Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-30
PLebes "COnfned"
-.. to Balk HazinQ

Continued from Page One
such an extent that it caused nervous
breakdown resulting in them failing
their October examinations.
One business man from this city, act
ing on complaints from his son. had de-
tectives investigate conditions ut ANNA
polls. and Admiral Scales, has appointed
five inquiry boards as a result Of their
report. ....'
The academy regiment has been
''roken up. and the plebes now have a
battalion of their own, with first year
officers. instead of being in the regiment
and having officers from the upper
classes.
Besides the eleven Philadelphians apd
forty five students from other parts of
Pennsylvania in this years p.ebe class.
The first year students are:
James NJ. Anderson. 224 East Fishers
avenue Eugene G. Burchatt, 4S10 Duf
field street; William Martchant Cole.
2534 South Twentieth street; Henry
G. Daniel, 33 East Springfield avenue,
Chestnut Hill; Alfred Hall Kerrick
5101 Darragh street; Royal B. Stevens,
5412 Kingsessing avenue; Robert Lee
Swart. Jr.. 1884 Mcclellan street; Jo-
seph Irwin Tay' or, Jr.. 2G0 South Tenth
street; Ethelbert Watts, 3645 North
Nineteenth street. and Henry II. Wells
ford, 2731 North Twenty fifth street.
$50 in First Year
There are $50 members of the first
year class, out of total OF about 1000
students at the Academy. Many OF the
upper classmen are from Philadelphia
and Pennsylvania.
All the old forms of hazipg and sew
eral original ones have been visited upon
the plebes. A popular form is for an
upper classman to approach first year
man, order him to stand at attention.
and then force him. with threats of dire
penalties If he disobeys, to stand rigid
for half an hour.
Another form is to force n plcbe to
guess the kind of dessert for the evening
meal. II he fails to guess right-and
they rarely do--he is forced to eat that
meal while sitting on the floor under the
table.
One Philadelphia plebe was given a
grasshopper and ordered to produce it
in good health two weeks later or be
thrown in the Severn river. The grass
hopper is still alive, but weakening
fast. and the plebe Is very nervous.
Fifty upper classmen have been de-
moted in ranks ranging from petty Of
iicers to ieutenants to ordinary mid
shipmen in an effort to break up the
hazing, and more drastic action will be
takcn, Admiral Scales said.
II understand several Philadelphia
parents are coming to complain of con
ditions," he said today. my door Is
always open to them. They will be wei.
como and / will BE- pleased to 20 over
the situation with them"
One OF the steps taken to prevent
hazing Is the posting in conspicuous
places of the daily menu, Including
dessert, but now upper classmen are
compelling plebes to guess desserts two
days in advance.
Mrs. II. NJ. Daniel, mother OF Henry
G. Daniel, said today that she plans to
go to Annapolis. She said no friction
existed between parents and the COM
mandant.
Won't Go to Academy
Mrs BENJAMIN Anderson, of 224 East
Fishers avenue, Olney, the mother of
James Nj. Anderson. a plebe at the
academy, said today her son had writ
ten telling her of the hazing, but dis
approving of the action of men who had
complained.
my boy never was one to tell tales, ="
said Mrs. Anderson. "NNhen he was
playing on the football team at the
Frankford High School he injured his
knee, and though he limped around he
would not tell us what was the matter
with him. ! learned by accident from
some one else that he had water on tho
knee.
why, when he was only little fell
low. six years old, he fell and cut his
head. Instead of running home to his
mother he went himself to n doctor and
had the cut dressed before he came