The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

~MY&T POINT ** y T By EDWARD B.CLARK 4 cy> COPYA/CHr (909 B* W.A., PArre/fsof* ASHINGTON.--Congress almost every year has before it the case of some West Point cadet who allowed his animal spir­ its to get the better of him, and who un­ der the impulse of the moment commit­ ted some act of hazing or of another kind of a discipline breach, and therefore suffered dismissal. The life at West Point is a hard one, and each successive board of visitors is likely to make some suggestion to make the cadet's condition just a .little mcs 3 irksome. Just now therfe is speculation on the subject of what the official visitors of the year of grace, 1909, will recommend as an addi­ tion to the academy's code of discipline. Sometime ago a clergyman of the Church of England visited West Point. He wished to get full knowledge of tfie drill, the system of study and the disciplinary methods of the institution, and so he rose at reveille and made the cadet day his own, until taps had sent the stripling soldiers to their.blankets. The clergyman, after seeing lights out, went to the offi- in knew too much to ask his visitor outright do any­ thing of the kind, but here Is the way which veracious academy history says that he went at it: "I presume, Mr. Grant, that you have lived on a farm, and such being the case you undoubtedly have had rare opportunities to note the effect of the sun's rays on certain objects. Now, if you had left in the gun a water bucket that was innocent of the retention of a single drop pf the fluid, what do you think, sir, would have been the partic­ ular effect of the sun upon that , particular water bucket?" "I think," said Cadet Grant, "that it would get warped and leaky." "Very well, Mr. Grant; you show erudition beyond your years. Now if you wiir look at my water bucket you will see that it is as dry as a chip. By the further ex­ ercise of your knowledge and observa­ tion, Mr. Grant, can you tell me by what means I may prevent the warp­ ing and leaking of my bucket?" "Have it filled," said Grant. "Very good, again, Mr. Grant; but pray note what you said: 'have it filled,' not 'fill it.' That necessarily means, Mr. Grant, that some one must fill it for me. You have shown so much acumen that I fear to violate the terms of your prescription,-^ither in letter or in spirit, which I should do if I presumed to carry the bucket to the water tank myself." Grant filled the bucket. A member of the West Point class of 1870, now an officer of high rank in active service, tells this story about the first day in plebe camp of Fred­ erick Dent Grant, son of Ulysses. An upper classman, bent on nothing else than having some fun with the son of the famous general, asked him on his advent into camp while he v/as •j? i k,~' N-CPV'.; VilLL ltttD£R ARttO fHY&CH4 cers* mess and there in response to a question from the superintendent of the academy, he summarized his opinion of the day's duties of the cadets by paraphrasing the remark of the Frenchman on one of the Cri­ mean battlefields: "It's magnificent, but it's a beastly grind." Lord Roberts not long ago . declared that the United States school orf the Hudson is the greatest military insti­ tution in the world. The hero of Kan­ dahar doubtless had made some study Of the records and of averages, for history shows that in the number of soldiers entitled to be called great. Vest Point has turned out more than fldl the military schools of the con tinent combined. Obedience and' discipline are the foundation stones of the success of a soldier, according to all the authori­ ties who judge solely by results ob­ tained. Disobedience of orders means dismissal from the military academy. Disobedience of direct orders is a thing practically unknown at the school. Infractions of regulations PMSTOL DRILL BY CADEm « f • - •!* ;r , •'rSv*' i ' \ + • . niay in a pease be termed disobedience, but they are never M regarded in any of the world's schools. Boy nature would needs be remade if the rules of any - institution were to be kept to the letter of the law. Discipline at "West Point is rigid to severity. 