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Relatives of Eminent Soldiers and Sailors Have a Particularly Rough Time of It. WRITTEN FOR THE AMERY Revenue. The now celebrated Heer hazing case makes interesting some description of West Paint experience along the Hoes covered by the testimony diveloaet in the Inquiry. West Point men must be cleanty. “Piebes” are frequently put through Ali the mite forms of a Turkish bath. In their hot tents on a warm summer’s bay they are Bm) times wrapped in blankets and heavy race coat. Then they are put to bed UT they have perepired freely. Their own comm rades line on both sides of the company street. Rockets of water are placed in their hands. Down the street rams The es cited “plebe.” The upper-class men urge him on, he runs the gannet of the low “wet brigade, and retires to his tent for a “rub down ali the cheers of his hoters. Former Cadet George Mason Lee, the son of General Fitzhugh Lee, in remain for his part fiom plebe* bath. He is not a lieutenant in the army, bit in wah) re membered at the academy as “Ahan” Lee. ‘The Liieutenant’s cadet namesake to a Chi nese laundryman #1 Highland Balls. “Wooden willies” are continuous kun drill. The name has been hacked down from class to class since the rectme of an unpopular superintendent of the academy, who was particular about the preelafon with which the gun should be handled as dirt and dress parade. The “choo choos” bring the handsome cadet flat on the ground. He doubles up into a crouching position and shambles across the grass. In “weratching” “ Yee’ from a support, Hits full hit on arm, Cadet Philip H. Sheridan, Jr., the son of Cleneral Phil Sheridan, rode a broom treet during his mck down the company § “plebe” encampment. In 106, “Torn, boys, tural” shouted Cadet Sheri dan as he sat astride his troomeatick. He was forced to repeat all the lines in the describing General Sheridan's famous poem Tide to Winchester. “phil” Sheridan also participated in “bowl race.” Several of the “plebes” were to take their was bowls from a tents. Sheridan and his comrades the bowls In a line were the com pany street. Each cadet sat in his own washbow! At the word “Ger” from e nh upper-classman, the “plebs” half rove, with the white bowls still in position, and raced through the gramgenee “Phil* Sheridan, Jr., has a record for one of theses races .G rant, the grandson of Gen y hazed at the Tait- YOUNG GRANTS EXPERIENC Ulyses 3, G eral Grant, was coverer of States Military Academy. Tie now a student in the third class. He tells this Story of his experiences “] was —— to do everything the other men did. Including ‘caging, football ‘dips and exercises with dumbbetls. The “dips forbuded falling on my hand« ani knees and raising and lowering myself on the ground. One exercise was rerally fol lowed by another. They nover lasted more than six or seven minutes. “The hating usually occurred at night, after supper. I was hazed In my own tent. The upper class men came fir and told me to do what they said. I was qualified on “sammy or molasses, also on pruties and cabbage. We had a nut funeral and a ‘sammy’ race. I made love to hooks and instruments at the command of upper-rlaca ere... “T took i in several practical jokes. T we compelled I run down the company street and call out all the membere o the core. I had to attend ‘plebo setreet where x group of fourth-class men are all exercised at one time. One day an order was given to the class men f requir ing all those men o had obtained leave to go to a loop at Highland Falls to appear at 2 certain place. The upper class men also required me to do work for them. to wee required to ex ercies by apper-clage me because I made Dinmierr. I was required to sit on a locker with my feet out and holding Todtan clobe in my arms because I did not do what T was told. “Cadet HH. Smith was dremissed for chasing me in September. 168%. He ordered me to say what is known as ‘teck’ and to go through ‘cagiing.’ I was also punished for submitting to it.” “Were you engaged In any hazing during the last encampment? he was asked. “Test the ‘plebes' ask foolish questions of people. I made them brace and their services.” DOUGLAS MacARTHUR TOOK THE “TURTLE.” Douglas MacArthur, the son of General MacArthur, who is a student of the head of the third class at West Point, described his hazing and its effects. “I came to the Academy In June a year ago. I was hazed. I took the ‘turtle’ and made it go through the formation of par ade, the turtle representing the battalion. “I had to go through ‘ragling’ and wood en willies I kept them up till I became slightly exhausted. The upper-class men required me to take a sweat bath Several of us ‘plebes” were placed In a tent, the wrapped about us. We remained ly in with the Drinkers over we for ten or twenty minutes on a hot day. I was required to hang on a stretcher with toes off the floor. I became very tired. I cramps in my muscles and I lost their control in it through exercising. hazing took place in my tent. There are two reasons for hazing—first, anusr ment, and second, the desire to reduce a man's rough edges. It is the only way to —— p rough edges of men who come the country. It requires about 1+ work to go —_ out of the ‘plebes.” aoe are gu’ y ¥ cured,” HO Hobsons BROTHER FARED. Cadet eet Scother Lieutenant ma. a trying experience in “the elnking of the Merrimac” He was ordered = ar eee a bathtub and sink #mall . “Where are you?’ he was asked, F © Is Santiago Harbor,” he was ex pelged to reply. “What are you doing?’ he was next I the Merrimac,” he said, as he shuty the chip again below the surface of the water in the bathtub. Cadet Hobson was also the central fg ure in a West Point kissing bes. He was told to give a “Hobson to the trees about camp At this command he fondly em braced a giant oak and pressed his lips to the rough bark. LEW NIXON DEPREUCATES CERTAIN FOR'S OF HAZING. “When I went to the Naval Academy in 1678, said Lewin Nixon, “hazing of a hurt ful nature was even then a thing of the White In former years cadets had made to wt in dangerous positions on sills, drink ink, jump nte tes cold water and he partly enmothered between Mattresses, the punishment had boen co e vere upon conviction that the bet had a rated into a mild form of running or that served more than anythin else to bring cadets into certain lines om negeal procedure, and when a cadet ed a fan to comply with the un written laws regulating the status of a fourth-class man he could go through the fret year without being subjected to any aes mistreatment. fourth-class man must say ‘sir’ to ar oy man when communicating wit in any way, and in order to Ax thin In his mind he is kept stirring almost con stently during his fret months at the acad emy. He willl be made to my ‘sir between every, chatter when Ling his name, and In a while he fortunate If he does not wee the word when talking to the mess .It used to be a penn a men, Were am rmitt to during the first half year. I entered the summer, and, having the run of the academy that summer when all the up per-class men were away, we drank milk as We liked. When the term began, at the meal In the main meal hall, I remem eering the smatk pitcher and pouring ta glass As I dre it I was transfix by a cold stare from a second-class man across the table. In a few minutes all the on the table were near me, and I to drink milk until I could hold no care and could eat nothing. I learned my . and took no more milk during the forbidden season. not being made to sing a nursery @inty or climb wardrobe [I saw nothing that could even be called hazing during my four years at the academy .It mert be remembered that obedicore to authority In one of the most important In. none see mt ne eee Young men come rom «a parts the United States, chosen by competitive examination or enough to be selected by his Con. m, the young man ie a picked boy en object of envy to his aesociates. So, oe ene always say that be comes polled, at be can be said to be «lated, and he maiden bringing down to earth bs of Vast service ta hin “Pops are quick te size up one ennther, and if there ta amy weekeyess if velit te shown up, and if one i found te te prey. Urtcky, cowardy ar given to philrkin, st in my fe be elrtvert dtnt 0 till aind be will be of the better for it “To remember a clase that enter al shortly after min, that was very sleuchy im cur tage. The third cee took them to he and every ate when he antreated Way teen to have his Little Tineers on the sean of his trousers and to march with head ay and eyes to the front, and tits wae kept up to sich am extent Chet thie class was after wand notible for itemlitters carriage. This might be ceili Harting, but it was a good thing for them. “an hazing be topped? Tt can, easily. Let the superintendent be amiheriged to rante each cadet to prefer Himself «nun his homer not to haze while an cadet and the praction will cram “should its te done? I personally think not. I believe that when not carrid to a hurtful deanee hazing, ae tt be yeatified at the Novel Academy when I was There, taught many woeful lessons of patience, self control and dectiines” sO%S OF PHOMISEST MES SUFFER MOST. ear Admiral Henry Brien, an Graduate of the Ont States Naval Academy at An napolis, bn the diee of M4, said: “Only anischileveran pranks are played at the Naval Academy. When I was a suval cndet they held mock court-martial and sentenced chaps to certain ridicules pun ishments. We often sent fellows forward to ‘pay their footing” by eating two shares of “it! Even midshipmen would often take part in the sport, and nerd “Jacks aloft, there to Ubreuten to pull rope on ther unless they would promise to treat the crowd, “] remember one new cadet 1 Ubeneail emy whom we ordered to stand rentry on the scuttle teutt.” He was not to allow any of the 200 men on board to take two drinks of water from the ‘scuttie hott” that cadet stend in fulldirees uniform, with his sweel at his siie, for several hours, while every one else had quiet fun at tin expenes, the another occasion a cadet spent a shoesless night because he had been ordered by the np or class men to answer the Captain'sa “ile. “The cons of prominent men get the worst of baring. They are generally made to do extra duty at Annagetts. We loved to ‘ric’ them. They were often out of rhdbeond sent wats, with odets not to Youve wth re lieved. The hazing lasted for two or three weeks I never sae any fights. “adets are youns of the Naval Academy, and Uselr pranks are more bosish , should say a chap named Hoos would make « 1 subject for Nathig on second of his name, i REAR ADMIRAL SAMPSON WAS SMIGGERN-FLESD, Rear