The ability to memorize is expected to be one of the salient qualities of a plebe's (freshmen or

fourthclassmen) character. They are presumed to be walking encyclopedias, Websters,

Bergeracs, and newscasters rolled into one. Plebes should know the day's menu, the latest
news and virtually everything about his upperclassmen - from their serial numbers to the
names of their pets. They must store in their memories a wealth of verse, poetry and "round-
the-bush blubberings" of wisdom known as plebe knowledges and be able to recite all these
verbatim as well.

These knowledges are mostly definitions or phrases which plebes are required to memorize
by heart and answer snappily when asked by their upperclassmen. It sort of tests their
presence of mind and trains them to react quickly by responding smartly with ready answers.
Following are some Plebe Knowledges which our fellow Cavaliers and friends still
remembered and contributed:

"Loyalty"
If you work for a man, in heaven's name work for him. If he pays you
wages which supply your bread and butter, speak well of him and stand
by the institution he represents; because if put to a pinch or a test, an
ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.

If you must vilify, criticize, condemn and eternally disparage, resign your
position; and when you're outside that company, then you may damn and
criticize to your heart's content. But as long as you are a part of that
institution, do not condemn or criticize it.

If you do criticize it, you are loosening the tendrils, the key factors that
are holding you to that institution. And at the first high wind, you will
probably be uprooted and blown away, and may never know the reason
why...

"Don't Quit"
When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you're
trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high,
 And you want to smile but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you
down a bit, Rest if you must, but don't you quit. Life is queer with its
twists and turns, As everyone of us sometimes learns, And many a failure
turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don't give up
though the pace seems slow - You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often
the struggler has given up, When he might have won the victor's cup.
And he learned too late when the light came down, How close he was to
the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out. The silver tint of
the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It maybe
near when is seems far; So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - It's
when things seem worst that you must not quit.

"Desiderata"
"Go placidly amid the noise and haste & remember what peace there
may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms
with all persons. Speak you truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others,
even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud &
aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare
yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter; for always there will
be greater & lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your

own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing
fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world
is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many
persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be
yourself. Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity &
disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the
years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of
spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself
with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness. Beyond a
wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees & the stars; you
have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the
 universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors &
aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With
all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be
cheerful. Strive to be happy." By: Max Ehrmann

"Are You Resigning?"

Sir, I came from the land of the Kings, where everyone can do what he
wishes. I hike the plains of Luzon and hurdled the mountains of Baguio
just to reach my precious destination ... The Philippine Military
Academy. Now, I am here as a plebe, a ducrot to the thirdclassmen, a
chicken to the secondclassmen and a good neighbor to the firstclassmen.
Now, are you resigning? No sir, over the dead and rotten body of
fourthclassman (state name of a plebe,) Sir.

"Why On The Double?"

Sir, the answer is very simple. The forces coming from the itinerate
glances of the Immaculates are so powerful that the circulation of the
corpuscles of the plebes upon which the stare is applied is integrated. This
results in the gyrostatic effect on the paradoxical interior of the legs, thus,
double-timing ensues. This develops an invulnerable machine in the body
of the degraded mammal due to the action of the rectilinear eyes.

"How's The Robin?"

Sir, he's here, and there, and everywhere. He comes and goes and then
reappears in the most unholy places and hours where the Dumbguards
are caught unaware. Along the deserted sacred grounds he peeps and
then circles around. Poor ducrots tremble like a clown as the immaculate
upperclassmen begin to frown, Sir!

"What Is A Kiss?"
Sir, a kiss! When all is said, what is a kiss? An oath of allegiance taken at
closer proximity, a promise more precise, a seal upon a confession, a rose
red dot upon the letter "i" in loving; an instant of eternity murmuring
like a bee, a balmy communion with the flavor of the flowers, a secret
 which elects the mouth for the ears, a fashion of inhaling each other's
heart and of tasting the brink of each other's lips, each other's soul. This,
Sir, is a kiss.

"How Is The Cow?"

Sir, the cow? She is acted upon by the unbalanced forces of Mechanics,
stranded in the superheated region of Thermodynamics, electrocuted in
Electrical Engineering, brainwashed and cross-eyed in History, sore-
footed in Tactics and running short in letters. In short and simple
language, the cow is rotting, Sir.

"Do You Have A Sister?"

Sir, that question has been languishing in my heart, devouring myself
totally and fatally polluting my mind. I became your untaxable property
and that surging question could be the cause of all evils that might
beseech my family; its sparkle will be lost to a demon like you - whom I
would like to ram from head to throat - asking that question with a ten
peso balance in your checking account, we might be on the same boat Sir.
So may I ask you the same question, Do you have a sister or a daughter,
Sir?

"How Long Is Eternity?"

Sir, if it takes a bird from outer space travelling at the speed of a turtle
that is taking his time and picks a grain of sand from the earth and brings
it back to the place where he came from and deposits it there and does the
process once in every million years, and after picking all the minute
grains of sand on earth and depositing them on the bank of the galaxies of
heaven, he brings them back to their places, eternity shall have just
begun. I hope that the lazy and dumb bird will travel forth and my
chinning and double-timing be made shorter than the beginning of
eternity, Sir.

"What Time Is It?"

