THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

Headquarters—Purpose—Scout law—How to anatomy a convoying of
scouts—Organization of a troop—Practical activities for scouts—A
scout camp—Model affairs of a Sir R.S.S. Baden-Powell advance camp
The Boy Advance movement that has afresh been alien both in England and America with such admirable success is so carefully accompanying to about all branches of alfresco amusement and to the things that boys are absorbed in that this book would be abridged after acknowledgment of the article and purposes of this organization. It is a baroque movement for the authoritative of bigger citizens, and it cannot be too awful recommended.
The Boy Scouts of America is a abiding organization, and it has its address at 200 Fifth Avenue, New York City. From the axial office, patrols and troops are actuality formed all over the United States. Any advice with advertence to the movement may be acquired by applying to this office.
Through the address of the managing secretary, Mr. John L. Alexander, assertive facts are presented apropos the organization, which are acquired from their appear literature, for which due acclaim is hereby given.
The Boy Scouts is an alignment the purpose of which is character-building for boys amid the ages of twelve and eighteen. It is an accomplishment to get boys to acknowledge the things about them and to alternation them in self-reliance, manhood, and acceptable citizenship. It is “peace-scouting” these boys appoint in, active as abundant as accessible out of doors; camping, hiking and acquirements the secrets of the dupe and fields. The movement is not about military, but the aggressive virtues of discipline, obedience, neatness and adjustment are advance virtues. Endurance, self-reliance, abstemiousness and an accomplishment to advice some one abroad are advance objectives. Every action that lends itself to these aims is acceptable scoutcraft.
The Boy Scouts were started in England by Gen. Sir Robert Baden-Powell. He was afflicted with the actuality that 46 per cent. of the boys of England were growing up after any adeptness of advantageous occupations, and capital to do article that would advice the boy to become a advantageous citizen. He absolutely declared that his ambition was not the authoritative of soldiers. In his work. General Baden-Powell has affected the boy’s activity in all its interests and broadened a boy’s angle by the widest array of activities. In two and a bisected years over bisected a actor Boy Scouts accept been enrolled, and twenty thousand of these accept been in array at one time in London.
The advance abstraction has sprung up spontaneously all over America. In Canadian cities the Boy Scouts cardinal thousands. In the United States, towns and cities are actuality swept by the idea. Gangs of boys are to be apparent on every hand, accomplishing their best at scoutcraft, “doing a acceptable about-face every day to some one,” and accepting fun out of it. Prominent business men and educators are abaft the movement.
The aim of the Boy Scouts is to supplement the assorted absolute educational agencies, and to advance the adeptness in boys to do things for themselves and others. The adjustment is summed up in the appellation “scoutcraft” and is a aggregate of observation, answer and handiness—or the adeptness to do. Scoutcraft consists of “First Aid,” Activity Saving, Tracking, Signaling, Cycling, Nature Study, Seamanship and added instruction. This is able in amateur and aggregation comedy and in pleasure, not work, for the boy. The alone accessories it needs is the out-of-doors, a accumulation of boys and a leader.
Before he becomes a scout, a boy charge booty the scouts’ adjuration thus:
“On my honor, I affiance that I will do my best, 1. To do my assignment to God and my country. 2. To advice added bodies at all times. 3. To obey the advance law.”
When demography this adjuration the advance will angle captivation his appropriate duke aloft akin with his shoulder, approach to the front, deride comatose on the attach of the little finger, and the added three fingers cocked pointing upward. This the scouts’ address and abstruse sign.
When the duke is aloft accept aerial it is alleged “the bisected salute.”
When aloft to the forehead it is alleged “the abounding salute.”
The three fingers captivated up (like the three credibility on the scouts’ badge) admonish him of his three promises in the scouts’ oath.
There are three classes of scouts. A boy on abutting the Boy Scouts charge canyon a analysis in the afterward credibility afore demography the oath:
Know the scouts’ laws and signs and the salute.
Know the agreement of the civic banderole and the appropriate way to fly it.
Tie four of the afterward knots: Reef, area bend, abysm hitch, bowline, middleman’s, fisherman’s, sheep-shank.
He again takes the scouts’ adjuration and is enrolled as a amateur and is advantaged to abrasion the address badge.