Castle Heights Military Academy - Yearbook (Lebanon, TN)

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And the Castle Heights boy learns all this during the time when the boy in the high school and the civilian school is doing nothing. First, what are the requisites of a soldier? He must be physically fit, mentally alert, and morally straight. Unless he has these qualifications, it is impossible that he should be a good soldier. The high school and the civilian school undertake to develop your boy mentally--to some degree morally. The real military school must work day in and day our for the three- fold development of spirit, mind, body. The idealism that it teaches directs the trained mind to function usefully through the developed body. ln all the world there is no school plan that can compare with it. Most effective, for example, is its method of inculcating initiative and leadership. The cadet's first test comes when he goes on sentinel duty. Definite responsibilities are laid on him. For the time being, even though he be only fourteen years old, he occupies a position where not even the Commandant may approach him except formally and with the utmost respect. He halts all who would cross his post, permitting none to pass until they have satisfied his challenge. The Senior Cap- tain is of less consequence, on that post and at that time, than he. When emergencies arise, he handles them. The preservation of discipline there is his, and his alone, unless he chooses to summon the Corporal of the Guard, which he will not do unless he must. He is tremendously alert: he thinks quicklyg he acts promptly. He is obliged to. Next he is likely to become a corporal in his company. In this capacity he finds himself in charge of seven men. They constitute his Squad. He can make it or break it. Again there is demanded of him every ounce of leadership he has in him. If he has not this quality, he ITIUSY develop it, or he cannot hope to hold his office. Some hundreds of other cadets want it. A little later he may find hlmself a line Sergeant, with added responsibilities, or a top sergeant, with still more on his shoulders. They must be big and broad to hold lt UP' for the l30Y is becoming a man, with a man's outlook. Eventually, after he has proved himself, the chevrons of a commissioned officer are within his grasp. Here as first or second lieutenant he is in joint charge with two other officers of some ,seventy-five men, or, as captain, their acknowledged leader. They 65

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look to him for encouragement, advice, correction, enthusiasm- everything. Perhaps he may even climb to that highest of cadet ranks, the Senior Captaincy, when not only a single company, but also the entire Corps of Cadets acknowledges his supremacy. Nothing else can give a boy what this training gives him. DISCIPLINE Discipline at Castle Heights is that system of control by means of which cadets cannot help receiving certain dehnite benefits from the Academic Department on the one hand and from the Military Department on the other. It is one thing for a school to ofer a boy advantages, most schools do that. It is quite another thing to persuade a boy to accept the advantages provided for himg few schools do this. As soon as a new cadet enters Castle Heights, he is given a copy of the Cadet Regulations. These are explicit. They tell him every- thing he needs to know about what is expected of him. After he has been allowed a reasonable period in which to adjust himself to his new environment, these Regulations become his daily rule of life. Then the building-up process begins. Whenever a cadet does the right thing, he reaps the reward. This may not always be definite and immediate, but it comes. The cadet soon understands. There are certain privileges that he wants, holiday afternoons that he would like to enjoy, military and academic d.istinctions that he covets. Whenever he does the wrong thing, he pays the price. Nobody storms at him. Nobody threatens him. Nobody lays hands on him. The impersonal machine takes care of it. The boy is a rational creature. In a surprisingly short time he learns that the more he gives of the best there is in him, the happier he is. And this law operates for twenty-four hours each day. when he fails to prepare a lesson, he has committed' a military Offense- Probably he will Spend an hour in delinquency study-hall that f1ftem00f1f between drill and parade. If his class failure is l'10t0l'10USly bad, he may be reported for academic neglect, and he is reminded Of this by hfwing to walk extra duty during recreation time. If his grades are Consistently poor, he goes under academic confine- 67