'As far as disciplinary methods are concerned the t achool never changes. It is the same to-day as it was In tfie days of Grant and Lee. , ; . ^Take a day at the academy and compare Its <6*tics with those of any other institution, no mat* tar of what country, and it will be seen that i» comparison to the cadets' labor the work of stus- ' dents at other schools is but play. During certain months of the year there is little play at West Point. Drill in the open air gives the requisite " «*ercise to keep the physique right, and for rec­ itation apparently there is no need. The routine has changed a little with the paaSe big years, but in a general way the day's pro* £ram at the academy is like thl*: '.Reveille at 6 o'clock; roll call at 6:20; break- fast at 6:25; guard mount at 7:15; recitations •Dd study hours from 8 until 1; dinner, 1 until 1:40; recitations and study from 2 until 4; drill /from 4 until 5:20; parade at 5:30; supper at 6; Study from 7 until 9:30; tattoo, then taps and tpdeep. -J? There are no recitations at the United States ttilitary acadetny oh Saturday afternoons, and the « cadets are given what Is called "release from C'»*ii-'^Busrter8»" P^mission to visit one another in L'~^*;36arracks or to roam about the reservation, ta- ", rltlng good care, under pain of dismissal, to keep from going off limits.' Release from quarters never comes for some ^jfadets. The breaking of some small rule means ' ionlinement to quarters or the walking of extra guard tours. The boy who unwittingly puts on a pair of white troupers having an iron rust stain on them, and wears them at drill or at dress pa­ rade, will know no release from quarters for •days. - • Should a speck of rust be found on his rifle at Sunday morning inspection, he will shoulder that rifle and walk two or more hours up and down the area of barracks as a "sentinel without charge," tfhUe his more fortunate comrades are experiencing the ecstasy which comes from per- ^mission to ramble about the parade ground and p jto view the hotel and other delights of civiliza- ; | jtion from a distance. I $ Upon occasion the cadets are. given permission %•" to call upon friends at the little hotel on the res- J ervation. If, however, a boy commits the enor- , I; v mous offense of leaving the main parlor of thi hotel to visit his father or mother in another ' ' room, and the act should be discovered, he will ^ lnBlde of, that hotel again until r" " Mj&fc '•* many weeks have rolled by and he has expiated - * "•* his crime by many extra tours of guard duty in U . •/, ; the broiling sun or zero weather or a Highlands' winter* /|;v 'wfC In an elder day at the academy, and It lhay t*e ~ so to-day, the mail bag into which the cadets; dropped their letters was hung with wide distend­ ed mouth just inside the .door of the guardhouse. Until the first call for breakfast, the guardhouse was "off limits." The instant the drums rolled the cadets could enter the building and drop their letters. One morning a cadet stood without the door, holding his letter in his hands. The drum­ mer's sticks were poised tremblingly, waiting to fall for the pounding out of the first call for breakfast. The cadet saw the poised sticks, entered the guardhouse and dropped his letter just as the first note of the call sounded. He had passed through the doorway just one-sixteenth of a sec­ ond too soon. An officer saw him mail his let­ ter and a report of "off limits" went In which caused the unfortunate letter mailer to perform, extra guard duty for 16 long hours--not consec­ utive hours, however. •On the first hook on the wall of his alcove the cadet must hang one specific article of clothing; on the second hook another article, and so on. If, perchance, the youth hangs his dresscoat on the nail sacred to the overcoat, he can bid fare­ well to release from quarters for two Saturdays at least, and if, perchance, the shell jacket hangs on the hook given over to trousers, he may add three more days of confinement to those which have accrued from the Crime of the misplaced overcoat The methodical cadet runs a yardstick along the toes of the extra shoes which under regula­ tion, must be placed ID regular order beneath the foot of his bed. If the toe of one shoe pro­ trudes half an inch beyond the toe of its mate, the cadet gets one demerit mark. If more than one pair of shoes shows symptoms of irregular­ ity in the matter of toeing the scratch, the cadet will receive a sufficient number of demerit marks to enable him to realize thoroughly the beauties^ - of a right line as applied to something besides i< geometry. It is a beastly grind," as the, English clergy* . 