to preside over the graduations
at West Point. The graduating exer-
cises at the royal Peruvian military
academy lasted for month.
The graduates We're required to IL
lustrate by drills what they knew OF
military tactics. Then they had to
give exhibitions of boxing ana wres-
Ting. Running was also regarded as
a necessary accomplishment, for the
Peruvians had no horses, and the men
who were destined TO lead their armies
had to prove that they could move
swiftly on foot over long distances and
not tire. Therefore long courses were |
laid out for the boys to run over, which |
taxed their endurance and strength to |
the utmost
Then for several days together the |
boys We're compelled to fast, being |
examined during the time to
see how they bore going without food, |
for the Inca said that soldier and |
gentleman should always be willing
and able to go without food and not
rrumble when such abstinence was
necessary.
The cadets Were also matched against |
each other in mimic battles. in which.
though the weapons were blunted. |
many We're wounded and some killed.
When this sort of thing had gone on
'or a month those boys who had won
he best marks in their examinations
md had best stood the test of the pub
lie exercises were selected for gradua-
ion, while the others were dropped or
urned back into the next class.
The king was always present at these
address, to the graduates.
Garcilasso, a descendant OF the Ineas,
las left us an account of these ad-
iresses from which we know that they
we're almost exact counterparts of the
addresses delivered today by promi-
tent men at high school graduations
nd college commandments. Other
hings change. but the graduation adj
ress seems to have been the same
hing in all ages.
After the address something took I
lace which does not happen at modern
american graduating exercises. The
ing pierced the ears of each graduate I
nth golden bodkin, or large pin.
Thlch was allowed to remain there un
u the wounds healed. leaving a hole
lto which round ornament was in !
erted.
The size Of this ornament was grad. s
ally increased until in the case of the :
rince it was as large as an orange. II
andals were now bound on the feet ! I
the boys, and they went barefoot no =
niger; also a sash was tied about d
leir waists and crowns of flowers :
laced on their heads.
The prince was now allowed TO pni
d his royal robes, and. though only
xteen. he was usually sent to com
and an army corps somewhere on the r
order, where the king almost always
ad a little war going on with the
aees.-New York Press. :
Preferred jail.
A convict in a New England prison =
\.