Admiral Sampron, commander of the Boston Navy Yard, hed this to say about s cadet Ife. : oe ey experimvee at Annapolis—ae a student, in 180, and ax euperinteteient of the academy, from Destill in the te Wie te flagrant instance of baxtrog. ‘There was no case like the recs at ue at West Point. In net, my freshman year, the cadets pred teed what was called ‘nigger feain’ The significance of the term has never been quite cear to ime. “The custom was for upper-class men to catch a man asteep and set upon his hand covers fleece of a room straw about a inch tong and then eet fire to them with a rand. The strawe would burn down to the flesh, and then the forsimanm would wake up with a start and all the fellows would have a good deal of fun over the ex periment. You #e+, that sort of thing was erfectly harmless. Compared with s indie of pranks in colleges in recent year Ho eenthd not well be calleal hazing.” I went through the experience of ‘niaeer Mealing. “I think that basing, ox reported recently at West Point and in several colleges, in brutal Especlally the practice of fore a lite man to fight a tic man should be couraged, although i is not much worse than oe freshmen clean tents and black boota 4 — men, ae in “ of 4 wean spirit for upper-class men to compel n ew man to accept a disadvan tageous attitude or positon “Or cour, as long as the men man is not maimed or injured In any way the hazing oe ders not become a matter for pub ic attention; and, Find it, the cadets at West Point or at Annapolis may get much Whelescene enjoyment om a _ o me Te always the possity of ca inac the thi too far, and, therefore, I don't mind stu that I believe that all forms of hazing should be stopped. HEAR ADMIRAL WALKER PREQUESTLY FOUGHT CLASSMATES. Rear Admiral John G. Walker, chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission, entered the Naval Academy In 1). “Hazing at the Naval Academy Was un known when I attended the course,” he said. “It is true that I ceases fought classmates who had insulted me or who thought themselves aggrieved, but there was no hazing in the sense that the word is now employed. After leaving the acad emy, I was on several occasions static there, and no instances of hazing then came to my attention. It seems to me there ought to no difficulty in stopping this practice. The imperation of severe punish ment would promptly end it, and I believe it is the observance of this policy which has prevented hazing from thriving at the Naval Academy.” HEAR ADMIRAL BRADFORD AND THE CHAIR PULLER. Hear Admiral R. B. Bradford, chief of the Bureau of Equipment, who entered the Naval Academy to [sé], said “There was practically no chasing when I was at the Naval Acaemy. I did not en ter the academy until two months after my class had organized, and I was told by one of the cadets from Maine, from which State was appointed, not to let any one attempt to run mr. as he ex pressed 1t, buth stand up and fight. A youngster from Rhode Leland attempted to pull a chair from under me on one occa sion. In fact, he succeeded, but after this occasion I had no further trouble. When I left the practice ship at Newport, to which Point during the Civil War the Naval Academy wes transferred, I saw some in stances of hazing. The hazers were not of my class. because of the great need for officers many there who should have been p romisced were permitted to enter the acad emy and take the course. They were the one who indulged in the practice,” CAPTAIN SIGSHEFR 450 THE CADET OF PRHNCELL HAXE. Captain Charlee 1. Kee, who com panded the Maine when she was blown up in Havana harber, said: “Hazing is a recent practice anl did not exit at the Naval Academy when I was there. The bove were went to devil each other and ‘devil’their officers, and fre quently on board ship a 2-pound shot would be sent rolling down the deck for the purpose of having the officer in charge call us out of our homemneocks. “Sometimes a cadet did not act as polite ly as he should have done to his superiors. recall that the Navy Department on one occasion directed the superintendent of the Naval Academy to Investigate @ report that a Patrician League existed in the academy. After cry into the matter the super intendent oiled up a youngster and asked him if he were president of the Patrician league. “No, sir, was the reply. “Then what is your petition, sirt was the next question, “Tl am the Lord High Sheriff, with the rank of Prince,” the cadet rey “Sometimes the cadet» would engage in fist fights, but there was no system which required a man of the lower class to be MAJOR GENERAL BAIRD STATES WERE ALL OF STUDIOUS BENT. Major General Abenilom G. a. who entered the Military Academy In Ist, does not recall any instance of brutal haging. “There was little hazing when I won at the Milita Academy,” he said, “and it was generall upon by the cadets t An In tered that I recall was that of a plebe, who, upon arrit arrival at the academy, was told that were not blacked, and that he should report to the superintendent. The cadets during my time were so with their studies that they had little ine to Play pranks.”
Newspaper Details
St Louis Republic
St Louis, Missouri, US
Sun, Jan 06, 1901
Page 4
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AE, USA 17 Jan 2026
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