4 man said, but it is a grind that has its uses, an4 the proof of it is written in all the reoords of tEM , ' service. ' 1 '•**- * - '*» - Hazing is in a sense an hereditary habit. The' army officers who have beep asked in the years that are past, and who are being asked to-day to root out the practice of "deviling" the plebe at West Point, did not, and have not all of them their hearts in the work, for were they not hazed themselves, and were they not in turn hazers? Nine o^t of ten of the hazed will tell you to-day that they profited by the experience. When Gen. Ulysses Simpson Grant entered plebe camp, a first classman who noticed the boy's strong build intimated to him that It would be a pleasure to have him call Immediately at the senior's tent. Grant went. There is a rule at West Point, which was a role in Grant's day as still wearing the clothes of civil life: "Which do you think is the greatest man, Gen. George Wash­ ington or Gen. Ulysses S. Grant?" ' Fred's answer, blunt and quick, was: "Washing­ ton may have been the greater man, but my fa­ ther was the greater soldier." "Mr. Grant," said the upper classman, "to com­ pare your father to George Washington in any sense, is like unto the comparing of a plucked hen to the American eagle." Then there followed a fight, but it was stopped almost lnstanter by some first classmen because the place was too public. Gen. John M. Schofield was an artillery officer. The army has It that Schofield had a distaste for the Infantry branch because of an experience which he underwent during his first week as a plebe at the military academy. Some yearlings chased Schofield up a ladder from the cock loft of barracks to the roof. The future hero of Franklin was clad only in a night shirt. When the rof was reached the cadets gave Scho­ field a rifle, marked out a sentinel's beat on the tin roof and started the future artilleryman on his walk back and forth with the musket on his shoul­ der. They kept him at it with few Intermissions, from taps to reveille. Edgar Allan Poe was a cadet at West Point only for a short time. Army tradition holds nothing con­ cerning the hazing of Poe. The academy, however, is the custodian of one of Poe's first poems, which Is nothing short of a striking example of the boy's wit. While Poe was at the academy Lieut. Joseph Lock was stationed there as a tactical officer. Lock was the strictest kind of- a disciplinarian, and he was constantly reporting Poe for offenses, reports which brought as their natural consequence some heavy punishments. Poe had his revenge in a poem which the curious may find In a volume called "Tic Tacs," which was published years ago by the cadets: John Locke was a great name, Joe Lock is a greater. In short, The former is well known to fame, The latter well known to report. There is, or was, one form of hazing ^t West spolnt which has in it the essence of cruelty. This consists in making a plebe read with appropriate gestures and the proper inflections, all the nice things which the newspapers of his home town printed about him when the announcement of his appointment to a cadetship was made. Imagine, if you ^ijl< the feelings of a green youngster, as he . stands upon a barrel, reading to an assemblage of possibly 50 yearlings, the editorial statement of the local papers, that Henry Smith "doubtless will be made a corporal as soon as the eyes of the super­ intendent of the military academy fall upon his tall and manly figure. Henry has in him the making of a gfeat soldier. We shall hear of his deeds on the field of battle as a leader of his country's hosts tn case dread war shall come." RAILROAD BRAKEMAN CONTENT. * * t 'ifartu I, .utomunTKmir"- ; and Seldom Is the Time of Sluin- ber Occupied at Home. "I have slept In my own home only once in the last year," said the brake- man of a passen­ g e r t r a i n w h i c h c a r r i e s c o m m u ­ ters chiefly, "and* that was only be­ cause I was trans­ ferred to another run for a few days to substitute for a man who had to testify in a damage suit. It seemed very odd in­ deed sleeping at home." "Where do you Usually sleep?" was the natural question. "In the cars, of course," said the brakeman. "Most of us Who work on the trains that take care of the sub­ urban travel do all our sleeping on the job, on the company's time, mind you, and we have nearly half of every 24 hours free for full, wide-awake en­ joyment of our homes." "Tien you are not