Show t ti t i ta ft f T y W by EDWARD BCLARK www aix s A f f has been written or the of the discipline at tty u united states military the washington of the war department acting on the advice of the old graduates of the academy bave kept the disciplinary regulations at the government cy s school pretty much as they w ere in the early days when the thought was i that leniency had no place in military w jj i affairs the judgment of the army is yssa ys sw that the old rule is still the best rule at west point there are demerits and punishments for offenses pains and penalties however do not r prevent or at least did not prevent in the alder day the cabets cadets from having air occasion the time of their ih es vi hen any serious breach of the regulations Is contemplated the bos in gray use the lessons that are given them for another purpose to outwit outflank and outgeneral the en emythe tac J Vs tacal officer in charge ft J y the cadet at west point who was found with a crust of f t y t bread in his quarters or if luck has been running his way au A f orange or some other luxury almost to the cadet pal ate hl punishment Is or was ten hours of extra guard duty to v 1 1 IHM be performed during the time that otherwise he might have 1 been walking through valk with some one not a cadet or possible spending a part of the 25 cents a week which he is allowed tor extravagances if he doean t owe the government anything in buying a plate of ice cream or a delicious bite of cake in the goodies shop nelch the cabets cadets in the old days talfe custer a sheepskin it la said dubbed delmonico s mains unsigned by one west point t tesson to this day christmas and from it be learned that a york had shipped a box due to arrive tha with absolutely unspeakably good things that the box had been addressed to a certain kindhearted army boffl c e r s wife here and forever nameless and that it were better to call for it when the of aicer himself v aa on duty elsewhere just after supper that christmas eve during the half hour interval between mess and the buggers buglers call to quarters two ca diets stole down the road in the rear of the hospital soiled the fence and dropped into the yard in the rear of the kindhearted army comans womans quarters they found the box and carried it to the barracks getting it in through a window and stor g it under a bunk in a dark cor T ner the two cabets cadets were roommates they pried apen the box and hav ing found that there acre eight ties eight cakes to dozen oranges pounds of candy therein concluded that there were just rations enough forvour for four hungry cadema with they appetites that they could bring to the feast about an tour after taps I 1 hey invited two chums who lived in another part of the barracks to come to the spread as soon after lights out as it would be fairly safe to cross the area of bar racks without the danger of being seen by the officer of the day taps tf there was the usual dark lantern in immediately thereafter and from every room in the old stone building came the cry of all in sir as the officers made their round and flashed their bull s eye within io sooner had the door closed on the inspecting ameer than the two custodians of the box arose jumped nto trousers and achell jackets and proceeded to blanket the window throwing one end over the upper sash and then closing the frame so as to hold the blanket tight alth their bayonets they pinned the lower end at the corners and after placing a folded blanket over the transom they lighted the gas and spread the feast about three quarters of an hour after taps the yvo bidden ones stole in their hosts had resisted the mighty temptation to eat they had lived for months on cadet rations and their waiting for their comrades with that feast spread before their eyes proved them not only sol but stoics they came they saw and they ato the apple of eden had not the flavor of those mince pies it was detore the days of angel cake but those cakes must have come from paradise how these youngsters did pitch in has tasted so good since and the one who writes peaks by the card at 15 minutes before midnight everything had disappeared cave one slender piece of mince pie at which the smallest cadet present was looking lovingly vet afraid the game for him had reached its limit unlucky piece ef pie it was responsible for boes woes unnumbered the clink of a sword was beird on the ironbound stairway outside the door the door of the room appo site was heard to open an inspection was on the in the banquet room was doused instanter the two cadet hosts jumped into their bunks one of them pulling the blanket from the window in his flight one cadet guest sought refuge under one bunk aad the bec eec wid dove under the other the two in bed were corn covered and no eye could have told that they were clothed in shell jacket anil trousers when night gear was the proper raiment an officer of cavalry entered fie swept the beams t the dark lantern over the two bunks the occupants were peacefully it somewhat loud the officer turned to leave woe la mel the blanket pulled from the window aad carried to the bunk had iu its trail the smell piece of facea aimed mince pie and bad dropped it just where the heel f the retiring officer carbt it full and fair down he gentl he had had no such fall a hat IB be bad taken a header at his first riding lesson ad tato time he hit ble bead when he aaa be ami tbt barwic athla was too much een tor the con arol of four culprit they chuckled the officer rose swept the light of bis lantern under the bunks and