Sir, I am deeply embarrassed and greatly humiliated that due to
unforeseen circumstances over which I have no control, the inner
 workings and hidden mechanism of my chronometer are such in accord
with the great real movement over which time is commonly reckoned,
that I cannot with any degree of accuracy state the exact time , Sir; but
without fear of being very far off, I will state that it is so many minutes
after the Xth hour.

"All Right For The Light, Sir?"

Sir, they twinkle as the stars above. They glimmer as the worms glowing
on the grass beneath. Ah, yes a handsome young man and I won't give a
damn. Hurrah for the light that shines in the night. All right for the light,
Sir?

"Definition Of Leather"
Sir, if the fresh skin of an animal, cleaned and divested of all hair, fat,
and other extraneous matter, be immersed in a dilute solution of tannic
acid, a chemical combination ensues, the gelatinous tissue of the skin is
converted into a nonputrescible substance, impervious to and insoluble in
water. This, Sir, is a lether.

"Do You Understand?"

Sir, my cranium consisting of Vermont marble, volcanic lava and African
ivory, covered with a thick layer of case-hardened steel, forms an
impenetrable barrier to all that seeks to impress itself upon the ashen
tissues of my brain. Hence, the effulgent and obstentatiously effervescent
phrases just now directed and reiterated for my comprehension have
failed to penetrate the confiferous forest of my atrocious intelligence. In
other words, I am very dumb and I do not understand, Sir!

"How Is Life?"
Sir, life is as monotonous as the curvilinear concubitant wave of the
peristaltic motion of a dilated cell. It is as tense as the state existing
among the molecules of a highly compressed gas. As barren as the deserts
of Africa where plants never grow. As gloomy as the thoughts of a
thousand eunuchs on the death of Cleopatra. As hopeless as the crew of
Christopher Columbus panic-stricken in the sea of darkness. As
 discouraging as the graceful shape of the adiabatic curve. As smooth as
the sine curve, endless as the parabola, stubborn as the catenary, and
meaningless as an imaginary function. Its memory brings an
extraordinary sensation which tickles the convolutions of the brain and
the cells of the spinal cord. In plain and simple language, life is a
conglomeration of things too serious for a fool to appreciate, Sir.

"How's Your Femme?"

Sir, my femme, she is the living incarnate of all that is beautiful, in the
facial contortions of a nagging housewife, in the flowing crystalline
teardrop of a jilted sweetheart, in the libertine smile of a long-faced
schoolgirl, in the fussy whims of a spinster, in the mystic reserve of a
nightclub entertainer, and in the descriptive countenance of an
ampotheric clown. She walks with the breeze of the summer breeze; her
beauty smacks of the illusive fragrance of the roses at dawn. Her hair is
as dark as ebony, long and silken and shines with the gloss and luster of a
fading gossamer. In short and simple language, she is too beautiful for
words, Sir.

"How's The Weather?"

Sir, the weather? It pleases me much, sir. From my crystal bowl, I could
see the gathering clouds of uncertainty. My ultra-penetrative vision
discern the fate befalling me. I see from these gathering clouds the limpid
smile of your drag, her ambitious chuckle which prophecies a bright and
happy date, the hypocritical scorn of an immaculate and cognizable
warning which usually comes before the storm of a hectic and active day.
Yes, Sir! The weather shows a slight barometric change which I hope and
pray wouldn't affect you and ultimately me. And if my crystal bowl
doesn't fail me, I foresee a happy day for you, Sir!

"Theopphilus Thistle"
Theophilus Thistle the successful thistle sifter in shifting sieve full of
unsifted thistles thrust three thousand thistles throught the thick of this
thumb. Now, if Theophilus Thistle the successful thistle sifter in shifting a
sieve full of unsifted thistles thrusts three thousand thistles through the
thick of his thumb that in sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles thrust not
three thousand thistles through the thick of this thumb, success to the
success to the successful thistle sifter, Sir.
in assorted colors that vary from day to day - platinum blonde, ash
blonde, redhead, brunnette, hyena, auburn and camel brown. According
to a recent survey, by the way, more doctors are switching to camel-
haired women than ever before.

All wives have one creed in common, to spend every nickel of every dime
of every dollar of every pay check before you get it. In this respect, they
are very much like the government. Wives are found everywhere - in
reducing saloons, bridge parties, 5th avenue beauty parlors, bargain
basements, in your chair, on your lap, in mud packs, maternity rooms
and ... going through your pockets.

Mothers love them, mothers-in-law tolerate them, spinsters envy them,

and husbands fear them. A wife is a purity with cold cream on her face,
dignity with a dish rug in her hands, beauty with curlers on her hair, and
wisdom with an unbalanced checkbook. No matter how busy you are,
your wife keeps you on the phone till she gets her new dress she saw
downtown. But when you try to show her off, she hasn't got a thing to
wear.

A wife is a composite of many things - the curiosity of an income tax

collector, the suspicion of a detective, the imagination of a psycho-analyst,
and the temper of a marine first-sergeant. She likes charged accounts,
babies, soap bubbles, chits and all kinds of presents, gossip, a 21-inch
waistline, mink coats, cleeping late, eating out and ... other men.

She hates corsets, ironing, being over thirty, husbands who use gurst
towels, budgets, cigars, her husband's secretary and ... other women.
Nobody could get so happy on one glass of champagne, or be so late to so
many appointments. Nobody could spend so much time in front of the
mirror plucking, vibrating, combing, brushing, polishing, rubbing off,
touching up and still come out looking very much like the same.

In short and simple language, a wife is heaven and hell altogether, Sir!