Castle Heights Military Academy - Yearbook (Lebanon, TN)

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-caf1.ff1',1sf- HBIC3-HJTJ 'MILIJTCJI by-ai Coil DEMY- is 1'1 'f ' ...,,Qc,,L ' ' ' V t W . , ' ' 'MA ' ' ' W ' ' 'M ff i f 'W'7 'i' Lkxkx ffi1iiTIXl2Z.'Tf: 4f LET THE CLOCK AT HOME TIME THE BOY AT SCHOOL. A Da at Castle Castle Heights is prepared to Hei his in Word tell you, in advance just what andgpicture your boy in all lilcelihood will be doing at any hour of the day or night while he is a cadet at the Academy. The rigid military system and the unescapable over- sight malce this possible. The cadet day at Castle Heights begins at 6:20 IKM., when first call sounds. Reveille is five minutes later, and if you loolc at your cloclc at 6:35, when assembly is sounding on the Hilltop, you may lcnow that the cadet body, your son among its members, is in company forma- tion, and that his name is being called by a first sergeant. He is fully uniformed. During the good weather of the Fall and Spring he immediately goes through setting-up exercises in the open air, after which he hurries to put his quarters in order for police inspection. His room, by the way, must remain in perfect condition, until dinner, for at some hour in the morning it will be in- spected again by a faculty officer. 0 WHOLESOME BEGINNING OF A PURPOSEFUL DAY When your cloclc at home points to 7 o'cloclc, your boy is going to brealcfast at the Academy. At the word of command, the long lines march steadily and silently, every head to the front, into the mess-hall, where your son goes immediately to his chair, standing behind it at attention until he hears the command Seats There is a movement of chairs, and again a silence untilthe command Eesti, The tables accommodate six cadets each, the ranlcing men at the head and foot respectively. Cn these devolves the responsibility for the conduct at the table, but here and there around the attractive hall are faculty tables as well, where the officers, their wives and families, join regularly with the cadet body. 36. Sick call sounds at 7:40, the Corps marches out from brealcfast, and finds a trained nurse waiting at the in- firmary to see all cadets in need of her ministrations, and then from 8:T5 until 'l olcloclc come the class periods. Dinner is at 'l:T0 PM. Your cloclc at home is still lceeping time for your boy at school. Ar Q P.M. come drill for the companies and practice for the band. The band is one of the features of Castle Heights life. It is directed by a competent faculty officer, and liberal allowances are made cadets who are proficient on the various band instruments. The companies march to the drill field, and there are instructed in close order or extended order drill, or in the ceremonies. The entire Battalion may go through Butts Manual, with music, a remarlcable and beautiful set of exercises executed with the rifle. One company may go to the target range, another on a practice march, a third to do bayonet worl4, a fourth to study methods of attack and defense in trench warfare. Sometimes signalling or grenade throwing is the order of the day, or perhaps there is a field problem, in which the Corps worlcs out over hill and valley certain practical points arising in battle. ln fact, on every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon, from Q to 3:15, you may lcnow that your boy is building up brain and body in the open air, inclement weather alone interfering. Qu such rare afternoons this time is devoted to lectures by members of the military staff on such subjects as hygiene, minor tactics, map reading, and military history, From 3:30 until 4:30 comes afternoon study hall, a delinquency school for those cadets whose recitations of the morning have fallen below requirements.

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I G3 -ca1CfJTJsB- Halghufrf -m1L1frai BYHICJIDEMY- applies to every boy alilce, therelore, he learns not to resent it. A BOY IS A RATIONAL CREATURE. IN A SUR- PRISINGLY SHORT TIME HE LEARNS THAT THE MORE HE GIVES OF THE BEST THERE IS IN HIM, THE HAPPIER HE IS. And this law operates lor twenty-lour 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 afternoon, between drill and parade. If his class failure is notoriously bad, he may be reported for academic neglect, and he is re- minded of this by having to walk extra duty during recreation time. II his grades are consistently poor, he goes under academic confinement, which means that he cannot leave post until they are improved. HE BEGINS TO STUDY! He is taught how to prepare his quarters for inspec- tion. The Floor is swept, every drawer is open, its contents neatly arranged, his bed is made up with clean linen, his uniforms hang on certain hoolcs, his clothing is folded thus and so on open shelves, the broom is behind the door, his polished shoes are in a row under the Ioot of the bed, there is no trash behind the radiator, no dust on the top of the dresser, his person is' immaculate from his toes to the top of his head. Ii he offends in any oi these respects, he wallts extra duty, HE BEGINS TO BE NEAT AND ORDERLY! From reveille until taps he is under authority. He spends three-Iourths of the day doing as he is told. Curiously enough, he does not object to it. He never I I 0 REVEILLE tallcs baclt. He never argues. Within a month he would never dream oi questioning an order, He is Fitting himself to give orders. HE BEGINS TO OBEYI He is punctilious in the rendering of courtesy to his superiors. He salutes with a snap. He jumps to atten- tion when an oiiicer passes him in the hall or enters his quarters. He preiaces his remarlcs with Sin He Rnoclcs at a door once, and waits. He reports his presence deierentially, on approaching those of higher ranlc than his own. HE BEGINS TO BE RESPECTFULI At First it seems to him that military life is made up of countless impossible requirements. He forgets to talce his boolc to class-and pays the price. He turns his head in ranks, forgetting that he is at attention-and pays the price. He neglects to wear his blouse down town-and pays the price. He Iails to hear the bugle, he is a half minute late getting to his quarters, he is in such a hurry at reveille that he leaves off his leggings- and pays the price. ln two weelcs he is loolcing ahead as he never loolced ahead in his life before. HE BEGINS TO THINK! And so this process of moulding the boy, most oi it while he is utterly unconscious that it is happening, goes on day after day in every phase of his school life. THE IDEAL OF DISCIPLINE AT CASTLE HEIGHTS IS NOTHING BUT A CONTINUOUS EFFORT TO APPLY 100 PER CENT COMMON SENSE. Castle Heights has a happy suggestion Ior those Iathers and mothers who entrust their sons to its care:

