# Boy Scouts and What They Do/Object of Scouting

The Object of Scouting.
It will be seen that the work done by the Scouts in Bingley Hall might come under the following headings:—
Handicrafts. The Chief Scout says about these: "I am very anxious to extend the development of handicrafts among Scouts in all parts of the country." So Scouts were seen showing their skill at
* Carpentering.
* Basket-making.
* Farming.
* Engineering.
* Plumbing.
* Printing, and a number of other useful trades.
Character Training, or the work designed to train boys in perseverance, hardihood, pluck and skill.
* The First-Class Badge.
* Pathfinding.
* Handy-man work.
* Pioneering, and the like.
Public Service. The Scout is taught to be always ready to assist his country and his fellow-men. He promises on becoming a Scout “On my honour I will do my best to help other people at all times.”
* Ambulance.
* Fireman.
* Friend to Animals.
* Interpreter.
* Signaller.
* Missioner.
* Horseman.
* Gymnast.
* Boxing.
* Quarterstaff.
* Wrestling.
* Fencing.
General Training. A Scout should be ready to turn his hand to anything from cooking a dinner to felling a tree.
* Musician.
* Marksman.
* Telegraphist.
* Stalker.
* Starman.
* Cooking in the open and at home.
* Prospector.
* Surveyor.
* Farming.
Ambulance Work.
About a thousand boys entered for the Ambulance Competitions, and the head of the section was at work from early in the morning until late at night supervising the various teams.
In the picture he is seen watching a boy apply an oxygen apparatus, while in the background is a well-known London surgeon who gave up the whole week to judging in this event.
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The Ambulance Section
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The head of the Ambulance Section and five helpers.
Prince Arthur and the Chief Scout leaving the Exhibition.
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The Leather workers' Section. Skins tanned by Scouts. Boots made and repaired by Scouts.
The Basket worker Section.
Prince Arthur looked inside the Bingley Hall hospital while he was there and saw lying on the bed a young Scout who had been taken ill, and had subsequently to be removed to the General Hospital. He was too unwell to be able to take any notice of the visitors, and lay there with eyes shut. Somebody, however, said to him, "The Prince has come to see you!" Even in his pain the little fellow did not forget his duty as a Scout, but, although almost unconscious, he feebly raised his hand to his forehead in the Scout salute, and opened his eyes for a moment to see the Prince looking down on him with that pleasant smile which made him so popular with every boy he passed that day. The little lad then turned over and shut his eyes again, too ill to take any interest in what was going on.
The health of the great army of Scouts during the whole week was remarkable! There were the usual cuts, sprains and bruises, but only three boys were left behind in hospital at the end of the time, and in each case the illness must have been contracted before the boy left home.
One youngster from Dorset had a bad stomach-ache before he started, but would not tell his mother for fear of being left behind! He developed a mild attack of appendicitis, but soon got better without an operation being necessary. ◇◇
The Missioner Section.
Alongside of the hospital at the Exhibition there was a beautifully fitted-up bedroom, where Scouts were to give ​demonstrations of sick-room nursing and the like: the latest appliances in the way of beds, bowls, washstands and the like were there in spotless array.
The Chief Scout came and looked at it. "Not realistic enough," he said. Next time he passed that way he looked on with a smile of approval at the wonderful transformation that had been affected by the indefatigable head of the Missioners' Section. In place of the clean, trim litle sick room was a dirty, untidy garret; the little furniture in it was meagre and broken, while the floors and walls left much to be desired in the way of cleanliness.
On a makeshift bed in the corner was an old woman looking very sick. Then a patrol of "Missioner" Scouts appeared on the scene: one seized a broom and swept out the room; the next made up the fire with some fuel he had procured and made her a cup of tea; another mended the rickety table, bed and chair, making them at any rate serviceable, while a fourth straightened out the bedclothes, propped the old lady up, and did his best to cheer her until the tea was ready. The change from the miserable state the place had been in, to the comparative comfort in which it was left by the boys was indeed a tribute to their training as Missioners.
Having given their demonstration, the place was restored to its original state of chaos, and another patrol came and looked after the old lady, who seemed to enjoy receiving the unaccustomed attentions as much as the boys enjoyed giving them!