The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-18

In the ropartee contests In which
plebes are allowed to indulge when in
t~errogated by upper class men one
smart fourth class man proved so SUI
perior in his replies to a second class
man that il delighted a first class man
TO the extent that he took the naval
neophyte under his wind and when the
second claps men attempted g modest
the pfebe again the first class man
raised tho finger If authority and Qpna-t
manded the annoyance 10 coaae -"
!. An amusing incident OF the present
! epidemic of hazlng occurred within the
outside portals of Bancroft Hall. a
civilian. accompanied by several of
his fourth class acquaintance, was
passing the northeast corner OF one of
the angles of Bancroft Hall. He saw
a number ~ midshipmen gathered in
its ~alcovc, and thinking some public
function was in progress stepped in
side and looked. There he saw two
plebcs ON their knees, surrounded by a
crowd of upper class men. They were
butting heads together like two mad
goats. Finding that he was trespass-
ing the civilian heat n hasty retreat,
hut he found himself companionless.
The plehes that were with him, OBJ
serving what was in progress and
fearing that their services might be
required In tho play. had fed the
scene. The hazers had scrtrics on,
watching for the approach Of n one
in authority.
one Of the incidents 81 the passing
4 wave nf Nlrrilan1 hay,vu 1, alro,-
exists in a chronic FORMS the prac-
'ice Of some upper class mon Of coming
into a plehe's rom ami seeing some.
thing they need-fr from stamps 10
shoes-and of taking possession with
out the usual forms of barter and ex-
change.
, From the establishment Of the Naval
Academy. October 10, 1916, to its re-
moval to Newport. r. l., In 1861,
hazing as n custom was unknown at
the academy. Rear Admiral Mahan is
authority for this statement. Having
been raised at or near West Point.
where the system was in vogue, he
was surprised on coming To the Naval
Academy to find hat the usage did not
exist there.
When the civil war broke Ii the
first and second classes were ordered
10 sea. and the third class was the
only one that went with the Naval
Academy in 1861 to Newport. This
\ class had not been sufficiently indoc-
trinated into The good fellowship of
the institution "a keep up the old GUS
tom OF seeking out a new arrival and
! Offering to him acts of kindness and
friendship: nor were the seniors there
10 enforce the amlable rule. The mid
shipmen at Newport began to indulge
In h~orseplays at the expense OF the
plebe class, and so hazing developed,
When the academy returned To An
napolts In 1866 hazing was an estab-
iished system. The authorities OF
the school set vigorously to work 10
stop II, and so earnest were they about
the matter that an upper class man in
great Indignation exclaimed, They
won't let you look at a plebe now"
Then. as now, there were upper class
men who opposed the system and one
high minded first class man having
caught some midshipmen haZing plehes
and having reported them to the off,
GERS was soundly berated by his class
mates. Hut there was no more haZing
OF plebes when he was on duty.
There is n part Of the code that
obtains we'll nigh universal obser-
ance-secrecy about acts OF hazing
and running. There is a common con-
sent on the part OF all the midshpmen
. to protect a hazer whether or not they
take part In such acts or approve or
~disapprove of them,
As o o ms 1t IL learned that an in
v~estigatlon OF hazing Is on foot by the
academy authorities the plebe who Is
summoned before n court-martIal or
commission OF investigators Is waited
on by upper class men and Inducements
in the way Of implied promises not to
modest him again are held out to him
TO go light In his testimony.
| In one case In 1905 a midshipman