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P3 -c:a1.ffrJss - H f,1gHJT.f -MILIJTQQ rw- all Cdl DEMY- The sun is setting over the blue foothills of the Cumberland Mountains, there is the blare of a bugle, the signal for assembly-The scene changes-Boys who were wearing bathing suits, track ensemble or perhaps football regalia an hour before are all dressed alike- in cadet gray uniforms. The Battalion stands at atten- tion-bugles play the Star Spangled Banner and the day slowly lowers its colors. It makes an impressive, beautiful ceremony that lingers in the memory through the life of every cadet. Orders again-music-march to supper. ls there any wonder that the red-blooded boy loves the real military school? The program is varied, however, on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. These are recreation days. ln the afternoons all are free for outdoor games, for hikes and expeditions, for strolls to town and perhaps a visit to the motion picture theatre-all, except those who have demerits. These spend the afternoon in walking extra duty, one hour for each demerit. On Saturday morning comes the,most rigid inspection of the week, first of quarters and then personally of the cadet under arms. The mother may well glance at the clock and think of her son at 10:30 PLM. Saturdays, but she will scarcely be able to dream of the incredible neatness of which her boy is now proving capable, or to conceive it possible that he should ever clean up a room to such an unbelievable degree of perfection. But he does, and he doesn't mind doing it-he is proud of his accomplishment. lmagine yourself without a servant, and your son, having done all his own work, inviting you to enter, and challenging you to find one handkerchief folded the wrong way, one messy spot in the soap-dish, one particle of trash on the floor, one book out of place, one drawer in disorder, one odd or end shoved out of sight, or one atom of dust anywherel BUT THE BOY GOES THROUGH THIS EVERY WEEK AT CASTLE HEIGHTS. On Sundays the cadets attend services in the Lebanon churches. Those who prove themselves faithful attend- ants at Sunday School leave the Hilltop earlier, and join the formation on the square before church. Sunday afternoons are free, and for many years it has been the custom to encourage in the evening a Y.M.C.A. service conducted by the cadets themselves, a faculty officer assisting. Supper is served at 6:30 P.M., after which reports are answered to the Commandant or his assistant. At 7:90 another bugle sounds first call, and at.7:30 follows call to quarters, marking the beginning of a period which is perhaps scarcely possible to be duplicated in all school life outside that of the rigidly military institu- tion. Before the last note of this bugle, your boy is in his quarters, to study until 9:40. The big buildings are quiet, the long halls deserted except for the figures, here and there, of a faculty officer or a cadet officer on official duty. The officer of the day makes the rounds and observes the cadets at study. Should he enter a room the occupants would have to stand at attention, but he does not interfere with their work. This is the study hour. Rarely does the officer disturb the cadets who are at work. And there is no visiting from room to room. For more than two uninterrupted hours your boy has absolute quiet in which to prepare his tasks for the morrow. At 9:40 a welcome bugle sets the cadets free. This, however, lasts but a few minutes, as at 9:50 a second call to quarters sounds, followed by taps at 'l0 o'clock. And then-real silence. You may look at your clock at home and know that, however quiet your sitting- room, it is no quieter than the surroundings in which your boy is going to sleep. Let the Officer of the Day's sabre clank a little as he goes from floor to floor on his final inspection, let the faculty officer's flashlight throw a lance of brightness across the bed-these are nothing to Castle Height cadets. They have been through a full day, and another one will begin at 6:20 AM. tomorrow.