And then again, the cadets are free from the distinctions and the social barriers that money creates. They are prohibited from receiving any money from their homes and are not allowed the handling of the pay that they receive from the Government. Instead, the authorities supply all of their wants, their food, their clothing, their books, their amusements, so that they might have no need of cash. In fact there is but one store on the reservation where they can spend money, and that is a place called “The Boodlers,” a sort of a general store at the foot of the hill near the gas tank. Here they may, if out of debt, obtain a permit for two dollars per month, and only those cadets with permits are allowed even to enter the store. In this ideal democracy, among the influences that are considered prejudicial to good order and military discipline are drinking, gambling, and cigarette smoking. All alcoholic drinks are consequently banished from the life of the young embryo officer, for he must keep a clear brain in order to think straight and master his problems. He is permitted only the wholesome beverages of milk, tea, and coffee that are supplied in the greatest abundance. Occasionally there is a case of drinking among the cadet body, but as a vice, intoxication does not exist at the Military Academy. One has only to look at the healthy ruddy complexions of the cadets to be convinced of the truth of this statement. Any girl might envy them their skins, whose brilliancy and transparency would soon disappear if late hours and beer were permitted. Nor is there any gambling in the Corps, unless the betting of one’s ice cream on the result of some football game be so considered. The cadets are not even allowed the use of cards or of any games of chance. They may not indulge in so harmless a pastime as bridge. Their chief solace in their free moments must be their pipes of briar, for cigarettes are frowned upon and regarded as contraband of war, liable to seizure by any Tactical officer. The weed is confiscated and the cadet receives a report. What becomes of those confiscated cigarettes has always been a matter of great speculation. Tactical officers are always under suspicion. I remember one case where a cadet was caught with three hundred cigarettes in his possession and told by his officer to turn them in at the Guardhouse. This order grieved the cadet very much because he felt that perhaps someone else would enjoy those cherished smokes. He therefore bored a hole in each one with a pin, before complying with his directions. Soon after turning in the cigarettes, he was reported for having mutilated them and was made to walk punishment tours on the Area for many days. The inference was that some disappointed Tactical officer could not make the cigarettes draw.