Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-29
M.sesllaneous Readins
BOY SCOUTS FOR AMERICA.
One Corps at Springfield, Mass, An
other Planned

America from England. where 100000
boys are enrolled in the order. Spring
| field, Mass, has adopted the idea and
| Syracuse is getting ready to institute
| ii in the coming summer or fall. Tine
boy scout, with his khaki shirt and
woollen stockings, may be as ubiqui-
tous here as he is in England.
At about 10 years of age every
healthy minded youngster becomes inn
! bued with the spirit of adventure. The
| boy scout plan is to take advantage OF
this interest and train the lad in wide
| field of wOodcraft and military knowl-
| edge, and above all to instill in him at
this impressionable age practical,
twentieth century spirit of chivalry.
The Young Mems Christian association
directors and the school men of Eng
| land are unanimous in their praise or
| the working out of the scheme.
The scout is taken at the age when
his surplus energy is seeking some out
let, and he is taught to do most of the
simpler things known to soldiers, sail
ors, policemen, firemen, first aid grad
yates, fishermen, hunters, woodsmen
campers and detectives. A battalion OF
these young scouts in khaki shirts and
stout shoes and stockings marching
down the street for an hours
practice and play at the edge of the
town presents an alert, self-reliant
we'll disciplined appearance seldom seen
IN bpyc ~ THAR q
Every patrol of boy scouts is named
after some bird or animal, so the first
thing the boy does is to learn the cries
and calls of his particular totem. He
| is then admitted into the organization
on months probation as tenderfoot
In this month it is his duty to pick up
practical information, for at the end of
his probation he must pass several
tests before he receives his second
class scouts badge.
He must have an elementary knowl-
edge of first aid to the wounded and OF
bandaging. He must know the Morse
alphabet so that he can signal by it.
He must also be able to pass along a
street, look in four store windows, a
| minute at. each window, and then tell
with reasonable accuracy the contents
| of each.
When the boy scout mas won his sec
ond class badge he begins at once to
prepare for the first class degree. To
pass he must among other require
ments, be competent to carry verbal
messages and to compute the height OF
buildings and short distances by sight
and not more than 25 per cent error.
He must also be able to track party
of the enemy and to run mile in IL
minutes.
All this secures for him the general
first-class degree. There are also
special first class badges such as the
seaman's badge the scout who gains
this has really a good deal of nautical
knowledge. Besides skill in swimming
he can quickly tie eight difficult knots
blindfolded or in the dark, and can
row a boat.
For the first-class signaller's badge
the boy scout must stand tests in send
| lIlS anu iCSSlNlho lhSSSo5NS
and Morse at the rate of twenty-four
letters minute. He must be versed in
the fascinating art of sending smoke
and flame signals with fires, and must
be able to transmit correct information
in regard to the movements of the enc
my.
| Special medals of honor are given for
such deeds as stopping a runaway
horse or saving life. There are twenty
medals of this class.
| In with all this training are mixed
the pastimes that a boy delights in,
the skulking on hands and knees
through long grass after the imaginary
enemy, the building of Indian camps by
riversides and the flashing of messages
from hilltop to hilltop.
| But valuable as is such practical
training while the boys mind is fresh
and most eager to receive it, it is still
only the lesser part of the good the boy
receives from being scout. Behind
it all stands a code of honor. definite
pledges that he must make and must
| live up to if he would remain in the or
der His motto is be prepared and
the boy scout is prepared for emerSen-
cies. physical and moral This is the
scout oath, designed of course for Eng
lish boys:
"On my honor l promise that l will
do my best Cd to do my duty to God
and the king (2) to help other people
at all times; (3) to obey the scout
law"
This is the scout law which the boy
has promised to fulfill:
|. A scouts honor is to be trusted II
scout says, "On my honor it is so,"
that means that it is so, just as much
as if he had taken a most solemn oath.
Similarly if Il scout officer says to a
scout II trust YOU on your honor to do
this" the scout is bound to carry out
the order to tine very best of his abil
ity and to let nothing interfere with
his doing so. If a scout breaks his
honor by telling lie or by not carrying
out an order exactly when trusted on
his honor to do so he may be directed
to hand over his scout badge and never
wear 1t again. He may also be direct
ed to cease to be a scout.
2. A scout is loyal to the king and to
his officers, to his parents, his country
and his employers. He must stick to
them through thick and thin against
any one who is theiI enemy or who
even talks badly of them.
g. A scouts duty is to be useful and
to help others. And he is to do his dut?
before anything else even though he
gives up his own pleasure or comfort
or safety to do it. When in difficulty
to know which of two things To do II"
must ask himself. Which is duty
that is Which is best for other peo-
ple?"-and do that one. He must be
prepared at any time To save life or
help injured persons. And he must
fry, biS host tp 1n a good tur"O Tn