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Updated: June 14, 2025
Had his folly been confined to mere boyish nonsense it might have been overlooked, but it had gone on from folly to vicious conduct and his boast was that it was his duty to harden the plebes, his idea of hardening them being to get them intoxicated.
He is merely fifteen months on probation with his upper class comrades. Unhappy as the lot of the freshman is at some of our colleges, the plebe at West Point is of far less importance in the eyes of the upper classes. Early every morning cadet corporals marched squads of new plebes out into the open and put them through the mysteries of the Army "setting-up" drills.
But there are more than two hundred new plebes coming in just now, and many of these boys have never been away from home before. Some of them might foolishly seek the lure of a new vice, and might find the habit fastened on them before they were aware of it.
These new young men were then formally and impressively sworn into the service of their country. They were now cadets, even if only new plebes. Why "new" plebes! Because, under the new system, with candidates admitted in March, there is still a "plebe" class above them who remain plebes until commencement in June. Hence the distinction between old and new "plebes."
The idea in requiring cadets to begin in March instead of in June, as formerly, is that they may have three months in which to become accustomed to the fearfully exacting requirements of study and recitation in force at West Point. It was a proud day for all these new plebes when they "drew" their rifles and bayonets and began the laborious study of the manual of arms.
Before the stage hundreds of seats had been arranged. Every cadet who escorted ladies was privileged to sit with them. Cadets who "stagged" it were expected to stand. All of the plebes were in this number. Presently the cadets, their faces blacked, came out of the dressing tent, taking their places off the stage.
No cadet here, unless he's obliged to notice us, even looks at us. We're less than nothing." "That's true," nodded Dick thoughtfully. "And I'll wager it will be pretty nearly as bad all the time we're plebes. Now brace up, Greg.
During the first two weeks that the plebes had been in the academy the opportunities for hazing them had been few; but immediately on getting into camp the mischievous lads who had suffered the year before, not a few of whom had sworn that nothing in the wide world nothing, nothing, nothing! could tempt them to molest a fourth-class man, lost no time in "getting after" the "new stiffs," as the plebes were sometimes called at Fardale.
Yet everyone of these plebes received many a handshake from the upper classmen and a hearty good wish for success in life. More doleful still felt the dropped third classmen, who had been at the Military Academy for two years, and who had thoroughly expected to "get through" into the Army somehow.
"Oh, enjoy yourself in your own way," retorted Bert in decided anger, "but you'll soon find out." Then looking about the room, he remarked, going on a new tack: "I must say, you fellows are rather badly provided for showing the social courtesies here. You haven't even a chair for a guest." "Plebes are allowed only two chairs to a room," remarked Dick, rising and pulling forward his own chair.
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