WEST POINT LIFE HAS ITS QUOTA OF UNIQUE CUSTOMS

Some of the mysteries of the inner shrine of West Point traditions and customs are revealed in the following article written for the Crimson by Captain I. W. Porter of The Pointer staff.

Any discussion of the customs and traditions of West Point is a discussion of the Academy itself. In the long life of the Corps, certain unwritten habits of conduct have developed, and many stories of former escapades have been handed down.

Many of the customs are in the form of restrictions placed upon the "plebes." There are restrictions in the mess hall, in barracks, and on the campus. In the mess hall a plebe sits at attention while he eats. His eyes may not wander farther than the perimeter of a circle of radius seven inches, whose center is at the center of his plate; and he must see that all of the upperclassmen at his table are properly supplied with food. In barracks a plebe always removes his hat before entering the room of an upperclassman. He is restricted from using "Diagonal Walk," a shortcut across the main parade, and also from walking on "Flirtation Walk."

The Old Army Game

"Flirtation Walk" is the center of many romantic episodes. It is merely a winding path in the hills along the river, but for generations it has been just what its name implies--Flirtation Walk. In a rather secluded spot is a rock overhanging the walk. Tradition says that this rock will fall and crush any girl who refuses a kiss while beneath it. There is no man in the Corps at present who can say that this is untrue.

It has been handed down as true that when Edgar Allen Poe was a cadet, he furnished the surprise element in the life of the Corps. On one occasion it was announced that white gloves would be worn to the next formation. Cadet Poe complied with orders and wore white gloves--and nothing else.

Cannon to Right of Them

At another time some enterprising young gentlemen slipped out at night and removed the reveille cannon from its accustomed place. By some miraculous engineering, feat they hoisted it on top of the academic building and fired it off in the dead of night. It took a detachment of Engineers almost a week to lower the gun to its original position.

Enough of what cadets did in the past. There are a few stunts which are pulled year after year. Every year on the morning of graduation, the entire first class assembles in the area of barracks (the quadrangle) and holds an informal parade. The band leads them around and around the area; and they follow in any formation and in any uniform they choose. The uniforms range from two victrola records, silk lingerie, and so forth, to over coats, boots, and wash basins. A similar parade is conducted by the cadets in summer camp at reveille the Fourth of July.

Army Argot

From years of relative isolation from other student bodies, a system of slang is unique to the Corps. For example, the word "soiree" is used as a noun to mean an unpleasant task, and as a verb to mean "to inconvenience." It started back in the dim ages when officers' wives used to give evening parties where the poor military guests suffered in garotte collars weighed down with gold trolley cable. It soon came to be said that anything unpleasant was as bad as a "soiree." From this one can see readily the evolution of the word to its present meaning. Other expressions such as "Sammy," "spoony," "B.J.," and "B.S." have developed from just as obscure origins.

The greatest tradition that West Point has or can ever have, is the "long grey line" of cadets who have gone before. For more than a century and a quarter West Point has been equipping the country's military leaders. It is with pride for the past and ambition for the future that the Corps boasts of the real tradition symbolised by the motto: DUTY--HONOR--COUNTRY