| Show 44 I n. n q h f 0 s 0 01 1 x Graduation 1 Day By Oy y ELMO SCOTT WATSON N JUNK 13 some tH 00 young men gathered In the big gymnasium at atthe atthe atthe 0 O the United States Stales Military academy at West Vest Int fat N. N I there Y to receive receive re re- from the hands of ot a representative representative npr of ot the secretary of ot war anI and Maj AlaJ Gen fen William It U. Smith superintendent super super- of ot the academy their diplomas of ot graduation And thereby was ryas added to the rolls of ot the United States army the names of WO 00 of ot 4 and gentlemen Mark Alark that phrase well for tor It has hs more meaning than appears from a casual reading of It and what that meanIng meanIng meaning mean- mean Ing Is Ia you ou will come to understand a little l better further alon along On Oa July 1 there will arrive at the academy some young men who come from every ery part of ot the United Slates and nod from every level of ot the diversified society which dl characterizes such a democracy aa as the United States of ot America For these newcomers newcomer are tho the raw material from which the o officers and gentlemen of four our years hence tare are made During the two months immediately following their admission to the academy tile they wilt will upend spend In an Intensive IntrusIve military training before be be- fore tore they are officially accepted Into the United States corps of ot cadets This period the most rigid end nd exacting of ot the entire four years ears at West Vest WestPoint Point will l be e spent under a group of It selected Instructors instructors In from the first class known as lIS the Beast Detail supervised b by officers of the tactical department de de- Dt of ot the academy For or these newcomers newcomer In kadet alan slang are now the beasts And It Itis Itla la Js not u until the tie termination of ot beast barracks followed by a hike of ot about a weeks week's duration that these members now noy krown known as plebes are absorbed Into the corps as os tho the fourth class loss and take toke up their new nets academic duties the first week In September The motto of the United States State Military academy acad emy Is la Duty Honor lIonor Country Countr During the preliminary preliminary pre pre- training of ot tho the newcomers MI this summer one of ot the tho first things the they will learn Is la the thereal thereal thereal real meaning back of ot that motto there Here Is that meaning as aa It Is Interpreted In nu Bugle le Notes Nots tho ho little handbook which the call the TIebe's Bible The motto of ot the corps the standard b by which h every very enry cadet regulates his personal life lite Is Duty Honor Country Country- Country nerds needs no definition Our Country right or wrong Is la the patriots patriot's slogan throughout tI the nation nut Dot the tha standards of ot Duty and Honor at We t Point are re distine distinctive live tive and rigid and because In n civilian life fits the general attitude ns as to the there thre two principles from fro time to time and nd from place to tG place the following l laKe anea pages are u devoted In great part to a definition of ot the attitude of ot the corps corp In matters of ot duty and nd honor I of ot West Rest Point have always alwy Inspired anI and nJ set at the standard of ot duty In the army That the they have been able to do so so 0 Is I. due dUI entirely te to the Inculcation cf of If a keen sense of duty and to the faithful conscientious and cheerful e performance e of ot every task taek Imposed upon them while at al the academy acad ae-ad- emy my Only he who has ha acquired the habit of discipline dis dla of duty duly and anI of ot justice can be trusted to tonet Act net us as a leader leder In a profession which dials deals with the lives live of ot men of ot ones one's duty impure Implies far more than Ihan mere men obedience to 10 the letter ot of the law In other othu walks walka of ot life technicalities and evasive 8 tactics are r condoned and even lauded at as an n Indication of ot cleyer cleverness In the army where the lives live are the price of ot failure there are no technicalities and an n order Is I. given a statement received at nt Its H. face tac value When It ii becomes a soldiers soldier duty to tG obey an n order It also alao becomes his hla duty to look beneath beneath be be- neath the surface of tha that Ihal order for fur Its II spirit and In ao so doing to 10 put his whole being Into Its It per per- A fear tearless fearless readiness to assume responsibility wI sod mid the Iha determination to do not Just jait the lab Job but the whole anI and the best but job are what I I. I expected of a West Pointer I very cadet adot Is expected to make It his hi Individual Individual ual am and nd personal obligation to maintain the high eat est possible standard of duty and to do everything In la 10 his hla power to discountenance and discourage