then pulled two blankets from the boys in bed in an instant four cabets cadets were standing at atten alon two in arched to thear quarters in arrest the others were left in arrest where they were pour cabets cadets expiated the crime of eating by walking post during the ordinary glad hours of release from acra for tour weeks one of these boys went to his death on san juan hill and another to his death in the jungles of the philip panos one Is literally charging through life as a major of cavalry and the other who never saw the day of graduation writes these lines with a pen much less mighty than any sword not long ago it was written that there Is no spirit of sectionalism alavo at the united states military acad emy in grant hall the gibat stone building given over to the purposes of the cabets cadets mess and named for gen ulysses 8 grant hangs a portrait of the northern sol adler s great southern opponent gen robert E lee to every graduate in the army north and south the appearance of the fice of the great confederate soldier on the walls of bis alma mater side by side with that of his great antagonist means the end of controversy the end of bitterness the end of all things sectional I 1 ee as he appears in his place at honor Is not in the gray garb of the leader of the lost cause with the stars of a general in the field of his shoulder knots he Is shown in the blue uniform of the old army with an eagle on his shoulder backed with yellow de noting the rank of a colonel of cavalry the position the held when be resigned from the federal army to cast his lot with the confederacy the portrait of lee was placed in position five years ago cot mills who was then superintendent of the military academy secured readily ahe permission of the war department for the placing of the picture where ft ath that of grant it would tall dally under the eyes of the cabets cadets the thought Is held by army officers that nothing but good to the coming generations of cabets cadets can come from the honoring of the memory of one of the greatest soldiers ever graduated from wast this story of lees picture forces reminiscences since the war of secession the portrait of one other con federate leader has hung on historic walls that of albert sidney johnston of the class of 1826 and who gave his life for the south at there was a touch of sectionalism at west point judit after the war and a portrait of jonnston has to do with the story the picture was put in years before the north and the south met on the field ot battle and it hung on the wall of the army officers t west the portrait showed JobB stoa as a sub altern officer of cavalry in the united states forces johneton at one time was stationed at west point and tho officers assembled there as instructors voted to have him manage their mess the quality of the food and cooking improved ao that this wag done and the picture staged untouched all through the dark days of the war in the year there was sent to west point as vc tactical officer a who bad won the stars of q brigadier general of volunteers on the battlefield this story in fad J told ot gen A reno who had gone back to his rank of captain ot regulars at the close of hostilities he was a graduate of the military academy ns was johnston neno bad been at west point on duty only a few ten HOWS GUARD oury y the picture as of the southern officer caught his eye var passions were still high though another excuse was gh en for reno B conduct he was officer of the day and wore his side arms lie drew his saber in front ot johnstons picture A traitor has no place on these walls he said there was a right cut from a alced hand and the encircling friree and the picture ot the confederate gentril were cut in waln it was reno who was with custer a command a few days prior to the battle with the sioux in which the yellow haired chieftain and his command of the seventh cavalry were wiped out by the hand 0 sitting bull rano was at a distance wilh another part of the seventh cavalry lie had a fierce fight of his own reno was criticized for not having advanced to the relief of custer ha de minded a court of inquiry and he was clearedy cleare dj for no one ever doubted bis courage later he was dismissed from the at west point today to day abero time s effacing finger has removed the last trace of bitterness the portrait of lee will hang honored and in safety mal gen george A duster whose record of rapid promotions for ga lantry on the battlefield reids re ids like i romance had troubles of his own when he was a cadet custer entered the academy at the lowest age limit 17 years when he was 24 ears old he was a major gen eral commanding a division one may search history and even fiction and have tha hardest kind of time to find a parallel case one beauty nsf the matter Is that no one has yet been found to deny that custer won every step on tho road to his pre ferments yet this man who was sherldine Sherl dins right arm la the campaigns of 5 came near being loat to the service ot his country through inability to master thoroughly one of the branches at uncle sams school it is told at the academy that when cueter graduated it was found that one of the members of the aca demic board bad declined to sign his sheepskin when four years later cueter paid a vlast to the school the stars of a major genera in the field of hie shoulder knots the professor whose signature to thai was lacking offered to affix his name thereto there ensued a moment or two af pf silence broken only by a few picturesque from a baar abo taa hurt war oktaw to |