of the opinion that"your lot in life 1b hard?" asked jfils listener. "Not on your life," said the brake- man. -"I might kick on the pay, but I have no kick coming as to hours. Now, take my regular job. "I live in Jersey City. I have to re­ port for duty a little before eight in the evening in time to get the lights on In my train, which starts' out about eight o'clock. We go 32 miles up the line, to the limit of strictly suburban travel, arriving at 9:23. We start back at 11:09. "There's a good hour and three- quarters to loaf, and we all get a pre­ liminary nap. It comes easy when you get in the habit, and as far as I can see, a railroader can sleep any­ where and under any conditions if he's a mind to. "We get back to Jersey City at 12:23, and then we get our regular sleep, a good stretch of nearly four hours, for we don't start out again until 4:15. We keep blankets and pil­ lows in the baggage car. You may not have noticed it, but the backs of the seats in the smoking car lift out, and on two seats we can make a very comfortable bed. "Noisy? Well, the slirieking of lo­ comotives and the rattle of cars over switches seem to affect us as much as the croaking of the frogs and the singing of the tree toads affect the dweller in the country. We get a good, sound sleep of at least three hours, and sometimes more. "Once in a while the passengers by the early morning train surprise us at our toilet, and I have to hustle to get the tail-lights on and the car lamps lit before the train pulls out.. We go 25 miles out on this morning trip, and there's a wait of about an hour and a half before we start in again. "In that wait We round out our night's sleep and quit work, when we reach Jersey City at about eight, in fine shape for a long day of anything that suits us. Of course most of us work in a nap before we start out again that night, but practically the whole day is ours. "Two round trips of 50 or 60 miles each makes a day's work, and not a very hard day either. In fact I rarely take a day off, for I have all the leisure otherwise that I care for. "Even the men who have day runs get in a good lick of sleep on the waits they have. If you must be a brakeman give me a pair of suburban runs cut up as mine are. Deliver me from freight trains; that's all l ask. I tried freighting for a year, and don't want any more of it. It's all work and no sleep."--New York Sun. Locomotives of 1908. The actual novelties in locomotive design in the last year are compara­ tively few, though the number of in­ teresting designs is considerable; but, according to Cassier's Magazine, the main feature of the world's locomotive practice in 1908 may be briefly re­ viewed as follows: 1. The extensive introduction of "pacific" locomotives in France and the initial introduction thereof in Eng­ land and Germany, both'of the latter, however, being really toward the close of 1907, though usually asso­ ciated with 1908. 2. The extensive introduction and development of articulated locomo­ tives in the United States and the construction of such locomotives by British and American firms for use in other countries. 3. The somewhat extensive build­ ing of locomotives of modern dimen­ sions for use on railways already us­ ing larger engines, these smaller en­ gines in some cases nearly or exactly corresponding in design with engines built some years ago, or being de­ velopments of such designs. This has occurred particularly in Great Britain, but is also characteristic to some ex­ tent of continental railways. 4. The extension of the use of su­ perheated apparatus. 5. The introduction of several new wheel arrangements and of at least one engine which iB a very radical de­ parture from usual methods of dfr sign. isr. Straightening Bent Trolley Poles £ TVuring the earthquake and fire at1 San Francisco, the iron trolley poles I In the city were badly bent. How to repair this damage proved quite a serious problem. It was considered im­ practicable to take out the poles, straighten them, and then replace thera, and the other alternative of tearing them up and putting in new poles involved too mnch «»xpense. The problem was finally solved by straight- •nisft the poles iwtttepfit removing them from their positions. The meth­ od. of doing this, as described in a re­ cent issue of the Electrical Railway Journal, is quite interesting. The ap­ paratus used consisted of a ten-foot section of railway