The Washington herald., 1919-09-22
By HAROLD y. WHEELER
CONTINUED FROM sArrRn.y

that period OF Beast Barraclu-
known as breaking in" a period e.-
tending over about three or -four
weeks. For not until the end OF thai
period are the new cadets considered
sufficiently well trained to Join the
rest Of the cadets in camp. ~
Oh, the commands Of that break
ing in" period. snapped out by stern
drill masters. yearling corporals. who
act under TIE direction OF former
cadets now officers in the army and
back under special orders 70 serve for
time as tactical instructors. OF
TAGS" as the cadets call them On
their own slang.
Fall in!'' ---
Fall out!"
Hold UP your head 80
Drag in your chinlT 81
Suck up your stomach" W:
Get those shoulders back! More
yet! More YETI IS
How those Yeariing corporals could
yell and did yell at "Beasts" AndSf
young men or the TAGS" or forzntx
TO address them as Sir" Oh, thosA.
Beast" days! Especially the days,
when that most highest Of all. conn
mander even Of the '"Tacs.~ the COM
mandant Of Cadets and Tactical o..
lcers, put in appearance. Why. II
was even prescribed how cadets
should sit AZ ness
There was no end OF reruist3onx
Rooms must be kept just so: beds
must be made just so: bedding must
be kept just so: equipment. all OF ~
must be kept Just so; everything
must be kept Just so. An inch out ttl
the way. a shoe or a paper misplaced"
and-woe TO the offender -
Under YearIIng's Rule. .'
Not 70 be forgotten WAS Ire Oar
rifles were issued. and one had "a
learn their nomenclature and clesr
them together without having a p4ece
or two left over. But Jack Peshinss
lived througi those days. as did most
Of those young men who had entered
with him or those other young men",
those friends OF his, vI1o they were:
and where they are more later. They
belong to another chapter. -
Beast Barracks ended. and came
camp. Ee
1t was a big step. Jack Pershins
ceased TO be a Beast He was a
plebe-
Camp lasted until September-csnp
with all that the name implied. II
meant sleeping in the open drills
never-ending drills-guard duty,
swimming. dancing Oh. the fun Of r.
and the work Of il, The trouble was
then, even as today, the Plebes were
always the butt Of the fun But Jack
Pershing lived through camp as he
had lived through beast barracks"
Always are Plebes bouyed by the
knowledge that next camp they will
be YesrlinEs, later Second Class, then
First Class men And there will be
other Plebes.
Will Jack Pershing ever forget the
first time he heard the order.
Turn out. you Plebes, and chase
those eagles
What did it mean? An unofIendinE.
chirping sparrow had aliChted in
tents. Poor SPARROW, He was a tres
I passsr and must be elected. So the
| Plebes chased eagles.
or did Jack Pershing forget another
order:
Pick up those logs Of wood. you
| PlebeS"'
The Funeral of n Rat
What did it mean? Someone had
thrown matches in the company street
The Plebes must pick them UP. Yes.
most Of the police dyty fell to the lot
Of the PIebes And the tasks they
rad TO do for upper classmen- For
West Point in the days Of Jack Persh-
ing. boasted that English school sy-s-
TEN Of Tagging" But Plebes later
| be lordly ones?
First guard duty came
How the NearlinEs and Che Second
7 Class and First Class men did an
within hs.r power TO make guard
/ duty for Piebes memorable.
A poor Plebe sentry walked his post =
| perhaps Jack PershinE. Out Of the
/ darkness of the night would appear a
number Of white wrapped forms
/ suspiciously like cadets with sheets
/ draped about them -
| Who goes there?- the sentry would
CRY.
"A flock of angels, would come tn.
answer.
And then. before the corporal Of the
guard could be called, the ghosts
would vanish.
Most always the camp held q rat
funeral
Somewhere a rat would be found
! !ObseQuies would be held and the dead
rodents body taken away for burial.
the Plebes following the bier as mourn
ers and carrying buckets in which %
catch their tears, while upper class
men shrilly ordered: :
Louder. weep louder. you Piebe---e
Ha,inE at West Point.
There was hazinE in those
West Point, though none. s-zn.
those who were there in tho arvs d
talk much OF It
Midnight dragging was 10
hazing. Cadet privates, rising
night, would poUnce suddenl 1r
cadet corporals. and, much to
gust Of those lordly young me
them up and down through L
pany streets. And TO make
worse, IL II had not been rain
Iprivstes first watered the str -
part OF the streets. that Their -r.g
be plenty Of puddles through srrrr
TO drag the corporals-wet and -g6.E.
lpuddles. Yes, they must be s.r
Moreover, the cadet privates s +.
that the cadet corporals we sad
only in underclothing.
| Charles r. SpurEeon--Charlit E-r.H-
lgeon-Jack PershinCs boyhood rH.-r
VINO lives in BrookfieId- No, ~ ~.
that several cadets tried TO ha --|E
|Pershing. and that he 'lcnoc ..r
stuffing" out Of all Of them ~..-
story must rest as Charlie S --r..
gives IL.
Camp ended in September. ans DID
cadets went into barracks and aszr z