an and act or spirit which might mla place a premium on th the tb- nl nonperformance of ones one's dul duty on Honor Is la the most mOAt cherished principle of life Ufe It Is the Ibe beacon on which h guides every one during I their stay atay at t the military military- academy ae-ademy and during the tbt career ot of later life lit The Tha fundamental principles principle of ot he honor nor their application ap ap- atlon to 10 specific acts ta and problems and nj ih th lb methods of nf administering and enforcing these thee principles and ar applications ha e long IonIC been designated designated dIG by the Ih general term lerm the Horror Honor System A AI 11 1 11 0 all educational In ha have honer varying In and honor honor y l-y to tu a greater or rP r- r Gray Those Walls mss mss' P to Review 4 V 4 r k t ti 4 N 4 J J 4 r Guard Mount n ae Yx t. t aitS Trophy Tr-ophy phy Point Pointless less Ie degree students consider themselves bound and nd which exert eKert a varying degree degras of Influence on the lives of the several Institutions At the peak of the vary varying InK seal scale stands tandl the honor bonor system of the corps corp representing r the best beal the most mOlt steadfastly upheld the mo most t practical and at once Ideal system YI tem teat of honor bonor In the world The bailo baslo principles of the honor system are Arl no lying no cheating no halt half Now nil alt of this may sound very much like tike the type of ot thing that you ou will rend read la in an any of ot the student handbooks which are aro given to members of tho the freshmen class In la any educational ton In the tho United States And to the cynical cynical- minded who have hare observed the break down of ot honor systems In various Institutions this statement statement statement state state- ment from Bugle Dugle Notes may mean nothing more than a similar statement In other such Handbooks Hut But here lies III's the difference At West Point honor honorIs Is a living reality Go there as did the writer of ot this article BrUcie and you will quickly realize that fact tact It Is not because the cadets go about their business with a conscious air of ot virtue It Is not that they parade the fact tact that their honor Is to them the dearest of ot all 01 things It Is not oot that there Is a visible evidence of ot a rigid adherence to a code of ot honor set forth In formal phrases and ond exemplified by apparent effort But nut It Is a part of ot their every day te fe and as such It finds Its Us phrasing In a single expressive colloquialism For Forthe Forthe Forthe the heart henrt and soul and watchword of ot the tie West Vest WestPoint Point code rode of ot honor bonor Is expressed lu lt just two words All HIght Cadet life at West Point Is one of ot rigid discipline discipline dis die he hedged about by many ninny restrictions The cadet has bos a certain time for tor doing u II certain tiling thing he ho Is supposed to be la In certain places II II res for or certain duties at nt certain c times It If he Is 18 not lu In those places s or performing those duties he will re receive ehe demerits those black marks lUarks for which he must make amends usually h by doing punishment tour which that he must spend some of ot the extra ex 11 tra tea time that lint he would ordinarily have c for or leisure marching at nt attention on Oil the campus demerits rN received lI I for tor Infraction of ot the rules of ot the academy my lead to hi hIs expulsion Cadet lire life h tY one of ot Spartan Sparlan simplicity Cadets are lire not allowed to have hart or receive money they cannot smoke except In III their own rooms th they cannot leave e the reservation except at stated times Christmas leave Ila Is only Issued a 8 year and a half hair after alter the tho cadet codet first enters In addition to the four tour dally drills In infantry field artillery cavalry and coast artillery lessons ns must be learned mathematics from simple algebra algebra alge alge- bra through the tie latest wrinkle In calculus and least squares philosophy chemistry electricity trench French and Spanish English and hI history tor Cadet rooms mast most be swept out and cleaned by the cadets cade themselves tour themselves four time dally and daily and the they have to shine their shoes and make their own beds Such a program of ot work and such strict discipline discipline dis dis- as to conduct soon proves whether or not the cadet has real stuff In to him him- It If be he hasn't If it his bis scholarship falls tails Mow below par and If It as proy previously pre pre- stated he doesn't keep kp the rules toles out he goes I Neither birth family Influence nor wealth count at West Point Of Ot course to the average American youth It would seem eos easy to beat the game and fo o o cover up his rule-breaking rule so that he would not suffer the penalty for tor it But at West Point beating the game Is not a popular sport and here la