rail and two U bolts, with wooden fulcrum block. The rail was fastened to the upper end of the pole on the convex side of the bend by means of the U bolts, the legs of which passed through the flanges of the rait ittst belowthis the fulcrum block was placed, and then the lower end of the rail was forced inward against the pole by turning the nuts on the second U bolt. The cost of straightening the poles averaged ,about- $3.50 each, whereas if new poles had been used to replace the bent ones, the cogt would have been $40 each. , ; ' , iMi - Soul's Emphasis Right. What your heart thinks great is great. The soul's emphasis is always Must Supplement Vegetable Diet. It is impossible to thr've ou vege­ tables alone. They mugt be supple­ mented by eggs, cheese, Italian pastes, such as macaroni, brown bread, good salad oil, battel Huts, cereals, pulse. Logical, ^ • A common aphorism ls,^Kothlng la sure in this world." Now, if nothing is sure in this world we can't be sura that anything is sure, consequently, we are not sure that nothing, is sw*. m M M W SUMMER STYLES COSTUMES FOR THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER. Cool and Useful Walking Dress That Will Be Found Most Comfortable --Soft-Finished Linen fop Pinafore Dress. For a cool, useful dress that will not require repeated visits to the wash-tub, the dress shown in the illus­ tration on the left will be found most comfortable, made to naty blue al- Remarkable Wooden Bridge A wooden bridge 119 feet high over New Found Creek, in Jefferson coun­ ty, Ala., is one of the engineering curiosities of the present day. Only one other wooden bridge in the world is taller than it. The bridge is in daily use by the trains of a branch of the Louisville and Nashville. It invariably excites comment from all who see it, and civil engineers ate especially inter­ ested in the peculiar structure, so tall and yet so stanch and trim This bridge is on the Cane Creek branch of the Louisville and Nash­ ville railroad and bridges New Found Creek. It is approached in each di rectlon fyy a 3 per ccnt grade. There is.no other sign of man's handiwork in sight than^this wonderfully impres­ sive wooden structure, its immense wooden, beams ac^p^ating its ma* siveness. paca. The sides of the front breadth are turned in, and laid over the edges of the circular side, and are machine- stitched down about half an inch from the edge. Buttons form the only ornamentation. The bodice is made up like a blouse without lining, a vest of tucked silk muslin being let in at the fronts. The small revers are fixed down by bat- tons. Panama hat, trimmed with wide navy blue ribbon. Materials required; " 7 yards 46 inches wide, ten buttons, one-half yard muslin. One of the soft-finished linens in a pretty shade of blue is used for the dress , shown on the right. The over-bodice is slightly short- waisted at the back; It is mounted to a band, which, with the rest of bodv Ice, fastens at the left side. A sim­ ple embroidered galloon formB the trimming of both bodice and short over-sleeve. The blouse worn beneath Is of white lawn. The skirt Is trimmed down the left side with gal­ loon, it is sewn to the lower edges of bodice band. Materials required: 6 yards 40 inches wide, 4 yards galloon. THE SERVICEABLE COAT SUIT Many Points Which It Will Be Well to Remember When Making Your Selection. The girl who is choosing a service­ able coat suit for everyday wear from now until October should regard these points: It is as old fashioned to cut off a coat half way between the knees and hips as between knees and ankles. Coats are single-breasted, rarely dou­ ble-breasted. New models still show straight panel backs, which hang for several inches lower than the sides. These panels are also pointed as well as straight. Sleeves are still small and reach to the wrist, and many of them show flat, fitted cuffs. Three-button cutaway coats are made in all materials. Revers are often omitted. Flat triming is put around the neck and a Dutch collar of baby Irish lace is added at the back. Sleeveless coats are being made up in summer material^ and they will prove quite comfortable in hot weath­ er. The sides should be joined at the hips, if not above. SOMETHING NEW IN BRAIDING. Long, Loose Frock Offers Good Op­ portunity for Those Who Are 0 Fond of the Work. People who spend a great propor­ tion of their days doing fancy stitches naturally seek at times