The Washington bee., 1911-10-14
MILITARY HAzING,
Carried to Brutal Extremes In
German Army Schools.
CADETS MANNED AND KILLED.
The Most Dangerous Punishment
Melted Out to Erring Freshmen ls
"the Gantlet of Fire." and the Most
Repulsive Is "sacon Swallowing"

IN winch the science or haZlnR IN MIL
itary schools has attained the greatest
development. The army plays IN the
fatherlands life part the Importance
of which can hardly be realized by an
Untraveled American. Military service
is compulsory, and in time of peace
100000 men are kept armed, uniformed
and drilled To command that huge
contingent $4,000 commissioned officers
are necessary.
This large officer corps has developed
customs. ethics, even a morality, of its
own These customs and ethics are
initiated at an early age by the boy
who aspires to enjoy the veneratiOn
which German officers generally re-
ceive from the pOpulace. Imitation
in young man usually means exag
geration, and some Of the little mill
itary snobS are on their first day at
school a joy to behold. Very soon,
however, the precociOus stiffness is
taken out of them.
\ harmless though repuisive form of
hazing cadets whose appetite verges
on gluitony is called bacon swallow
ing" The plebes to be victimiZed are
lined up on the grounds surrounded
by a group of second year men. A
slice of raw bacon is tied to a piece
of string. and the plebe whose name is
drawn first is made TO swallow the
unappetiZing mOrsel. When the sick
ening sensation of the tWine tickling
his throat threatens to nauseate him
the bacon is pulled out. The name Of
another unfortunate is drawn, and he
is in turn obliged to swallow the ba-
con, the appearance of which has not
been improved by the first mans
chewing. On it goes along the line
to the next man and up 10 the last one,
and for days and days the sight of
bacon, staple article in German
cuisine will, if it does not spoil the
healthy youngsters appetites, at least
remind them that undue haste in as
similating food lacks refinement.
After a few hours spent in frogs
squat" the most digniied and snob-
bish plebes assume the good natured
and perfectly chummy attitude which
means that they have been tanned.
Swelled heads are quickly noted and
their owners made to sit on the floor
| with their chins resting on their knees,
and their ankles and wrists are bound
| together A solid stick passed under
the knee joints and forcing the fore
| arm back prevents them from moving
| Loft
| facing one another in an unnatural.
cramped and ridiculous position.
{ Other forms of hazing are the stOm-
ach dance, with or without obstacles;
/ finding the keyhOle, tossing in a blan-
| ket and star gazing. In the stomach
dance the cadet is put fat on his
stomach on a high table and four tor
| menters take him by the hands and
| feet and whirl him around on the
table. In the case of serious Offenses
few hard objects or obstacles are
scattered over the table. making the
| 'dance" rather painful.
Then comes finding the keyhOle. The
/ cadet stands in front of a locker and
| is blindfOlded. He has to feel for the
keyhole with his foreinger. Then an
other cadet places his head between
/ the locker and the finger, opens his
mouth and bites the finger till its own
er hOwls
| Star gazing consists in being made to
watch the stars at night through a
coat sleeve held like a telescope by
two cadets. A third cadet then pOurs
a glass of muddy water in at top of
| the sleeve.
! When a cadet is guilty Of behavior
unbecOming to a gentleman, disgraces
his class by some breach of etiquette
or commits some petty theft he is
generally sentenced by the holy
| vehm." or court of honor" to the
rod. The penalty is applied ruthless
/ ly, a gag being placed in the punished
mans mouth to stif1e his cries for help.
/ Of all the forms Of hazing the most
/ brutal perhaps is the "gantlet of fire"
/ The freshman upon whom that punish
} ment is to be visited is kept in dark
room astride a wooden chair, to which
/ ne is securely fastened. In the next
room his tormentOTs are twisting news
papers into imitation torches, which at
given signal they light with matches.
! When the torches are burning brightly
they form themselves in two lines;
another signal is sounded, the door Of
the dark room is thrown open, and the
/ freshman is ordered to ride between
the lines, while he is mercilessly
lashed with flaming brands.
However quickly he may run the
gantlet, by the time he has reached
the end of the bianng pathway his
hair. his eyebrows and lashes have
been singed to the skin, his eyelids are
scared and swollen, his lips blistered.
his uniform hOpelessly damaged.
One of the surgeons in attendance
covers up the sores with bandages
/ and sends the singed plebe to the in
frmary for a couple Of days. The Of
fetal report mentions the explosion Of
an alcohol lamp or some other acci-
dent Of like nature.
Not infrequentiy those ''boyish
pranks" have a tragic ending. More
than once cadets have been crippled
for life. and there are two cases on