Is where the All Right comes In Suppose for tor Instance that the cadet leaves his room the barracks or the post and In to doing so be he meets a tac a tactical officer If It the tac inquires all right and the cadet replies allright all alt allright right I l it most decidedly IS all alt right that Is to say these two words are a complete explanation of ot his bis action that his Ills leaving his room the barracks barracks bar bar- ra racks ks or the post is not an Infraction of ot the rules roles For say the rules an all alp right Involves the purpose purpose pur pose pos of ot a visit as well as the place No cadet may report all right when wilen he Is going anywhere for tor an unauthorized purpose purpose Of And here Is another and even evea finer liner Interpretation of ot the rule If It a cadet cadetIs Is la asked askedall all right his answer should refer to the time that the question was asked and not to the moment that the answer was given So you seea see seea a cadets cadet's action which Is not all right one minute ma may apparently be all right the next minute minute but but buthe buthe he can not take advantage of the apparent compliance compliance com con with the rules within that short space spare of ot time for tor the code of ot honor of or West Point says no half truths Another of ot the guiding principles of the cadet cadet as set forth In the Plebes Bible Is this Quibbling Quibbling Quibbling bling evasive statements or technicalities In order order or or- der to shield guilt o 0 o.- o. defeat the tho ends of ot justice will not be tolerated The code o of the soldier demands demands demands de de- mands courageous and ond fearless honesty In setting forth the truth regardless of consequences So when the cadet answers all right it means Just Jost exactly that and not oot a whit less It If the lie thing he heIs heIs heis Is doing when that inquiry Is made is not all an right then he says nothing and accepts the demerit which he has hus earned For cadets do not make excuses Explanations citing extenuating circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances or adequate reasons for tor failure In the performance of duty may be submitted nut But Offenders of ot the code coda of at honor are never grantee granted Immunity And those rules and this code of ot honor apply appl to nil tram nil from the lowliest plebe to the most outstanding out stan standing lIng member of ot the first class There is a rather widespread popular belief that In most ol olour ot of our educational Institutions athletic stars can get by with anything But that distinctly Is not true true- at West Point Take the case of ot Cadet Cagle Red ned Cagle as you probably have hae heard of ot him the outstanding backfield ld star of ot the football foot foot- ball boll team and next years year's captain Last winter Cagle obtained a n leave leae of ot absence which he spent In New ew York city When lie he returned to the acad academy Im I'm emy he was late hate through no especial fault of ot his by a very short time nut But was this tills breach o ot f rules rull's overlooked In the case of ot this great football foot foot- oat ball star It most emphatically was as not For th the next month lied Hed Cagle was doing 22 hours o of ot f punishment tour 22 extra hours marching a at t attention on the campus If Ir will you fOU march for or a an n hour at attention you fOU will soon appreciate tnt that Z hours in 10 a 0 month or nearly an hour a day extra is no Joke Jole and least of ot all It see seem m so if It you were doing it for what mi lit seem to b ba be e a ver very unimportant reason Think back over th the Qa number of ot times you have been late to an a ap and offered as an excuse e for tor your ness an airy Sorry old tell fellow ow I and then s see how you ou would feel If It you had to pay for tor It th the e way VaT Red fled Cagle did for tor his tardiness But nut remember that discipline at the milita military n academy comes cornell ahead of ot anything else Fou Four r years of ot such discipline of ot such practice In self restraint by the young youn men who are enroll enrolled ed there by their training In scrupulous regard fo tor r duty by their doing the right tiling thing because 1 It t is the right thin thing according to the code of ot hono honor r cannot but result in to making men of ot high physic 1 and mental standard Those four years have hare brought a II knowledge knowledg e end and physique that couldn't very Iry well wIll be bl obtain obtained an any other place have ha given glnn that Insight into me men that few tew colleges colles give have formed end and molded molde d a character that neither knows nor shields crime or deceit hate haye breathed Into it that Ihal e spirit of ot th the e e corps hy by its motto Duty Honor lIonor Country Ami ind that Is iii why he the term office Omell and gentleman lIIm when f to a II West i loi r means that I |
