New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-08-12

his cap, which was the logical recepta-
Gle for them. He wasn't required to
put the cap on his head at all.
Speaking as a plebe who has been
through the mill for several months,
all this talk about hazing in West
Point is absurd. "A plebe who is at all
reasonable or who has the least sense
Of humor rather enjoys his experience
during his first year here. There lis
not one stunt in the whole so called
hazing programme that doesn't do
fellow good.
LET me tell you what has happened
to me during Iaay plebe days. which will
not be over until next June. I am
walking through the company streets
when an upper class man GENES along.
He says 'Haltr I halt. sWho are
you?' he asks.
:" Mr.. Smith, Sir
Who are your
~'Mr. Smith, sir
"'Who are you? q third time.
Nobody, sir
Fright and my quesfaoner passes
ON.
"a plebe has the right to tell his
name twice in a sort of declaration of
independence, but he knows that on
the third Interrogation he must say
Nobody
II am stopped by third year man,
who points to a water pail and asks,
What is In that pail? look and re-
ply, Nothing, sir What is in that
pail2' he demands again once more
say, Nothing, SIR but know what he
Is driving at. pick up the pail and,
filling it at the hydrant, set it down
where found lit, and that is all there
is to it,
IAN upper class man meets me and
asks, Who does "a rplebe rank?' Every
plebe knews the answer which is,
The hell cats, the waiter and the
walters dog, Sir The hell cats are
the men assigned to beat the drum and
play the fife in the morning to wake
us up. OF course they are cordially
hated and are synonyms for every
thing that is despicable, so even a
plebe has the satisfaction of knowing
ne ranks a hell cat
Two plebes are caught walking to-
gether. One of the upper class men
says, You fellows go clean up our
company street, and mind you make
good job of ftg' The plebes make what
they think is a good job and depart
They are stopped by the older cadet.
Hey, you! That is Z pretty poor
job. Did you take away that saw log?
- We didn't see any saw log, sir
Well, it's there. Get a swheelbar-
row and come along
1--WE obey and trunGle the barrow
along behind our leader. He stops and
points to a partly burned match on
the ground
Here, you! Get hold of this end of
that log and you get hold of the other
end. Mind it is heavy, and don't drop
it.
1--WE solenn1y stoop and pick up the
match stick together and deposit 1T in
the barrow Then we trundle it away
and dump the match Ia an out Of the
way place.
'The often heard command to tbrace'
is a good thing for p1ebe. It means
only that you must draw In your chin,
throw out your chest, put your shout
ders back as far as possible and walk
that way until out OF sight Of the up
per class man. Dreadful, isn't it2
- plebe's first year is up in June,
and week or two before the time ar
rives when he will be forever free from
this terrible 'hazing' he generally gets
fresh'-that is, he sometimes grins at
the man who orders him to brace or
asks who he is and walks away. That
is b. ling in the vernacnlar Of West
Point. Interpreted it means before
June-ing.' A B. j. gets on the nerves
Of a second or third year man, and I'M
less the plebe is a good fellow up to
that time he has to brace and fill water
pals very frequently until June ar
rives
1T may be cruel to tell a man to
stand on his mantel and recite the
alphabet with appropriate gestures or
to make him say he ranks the walters
dog, but can't see it, and I believe,
with practically every other plebe, that
it does fellow good It is only the
fellow who has been taught by his
parents that he is high and mighty
person who makes a fuss over the
'hazing' he gets at West Point. AS
matter of fact, it teaches him to obey
without question, and that is one Of
the essentials Of a good soldier =