to put the work upon things unmistakably use­ ful. Lingerie comes in for a regular share of It, but at certain times of the year frocks clamor for recogni­ tion. Women who love this work cry out for fresh ideas. "What is there that has not been done by our friends and neighbors?" "Tell us something new to embroider!" And this time the something comes to hand in an oblig­ ing model--one of the long, loose frocks whose front panel is plain, ex­ cept for a motif of embroidery just across the bust, and whose half-fitted side pieces are done in an all-over braiding pattern under the arms to the hem and extending round to the back panel. This panel In turn is treated to a repetition of the slight motif in embroidery just at its top, across the shoulders. This braiding is distinctly new In its position, and is undoubtedly worth while on the white wash gown, which will not fade, or on the black net evening gown, which will be so serv­ iceable as to repay the worker the full measure of satisfaction. A PARISIAN STYLE. In burnt straw, with crown covered with frills of lace. Black satin ehou. Chiffon for Evening. Pearled chiffons that look as if they were spattered with drops of dew are the newest designs for evening gowns. TH TSi T r In sleeping keep the head as low as possible that the blood -may circulate freely In the brain. The less pillows tho better. Boracic acid Is one of the best ap­ plications for burns. A slight burn dusted with powdered boracic acid and bandaged will sooa heal. For a more severe one, dissolve a teaspoon- ful of the acid in a pint of boiling CONTENTS OF THE ROSE JAR. Boudoir Luxury Calls for Skillful Preparation, But Is a Never-Fall­ ing Delight. The never-failing delight of the rose, or potpourri, jar is known only to its owner, yet it is easy to prepare one, and still easier to keep it to the point of perfection when once ltehas been prepared. ^ The rose petals should be gathered in the early morning, and tossed light­ ly on a table in a cool, airy place, to lie until the dew is dried; then put into a large stone jar,. sprinkling a little salt over half-inch layers of the petals. The contents of the jar can be added to everv morning until enough roses have b»en gathered. Let them stand in the jar for ten days after the last have been put in, stirring the whole every morning. Have an ounce each of cloves and allspice, coarsely ground, and as much stick cinnamon, broken and shredded fine. Transfer the rose petals to another jar, and scatter the apices, mixed, in layers alternately , with the flowers, water, wet a soft cloth In It and ban­ dage while hot. A bleach for freckles is cucumber juice, lemon juice and peroxide of hy­ drogen. Dilute the last article with water and apply with a bit of raw cot­ ton. Cream the face, then powder lightly before exposing the skin to the glare of the sun. Individuals who eat rich, greasy foods or who /drink strong tea and coffee usually suffer from red noses. Tight clothing will produce redness of the face. If the cuticle around the nails seems dry and stiff and. there is a tendency to hang-nails, rub in well a little vase­ line or cold cream every Bright before going to bed. One attractive method «f dressing the hair to wear with the new-shaped brim less hat Is to make the hair flat at the top, full over .the ears and ar­ range the b&ck with a senes of puffs In chignon clusters. Cover the jar tightly and let it stand in a dark place for three weeks, at the end of which time the. stock will be ready for the permaneift Jar. The Jar may be as lovely as you can afford. Whatever it is, it should be provided with a double cover. Have ready a quarter of an ounce each of mace, allspice and cloves, all coarsely ground--or pounded in a mor­ tar--half of a grated nutmeg, half an ounce of cinnamon, one ounce of pow­ dered orris root and a quarter of a pound of dried lavender flowers. Mix all together in a bowl, and pro­ ceed to fill the rose Jar with alter­ nate layers of "stock" and the mix­ ture. A few drops each of rose, gera­ nium, neroli and bitter almond oils should be dropped upon the layers as you progress, and over the whole pour an ounce of fine rose extract. To Open Jar ot Fruit. In opening jarred fruit, hold the neck of the jar for a few minutes un­ der the hot water spigot. Never at­ tempt to pry the lid open. It ruiaa it for future usefulness and may chip oft bits of glass into the fruit.